This year has brought a lot of adventure and new opportunities. So now, it's time for a quick look back over the past 12 months. I always write and reflect, right around this time of year, Thanksgiving time on the horizon, yet right before the big/huge holiday boom. One reason that I love doing this, is to measure my growth as and artist, and secondly to prove that in a year's time a lot can be accomplished. As small business owners, it's important to remember that. We often set goals and (hopefully) focus on the metrics and milestones that we are going for. Whether you set weekly, monthly goals, or annual goals. I would like to hear how more about how you do it!

As I mentioned before, you really can accomplish a lot one year. I am so grateful for all the new opportunities that keep coming my way. I truly believe that gratitude is the quickest way to magnetize all that you want to you, and keep it showing up! I hope this recap will inspire you with your creative business goals to focus on gratitude and see what shows up for you. 

I am so proud to share that brand collaborations reached new heights this year! 
1. Our custom indigo t-shirt workshop at Vince  
2. Indigo and Aromatherapy custom eye-pillows at Jenni Kayne in Brentwood
3. Our custom indigo textiles workshop at Herman Miller for the team of architects and designers

8. Hosted my first sample sale on Instagram
9. The launched my first linen kimono style jackets. Using hand dyed-linen and batik collars.  ​
and for #10, I will share a personal accomplishment. I know I mentioned last year, how much my mindfulness practice was helping to guide me in my business as an independent artist. This year, I expanded that practice through formal yoga training. I am now a certified 200 hour to yoga teacher working on my 500 hour certification with Yogaworks! I'm not sure exactly how I will weave it all in, but I am excited to see how 2020 unfolds. 
I would love to see you all just before the holidays as I am showing at 2 fantastic events this year. One is the Modern Artisan Market at Platform in Culver City see details below! The other is a curated Holiday gift event in Pasadena, please RSVP for all the details.

Last but not least, if by some chance you are up in Seattle as I know some of you natural dye lovers are, then please join me at Renegade, Seattle at Magnusson Park on December 14th & 15th.  
​To see my Top 10 List from last year, please check it out, as it's fun to see where I was at this time last year. If you have not taken a creative workshop with me, then please plan on attending one in 2020. Our Winter/Spring 2020 workshop schedule is coming out soon! If this post inspired you some way please comment below with your current goal or achievement. Don't be afraid to grab note pad and start jotting down your goals for 2020. 

This month, I made a cool new artist friend, Danielle Broder. When I came across her work, I new that she would be a perfect fit for my working as series, where we dive deep into the world of artist careers. Today, she shares her artistic experience and journey with us. You will learn all about block printing, and how you can get started creating unique textiles of your very own! Read the interview to see all of her trendsetting patterns and score a freebie from Danielle! 

Danielle, can you please share a little bit about yourself? 

I’ve always been creative, but never considered it as a career until college. I was lucky enough to have an artsy grandma, mom and dad putting me in painting, drawing, jewelry, and crafting classes all the time as a kid. When I got to college, I decided to study illustration even though I didn’t know how that would eventually turn into a job. A year after graduating, I went back for a second degree in interior design and worked for a few designers and architects in L.A. 

While in college, I had all kinds of random art jobs, working for a home staging company, as an art teacher for kids (kill me), an art director at a summer camp, and doing graphic and web design for a few years. After I graduated the second time, I needed to get the heck out of L.A. So I moved to San Francisco and started my business shortly after. 

I started printing fabric and making wall prints, selling them online and at craft shows. After a few years it was going ok but it was growing painfully slow. I decided to quit doing craft shows cold turkey and worked more on my online presence. Soon I received a random email from a small company, asking me to create a class to teach my printing process. 

A few months later, I was teaching block printing from my kitchen table in SF through Groupon. Now 5 years later, that class has become my signature offer as I’ve tweaked it to accommodate up to 40 people in larger settings as well as a 1:1 class.

I also started doing custom work for interior designers which I really love (even though some projects are SUCH a challenge!)

What projects are you most excited about right now? 

I’m finishing up some custom fabric for a woman who makes super cute pillows for interior design projects. I designed totally new patterns that stray from my usual style, so it was fun to break that boundary and do something new.

I’m also updating my online course which is a video workshop where you can learn my entire process from start to finish.
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Where do you see your business in 5 years? 

That seems so far away! In 5 years I want to be teaching primarily online, while doing more large scale custom projects for interior designers. Oh, and I want to be hosting a rad art retreat!

Thank you Danielle for sharing your expertise and inspiring us! 

You can find out more about Danielle here, and click below to grab her free list of supplies to get started. 

Today, I am sharing a Q & A, which is my second post in a series about how to host an experience with Airbnb. I became an Airbnb experience host in 2018, as experiences are relatively new to Airbnb and I wanted to share some tips with you. You can read the first part here: How to Host an experience with Airbnb. One of my workshop guests, is now starting up an experience of her own in Venice Beach, CA and she had a few questions for me. I realized that many of her questions, I did not cover yet, so I am sharing them here with you. For me the benefits of hosting an experience has been threefold: I have gained exposure to new international clientele, and I have developed new textile designs. I even get asked to do private corporate workshops due to my work as an experience host. To find out more as this hosting series evolves, be sure to join my mailing list and receive monthly workshop updates. Read our full Q & A below!