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Made

2021 Creative Wellness Resolutions

Writing Creative Wellness Resolutions www.trialbyinspiration.com

I haven’t made new Creative Wellness Resolutions since 2018, oops! Back then, I defined them as “bringing my focus to creative maintenance instead of artistic output.” My son was a few months from turning two years old, and as he gained more independence and a little language, my creativity started peeking around the corner. Interestingly, I’m in a similar season of life now, in a few months, my daughter will be two, and I feel the same desire to raise my head, look around, and be inspired.

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Inspiration

Creator Crush: Matthew Forsythe Interview

www.trialbyinspiration.com Interview with Children's Book Illustrator Matthew Forsythe

Do you have a favorite picture book? I have a few, and it’s so delicious when my kids choose one at bedtime that is both visually beautiful and a delight to read. My recommendation: Matthew Forsythe’s Pokko and The Drum. With a background in animation, graphic novels, and painterly illustration, Matthew Forsythe created a children’s book that I want to hold right up to my nose to see all the brush strokes and layers. The story is simple enough for very young kids to follow but has funny, subversive moments that appeal to my son and set it apart from the sea of moralistic picture books.

Our Interview is your kick-start to creation this year: we discuss Forsythe’s career as a working Illustrator, and he gives you permission to stop networking (yes, please).

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Inspiration

Creator Crush: Natalie Osborne Interview

Natalie Osborne Full-Time Artist Interview www.trialbyinspiration.com

Over the last few days, between editing my interview with artist Natalie Osborne and tackling some urgent projects at the office (from home) and negotiating what childcare looks like as quarantine rounds month six, I keep coming back to her comments about Art as work:

“That painting kicked my butt! That painting beat me up! That one was hard.”

If you follow Natalie’s Instagram, you know that her pieces have a signature look. Her bold, graphic portraits have a cohesive style that is instantly recognizable in any interior. In fact, I love seeing her work photographed in people’s homes (on this wallpaper!), styled in varying interior styles, each with that familiar face looking back.
My conversation with Natalie Osborne is one of my favorites, not because she gives away any artist’s secrets to effortless creation, but because she breaks down the time, energy, and financial commitment that goes into being a successful full-time artist. As a Creative, it’s a relief to hear that the struggle so many of us have in finding our voices may just mean we need to commit more fully: To take our Art as seriously as we take our work.

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Inspiration

Creator Crush: Raven Jones Interview

Monarch Butterfly Illustration Raven Jones Illustrator Interview www.trialbyinspiration.com

Delightful is the word that keeps coming back to me as I think about introducing my interview with illustrator Raven Jones. Whimsical is a bit too sweet, and charming comes close, but after our emails back and forth and immersing myself in her work, delightful just feels right. Raven’s illustrations of hygiene-hyping tigers and Bugs, ensconced in Hermes, feel effortless and effervescent; she brings the same detail and attention to her bespoke portraits as her hand-illustrated mailers. (Can you imagine opening the mailbox and seeing this?!) 

I haven’t written anything in almost two years. My young kids and demanding design day job have consumed my creator energy, but following Raven’s work gave me that old sparkle of interest and inspiration again. During these months in quarantine, every day feels a little lackluster and stale, so seeking a shake-up, I reached out to Raven and get her take on career pivots, sustaining momentum and her old school illustration inspiration. Just like her sketches, she’s such a breath of fresh air, so enjoy!

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Inspiration

Creator Crush: Stina Persson Interview

Stina Persson Artist Interview www.trialbyinspiration.comStina Persson’s illustrations are the ultimate eye candy! Her portraits, fashion illustration, and moody florals are rendered in lush swaths of saturated ink and watercolor. Treat yourself and scroll through her delicious Instagram feed for the short timelapse videos of her process… jealous yet? You’ve probably seen Stina’s work for iconic brands like Veuve Clicquot, Louis Vuitton, and Vogue Nippon but her style remains unmistakably her own. As someone who struggles to find a consistent illustration style I’m satisfied with, I’m always in awe of artists like Stina Persson whose work is its own signature. I’m thrilled to share Stina’s thoughts on her style, technique, and what it means to stay authentic to her craft.

