A Quick Hello!

I’m Jess, Illustrator, designer and very new to the world of blogging. Ahhh, hello blogging world. Blogging is something that is way out of my comfort zone, but I truly believe that you never achieve your goals sitting in that box of comfort never stepping outside of it to challenge yourself you just sometimes have to go for it. My craft is as an artist, illustrator, I trained in fine art and graphic design but never really made much of a career from it. I never really left the world of hospitality as a barista which is where I worked as I studied because that was what I knew well it was my comfort zone and I couldn’t really fail at it. I had been doing it for years.

It wasn’t until I had to leave and had my baby girl that I decided to try to make something out of my passions and really pursue it as a career. Because putting your work out there into the world can be a really scary and a vulnerable thing to do. I didn’t want the disappointment of failing so I just never really tried.

I have gained so much confidence in my creative work of the last year just from family and friends believing in me, asking for commissions and creating artwork for myself and sharing that with people over social media. This last year has given me that confidence I needed to open up an Etsy shop and sell my prints online.

I hope to create for myself and my family is a lifestyle where I can work from home and be there for my kids growing up and still have a fulfilling career in something that I absolutely love to do. I’m hoping that this blog will create a community that will be an encouragement for this new adventure I am starting, and I hope that sharing my journey with you will encourage those who are too afraid to start following their passions and see it thrive into a career that you love too. As a mum, I know that it will be hard at times finding the balance of looking after the little one and finding time to work but I believe that mums can have it all too if that’s what they want. With this blog, I am building a community we can share, inspire and encourage one another.

My Goal is to have a thriving online store of beautiful prints and to one day be a surface pattern designer. This is what I am essentially working towards. I would also one day love to illustrate a children’s book.

A few fun facts about me; I love coffee you might have guessed that, already being a former barista. I love a good book, I prefer to stay in with a glass of wine than go out, I was born in Singapore (my parents were expats there for 11 years). Top places to visit on my bucket list Iceland and Scotland. I love to listen to scores by Hans Zimmer, My favourite artists at the moment (this changes) Turner. I love to dabble in crochet, or really anything in the world of fabrics/ embroidery. My husband is a teacher by day musician by night. We live in a tiny apartment the three of us, in Western Sydney at the base of the Blue Mountains Penrith.

Love what you do I’m here to encourage you to do just that, following your passions and finding your people to share it with. I hope to build a tribe of like-minded people who love creative pursuits whatever that looks like for you. And to show you what inspires me in this crazy world we live in.

So let us be friends and share our journey.

Jess