Branding yourself is not just for big corporations, every visual artist needs to have their own brand in order to truly resonate with their target audience, turning them into a dedicated following.
One of the best ways to let folks know that they have come to the right creator is by having consistent and cohesive branding that really speaks directly to your viewer.
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Ooohwheeee it felt good to get out and hit the trails again! I hadn’t been able to get out on any kind of elevation since leaving Hawai’i in December and I was missing it in a big way!
There’s a couple, Kristen and Kyle, that I’ve known for over 15 years now and they just moved to Chattanooga last year who I’ve been dying to visit! Now that the weather is finally a bit more bearable for a tropical bird such as myself, I was super psyched to make my way over there and spend a few days exploring that cute town and the local hikes on Signal Mountain.
One thing that’s really nice about Tennessee is that spring comes on in a big way around here. The winter does make things quite grey, but that only makes the greens growing in even brighter and more delightful to behold. Now I really can’t wait for the cherry blossom trees in April!
Signal Mountain is covered in trails and in three hours we didn’t even do half of them. Just another excuse to come back to Chattanooga! I think I’m going to look into campout spots too because it’s getting to be perfect Vaughn the Adventure Van weather for sure!
I’ll always have a piece of my heart on Pele’s ridge’s on O’ahu, but I am extremely grateful to be living in an area where I can finally begin to realize my dream career as a full time artist that is also flush with outdoor adventure areas.
As pretty as it is out here, you better watch out…there’s all kinda weirdos creeping around these trails!
3.25.2021
I'm so excited to share my latest 3D oil, mixed media, and resin painting with you! I've been working on 'The Dreaming Witch' for months now and was finally able to ensconce her lovely ferns, petals, and gold leaf flakes in resin just last week.
This is an oil painting on linen with an aerosol background. I used dried ferns and other plants I collected in Hawai'i and Florida, as well as a cruelty-free reproduction moth, with gold leaf flakes scattered about.
I'll have this painting available as a limited edition print with hand embellished gold leaf accents in my Shop for a short time. You can grab yours here.
These prints will only be available as a pre-order for a limited time, and each one will be hand embellished with gold leaf. Grab on today!
3.21.2021
Aloha friends, no YouTube video today. I’m treating myself to the week off for a little hiking adventure. It’s the first few days in a row I’ve had off since getting back from Hawaii in December between packing up my life in Florida, moving to Tennessee, and immediately starting this tremendously busy new job. You know this wanderlust-spirited Birdie has to get out every couple of months or I start to go a little stir crazy in the Nest.
Luckily I have friends in Chattanooga and in Asheville who have been showing me a great time this week hitting the trails on these beautiful Appalachian Mountains.
Hope you find a way to relax and enjoy a little nature this week yourself! I’ll be back with next week for all your best fine art tutorials and art biz advice :)
3.14.2021
Hoorah how exciting to be featured as an expert in anything, much less for something I’ve devoted multiple YouTube videos about: creating a fabulous and organized home art studio!
Redfin is always looking for ways to help their clients enjoy the homes they’re in to the fullest so when I got tapped to add in my two cents on creating the perfect personal creative spaces, I was thrilled to help out!
Here’s my quote on maintaining organization in one’s studio, and then you click below to see all the other artists’ great suggestions!
Read the rest of the article here.
3.5.2021
So a really common question I get from people is a pretty general one, ‘how can I get better at drawing?’ And while the number one answer of course is to practice, I think very often people aren’t sure quite how to practice or how best to use their time practicing drawing. Today I’m going to share some of my best tips for getting better at drawing for beginner or intermediate artists that you can apply to any art practice.
Once you focus in on what areas you need to improve on and make a consistent habit to practice, I’m sure you will be delighted by just how quickly progress will come to you.
Here’s my How to Draw Hands workshop if you’d really like to take things to the next level.
You definitely do not need any special materials in order to improve your drawing skills, but below are just a few items I like to use. If you purchase anything through my special links it helps support this channel so thank you very much!
Parisian Blue Carbothello Pastel
Find this model, Diana, on Instagram if you’d like to use her poses in your own work at whatever donation you can afford:)
2.28.2021
Since moving into my new spot in Nashville I’ve recently been cruising some ideas for my home art studio and three of the sites I stumbled upon were too inspiring not to share!
