A Season of Growth: Unravelling the Concept of Unconditional Confidence
Hello there, lovely souls! 🌟
This month I found myself meandering through a glittering St Peters’ Square one evening, serenaded by a saxophonist playing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and couldn't help but marvel at the mellow sound of Christmas and the magic of dusk, after a heart-warming afternoon of coffee and newfound friendships. Enter Jenny – a kindred spirit and fellow illustrator I met at last month’s AOI event. We’ve only met several times, but our conversations have been inspiring, flowing with similar ideas, depth, and mutual encouragement on our creative journeys. Sometimes, the universe places the right people in our path at the perfect time – a subtle nudge to pay attention.
Changing with the Tide
On this wintery afternoon, we delved into the topic of confidence, and it was a discussion that resonated deeply with my own artistic journey this year. At the end of our chat Jenny said to me, ‘why don’t you write a blog post on this!’ so naturally, I took her advice. Our conversation was sparked by our mutual love of "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron, which had a profound effect on us both. Over the past twelve months, this creative course helped me unravel my limiting beliefs surrounding my artwork and I came to understand that beliefs are merely thoughts supported by an internal bias, and external confirmation. I witnessed first hand that a shift in these beliefs created a shift in my external world, and for the first time, I reached several milestones in my creative career.
Beyond the creative realm, this year was also a profound exploration of personal growth, marked by heartbreak, healing, and newfound alignment. In the midst of this metamorphosis, I discovered that having confidence in myself is not about external success, but rather a lifelong journey of self-acceptance. The Artist's Way bolstered my confidence in my artistic practice, leading me to manifest a trip to Bologna book fair, a publishing deal, and my first solo exhibition. Yet after the excitement of those external achievements faded, I plunged deeper into my mental state, questioning whether they truly made a difference in who I am. I may have reached my goals, yet I still grappled with imposter syndrome, shyness, and the curious paradox of feeling confident in my skills while simultaneously harbouring feelings of inadequacy. I guess that’s just being human, right?
The Ebb and Flow of Conditional Confidence
Through this self-reflection, I unknowingly unearthed the distinction between conditional and unconditional confidence. In a nutshell, conditional confidence is built on our achievements, skills, relationships and external validation. The unconditional kind blossoms from within, and is often built on trusting and acting on our own intuition, embracing mindfulness and respecting ourselves from the inside out. I like to think of conditional confidence as a ship sailing on an ocean of external circumstances. Sometimes the waves are volatile and overwhelming, others bring elation and allow us to soar high on the waves of success. I found however, that to rely on this ever-changing tide is disruptive and short-lived. There is always change outside of ourselves, but inside, cultivating a strong sense of self and unconditional confidence brings so much more satisfaction and happiness into our daily lives. Tapping into unconditional confidence takes dedication, and for me this looks like setting small, achievable goals and honouring the promise to myself to complete them. I have also partnered with Jenny as an accountability bud, and I can’t tell you how much this has helped me to show up to my goals in a healthy, supported and inspired way (I’ll be sharing more on this sooon!) It’s all a working progress, but since cultivating this trust inside of myself, I have become less shackled to the need for external validation that once dictated my fulfilment.
As we wrap up this transformative year, I stand on the edge of a new understanding, playing within the realms of conditional and unconditional confidence. This year I’ve learnt that everything truly starts with our relationship to ourselves. By taking time to nurture our inner artist, we will undoubtedly create better work, and meet like-minded creatives who are following the same path, in their own unique way. May you, dear reader, find inspiration in this season of growth, and may it be the beginning of your own unconditional confidence, wherever you find yourself on your creative path.
Merry December friends. I’m off to frolic in the snow.
C x
Drawn In Social ~ Manchester's New AOI Meet-up for Illustrators
Happy Autumn loves. We’re deep into it now - crisp mornings and layers of woolly garments are a necessity from here on in. This really is my favourite time of year, before the slowness of winter comes crawling in.
Last month I had the amazing opportunity to host the AOI’s new social for Manchester illustrators. I was over the moon to be offered the role, after having an interesting conversation with Dave Bain about the illustration community in Manchester, and joined the most talented and vibrant team of creatives made up of Nicola Mullen, Nathan Hackett and Jordan Yates. Drawn In, as we decided to call the new social, offers Northern creatives the chance to meet other artists, share experiences with the community, and spend an evening of drawing and good old chit-chat. What’s not to love?!
I’ve recently felt a yearning to be part of a community. Since spending several years working on projects under my own steam and in my own company, my heart’s been aching for sharing my ideas and experiences with other people, and the more I’ve opened myself up to the possibilities of broadening my network, the more I’ve crossed paths with like-minded, creative and wonderful humans who have impacted the way I view my practice, and I show up to it. Artist-to-artist conversations don’t just allow us to get our own thoughts and worries off our chest, but to share and support each others ideas can be incredibly nurturing for our own inner artist. Having the opportunity to organise the first Drawn In social not only allowed me to meet so many amazing new people, but I’ve also realised how much I LOVE event planning! Give me a notebook and a tick-able list and I’m good to go!
As this was our first event, we decided to focus on finding ways in which we can support illustrators, as well as focusing on building a community as a whole. From the various activites sparked many great conversations, and we came away with lots of ideas to dive into!
The whole evening went down a storm, and it felt so great to connect with other humans, as well as getting to know everyone’s individual styles and journey through the creative industry. Keep an eye on the Drawn In account for our next meet-up!
