Hey-O!
My goodness. I’ve been away from writing for so long! I kinda miss the days when I carved out special time for self-reflection. Just to recap, for those of you who haven’t been following along on my art journey in other social media sites (FB/IG), the rest of 2018 from April to December was focused on my goal of stability, entrepreneurship, and serendipity. I think that as the months rolled by, it got easier to navigate the waters of self-sufficiency. I chose to prioritize setting up my private practice and placed my art business on the side, but still steadily holding the course.
This new year, I intend to shift my focus into the organization and foundation setup of my two small businesses. This busy bee keeps on buzzin’!
So I guess that leads me to begin with my art store and products.
I’ve slowly been freshening up the website with lots of new items, sprucing up the logo, and the visuals that initially greet my wonderful art lovers. I am hopeful that you are all able to come along with me on this continued journey towards self-development, learning, and change.
After some soul-searching, and inspiration drawn from my recent travel to Waco, Texas to stop by Chip & Joanna Gaines’s Magnolia market, I have decided to follow the path of serendipity to where my art was naturally moving towards. At first, I found myself highly resistant to the notion that my paintings could be transformed or adapted into other goods, such as home and work accessories. In all honesty, it initially pained me at times to think of my work as something that could be seen elsewhere aside from its original medium. It felt…like I was moving away from my goals of being a “real” artist. Whatever that means. And I hated the feeling. I began thinking that to expand my work into other products would begin to cheapen its value. And gosh, I hated admitting that to myself. I felt bad. I felt like I wasn’t a “good enough” artist that I had to get my work out there in different formats because it just didn’t reach the caliber of fame that I wanted it to. Man. That’s hard to write out.
But slowly, I let the idea simmer in my mind. And the best thing I could have ever done was to be open and share my worries with others around me. Fellow artists and business owners gave me new perspective that this new switchback down the road was not a bad thing. In fact, this was the beginnings of my business evolving into the next level. For my creative work to continue to grow, it has to change. For me to continue to sustain and engage current and new art lovers around the world, I have to look forward and innovate. I have to embrace change and what it means for my work. I have to continue to be comfortable with moving towards the unknown.
I thought at this age and time in my life, I wouldn’t have any more growing to do. But I guess we never cease to have the capacity to learn new things. And I think I’m okay with that. 
Here are some of my latest additions to my new Mindful Desk collection:
What do you think? I’m happy with the new line of goods so far. These days, I am practicing more mindful art-making and production. I am also making it a point to more thoughtfully identify ways that I can help solve everyday problems or challenges that people have by creating more functional art. And that’s where I first came up with the idea of helping others tackle the challenges of being more organized! I know I definitely benefit from these products myself (notepads, sticky notes, pencils, calendars, etc.), and I use them at my office and home, too! I guess that’s a good sign, since I can personally attest to how my products provide functional value in my own life. 
I hope you check out my new art store and see for yourself! Let me know what other goodies you would like to see me add into my new Mindful Desk collection! Til the next art update!
Danessa