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The Current Collection

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Friday Naptime Hustle ✨
Happy love day to the guy who went out to the car last night to discover that I had absentmindedly left ALL the groceries in the trunk since 10AM. (But it's cold outside so the milk is still good, right? 😉) They say love is patient, and that's how I know that he must REALLLLLY love me. I'm the luckiest. ❤️ 📸: @katiemichellephoto
Just finished painting this piece for my friend's nursery and it got me thinking...should I start offering canvas paintings on a commission basis? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I sincerely would love some feedback on this! I've avoided canvas for so long because shipping them is a beast. I'm terrified of original artwork getting damaged during transit, but I think what I'm most concerned about is cost. A few years ago, I sold a large canvas painting and when I went to ship it, I got slapped with a $100+ bill from FedEx (and I even sent it Ground! 😩). It ate into my profit so much that I swore I'd never do canvas again. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But painting this one was so fun that now I might want to reconsider. For local folks it's no problem, but for those of you who don't live in Portland, would you be willing to pay extra for shipping? Even if it's as much as $100? I know I could remove the canvas from the stretcher bars and ship them rolled, but then the customer has to pay to get them re-stretched (which is a pain and also can cost around $100, or so I'm told). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My goal has always been to make art more affordable and accessible. I'd love to offer canvas pieces if there's interest, but I also want to be transparent about the extra costs associated with shipping. So let me know your thoughts! And if anyone has any tips for shipping canvas, I'm all ears. 👂
Packin' up and shippin' out! Thank y'all for making my dreams come true. ❤️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Still a handful of pretties left in the shop if anybody wants one! #currentcollection
The Current Collection is live! Head on over to the link in my profile to shop, and/or settle in for storytime and read yet another one of my too-lengthy captions. 😏👇 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I'm not sure I've ever had a consistent answer when asked what I do for work. The reality is that it's a lot of things -- I do contract graphic design work. I paint. I'm a mom. Whenever I buy coffee for a friend I usually joke, "Don't worry, I've got this one...I'm a wealthy pet portrait artist". ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My answer to "what I do" is usually long and rambling, full of self-deprecating qualifiers like "just". You know what I've never said? "I'm an artist." ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ There's too much fear wrapped up in that claim. Fear of not being taken seriously. Fear of the assumption that because I'm married to a doctor, I can just sit around and play with paint all day (this couldn't be further from the truth, but that's another lengthy caption for another day). Most overwhelmingly, there's the fear that I'm not good enough/successful enough/original enough to claim the title. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A friend recently introduced me to a podcast called Second Life (@secondlifepod), all about women who have made significant career changes, often times later in life. Hearing their stories has inspired me (so much!) and given me permission to start really owning this thing. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So from now on, I'm an artist. I'm 31 and and a new mom FINALLY feel like I'm beginning to hit my stride with my career. Thank y'all for being so incredibly supportive, making me feel legitimate, and believing in me enough to hang my paintings in your homes. I say this a lot and I hope I haven't cheapened the words, but your support means more than you know. ❤️
In celebration of the upcoming Current Series launch, let's do another giveaway! Just like last time, I want to avoid the icky/awkwardness that often coincides with giveaways. So, here's how it works: tag a friend in the comments below to enter THEM to win the painting. And while you're at it, tell them something you admire about them. It is almost Valentines (and/or Galentines) Day after all! ❤️ Go forth and spread the love (you can enter as many friends as you'd like)! The winner will receive this 11x14 original painting on paper. I'll have Miles pick a name out of a hat on Sunday, so stay tuned! 👍