Laura K Maxwell
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If I'm Being Honest . . .

7/18/2018

4 Comments

 
I changed my little blurb to the right.  Over there under "LAURA".  If you're on a smart phone you have to scroll to the end of the page to see it, so I'll copy and paste the blurb here for you folks.
A place to share the process. This blog is not a marketing tool or an additional way to show off, but rather a space to be honest about the triumphs and trials of my daily life as an artist and mama. Writing motivates and refreshes me.
The reason I'm thinking this today is I've been struggling lately. Sometimes I'm hesitant to share this stuff on my blog because I want to appear "professional" and put-together. I worry a potential customer/licensor will read this and not want to work with me.  

But that's not what this particular space is about.

 I've been pretty discouraged regarding my art, and how I'd hoped to be further along by now.  I'd really like to be contributing more to my family's income with this, but I'm just not. A lot of times in the past few weeks I've wanted to just quit spending my precious free time on this art thing and do something else.

And the social media thing can be tricky, because I get super inspired by other artists, but on the other hand I can also get super jealous at their success.

So I've been feeling discouraged.  I could talk about it for awhile but I'll leave it at that.

One thing that encourages me is scrolling through my own profile.  I really like what I've been drawing. I think I'm good at it.  I want to grow, but I think what I have done is good and fun.
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One of my faves from the 100 Day Project.
So I've decided for now to keep showing up.  Keep showing up to make art and look for ways to grow it as a business.  To-do lists and schedules help.  Even when I'm feeling unmotivated, I can stick to a schedule (like writing a blog post on Wednesdays, or spending at least 10 minutes drawing everyday).

And really, I have a fantastic life.  Even though I wish I had more time to learn and create and work,  I love getting to spend my days with this guy and wouldn't trade it for anything.
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It's astounding how much I love him.  You always hear that will happen when you have kids, but you never really know until you know first hand.
4 Comments

We Made It!

7/11/2018

2 Comments

 
This post is a celebration!  Today is day 100 of the 100 Day Project! 

Here's a look back onto Day One
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And with this tangly snake, I am done!
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As I've already said on Instagram, I am pretty dang proud of myself.  This is a momma-win.  This isn't the first time for me to complete the 100 Day Project, but it's my first time to do so as a momma.

The first year of Ransom's life I attempted it, but threw in the towel after 20 days.  I think that was a good idea on my part.  I read in a book recently that when you are a new momma, there are only two things on your to do list everyday -- keep baby alive, keep mommy alive.  On those two points I was successful.
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Day one. He looks pretty snuggly, I'm pretty out of it. Sums up a lot of that first year.
Now, in Ransom's second year, I feel more capable to take on a tiny bit more than those two things.  Just a tiny bit.
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There he is just earlier today, helping momma return some window shades to Home Depot. He's such a great sidekick.  And by that I mean he makes every errand harder but more cute.
So for 100 Days I've cultivated this habit of opening my sketchbook every day--usually right when I put him down for a nap.  Sometimes I had to wait til post-bedtime, and on a few rare occasions I completed a drawing while he was awake and being independent. 

I'm going to try to continue to ride this wave.  No longer will I complete a full drawing everyday, but I will strive to draw daily.  Now I can focus on bigger pieces, other projects (like the coloring book and children's book I'm slowly plugging away on) and add more to some of my animal drawings.
I'm also excited to do another 100 Day Project next year!  I'm thinking I'll do 100 Days of Hand-Lettering, because that is something I've been wanting to grow in.  But we'll see. 
2 Comments

Not Much to Say Today

7/5/2018

4 Comments

 
It's interesting how taking a week off from blogging (last week was just busy) now makes me feel like I have nothing to say. The more I blog, the more I have to blog about, and the opposite is true.
The same goes for drawing, or any creative endeavor. I've been drawing every day for almost 100 days, and it just makes me want to draw more and more.  In six days, when this challenge is over, I still want to draw everyday.  But it can be what I want.  And it doesn't have to be a brand new drawing everyday.  I'm looking forward to that.
But it's not over yet.  There are still six more days!
Since I still don't know what else to say today.  Here is my least favorite drawing of the past 10 days.
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And here is my favorite.
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4 Comments

    Laura

    A place to share the process. A space to be honest about the triumphs and trials of my daily life as an artist and mama. Writing motivates and refreshes me.

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