October recap…
*Sketch and Café has been another highlight of my month! I met the host, Jenny, at the Drawn In event, where she invited me to join her city sketchbook group and it’s been exactly what I needed! We have more planned this month, and I can’t wait to meet more sketching pals and doodle over coffee and cake. If you’re local to MCR and on the lookout for new creative friends, this may be for you! Jenny usually posts the latest meet-up dates here.
*GK Gallery are now officially stocking a collection of my cards and prints. If you’re in the Salford area, be sure to pop by! Another amazing family-run business to support <3
*I’ve really been loving The Bare Female yoga classes as part of my at-home yoga practice. Each flow is inspired by the feminine and I find them perfectly soothing for the end of a busy day.
*Just for fun, this feel good song!
Roll on the last few weeks of 2023! I’m excited to see what is in store…
Until then, C x
Child’s Play ~ An Exhibition of Imaginary Tales | Solo Exhibition at GK Gallery
Happy sweet September friends, how are we all? Since emerging from a three month painting expedition (for a very exciting and soon-to-be-revealed project!) I’m sorry to see my blog has been left a little neglected this summer. But never fear, with the closure of projects comes breathing space, and I’ve found a little pocket of time to dig my creative fingernails into some blog writing! For today’s ditty I wanted to share some snaps from my recent solo exhibition that was up at GK Gallery this summer!
It was such a joy to bring my first solo exhibition to life, and after some serious consideration, I decided on the title Child’s Play for the show. Very apt for my work don’t you think? I displayed some of my illustrative work from 2020 - 2023, all of which has been inspired by imagination, storytelling and childhood memories. My favourite part of the exhibition was a collaborative wall, where I invited visitors to make a drawing, tell a tale or share a doodle inspired by memories from their own childhood. There were so many fantastic contributions, from children old and young!
The biggest thank you to Gina and Helen at GK Gallery, for allowing me to take over their space for the summer, and an even bigger thank you to everyone who visited throughout the show and open evening. Your support means the world!
Psst…I’ve been keeping a secret!!
So excited to share that I will be hosting Manchester’s new AOI meet-up for illustrators this Autumn!
Along with the fabulous Nicola of Brand Warrior, Nathan Hackett and Jordan Yates, I’ve teamed up with the AOI to create an inviting and supportive hub for Manchester’s creative talent, and would love for you to be a part of it! Our first meet-up is at Seesaw on October 19th 7-9pm. You can grab your ticket here!
That’s all for now cherubs. Go soak up Autumn in all its glory!
C
Illustration commission for The Lowry’s Creative Writing Challenge 2023
I am always excited when I get to share work that I had a blast creating. I really love it when I get to create pieces for children, and a recent project came along last month which was a joy to make! I was contacted out of the blue by Emily Harwood from The Lowry, who asked if I’d be interested in creating four bespoke illustrations for the winners of their annual Creative Writing Challenge. Of course I leapt at the offer! There’s nothing like a tight deadline and a dose of storytelling to inspire new work, and I was lucky enough that each winner wrote with so much imagination and talent, that it wasn’t difficult to figure out what I was going to draw. Today I thought I’d share some of my process pics with you - my favourite kind!
For this tight deadline I began with my usual strategy, labelling and re-reading the text until I decided on which scene I wanted to show in each painting. I sketched out my ideas in messy A5, then scanned and resized to A4. Then, once I tired of sketching I began testing in gouache, watercolour and pencil crayon on different paper stock to decide which I preferred. Luckily I could see the colours in my head for each piece, which made decision making a lot less challenging. This doesn’t often happen! It was more about getting the paint down as fast as I could, working intuitively as I go, which is honestly sometimes the best way to work. I really love the result, and I think each piece suited the stories and the writers very well.
For the tiger painting I first went for a blonde character, but then later changed this as I wanted Salome (the winner for this piece) to feel as though she was inside the painting herself!
I was also honoured to attend the celebration evening on stage at the Lowry’s Quayside theatre, and watch the children receive their commissioned piece in front of a live audience. It was a wonderful evening and even better to see the faces of the children as they received their illustration. So much cuteness!
Biggest thanks to Emily for allowing me to be a part of the project <3
The World Illustration Awards 2023
May was a month of festivities! I was extremely honoured to be recognised by The World Illustration Awards (check out my long-listed work here) in partnership with the AOI and Directory of Illustration. I feel so grateful to be acknowledged by the WIA jury, and to be in the midst of so many incredible talented artists from around the world. It feels inspiring and intimidating at the same time! Life is crazy right now - but in such a good way.
Hear ye, hear ye….
*There’s always a new book for me to shout about each month, and this one is a MUST read if you’ve been wanting to move forward with a project (or life goal for that matter) and don’t know where to begin. The book is, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers, and I absolutely love it.
*I have a new stockist! Merseyway Workshop in Stockport now have a selection of my prints and cards in store! Make sure to pop by if you’re in the area.
*Even more exciting is that I’m going to be mentoring over the summer! I had a blast last year working with my own mentor for illustration, and now I feel that it’s the right time for me to start passing on my experience to newer students in illustration and publishing. I can’t wait.
*And last but not least…frozen yoghurt! I guess I’m late to the party I discovered Frurt in Manchester this month and its delish! (I had mango and green tea flavour which is a match made in heaven if you ask me)
Lots more projects on the horizon to share, but right now I’m going to spend my June soaking up the sun and drinking copious cups of tea.
Go do the same!
C