Book review: The Testament of Loki by Joanne Harris

After the massive reading block brought on by Murakami’s Sputnik Sweetheart last year, I decided to started the new year by reading one of my favorite authors – Joanne Harris.

I started the year with The Gospel of Loki, which is a delightful retelling of the stories of the Norse gods – from the viewpoint of the trickster god Loki.

If you’ve read Norse Gods by Neil Gaiman or any other author, you would be familiar with all of these stories, there’s nothing really new there.

But what happens after the gods fall at Ragnarok? Is that the end of the road for Odin, Loki, Thor, Freya, and all the other Aesir and Vanir? Or can they return to reclaim their lost glory?

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Art journal with me: Intuitive figurative mixed media journal page

Grab your art journal, pull out some of your favourite paints, and come join me as I show you how to create an intuitive figurative mixed media art journal page!

I started this page with some burnt umber acrylic paint, because the husband mixed up a much larger batch for his project, and you can’t let good paint go to waste, right?

I started the page without any ideas or agenda. In fact, this is the first time that I really used raw umber, and I have to say that I love it much more than raw sienna.

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9 no-fail tips to help you succeed at the 100 day project

On this episode of the Art with Soul podcast, I share some tips and ideas to help you plan for a successful 100 day project. If you’re tempted to give the challenge a try but aren’t sure you will be to able to successfully see the 100 days through, these suggestions will help to set you up for success! You’ll find a written transcript of the episode {edited for readability} + additional links and resources below.

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January 2021: Tarot spread for the new moon in Capricorn

Tarot spread for the January 2021 new moon in Capricorn

The January 2021 new moon falls in the sign of Capricorn. Symbolized by the mountain goat, which maintains perfect balance while it climbs over precarious rock ledges, the Capricorn archetype is one of disciplined and dogged determination towards the attainment of our worldly desires.

Spiritually, the Capricorn archetype teaches us about integrity and helps us to harness the ability to plan our work, and stick to it, no matter what. In these times of 24×7 consumption culture, it’s easy to be addicted with shiny object syndrome and forget about our goals and plans. Capricorn teaches us about the meaning of integrity: to align ourselves with our highest ideals and actualize our potential.

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Art studio tour + can clutter really boost creativity?

Home art studio tour + why artists and creatives thrive in a messy environment

At the end of each year, I do an annual studio clean up: clear out the mess, scrub the dried paint off the table, and throw out the junk that tends to accumulate over the months. I thought I’d give you a little before and after of the process, plus a quick little studio tour!

My art studio is in a spare room that also doubles up as the husband’s study area, and these days as my home office.

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The Word: 2021

My word of the year made itself known to me at the start of December. After Radiate showed me all the ways in which I still don’t trust myself, the word that showed up seemed rather apt. It was a word that had come under consideration in previous years too, but I’d passed it over. This would be its year, I thought.

Then, in mid-December, I did my annual year ahead tarot spread. The cards that came up didn’t feel like a great fit with the word that had presented itself. But instead of trying to puzzle it out, I decided to simply document my cards, make some notes, and go about my day.

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December 2020: Tarot spread for the full moon in Cancer

Tarot spread for the December 2020 full moon in Cancer

The December 2020 full moon falls in the sign of Cancer. The Cancer archetype is emotional, intuitive, nurturing and healing. It also symbolizes “home” and all the things that home represents – not just our physical home, but also our emotions, energy, body, and the spiritual hearth of our souls.

Spiritually, the Cancer archetype is one of compassion, of recognizing that people, in general, act to the best of their abilities, limited by their education, upbringing and current awareness. The Cancer archetype knows that love and forgiveness, where possible, are the best way to respond to destructive behavior – along with firm boundaries, of course.

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Looking back at 2020: Reflections on Radiate

Radiate. That was my word for the year. And though I lost sight of it as soon as lockdowns hit, it didn’t quite lose sight of me.

Radiate led to my first curated group art show, and then immediately showed me all the ways in which I still don’t trust my abilities enough to take pride in my achievements.

An offhand comment by a so-called friend led to a shame spiral that lasted most of the year. It’s only around November that I realized I was viewing myself through the lens of someone else’s jealousy and opinions, and took steps to rectify my error.

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The 2021 book bingo reading challenge

I really enjoyed the 2020 book bingo challenge, and I know that many of you did, too. So I’m excited to do this again in 2021. This time, though, I really would love to have more of a reading community so we can all nerd out together. Because reading more + reading widely is always fun, right?

Without ado, presenting….

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5 tried and tested tips to teach yourself a new art style

On this episode of the Art with Soul podcast, I share some tips and ideas to help you teach yourself to paint in a new-to-you art style. We discuss actionable tips, mindset hacks, and more on this episode, so pull up a chair and listen in! This episode is in celebration of the release of my first collection of abstract paintings called Sands of Time. You’ll find a written transcript of the episode {edited for readability} + additional links and resources below.

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