Quality Over Quantity




Zen Buddhist Monk Walking
Brush pen and watercolor pencils

This year is the “slow down and appreciate each moment for what it is” year for me. I learned the value of doing this when I got pretty seriously ill in December of 2018, and was reminded of it again when my life was abruptly upended in 2020. Now, in 2024, I am applying that skill to how I approach creating art.

Slowing down enables me to be more thoughtful, whether it’s sketching, drawing a minimal, spontaneous piece, or working on something elaborate. This year, it has also allotted space to commit time and effort to a large (for me) project, knowing that it will require patience and focus, and will not yield a quick result. I’ve been working steadily on it since January and, even though I do get overwhelmed by how much I still have ahead of me, I am fully enjoying each day’s work.

While I do still create other pieces, add new works to my shop, and continue to submit my illustrations and art to agencies and publishers (while keeping my fingers and toes crossed), the majority of my time is spent on something no one sees or knows anything about yet. I know that I am fortunate to be able to have this time and freedom, and I keep the saying “quality over quantity” in mind, which helps me recenter and keep going.

That’s a wrap for March’s post. Next month I will be posting another recipe. I am still deciding what it will be, so you’ll have to pop by in April and see!  












          



Popular posts from this blog

Series: A Capsule Kitchen: An Introduction + Minimalist Everyday Bread Recipe

Image
  This is the first post in a new series I’ve opted to call “A Capsule Kitchen”, which I will be incorporating into my blog every other month. Typically, I write about art and creativity, with the occasional off-topic piece peppered in for a bit of variety. This year, I came up with the idea of “A Capsule Kitchen”, and thought it would be a fun addition. Each post in the series will feature a tried-and-true recipe that is in regular rotation in my household. For the introduction of the series, I thought it might be helpful to provide some context and a brief background, before starting things off with a simple staple recipe. My husband and I eat a vegan diet, and I do the cooking and baking, which I enjoy, especially now that I have a curated collection of trusty go-tos we both like and that are easy to prepare. We are decidedly unfancy when it comes to our food preferences, both by choice and necessity, which will be clear from the recipes I will be sharing. I decided to call the seri
Read more

Nothing Special

Image
A pre-pandemic photo of me taken at the Oregon Coast A few days ago, I had to acknowledge to myself that the piece I’d been working on for this month's blog post was just not coming together in the way that I wanted it to. Rather than finishing it in haste, I decided to put it aside for the time being. This meant I needed to come up with something for September ASAP, so I opted for a simple and brief personal post that wasn’t as mentally taxing to write. My posts are typically focused on art and the creative process, and less on my personal life (of course, there is a bit of overlap, since life influences art, and vice versa, but you get the idea), so I hope this piece is a fun read. A Collection of Some of my Favorite Things: Favorite flavor: Pumpkin Favorite TV show: Star Trek (the original) Favorite film director(s): Federico Fellini and Charlie Chaplin Favorite childhood movie: The Explorers Favorite book(s): The Razor’s Edge by William Somerset Maugham, and Lost Horizon by J
Read more

Series: A Capsule Kitchen: Minimalist Cornbread

Image
This simple and humble cornbread is one of my husband's favorites, so I typically bake it once or twice a week. I have it streamlined to just 5 ingredients, which are inexpensive and always on hand. Years ago, we occasionally bought cornbread, and I feel like such a sucker now, as making it at home is so easy, which is why I wanted to share this recipe for fluffy, yummy, cheap and easy cornbread.  Minimalist Cornbread Supplies 8” round baking pan Measuring cup Measuring spoons Spatual Mixing bowl Cooling rack or cutting board Ingredients ( Dry ) 1 cup all-purpose flour (whole wheat flour also works well, and gives it a bit of a rustic taste and  texture)  1 cup cornmeal 1 tablespoon baking powder ( Wet ) ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 cup water (I've used almond milk, but found water works just fine, and is much more cost-effective) Optional ingredients   Pinch of salt A drizzle of agave or maple syrup, if you like a sweeter flavor Grated vegan cheese or a sprinkling of nutritional yeas
Read more