The photo above is a little glimpse of my new setup. I think I need more plants and possibly more art on the wall too, but at least my easel and lightening are good to go!
This first one has really great, specific tips on how to set up a creative space in often overlooked areas with some seriously envy-worthy organization and layout idea pics. Oddly enough this post comes from a storage unit website, but it’s right on point, so I’m sure you’ll love it too! Your DIY Guide to Designing a Home Art Studio
This page has some fabulous ideas for all kinds of creative spaces if you have an extra room in your house, the first half of the article features rooms that look especially nice to have during these times of staying at home constantly. 13 Ways to Convert a Bonus Room into a Usable Space
And this last one is for the realist in all of us - ha! These are actual working art studios (some with the artist in them!) that are such a delight to peek into. No joke, one of my faaaaaavorite things is to see where and how other artists create - both neat n tidy and full of frenzy. Sometimes I feel so torn between wanting to stay in my small-home art studios or eventually getting a spot with 10 foot ceilings - they both just seem to explode with possibility! 44 Stunning Art Studios That Will Inspire You To Get Back To Work
If you enjoy tours of artist home studios, I’ve created a few from the various places I lived in Hawai’i on my YouTube channel. You can also see tours of the two tiny houses I lived in on island too!
2.25.2021
Brrr! What a cold week! Didn't it seem like I was just in my sports bra and shorts on top of a tropical mountain on O'ahu and suddenly I'm here freezing my feathers off in Nashville, Tennessee?!
Luckily I'm in a safe spot, just stocked up on groceries, and my awesome new artsy job cancels when it's this icy on the road so I've had the luxury or being able to do some healthy baking, snuggle up, and have my own little mini snow excursions around the nature areas of my new apartment complex. I even figured out the perfect spot to do some indoor plein air landscape painting with gouache right out my window so I wouldn't freeze my fingers off trying to set up to paint outside. Yay!
I hope you enjoy this vlog as much as I enjoyed making it for you! Here's a playlist of some other art + adventure vlogs from my travels.
Shoutout to Study Girl at Chilled Cow for the best snowy day streaming music.
Please stay safe, stay inside, and drive slow! Here are a few links you may find helpful should something go wrong:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/how-to-survive-a-power-outage-in-winter/432226 https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/15/us/power-outage-winter-storm-how-to-trnd/index.html
And a place to donate to those in Texas who have lost power: https://breadoflifeinc.org/
2.21.2021
If you have been following my art journey for even just a little while, you know it is rare that I do outside brand collaborations, but you better believe compostable mailers is some thing I believe in 1000% wholeheartedly in every way possible!!
I am constantly discussing ways to be more eco-friendly and mother earth conscious in my YouTube videos especially, and with so many people in this world having to shop online it is even more important that we pay attention to our plastic footprint as small business owners. I really love that these mailers have simple instructions on the bag and they dissolve in any compost bin, not just in specifically designed city facilities. I imagine that even if they don’t make it into a compost bin that still means they break down so much faster than petroleum plastic either way.
You guys, it is literally actually factually like a trillion zillion times better to not use plastic to begin with than to ‘recycle’ since most cities/facilities don’t really do nearly what you think they do. You can ask any ecologist and can also quote me on that!
@noissueco mailers are SURPRISINGLY inexpensive for being biodegradable! You have to have to have to check them out!!! 🌱
2.16.21
I’m thrilled to share my latest 3D oil painting, ‘Lady Earth’ with you! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve completed an oil painting and it feels soo good!
I feel like so many of my paintings have a Mother Earth/Gaia feel to them so I’m constantly seeking out new ways to express this reoccurring theme. Ninsar is the name of the ancient Sumerian goddess of plants, which translates into English as ‘Lady Earth’… the perfect ceremonial name for my latest muse.
My amazing subject is a force to be reckoned with, yet quiet and serene in her own way, similar to the balance of love and wrath of Mother Earth. She is one who will provide and protect, but will also remind you that you are essentially helpless before her.
Even though this piece is small in stature, she is a monumental presence that will fill any space.
Thank you to my Muse, Toy, for being exactly who you are. @they_call_me_toy
2.14.21