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Made

The Modern Vision Board Guide

Modern Vision Board How To Guide www.trialbyinspiration.com
Modern Vision Board How To Guide www.trialbyinspiration.com

Modern Vision Board Guide www.trialbyinspiration.com

Feeling adrift my friend and I planned a girl’s night…to build vision boards. After a stop at Target for supplies, we ordered Postmates and got to work cutting, pasting and dying laughing; but as the evening progressed I began to lean into the exquisite cheesiness of combing magazines for pictures and words that reflect my aspirations. You know I LOVE a mood board so it was delicious to focus on a positive future, limitless goals, and setting my intentions, so why did stating (or in this case pinning) my desires feel greedy and uncomfortable? It was an impulse I had to push against, again and again- has my real life trained me to aim a little lower and want a little less? As young people, when we dreamt about adulting we didn’t let our aspirations get tangled up in the realities of mortgages and commitments, yet here I was tamping down each desire before I even cut it out. I began to realize that creating a vision board is an exercise in nurturing your ambitions, revisiting why you are on the path you’re on, and where you’re going. Can it also help manifest your desired destination? I’m going with yes (because my positivity has been revitalized, ideally for more than a week).
Read on for my modern vision board guide, to help you embrace your huge, unspoken, audacious vision for what your life could be.

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Inspiration

Creator Crush: Becca Jane Koehler Interview

BeccaJaneStudio Becca Koehler Ceramics and Interview
You know when you follow someone on Instagram that you are equal parts inspired by and jealous of? For me, that is Becca Jane Koehler of @beccajanestudio. I’m not an aspiring ceramicist, so I’m not sure why I’m jealous, except that her grid of sun-drenched shots of playfully painted Delft Blue and white porcelain makes me long for a strong signature style and medium. The photos of her pieces en masse are my favorite, stacks and stacks of snake entwined mugs, flat-lay collections of plates with rabbit, snake, eye, and floral motifs in her signature blue, unexpected red or muted black. I had the privilege of reaching out to Becca to find out more about inspiration, staying motivated, and finding her way.
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Made

2018 Creative Wellness Resolutions

Last Fall I hit a creative wall that I’ve been attempting to push past (climb over?) the last eight months. Life with a toddler is no joke, the amount of patience, time and emotional energy it takes me to be present as a mother is humbling, challenging and sometimes overwhelming. My recent reality of traveling, working full time, and moving into and fixing up our new house has made carving out time and mental space to generate creative ideas nearly impossible. Is guilt (and wine) the only way to come to terms with the privilege of being both so blessed and so tired?
Hasn’t it been interesting to watch the once woo-woo philosophy of Wellness become such a cultural touchstone? The self-care lifestyle, meditation, juicing, jade rolling, aromatherapy and so on, proclaims to be the cure for our hustle culture. Needing a cure myself, Wellness has inspired me to come up with some (belated!) creative resolutions for 2018, and bring my focus to creative maintenance instead of artistic output.

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Made

Monday Mood Board – Sun, Sand & Sequins

Monday Mermaid Mood Board, Sun, Sand & Sequins www.trialbyinspiration.com

I experienced the perfect storm of FOMO this weekend after viewing and liking all my friend’s surf spray Instas and then stumbling across this cerulean dream of a vintage postcard at Lula B’s West. Whyyy didn’t we plan a beach vacation this summer?? The sad answer is, we’re saving it for the new year when we can hop down to Belize for our first long, no kids allowed vacay. So mood board I must, and, after pilfering my collections for inspiration, I found the perfect theme, Sun, Sand, and Sequins!

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Made

Monday Mood Board

Mood Board inspired by Chihuly's collection of trade blankets www.trialbyinspiration.com

A quickie collection inspired by Chihuly’s personal (epic!) collection of American trade blankets that kicks off his fantastic, long-term exhibition in Seattle. If you have a chance to visit the show or one of the traveling exhibits, please treat yourself to a ticket. The glass sculptures are arranged by theme and period, in two-story, blackest black rooms, and the impact is epic. Of course, the color, scale, and technological logistics of his works are what Chihuly is known for, but what stuck with me was the narrative it painted by pairing the artist’s collections of pottery and trade blankets with his iconic glass works to convey both process and realization.

