Do What You Love

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This week cross continents as we share the stories of mixed media artist Nic Hohn (in Australia), and stationery designer Sarah Early and journal maker Monique Halley in the US. 

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Nic Hohn

Doing what I love has always been about creating. And creating has always, always been part of me. I can’t ever remember not making something. Even as a child it was always with paper, glue, some form of colour, or fabric. One of my fondest memories is gluing almond blossom flowers to a page where I had drawn a tree. Truly it’s innate.

Creating has felt like a crusade. Exploring, discovering, learning from the inside out and the outside in. The need to create has been a driving force….it feels like it flows through my blood and guides my beating heart.

Throughout my adult life there were deep creative stirrings within me that kept rising, bubbling up. But it wasn’t until we had our second baby that this drive to create my art started to become a reality.

It began with my crazy inspiration to enter a sculpture exhibition. I had been to art school in my early 20’s, majoring in ceramics and textiles but had only exhibited in a student capacity. I’m not sure what possessed me to exhibit, entering a juried sculpture competition? With ‘real’ artists’…what was I thinking? However I was duly rewarded for my courageous efforts, being presented with an Encouragement Award at the opening of this competitive exhibition. That was all I need for the motivation and inspiration to go further…From that same sculpture came the inspiration to begin painting. And then there was no stopping me.

Since then I have spent quite a few years in the mainstream art world but I’ve crossed the bridge into the mixed media online world. Truly this feels like home…. I love pushing my creative boundaries and adapting, transforming to create unique artworks that have depth and meaning. Creating with the resources I have in my treasure trove is a key component for me, whether that’s nostalgic op shop finds, collected treasures, present day learnings or using my hand drawn imagery across different mediums. It’s all about my ethics and my arts purpose. I’m finding my way to make a difference…..

If I could share some wisdom with my younger Self I’d be telling her about staying true and having confidence in her art, imagery and creating. I was easily influenced by many other people’s opinions and comments about what I was creating to the point that I was no longer listening to my own Inner Voice…I would yell out to her “Be bold, be brave and believe in yourself!”.

The most challenging sacrifice has been financial. At times it has been a struggle and I’m sure having a ‘day’ job may have made things financially easier, but I’ve been there for our children and supported our family in ways that I may not have been able to if I was working outside of our home. These times have taught me much about myself. That I am resourceful and I can make the most of what I have and do it creatively. Just like having limited resources in your paint box, it teaches you be grateful for what you have, and to use what you have in a creative way without needing more stuff. I know so much more about who I am and what’s important to me. Now I am ready to claim that and thrive!

My biggest dream yet is to create my own self sustaining art business, where there is a whole range of heartfelt creative goodies that are filled with love, connection and unique beauty. Goodies with worldly-conscious resourcefulness and purpose that makes a difference to mankind….even if it’s one person, one heart, at a time. That’s my dream….

[All images courtesy of Nic Hohn.  Find Nic online here: Explore her website / visit her blog / shop at her Etsy shop]

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Sarah Early

[Image credit: Sea Star Arts]

Do what you love.  Sounds great, right?  But what on earth does that mean?

My name is Sarah, and in May 2009 I found myself floating adrift in this terrible job market, an eager bright-eyed hot-off-the-press college grad ready to get down to business, only to find business was kind of at a standstill. 

The short of it is, one part-time and unpaid internship after another lead to the realization that now, more than ever, maybe I needed to change my thought process.  Instead of finding someone to employ me, pay me, and essentially ‘take care of me’ – why not just trust in myself for those things? 

[Photo credit: Sea Star Arts]

I changed my plan of attack and started looking for people who just needed  freelance help rather than a dedicated employee.  And that’s when everything changed.  When things started going well, I decided not to be just a freelancer, but to start a business offering that service to fellow businesses.

My success in the realm of graphic and web services for businesses allowed me to pursue another thing I love: paper and invitations.  So early in 2010 I developed a stationery line and invitations, and things are going equally well on that side of my business.

I’m not going to say it’s not really hard.  It is.  I had the distinct advantage of being fresh out of college, so being broke was old hat for me.  The sacrifice for me comes in the long hours and the leaps of faith I have to take daily hoping that everything will pan out the way I want it to.  But for the most part, the key to my success has been growing very organically and planning for the future.

I believe doing what you love is as much attitude as it is action.  I am lucky to have created a job for myself that involves everything I love – designing, blogging, coding, paper, etc. – but that also by necessity means it involves things I don’t love – like spreadsheets, fear of failure, sales.  But I get through the hard parts because I know it’s all integral to my success and continuing to do what I love.

[Images courtesy of Sarah Early except where otherwise noted.  Find out more about Sarah and her designs here]

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Monique Halley

If I were asked years ago, “What does it mean to do what you love?”, I would have answered with uncertainty. But now, amazingly, I can answer with clarity.

Doing what I love means that I can express my true self through making journals, cards and any other creative ideas that come to mind. I have been journaling for the past 17 years and have always enjoyed staying in touch with family and friends by sending cards and writing letters. Once I realized that I could make these same items that I’ve been using for years, I was extremely happy. I knew first hand how much value was added to my life from journaling and maintaining personal connections with those I cared about. From that point on, I wanted to share my products with the world, so that others would have a chance to experience the same benefits as I did.

One day, in arts and craft store Michael’s, I saw some beautiful paper and my mind just started racing with thoughts of how I could turn it into a journal cover. Before I knew it, I was leaving the store with everything I needed to make a journal. I was so excited, I immediately made a prototype, ironed out the tweaks and eventually made my first sellable journal.  A friend bought that journal and word-of-mouth provided the opportunity to sell many more. Paper wasn’t just paper to me anymore. It became journal covers, note cards, sticky note holders and anything else I could create. My next step was setting up my Etsy shop – an online store where my items are being sold.

It wasn’t easy getting to this point but it was all worth it. I made financial sacrifices. Whenever I discovered a new binding technique or had a creative idea, I was off to the store to get the necessary materials. I had a lot of sleepless nights, researching the business side of things, preparing for local arts and craft shows, and developing the social media face of the business. But I would do it all over again, just to experience that feeling of seeing the end product, thinking,“Wow I made that”, and to see or hear how pleased a customer is with my product. It’s such a gratifying feeling.

As I continue to make stationery items my ultimate desire is to create confidence in journaling and encourage sending cards as a choice of communication with those that matter. Journaling is a powerful activity; it’s great for personal development, stress management, writing, jotting down random thoughts and so much more. In addition I am creating a self-aware e-course that incorporates journaling assignments.

Social media, texting, emailing and Instant Messaging are the main source of communication in the world right now, but who doesn’t like receiving a card in the mail every now and again? I know I do. I want to motivate people to starting sending cards.  Even a simple note saying “Thank you” or “I miss you” is always greatly appreciated by the receiver.

My tagline is ‘Take Note of Your Life” and doing what I love is how I’m taking note. What about you?

I want to leave you all with one of my favorite quotes that inspires me to continue to do what I love…

” Dare to be yourself” by Andre Gide. Once you truly know who you are and “Dare to be yourself” it’s inevitable that you will be doing what you love in such a natural way.

Be Blissful!

[All images courtesy of Monique Halley.  Find Monique online on her blog Simply Bliss Life, on Twitter or on Facebook]

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Would you like to share your story on Do What You Love? Please see here and contact me for more details

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 STOP PRESS: Some seriously exciting news about the Do What You Love retreat to be announced tomorrow – don’t miss it!

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