Hello out there!

Posted on 2019-06-01 by theplumgrove

I feel like the theme of 2018/2019 school year has been “on the cusp,” but I am SO ready to get past that and onward to the rest of the year. Over the course of a major home remodel across 11 months in May 2018 through January 2019 we went from being on the cusp of having hot water again, to on the cusp of having the ability to do laundry, to on the cusp of having heating, and then on the cusp of having a functioning kitchen again, and more. I am so intensely thrilled with how the remodeled kitchen and the whole home renovation project turned out. We are intensely fortunate.

The final cusp I still remain on the edge of is preparing my new art studio space for active production. The desk? In place! Art supply storage? Also in place. Special cushion for my “art cat” to come lounge at my side while I work? Ready. I am tracking the delivery timing for the last essential item – a chair to sit on while I work! This is a bit of a silly final hurdle because of course I can (and have been) carrying one of our rickety old dining chairs into the studio to use during the organizing-stuff phase. Yet I really feel like I NEED some sort of official “go” flag to drop or trumpet to sound for me to really get going. My angst over what chair to get seems to have fit the bill. Gave up on an out of stock chair from Ikea, so now this chair arrives June 4th and I am so excited!

My mind has been humming with project ideas, but the funny thing about ideas and getting started is that sometimes I never know quite what I will focus on once I do sit down, blank pages in front of me, ready to sketch and paint.

My book making ideas, fabric designs, and other creative work have been almost entirely on hold for the past twelve months. My only major project during that time was a special commissioned “family tree” themed watercolor piece for the family of a dear friend. I enjoyed working on it so much that I hope to put commissioned paintings as a new option on my Etsy store this month.

Wish me luck this week (I could really use it!) as I cross this last hurdle, construct this chair from Office Depot and start up my art production schedule again. Here’s to a bright and productive summer ahead!

Kristin

@ThePlumGrove

2018 Resolutions and Goals

Posted on 2018-01-04 by theplumgrove

Announcing my 2018 resolutions and goals! I love the ‘fresh start’ feeling that the New Year provides – do you feel ready to take on 2018?

From cleaning my house (sorted through my clothing using Marie Kondo’s ‘does it spark joy’ criteria today), to taking time to be thoughtful about striving to be a better and more patient mom to my two kidlings – these first four days of 2018 have been a whirlwind.

Art Goals:

Create and publish 2 books on Amazon Self Publishing: I’ve been compiling a list of book ideas for a while now, and the list is really long! Too many ideas, but nothing created yet. This is the perfect goal where devoting specific time will be needed, and staying on track and holding myself accountable will be so important. I’ve never published a book before, so the process itself related to file preparation, image preparation, proofing, and formatting is going to be a big learning curve. Luckily I’ve found some excellent library resources as well as signed up for Skillshare to take classes from creatives who are sharing their expertise. I’m ready!
Create 24 new designs/patterns for publishing on Spoonflower and Society6: Over the last few months (since my littlest began preschool) I’ve been able to squeeze in a few more art hours each week. In that time I’ve felt great about producing several new designs. Even now I still have more in-process being finalized for upload. From that effort I’ve learned that it’s possible to keep myself going and I’m feeling great about my artist workflow. A new scanner and more experience using my new touch-pen process for perfecting the seams on my repeat patterns has boosted my confidence that I can make patterns turn out the way I envision them. Now that I’ve ironed out that process, the remaining step for 2018 is simply to keep going. Any fabric/pattern design themes that you want to see come to life? If so, let me know and I’ll add them to my list of possible design ideas!

Personal Resolutions:

Plank exercise for 90 seconds every day! I have really bad knees from over a decade of tap, jazz, and modern dance, so I’m switching up my barre class routine to only once per month – to help stay toned and healthy I’m adding in a daily plank exercise, using the timer on my phone, which is really good for keeping my core strength up.
Push-ups every day! I’m sort of a wimp. Yes, though after a year of weekly barre class in 2017 I went from being able to do zero push-ups to being able to do 5 great push-ups, my upper body is definitely not very strong. This goal is easy to do before or after my plank exercise, so this way I can sneak in some upper body strength into my day.
Eat something fermented (yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha) every day. There are lots of health crazes going on around food choices, but one thing I feel pretty confident about is that probiotic-containing food is an important part of a balanced and healthy diet, so I’m making an effort to consciously include more fermented foods.
Stretch for 1 to 10 minutes every day. I remember fondly when I was a dancer and was so much more comfortable in my own body – my plan here is to sneak in some stretching time each evening. Usually I watch at least one episode of an Anime (my favorites right now are The Ancient Magus’ Bride and also Recovery of an MMO Junkie) – perfect for me to sit on the floor and do some gentle stretches during the show. It’s January 4th today and even after 4 days I am already noticing that the daily stretching is making a BIG difference – it feels great!

