Yuck Flowers

learning from what's not working

Spring doesn’t really show its face consistently until the latter part of May in these parts. April and most of May feel more like “spri-nter”. Eventually winter gives up the ghost and spring starts painting up a storm…and storms. Hee hee.

Perhaps in anticipation of less grey days and more colorful bustle outside, I’ve had botanicals in my mind’s eye- some figures, too, but mostly flowery, plant-y, growing things. I find this to be particularly fascinating because I am no gardener. I’m a green thumb wannabe. Even still, there is something so captivating about lingering over growing things, especially when you get to make them up! And if I’ve learned anything over the years of developing my creative language, it’s to follow the inklings, the seemingly random repetitions, the curiosities, the what if’s because they help free something innate and integral to your creativity.

Painting botanicals was not natural for me for many years, but the hunger wouldn’t go away. So I kept giving it a shot from time to time with some “lucky” successes and a lot of yuck. Then, within the last year, something solidified, and I found myself truly painting botanicals in a way that feels authentic. Couldn’t have gotten here without all the yuck flowers. The yuck is so, so necessary. It teaches you what’s not working, what to let go of, and, eventually, what not to do carves out this beautiful space for something genuine to emerge. Don’t be afraid of the yuck. Learn from it. Persist.

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Another idea I’ll be following based on yuck learning is trying out shop update months rather than specific dates. This means I’ll be listing work throughout a certain month instead of waiting for one day to do it all. Why? Well, I don’t have an assistant, and prepping for updates followed by prepping orders is extremely taxing work. I’m so thankful for the work, but it really does require a lot of time and energy. With my heart-lung illness, I must be more thoughtful about the business-y stuff so it doesn’t wipe me out and land me in bed for days. Something’s gotta give, and I’d rather it not be my health.

So my plan for the remainder of 2022 is to update the shop throughout May, July, September and November. I’ll be living my life and making art in the off months, and I’ll likely take a break from December to February 2023. That 3 month decompression and exploration break has been my rhythm the last 3-4 years. Then, Lord willing, I will get back at it in March, May, July, etc…

I’ll continue to send out a reminder note like this one with photos of things of I’m working on that will be listed in the next month of updates. And don’t forget that I have some fancy prints (giclées) available via Artfully Walls. If there’s a print you’d like but don’t see there, message/email me, and I’ll see what I can do.

Shalom shalom,

Mystele

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Reminders:

• It pays to keep up with your purchases of my original artwork because when you reach the $500 mark (pre-tax) you get a collector’s discount of 10% when you spend $85 minimum on original artwork in future. Just message me on Etsy!

• If you’re on a fixed budget and can’t afford the layaway plan that Etsy offers, message me, and we can work one out between us. (That’s the way it used to be before Etsy used Klarna.)

• If you’re on a fixed budget and can’t afford my larger works, please know that I will continue to offer sketches (a range of sizes) and smaller works ranging from $35-$150. I really believe that art should be accessible to as many people as possible.

• Finally, if you know of someone in need who you’d like to encourage with some art, let’s collaborate!