Unannounced hiatus..?

OOPS! I forgot about this.. my apologies! 

I'll be back soon.

Until then, here's a teeny tiny glimpse into what my life has looked like.

Many apologies!

I am terribly sorry I have been on what seems like an unannounced hiatus but I assure you it was unplanned but also very necessary. I went through a pretty traumatic experience about 10 days ago and honestly have thought about nothing else since then until a few days ago. I can't really say what happened but everything is okay now! Once again, I am so sorry! I hope to get back into the swing of things very soon.

In the meantime, I am still working on painting three roses on mini canvases for my boyfriend's room. Above is the first one I have "completed"... I say that with quotations because I really don't like how it has turned out. What I thought was going to be a fun, and cute, little project, has turned into an absolute nightmare. I can't tell you how many times I have painted over these canvases. There must be 3 or 4 layers of paint on them by now. It might be because I feel completely uninspired lately or feel rushed to do them since my life has become much busier with my new job, but maybe by the time I finished the other 2, I will have a change of heart.

Busy, busy, busy bee.

Even though it has only been 2 days, it feels like forever since I have updated. I am currently at my boyfriend's house, laying around with his puppies watching television. I have been doing this for the majority of the past two days with a little bit on mini putting and movie going mixed in and as a result I have not been able to post anything! But things are good, and here I am now to share with you my good news.

On Thursday, I received a call from the Bakery whom I had had an interview with previously and I got the job! Now I was thrilled, and so looking forward to it. I even went and met the head baker and began the process of accepting the job when.... Urban Trade called me! So now I had two job offers on the table, one of them the cutest job in the world, and the other something I had desired to be doing and the potential to really grow within the company. At first, I had accepted both jobs, thinking I could manage them both but the real challenge was how to co-ordinate the hours and set my availability for each job so everyone would be happy. In the end... It just wasn't going to work so I had to choose. Urban trade was the obvious choice as I was starting out in a manager position, getting paid more and being given the potential for a raise, benefits and full-time hours in 2 months. I would have been crazy to turn that down. Calling the bakery was nerve racking and a little bit sad. I truly would have enjoyed that job but I feel like I made the right choice. So here I am, come Monday I am the new manager in training at Urban Trade and I couldn't be happier! They are already the nicest people I have had the opportunity of working with (I realize I haven't started yet). But I already feel so comfortable talking to my manager and fellow managers at the store.

Spencer and I also had our 11 month anniversary on Friday so this week has been full of celebration. We went to the mall yesterday and I gotta say, it felt good knowing that what I was spending would soon be coming back to me in a short few weeks (I got a pair of sandals, a pair of black flats, and two shirts to wear to my first shifts this coming week). Spencer is also enjoying his new full-time job and reaping the benefits as well.

Things are definitely going my way right now. My karma is at an all time high and I hope it stays there.

One last thing, my best friend Sarah just started her own blog and if you enjoy mine, you will enjoy hers even more! (Click her name to visit!) We hope to one day collaborate on a blog together.

P.S. I promise an art update tomorrow!

I'm in love with all things floral.

I had my second interview today at Urban Trade and it went amazing! The manager there (who would be my manager) was so inviting and kind. She reminded me a little bit of myself even with her foot tattoo and stretched ears. I am feeling very confident right now that I have a good chance of actually moving forward with this job and this amazing opportunity that has presented itself to me. I am just remaining positive right now and will know by the end of the week if I go in for another interview or if I did or did not get the job. Please cross your fingers for me!

I bought this bag, and a cute crystal ring from Forever 21 as a mini congrats to myself for doing such a good job on both of the interviews. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I have been searching for this bag for ages. A pretty floral bag with little to no pink, and there it is... in all it's navy, red and orange glory. It's a little bit smaller than your average messenger bag and can be worn across the body or on one shoulder. The leather embellishments make it even better. This is my perfect bag!

Art updates coming tomorrow! and possibly a little facelift for the blog!
Due to my case of insomnia lately (waking up at 3 am, 3 nights in a row = not fun) The blog has a new look, I just need to upload my new signature and buttons but right now I am far too tired. I like it a lot, such an improvement.. What do you think?! 

Budgies: WIP.. & a quick update!

