Daily Sketches

Been thinking lately about the nitty gritty, (imagine I've said it in a faux mexican accent like in 'Nacho Libre', 'Lez get down to de neeety greeeety'.
I mean the nitty gritty of life, the daily discipline kind of things.

I recently joined a gym and have been going fairly regularly. I hate going and it's really not getting any easier, especially when I have to pray to Jesus for the strength to walk home without keeling over from exhaustion in a wailing heap. (I'm slightly exaggerating but it feels like that some times!)

One of the daily disciplines I've actually been enjoying is doing my daily sketches. The idea came to me a couple of weeks ago out of a desire to improve my ability to draw/paint faces. I usually spend no more than 20 minutes on a sketch and it really helps me not to be perfectionist.
Here are some of my daily sketches, I'm really pleased with them..

I usually draw the faces from photos of random people I find on the internet. 

(My children resolutely refuse to sit for me to draw them.)

The amazing thing about doing a daily creative activity is how much it affects everything else. I feel much more enthusiastic and motivated about other things (except the gym!). So I hope I can keep it up, my aim is to keep doing the daily sketches until the end of January, but who knows, it may continue. One of my biggest struggles is with staying consistent and sticking with things, but so far so good, so I'm hopeful.

Oh and do have a look at my Etsy shop if you haven't already.

 I've listed some paintings on there as well as my bags. Here's the link:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Ayozie

Thanks and Much love.

xxx

Hello 2015!

I'm not that keen on all the fuss around the New Year, because I just don't like change and I end up feeling a bit apprehensive about the whole New Year thing, and coupled with the fact that my birthday is on the 3rd of January, I not only have to deal with a new year, I have to come to terms with being a whole different age as well! Eeeesh! Too much change for a girl to deal with in one go.

But anyway, this New Year has been a pleasant surprise. I feel really settled, which is unusual because I tend to feel restless and anxious about the year ahead, but this time I strangely don't. I feel really peaceful and kind of...settled! I think this was a process that started at some point last year where I realised that a year is simply a collection of days and moments lived, one after the other, and so my feeling this year is to continue to live one day after the other, with the people I love and the things that are before me to do. There's something very freeing about that, it's not that I don't have goals or desires for the year, I'm just happy to take it all one day at a time.

After the excesses of Christmas and the hectic lead up to it, I'm enjoying the January days, and the space, and the predictability of routines and forming good habits.

I've started making art again which is really good.

Some Thankyou cards..

 A portrait in progress...

I've also been making lots of felted flowers. I used up my last lot of felted flowers on my handmade bags made from upcycled denim which are for sale in my Etsy shop.  I have decided to take the plunge and begin to sell some of my wares which is super exciting and kind of scary and vulnerable at the same time.

Here is a sneak peek at some of my bags:

I'm super proud of them and all their felted and denim goodness! Here is the link to my Etsy shop, if you are interested!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Ayozie

So, 2015, so far so good. I like you so far, I hope we continue as we have started, one day at a time, moment by moment.

Much love and Happy New Year.

xxxx