Looking Back at 2017

One bright spot in 2017 was meeting my postcard goal to create 12 postcards (one per month) as part of a Patreon campaign. Wooo! It really helped to have the monthly obligation to create something new, and over the course of the year, here are the 12 designs I produced, plus two bonus designs I created last week because I was so thrilled to wrap up postcard production.

January – Bright Year	February – Tu B’Shevat	March – Purim
April – Passover	May – Mother’s Day	June – Father’s Day
July – Memorial & Sympathy	August – Rosh Hashannah	September – Yom Kippur
October – Sukkot	November – Hanukkah	December – Wedding

I sent the final postcard of the year to the printer a few days ago, so I expect to add it to my Etsy Shop by the end of January. 🙂 Wooo! I was so thrilled and excited to finish off my 12-card 2017 series that I painted two bonus designs, which are also being printed right now and will show up on Etsy soon. Check them out below:

“Meowzel Tov” and “Bark Mitzvah” Cards!

Jewish Holiday Postcard Bundles are here!

Posted on 2017-09-08 by theplumgrove

It has been quite a journey this year, starting my new @ThePlumGrove art endeavor and each month finding a little time to make something new. I’m so happy to be finally reaching the stage where I’ve made enough things that I am ready to bundle up my very first set of artwork for Jewish holidays and release it as a postcard collection. The encouragement from friends and family across the year has made a big difference!

Check out my postcard collection – available on Etsy and as a Jewish Holiday Gift Set and also a Jewish Lifecycle Gift Set:

I’m thrilled that my latest 4 watercolor designs for Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Yom Kippur, and Hanukkah are back from the eco-friendly Union printer that produces my cards. The soft watercolor patterns came out even better than I had hoped with these new designs.

My Rosh Hashanah original watercolor design:

My Sukkot original watercolor design:

My Yom Kippur original watercolor design:

My Hanukkah original watercolor design:

Thanks for visiting!

Thanks for taking a moment to visit my web site and check out my latest artwork here at @ThePlumGrove. As a new artist just getting started here in California, squeezing in art creation time around my main job of caring for my two energetic young daughters, it can be tough to make connections and reach people. If you know someone who might like my work, please spread the word!

I always love to hear feedback from people about things you would like to see, or suggestions for improvement, so please reach out to me with any questions or suggestions. Please consider following me on Facebook or on Instagram so you can follow my art and see what I’m up to!

Learn more about why I love postcards:

They conserve paper! Yes, my postcards are printed on 100% recycled paper – but it is still great to conserve resources. A postcard uses half as much paper as a folded-card, saving as much paper as possible while still creating the special experience of receiving a thoughtful note in the mail.

They save on postage! Did you know that postcards can use special less-expensive postcard stamps that are $0.34 instead of the typical postage rate of $0.49? Just ask for them at the post office (or order them online). If you have a long mailing list of friends and family like I do, you’ll see your postage costs go way down by sending postcards.

They fit envelopes too! What if you want to mail some 4×6 photos, a children’s drawing, and a newspaper clipping with your holiday postcard to grandma? These postcards are the standard “A6” size, so they fit all standard “A6” envelopes. You can always enclose and send them in an envelope whenever appropriate or preferred, which is why I also offer classic white envelopes to go with my postcards (the envelopes are also on 100% recycled paper).

They are fun! Postcards go well pinned up to a bulletin board, framed, or put on a refrigerator – making them easy to decorate with and enjoy for a long time.

Refocusing and introspection.

Posted on 2017-07-16 by theplumgrove

Recent life events have left me feeling many things – mostly grief over the death of my younger brother, who faced alcohol addiction and mental health issues for many years and passed away in June at the age of 33. This loss has definitely triggered an introspective look, thinking about humanity, life, and how to approach the world.

What is the meaning of life anyway, and how can one pursue their dreams when everything can change so suddenly? Whether someone dies in an accident. Or a terrible illness strikes. Or when the iron-clad grip of severe alcoholism destroys a person. Are we here simply like a field of different flowers blowing in the wind, never knowing when at any moment an elephant foot might stomp down and crush us to death in a single second, with utter disregard to whether the flowers stomped are a new young bud, a flower in the middle of life, or an aged flower at the end of its natural days?

It reminds me of this Slate article from 2014 where a waitress asks the Dalai Lama the meaning of life, and he replies that the meaning of life is happiness – but the real and more difficult question is what and how is real happiness achieved. Is it money, mansions, and expensive food? Probably not. Or is true happiness achieved with love, compassion, and a kind heart? If so, how does one go about ensuring a kind heart? I just yelled at my kids for not chewing with their mouths closed at dinner tonight – so… crud. Guess my kind heart definitely needs a lot more work.