Although I haven't updated as much as I would have liked to the past few days, I have been very busy and have continued to work on Spencer's budgie designs and a few other drawings I have been wanting to do. Above is a sketch of a budgie in flight.. it was a little bit more complicated to get the proportions and foreshortening right than when I was drawing sitting budgies. I want to redo the left wing and add a bit more detail to both of the wings but for now, I am very happy with how it came out. I showed it to Spencer yesterday and he liked it as well, even better than my previous sitting budgies. I am going to draw a few more and use tracing paper to place banners in their mouths and different areas to place Nana in script.

Aside from drawing, I have had 3 interviews over a 2 day period! Can you believe that? Like my mom said, "When it rains, it pours!" And I guess that is the case when it comes to me getting interviews. The interviews went a little something like this:
1. The first was for the job at The Hamilton Spectator which in the end wasn't the right job for me.. besides not being able to do it, the man who interviewed me made me completely uncomfortable (Asking me if I was a "party girl" doesn't seem like your standard interview question..) and when he called me to either give me the job, he was very rude and arrogant. Not someone I would ever consider working for, no matter how good it may look on my resume.
2. The second interview was to work at Urban Trade.. a trendy retail store throughout Ontario. Going into the interview, I believed it was only for a sales associate position but it turns out they are looking for someone to fill a manager on duty position. As soon as he told me this, I knew I had to go for it and I believe I nailed the first interview as I was immediately set up for a second interview for tomorrow! Fingers crossed it goes just as well.
3. My last interview went just as well but I am not as excited for the job as my last. It is to work in a specialty bakery in downtown Hamilton. Although I think it would be very cute and interesting to work there I don't see myself loving the position as much as I would at Urban Trade.

I also have another lead on an interior design related job.. but I will keep that a secret until I know more and if anything comes of it. I see employment in my near future and after having not worked for a full year, it feels very good! I can't wait for that first paycheck.

Good news!

I just received a call a few hours ago for a summer job at The Hamilton Spectator (our local newspaper) for an Architectural Technologist position! You have no idea how excited I am... but also very nervous. Even though it is only a summer job, it has the potential to turn into something so much more. I have an interview tomorrow at 10 am and I have already got my outfit all ready to go. After months and countless different resumes and emails, I am glad I (at the very least) have the opportunity to go through the interview process and receive feedback on my resume. If I don't get the job, I will still keep my head up, but I am hoping for the best! Wish me luck!

In other (not as exciting) news, I have more budgies to scan and have started drawing polar bears. Why? Because I am obsessed with them! I will post them as soon as I can.

United States of America.

I am going to the USA today, Buffalo, NY to be more exact, with the family. I usually don't mind long car rides, but since it is supposed to be very hot today.. I'm not exactly looking forward to it. At least I can replenish my stock of Vanilla Coke. Before I go, I will leave you with this which always puts a smile on my face. Refer to the caption if you don't understand it!

MOLAR BEARRRRRRRRRRR!

Motivation.

It's funny how something, such as starting a blog, can give you the perfect amount of motivation to start doing, creating, and chasing your dreams. I actually signed up for this blog in January, but wasn't producing any art because of my obscene amount of work from school. The stress of final semester seemed to take over my life and I quickly forgot about it.. I revisisted it in June and after seeing the success of so many other local artists who carried on a blog, and I decided to start over. I finally figured out the layout, style and what content I want to show the world, deleted all of my prior posts (which were nothing of interest) and just began typing.

I feel like I started this blog at the right time in my life, it's exactly what I needed to keep on going and not give up which is something I was quickly approaching when it came to my creative side. I figured I would never make it in the art world. But now, I feel a certain amount of obligation to paint, draw, and keep up with posting new things for my visitors (which are mostly made up of only family and friends at this time). This in turn makes me motivated to get better and see the progress I have made since starting this blog.. I wake up thinking about what to create in order to take a picture of it and display it on here.. this also must mean I have gained confidence and am starting to become more proud of myself and displaying my work.  As I see it, things can only go up from here!

Photo by Nicki Varkevisser via Flickr

Sidenote: I created a custom signature.. see it! Just below this. I am also slowly figuring things out and have started to get a hang of HTML and Photoshop once more. It's the little things that excite me, can't you tell?

I'm back.

I realize no one realized I was gone, but I am going to keep this blog going simply for myself. A lot has happened... I have finished and graduated from school but have realized that Interior Design is not right for me. I am taking the summer to figure myself out, and create a new plan for what to do with my life.
I am still young I have time, I hope.