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loving the photoshop mask mode on these florals ❤️
In case you missed it 6:29 a.m. 🌅 We’ve been In case you missed it 6:29 a.m. 🌅
We’ve been up soooo early lately, I remember when I was a teenager, seeing the sunrise quarterly at best, and now I see it every.day. with the kids. We’ve been up since 5:15 (our alarm is for 5:30 😑) wondering how springing forward will change our schedules around here… trying out #procreate for my #procreatesunrise
I had to take the day off to have a procedure done I had to take the day off to have a procedure done (not interesting at all, everything is fine) but I got to squeeze in an hour of Zoom figure drawing with @therenaissanceworkshop before hand- what a dream!!
Just found this one from last week, pretty storm t Just found this one from last week, pretty storm tossed shell against that beautiful brown Gulf water 🤎🤩
🧡🤍🤎💚 🧡🤍🤎💚
I think you're going to LOVE my conversation with I think you're going to LOVE my conversation with fashion illustrator @gambrell_ in today's post. 👆Link in bio,  he discusses the importance of prolific sketchbooks, how he handles commissions, and how to get creatively unstuck .
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#creativelifehappylife #illustratorsoninstagram #artistinterview #artistinterviews #fashionillustration #fashionillustrator #dailyinspiration #tbinspireme #chrisgambrell
Super quick cloud study with torn paper and sharpi Super quick cloud study with torn paper and sharpie set to the shrill sounds on DanielTiger. Bring on the coffee.

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#creativelifehappylife #cloudporn #showyourwork #sketchbookart #illustratorsoninstagram #illustratorsofinstagram #makeart2021 #landscapes #landscape_lovers #mondayvibes
Did anyone else see that moon this morning? Showst Did anyone else see that moon this morning? Showstopper 🌝 I tried to memorize this cloud/sky color and rush into the office to recreate before diving into my emails. I've been trying to find more time for even a quick affair with creativity, still a challenge. Now to finish my coffee!

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#creativelifehappylife #illustratorsoninstagram #moonlovers #abmlifeisbeautiful #abmlifeiscolorful #illustratorsofinstagram #sketchbookdrawing
So as you can see, I'm completely addicted to remo So as you can see, I'm completely addicted to remote figure drawing @michelle_gibson_model 

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#creativelifehappylife #sketchbookdrawing #zoomfiguredrawing #remotelifedrawing #illustratorsoninstagram #figuredrawing #figuredrawingandchill
Looking forward to a Zoom figure drawing + take ou Looking forward to a Zoom figure drawing + take out date-night tonight. Here's 🔥@theartache from last weekend's sess

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#creativelifehappylife #illustratorsoninstagram #zoomfiguredrawing #figuredrawings #remotelifedrawing #pinupinspired #pinupillustration
🌞I wrote my 2021 creative wellness resolutions 🌞I wrote my 2021 creative wellness resolutions last night 🌟 I haven't written any since 2018 but I’m ready to set new intentions to maintain my creativity in the new year! (link in bio if you want to see what I have planned) 🤞 

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#creativelifehappylife #abmlifeiscolorful #abmlifeisbeautiful #acolorstory #artistsoninstagram #artistsofinstagram #artistresolutions2021 #creativityfound #creativityeveryday #staycreative #patternobserver
Check out my interview with one of our absolute fa Check out my interview with one of our absolute fav author/illustrators @mattforsythe in the blog today! He has so many wonderful insights into being a working artist, for me it was so motivating to here his take! Enjoy! 🌞
🐘Progress on my @melissaanddougtoys @ad_magazin 🐘Progress on my @melissaanddougtoys @ad_magazine trompe l’oeill house. This has to be my all time favorite, slowest, most meditative craft project ever. The kids are starting to notice when new decor goes in, but are not nearly as impressed as I am 🤷🏻‍♀️🤩 edited with @acolorstory
Lunch Break! I rounded up our fav kid’s books ab Lunch Break! I rounded up our fav kid’s books about Feelings today, since our house is currently the double toddler feelings zone Check out the link in bio👆👆👆👆 

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#kidsbooks #kidsbookstagram #kidsbookswelove #kidsbookshelf #picturebooksofinstagram #booksforkids #booksforchildren #feelingsbooks
🤯 Thinking about my 2021 creative wellness goal 🤯 Thinking about my 2021 creative wellness goals while listening to back episodes of Big Magic podcast @elizabeth_gilbert_writer .
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#creativelifehappylife #livecolorfully #creativeinspiration #creativewellness #livecreatively
🤩🤩The shirts are live!! 🤩🤩 link in bio 🤩🤩The shirts are live!! 🤩🤩 link in bio 🎉 a portion of your purchase will go to @thelovelandfoundation
more! more! more! Follow me

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All photos and content are the property of Trial by Inspiration and its author, Berry Thomas.