Passion Project: My Dearest Co

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It’s been a while but it’s been a good few months. I went ahead and did something that I’ve been meaning to do for a while - I finally shared my artwork with the world! Some of you may know that I’ve been practicing both calligraphy and watercolor for a few years ago. 

This year I decided to create a separate place for me to share my creative expression with the world: MY DEAREST CO. My dream is to make every piece symbolic of what “my dearest” means - a statement of love and endearment - for people who bring it into their homes. You can read more about it here, follow on Instagram here or visit my Etsy shop here.

The purpose of this blog post is to reflect on the past months and share what I’ve learned about myself on this exciting journey.

You’ll never be ready for your first step.
Don’t wait until you feel 100% prepared to do something because you’ll never feel absolutely ready. Don’t worry about needing to know what the next 10 steps are, just keep taking one step every day and it’ll become clear as you go. In other words, be okay with not knowing.

Don’t compare your practice to someone’s masterpiece.
If you expect to create an end product every time you practice - you’ll just be let down. Go into each session with the intention of bettering your craft and good work will come naturally.

Find the work you cannot do, and actually do it.
Is there something that you can’t wait to dig into every morning? Where “work” doesn’t really feel like work, and where you have uninterrupted flow when doing? Then you’ve found something that makes you feel alive and/or gives you meaning for living. Seek out that thing and find ways to spend more waking hours on it to nurture that passion.


As a final note... 
I’ve also come to embrace the “seasons” of living and now believe that there are times and places for different opportunities throughout our lives. I’m blessed to have this be my side project right now with the hopes that one day this could be something bigger. Until then, baby steps onward!

What is a passion project you’ve been wanting to explore?
What are you waiting for? 

Calligraphy: You Are Precious

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"Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you."

Hello wonderful people! 

Check out my latest work. I'm still trying to find my personal hand lettering style. Is it neat, straight? Does it flow loosely? Is it playful, sophisticated? I think the more practice I have, the closer I will be to figuring it out. 

In my watercoloring, I've been experimenting with masking fluid! That's how I achieved the white textured background in this piece. What masking fluid does is temporarily cover up parts of your paper, allowing you to paint freely over it. Once the color dries, you just rub it off. HERE is an easy 101 on it. It's useful for painting waves, small details, accents. Basically anything that you can imagine! 

YouArePrecious

Calligraphy: You Make My Heart Sing

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It's been a while since I posted my calligraphy! No excuses, but I've been waiting to get some new supplies because I overused what I had. I recently made a purchase at JetPens and I highly recommend them - super quick shipping, website has lovely UX, and they have a good variety of tools. 

I've been playing around with a number of different nibs, but I still go back to a beginner's favorite: Nikko G. I also got a new nib holder (pictured below) that has a good grip, and can hold two different size nibs. Totally obsessed!

You make my heart sing. Fun fact: I used to collect stickers when I was in elementary school. I remember I had one sticker with this quote, and recently these words have popped up in my head. It's such a lovely sentiment, and it's a refreshing way to tell somebody "I love you!"

Calligraphy: Be in the moment

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Hello beautiful people!

Today's artwork is inspired by this little mantra I've had in my head for the past couple weeks: be in the moment. It is definitely one of those sayings that people, including myself, brush aside because it's been used so often that it's cliche sounding.

But I've since realized something about this saying that brings me comfort whenever anxiety kicks in or when I feel myself worrying about situations out of my immediate control. 

The present - it's all we really have. The past is over, and the future is not here yet. Our moments are temporary, they're fleeting at best. So instead of focusing on what will never be again (the past), and what isn't here yet (the future), we need to fully be and live in the present. 

It's 9PM now, going to make myself a cup of tea. Also, exciting news: starting a new job on Monday!

Watercolor: The day is ending

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Today is a sad day. 

This week's practice included lots of abc's (I am trying out a new nib), and a watercolor session. It was a great outlet, and it kept me busy for a couple hours. I'm happy with how this landscape painting came out. I think I will continue to put on finishing touches tomorrow, and perhaps show an update in the following week. 

I am also running out of black ink. It feels like getting to the very end of a chapstick - super fulfilling. 

Calligraphy: Today is Your Day to Shine

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My sunflowers - happy Sunday! 

This is my first week of testing out gouache paint as ink. (Gouache is just a fancy word for paint that is highly pigmented, and finishes as a very opaque color.) I've read from a couple bloggers that the perfect mixture of gouache & water creates a full palette of ink colors. 

Shine on, you crazy diamonds. And have a beautiful week! 

-Carol 

Calligraphy: Dream on, darling

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Happy Sunday again! (Perhaps I should make this a weekly routine.)

Today's calligraphy piece is au natural, aka has not been digitized. I've began experimenting with watercolor, and am planning to ease my way into gouache paint. There's also a bit of ink bleeding here, so may need to purchase different paper too. 

But regardless, enjoy! A simple reminder to keep on going. 


Calligraphy: Sippin' on my tea

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Every time I want to get work done at home, I have a little ritual. I must 1) light a candle 2) pour a cup of tea or coffee, and 3) put on some upbeat music. I love doing it because it relaxes me, and gets my creative juices flowing. Anyways, that's exactly what I did today when I practiced my calligraphy! 

I was just casually practicing my abc's and enjoying the moment when I felt inspired to write this. Because usually when you think of sipping on a drink, you won't think of chamomile tea. I loved the irony of it so voila. Happy Sunday everyone.

*Can't take credit for the watercolor background. It is credited to the inspiring DesignLoveFest.