My Year in Review
2017 Year in Review
It's been one helluva good year. It’s my first year of full-time traveling, which has taken me to some uniquely gorgeous places and introduced me to an incredible group of nomadic/entrepreneurial friends. I've packed in a ton of travel and created some of the best pieces in my artwork portfolio.
I spent a good chunk of the year living in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I came for the digital nomad community and stayed for the friends, food, and tropical climate. When I wasn't in Thailand, I was somewhere in Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Norway, or the good ol' USA.
I decided to keep a log of my highlight reel along the way. These past twelve months have been adventurous, hectic, and constantly in motion. I wouldn't change a thing.
Onwards and upwards to 2018!
2017 = My Year of Learning New Skills:
✓ Rode my first scooter in Thailand. Better watch out, Asia.
✓ Kayaked my first fjord in the Arctic and celebrated with a scotch on the rocks*. (The "rocks" = a chunk chistled off a 100,000 year-old glacier.)
✓ Was interviewed on my first podcast within a week of moving to Chiang Mai, Thailand.
✓ Traversed my first Via Ferrata in Telluride, Colorado. Also learned that I am not afraid of heights. Whew.
✓ Earned my motorcycle license in the USA with a perfect score on both the driving test and written exam. #GirlPower
✓ Became a certified scuba diver. ...still need to work on my form, apparently.
✓ Learned how to build my own e-commerce website with automatic order fulfillment.
✓ Didn’t swear on live TV during my first television appearance.
2017 Projects that Launched
FabFitFun
Every season, FabFitFun sends out a gift box to their subscribers – all half a million of them. For their Spring Box, I designed an intricate illustration, inspired by my travels around the globe.
Freely Given Movement
I designed an apparel line for Freely Given Movement, an organization that brings awareness and funding to families struggling to afford health costs for their sick child.
Creative Market
My Fresh Floral Arrangements watercolor set is officially available for purchase as digital downloads on Creative Market. Now you can customize wall art, branding, wedding stationery, blog graphics, and more.
Women Empowerment Series
March 8 = International Women's Day. What better day to launch my newest series, dedicated to all the ladies out there? As I continue along this "digital nomad" path of traveling the world while working, I've been meeting some truly incredible women entrepreneurs. I'm in awe of the talent, passion, and badassery of this community.
Open By Mary
I had the opportunity to work with Open by Mary to develop the branding for their lifestyle enterprise. The brand's premium product line is reflected in their identity: gold foil embellishments, letterpress stationery, and a custom otomi pattern.
Spartina 449
I worked with this upscale women's handbag company to illustrate a whimsical map of North Carolina's mountainous landscape and surrounding towns and landmarks. The full line of products in the Blue Ridge Mountains collection includes premium leather totes, purses and clutches, stationery, blankets and silk scarves.
2017 Watercolors
I went through a lot of paint this year.
2017 Digital Illustrations
The Future is Female
January 2017 • Illustrated while living in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bad Ass Babe
January 2017 • Illustrated while living in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Femme Fatale
January 2017 • Illustrated while living in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Moroccan Doors
February 2017 • Illustrated while living in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Flask Collection
April 2017 • Illustrated at a coworking space in Bali, Indonesia
Sunglasses Collection
April 2017 • Illustrated at a coworking space in Bali, Indonesia
One Cat Shy of Crazy
October 2017 • Illustrated while living in Chiang Mai, Thailand
She Believed
October 2017 • Illustrated while living in Chiang Mai, Thailand
I Woke Up Like This
October 2017 • Illustrated while living in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Can I Pet Your Dog?
October 2017 • Illustrated while living in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Death's Head Hawkmoth
June 2017 • Illustrated in the airport during a layover is Oslo, Norway
Made of Stardust
December 2017 • Illustrated in the airport during a layover in Guangzhou, China
2017 Mentions & Accolades
My work was double-featured in HGTV Magazine.
I was interviewed by CEO Blog Nation: 12 Entrepreneurs Share Their Thoughts on Coworking Spaces
435 Magazine interviewed me for their feature profile.
KC Live interviewed me as a special guest during their 2017 holiday segment.
Both of My Classes Made it into the Skillshare Best of 2017 Featured List.
Khloe Kardashian becomes a fan of my packaging design for FabFitFun.
Sarah Michelle-Gellar poses with My Good Vibes Pillow on her couch.
Jessica Simpson shares a photo of my design on her Instagram account.
Britney Spears's sister, Jamie Lynn, posts a photo of my illustration work on Instagram.
2017 Classes I Taught
I have a series of online video classes geared at helping creatives who want to grow their business and income. Each of my classes are broken down into short video lessons so it's easy to follow along. In under an hour each, I pack in loads of info to help you grow your business and earn money.
Click the Enroll Here button below each class description to score a two month free trial with Skillshare and watch all of my classes for free.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Art Licensing: Sell Your First Piece of Artwork Online
Monetize your side-hustle! I’ve sold over 100,000 products by licensing my artwork. Getting involved with art licensing is a great way to boost your passive income. This class is filled with actionable steps that help you make your first sale with artwork online, as well as boosting your sales if you’re already selling.
From Paper to Screen: Digitally Editing Your Artwork in Photoshop
One key factor with succeeded with passive income streams like licensing and print on demand is making sure your artwork translates beautifully from paper to screen. This class will be tailored to that process.
Creating Art that Sells: A Working Artist’s Guide
Transform your creative career with print-on-demand in this beginner-friendly, 25-minute class. Print-on-demand websites like Society6 give me the freedom to travel the world and grow my creative business, all with the stability of a monthly paycheck.
Favorite "Offices" (AKA Coffee Shops) of 2017
