As I was driving to work this morning (the coffee shop I’ll be posted up at today) I was doing some reflecting on the month of May. Sometimes if I don’t stop and pause to really evaluate what I accomplished in a month, I will convince myself that I didn’t work that hard at all. So in order to not have my mind trick me, I actually sat down and put it all together and here is what happened in the last 30 days for me. I drew a collection. A full collection of 9 new designs that will make up 24 products, something I haven’t been able to do since the summer I started sketching. This is such a huge accomplishment for me to put a bunch of new designs into the shop while working part-time and taking on freelance projects for my business. Somehow I managed to keep up a healthy amount of a social life this month as well, something I often struggle with while running my business.

My favorite part of the month was when my mom and I went on the most special Mother’s Day road trip to our farm. I had every intention of bringing my sketching materials and work myself until burnout but the stars aligned and I forgot my backpack so I couldn’t work. It was the most amazing time to unplug and spend quality time with my mom. We talked about our men, life, and hopes and dreams that we have. The most magical part of our trip I captured and shared above. On Mother’s Day we took a long walk around our land and then down the country road past our neighbors in hopes that the horses would be out. It was pure happiness as the horses came running towards us to say hi. They gave us kisses and we chatted with them for a half an hour. My heart was so full to be able to share that moment with my mom. I will hold it close to my heart forever.

It is amazing the productivity one can have after taking the time to do what’s good for the soul. I was able to crank out drawings faster than ever before by switching over the medium I was using. The girls in this collection were drawn with mostly prismacolor markers and the details were done in prismacolor pencil. I hesitated to try out the markers because I was a bit worried that the detail just wouldn’t be there and I’m so happy to report that the girls end up looking just as great in marker.

My greatest accomplishment in May will not be drawing my collection though, it will be getting my mind in a great, healthy place. As some of you know, this is something I struggle with and it can be like living in a fog. I was able to shake my depression this month and I’m not even sure why which is the frustrating part. I’m thinking that a lot of it may be seasonal depression and the shift in seasons is helping. Another reason is my happy person moved to Minneapolis this month. Nick is such a blessing to me because he is so different than me. He doesn’t experience the high, highs and low, lows that I do and he is one trooper for “riding the roller coaster” that dating me is. Regardless, I took a lot of time this month to pause and congratulate myself on having so many days in a row of being in a happy state and having a positive mind. Noticing the difference is important and allowing yourself to make small positive changes is the first step to making huge gains.

I’m so excited for what is to come in June. I have some amazing collaborations that should be making their way to the blog this month. My collection comes out June 12th and I’ll be sure to give another preview of products over here so you can have the first look! I’m moving a week after the collection comes out so things are most definitely going to be crazy for a while. Thanks for stopping by and catching up with me, as always, I appreciate your continued support.