After thinking on things a bit, here are some of my newly revised life goals:

Love My Kids: Always my top priority, particularly after I left my full-time job 7 months ago to be a stay-at-home mom, raising my kids in a loving and supportive home is absolutely a top focus of my life and I am sure it will stay that way until they are all grown up. In particular, I am trying to impart to my daughters a sense of self-confidence combined with an understanding that needing help is okay and there is nothing to be ashamed of if they are feeling sad or anxious. Honesty and addressing hard feelings openly is so important.
Make Art: As an artist, whether painting, drawing, making comics, or working toward writing my first book, I think that being true to my creativity is essential to my humanity and exploring ideas and passions through those projects is essential to me being true to myself and not neglecting my own happiness. What if all the art I make is really cruddy? Who cares. What if I publish a book and zero people buy it? Also, who cares. I need to pursue my art with passion and without fear – knowing that whatever I produce will be enough simply because it is my process and my journey and the creation of the work that adds value to my human experience.
Work Toward Kindness: Whether donating time and volunteering for causes I care about, or supporting a friend going through a tough time, or staying calm and collected through difficult parenting moments, I need to foster kindness in my actions. I feel that I inevitably fall short on this one and my past failings on this are tied to all of my deepest regrets – speaking in anger and frustration when my kids are misbehaving, or saying something foolish, heartless, and insensitive to family, colleagues, or friends. It’s easy to beat myself up over all the miss-steps, but I need to try to learn from my mistakes, apologize, and move forward – starting fresh each day to do my best to act with kindness in what I do. I am reminded of an Anne Frank quote: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

I can only hope that my brother has found peace. He loved my kids, his nieces, so dearly and I hope that I can honor his memory by remembering him with love, and helping my kids to remember the good times with him. To all who have lost someone – may you find peace in your heart.

The July postcard that I made is a condolences themed card with a simple candle shining. It isn’t available yet on my Etsy store, but I hope to add it in the next week or two.

I don’t know the meaning of life. Do you? Why are we here? Why do terrible things happen? Where can I go as I move forward carrying this burden of grief? So many tragedies in the world, and so many people we see are carrying their own burdens of grief – whatever deep pain or loss they have faced in their lives. May we each find solace. May we find tenderness with each other. May we find compassion in this life.

May and Mother’s Day!

Posted on 2017-05-11 by theplumgrove

I’m thrilled to have recently printed my 5th and 6th postcards of the year in my Patreon Postcard series project. With that 6th card I’m now half way through the year’s production goal of 12 cards! My May Mother’s Day themed postcard is now available on Etsy, as is the June Father’s Day postcard.

It’s been a busy and productive several weeks on the art side of my life. Here’s how my Mother’s Day postcard looks:

I was aiming for a snuggling baby bird and mom bird, looking cozy in their nest. Due to the Stars of David decorations among the leaves and hearts of the tree, it is definitely a Jewish Mom themed card instead of being more universal.

For the Father’s Day card, I wanted to create a design that would work for a congratulations card after a baby is born as well as for Father’s Day. As I was looking at reference ideas, all the Father’s Day cards I could find were either stereotypical about BBQ’s, tacky sports obsession references, or strange puns about being super good or super bad at fixing things around the house. While those are not inherently bad subjects to make a card about, it all felt rather stereotypical and limiting in terms of showing a caring and loving father. I wanted to create a card that tried to capture a serene and caring moment between a father and his new baby. Here’s the Father’s Day card design:

In addition to the two postcards, I’ve also completed a new fabric design – I painted this Fruit Medley watercolor design for the current Spoonflower design contest (voting closes on May 16th! Go find my design and vote for it if you are feeling supportive…). Here’s what my design looks like:

Of course, aside from the once-a-month postcards and occasional fabric design and other projects I am brainstorming but don’t yet have time to accomplish, almost all of my time is devoted to my two kidlings right now. Today was a special and emotional day as my oldest daughter’s first grade class gave a special Mother’s Day performance. Seeing my daughter smiling, singing her heart out, beaming with pride – I have to admit I started crying a bit. She has such creativity, thoughtfulness, and energy – I am very lucky to be her mother. And miracle of miracles, her little sister sat nicely and behaved appropriately during the entire performance!!! If you know my littlest kidlet, you know why that is indeed such a miracle.

After five months as a stay-at-home mother, I feel like I’ve ironed out a solid routine, but that’s all about to be tossed in the air a bit again when school is out for the summer in just a few weeks. Every day is a tiring adventure with my energetic kidlings, but even with the tantrums and issues that crop up, the feeling of snuggling together under a blanket for bedtime stories each evening reminds me that these amazing little kidlings are worth all the challenges they throw my way.

Naming – #ThePlumGrove

Posted on 2017-01-01 by theplumgrove

I’m ready for action! Let’s get this art adventure started. First, thoughts on picking a name.

Escapades in Naming

Naming, Step One: Finding a niche and brainstorming concepts: What defines the idea/product/business? What’s the unique value proposition in terms of how people relate to other things already well known?

I brainstormed – gardening, urban horticulture, city farmer, Jewish mom, artist, parenting, cooking, recipes, watercolors, postcards, painting, fruit, vegetables, and webcomics. Once I had my core elements outlined, I tried to hone in on the most essential elements, and then seek out words/synonyms that evoke that concept – which was just a touch tricky with my hodgepodge of items…

Naming, Step Two: Is the name available? I searched online for each name I was considering – especially if I am planning to sell a product or start a business, it’s important to choose a unique name that won’t bring up issues of copyright or trademark. Maybe someone in a different state or country already had the same idea and they are already using the prime domain name for the name idea! Time for more brainstorming…

Step Three: Practical naming considerations: How difficult is the name idea to spell? Will it be confused with something else?

If speaking with someone on the phone, would the proper spelling be immediately obvious? Would the name be easy to explain over the phone or would someone have to painstakingly spell it out letter by letter? Such as “Pear Endeavors” could be mistaken over the phone for “pare” or “pair” instead of the “pear” spelling for how that word sounds, and the word “endeavors” is easy to accidentally misspell.

Gut-Feeling Naming Considerations: What kind of emotions or assumptions does the name concept evoke? Positive? Negative? Are other related products, businesses, brands, or concepts going to impact how the name is interpreted?

For me, I wanted my new project name to evoke the concept of a space/area/retreat, and being a gardener I feel like the word ‘grove’ conjures up a special type of space, one that is flourishing with trees, and one that also could be a hideaway or respite. A plum is a type of fruit (yum!) but also in colloquial terms, if something is ‘plum’, such as a ‘plum choice’ or the ‘plum pick’ it can mean an ‘optimal’ item, which has nice positive connotations. In construction, the word ‘plumb’ means something is straight/true and in proper alignment. While that introduces a possible spelling/confusion element, the word ‘plumb’ isn’t commonly used, so I discounted it as a likely source of spelling confusion when I picked The Plum Grove.

My kidlings are so supportive of my art – thank goodness for their encouragement and enthusiasm.

It’s tough to pick a name! Have you named something new recently? What did you pick? So those are some of my suggested tips for naming something new, even though I apparently don’t always follow my own advice…

It would perhaps be more normal to simply try to brand myself with my own name, as an artist, as I start trying to consistently produce new comics, postcards, and fabric designs. That would be a logical choice, but that’s where the gut feeling element comes in! So instead I’m onward with this new The Plum Grove adventure. 🙂 Hope you can join me and follow along as I make new things every month in 2017.

A Time for New Beginnings

Posted on 2016-11-30 by theplumgrove

After 11 years working at a nonprofit I care about deeply, from starting fresh out of college in 2005, through more than a decade of projects, training, personal growth, and professional achievement, the time has come for me to leave that which is deeply familiar to me, and move on to new endeavors – focusing primarily on my children as a stay-at-home mom, and also re-focusing on my art. Plus hopefully regaining some of my sanity points in the process. 🙂

Inspiration: Zefrank’s Invocation for Beginnings

When I feel deeply afraid of the risk of putting myself out there and trying something new I find a lot of energizing power from watching ZeFrank‘s 2012 video Invocation on Beginnings. Thanks, ZeFrank for producing such a powerful message.

As I move to being a full-time stay-at-home mom I know that I’ll make mistakes – I’ll yell at the wrong time, I’ll make a tough choice that I thought was right at the time that later turned out to be wrong. I’ll cry, my kids will cry. Motherhood is a new kind of challenge every day, but what I do know is that I am going to do my best. I’m going to try to be the best mom I can be – hugs every day, making sure my kids feel loved, special, and listened to, and that I help them grow into themselves. I dream of afternoons filled with laughter and art projects, kid baking projects, many library trips, reading together, loving, and living.

As I move to pursue my art (albeit part-time, since I’ll be chasing those kids around 🙂 ), that prospect also frightens me. My comics, my watercolors, there are so many incredible and deeply talented artists in the world, and it can be hard to feel like I need to try to compete. But art isn’t a competition. Whatever I do – whatever I make – the process of making it, caring about it, just trying to be myself – I need to remind myself that that will be good enough.

What will be will be. And I’m ready to get started with this new beginning.

Hope you feel good facing any new beginnings in your life!

The Plum Grove – Artwork and Blog by Kristin Johnson

Watercolor and illustration artist.

Category Archives: Blog

Hello out there!