5 tips for life - Get it together and be happy!

One of my favourite Studio3ten pieces - see a whole blog post on Suzanne's gorgeous artwork here!

At the beginning of this month I wrote a post called Getting It Together and so today, as the month draws to a close, I decided a little update was in order. It's been a good month really! It's been far from easy but I do feel I've made some progress. And in doing so, I've come up with a few tips I'd like to share for busy creative folk like me to get it together and enjoy life!

1. Look after yourself! I have a bad habit of putting myself last in any list of priorities but to be happy in life you must look after yourself. Drink plenty of water, take regular walks, cook yummy food, read inspiring books, see friends and ultimately be nice to yourself! Speak to yourself like you would speak to others. Be kind. Be forgiving. Be understanding. Have a glass of wine and a chocolate bar in the evening after a long day!

2. Schedule free time and time to be creative along with all the not so fun things we schedule. If you're anything like me, your calendar is pretty crazy looking. It's more like a work of art (I'm a fan of colour-coding!) but sometimes just looking at it turns my stomach. I think it's important to remember that it doesn't matter how often change your schedule - it's your schedule after all and you can do what you want with it! Add things, delete things, postpone things... it's up to you! But I do find if I plan for an hour to read in the bath, to walk on the beach or do some drawing at your local cafe I'm more likely to do it.

3. Set time limits for activities like emails, Facebook and Twitter. And blog reading! These things are good - for me they are actually important parts of my work as well as providing valuable social benefits. However, it's easy to get so caught up that hours go by and you still haven't started on your important work for the day (or gone outside/gotten dressed/eaten anything!). As with your schedule, you can always go over your time limit if you choose to, but setting one means you control it, rather than it controlling you. And that's important!

4. Make lists. But instead of having one to do list a mile long, make two lists. Or three! The first one should only ever have two or three things on it. This is the important list and if that's all you get done for the day, then it's been a successful day! The second list is the 'good if it works out' list - things to get done if you have time and inclination. The third list (I do love a good list!) could be called the 'fun' list. Or the 'me' list. And it lists the things you want to do outside of work. Like read Plato, learn to crochet or dig a herb garden. Because these things are as important, if not more, than the work things. Too often, we make these long lists and feel bad at the end of the day because we didn't get everything done. A wise person once said we tend to over-estimate what we can achieve in a day and under-estimate what we can achieve in a year. Dream big, I say! But don't put so much pressure on yourself to perform that you always fall short.

5. Make having fun a priority. Life is short and can be tough - we live in a society of rules and stress and pressure and bureaucracy. It's exhausting and frustrating and depressing. However, we can take back control over our lives if we remember our priorities. Forget about your workload, your schedule, your debts, the state of your kitchen and have a bit of fun. Sit on the balcony and drink a beer in the middle of the afternoon! Put on your favourite power ballad and dance around the room! Curl up in your favourite chair and read something amazing! Finger paint, bike-ride, bake cookies.... do more of whatever makes you happy. Follow your dreams but don't enslave yourself to them. In the words of one of my favourite writers/thinkers Tom Hodgkinson, "Life is absurd. Be merry. Be free".

Well, there's my words of wisdom for the day being offered up to the world wide web! What do you think? Do you find yourself too busy to look after yourself properly? Would you benefit from more 'happy' in your life? I'd love to hear what tips you would add to the list!

Have a great weekend folks! And don't work too hard!

Jen x

Illustration Crush - Rebekah Leigh Marshall

Some of you might remember a gorgeous illustration of a caravan that I featured in my Caravan Art post recently... well that was by the lovely Rebekah Leigh Marshall, an illustrator from Bristol, UK, whose mission to create fun, happy artworks that celebrate the little things in life is one I really relate to. You all loved the caravan, so I thought I'd bring you some more of Rebekah's gorgeous work.

Rebekah works predominantly with pen and paper with the occasional addition of watercolour or gouache paint, as well as Photoshop for preparing the finished artwork. As a lover of colour myself I really love the cheery colours throughout her work as well as her quirky yet simple subject matters... they make me smile just to look at them!

If your as enamoured by Rebekah's style as I am, you can find more about her on her website and her Etsy store. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter!

Have a beautiful Wednesday everyone! I'm getting set for a business day, preparing applications and updating my online stores. I'm doing a fair bit of work on my blog design too but I'm not very good at it yet! So please bear with me if things look a little strange as I learn - thank goodness for online tutorials!

Jen x

My journey to self-employment and illustration

I read a blog post last week by one of the illustrators I’ve featured here, Stacie Swift, where she told her story of becoming an illustrator. Like hers, my own story is convoluted and roundabout... and so, for those of you interested, I thought I might follow suit and tell my story.

My older sister knew she wanted to be a scientist from quite a young age. And now she is! But me? Well, I was one of those kids that changed their mind all the time. From fireman to ballerina, marine biologist to cinematographer, from professional athlete to classical musician... I always loved art but funnily enough, I never really considered it as a profession. 


In my late teens I became quite ill with chronic fatigue syndrome and depression. This changed my life in so many ways, not least that I had to give up my more active pursuits (at that point, I was focused on becoming an olympic swimmer!). This is when art first became more important to me as it was almost all I could do. As well, it offered ample opportunity to wallow, analyse and dwell in my depression. I painted large scale dark, swirling abstracts and took murky photos of tin can people trapped in darkened worlds. At 18, I left home to go to art school, but after only six months I dropped out. I hated being told what to do. I hated my fellow students who all seemed to be able to play this game to which I couldn’t figure out the rules. And so I put down my paint brush, determined never to pick it up again, packed my bags and went overseas.

A few memorable moments from overseas... India, Japan, America!

Several years later, after travelling the world funded by stints of cafe work in Scotland, I came home, healthy of mind and body and ready to get serious. I enrolled at university and over the next four years completed a degree in Political Science. I loved this course, which is odd now considering I can no longer stand to watch the news or read the newspaper as it depresses me too much! But at the time, I became fixated on my studies - I read Chomsky, Hitchen, Pilger; studied classes with titles like “Terrorism, Espionage and Global Disorder” and “Women, Islam and the Law”. I was glued to the television as Australia committed to the War on Terror and cried at the news every night as the destruction I was so opposed to got worse and worse and sunk deeper into my heart. 


After I graduated, I worked for a Superannuation and Insurance company as a Communications Officer. It was in this unlikely and uninspiring place that I took my first accidental step into the world of graphic design, when my company sent me off on a two day InDesign course. I loved this course, so got myself the software and began teaching myself how to use it better at home.


My (then) partner was a musician and together we used to run songwriter nights around town. I started designing posters to advertise these and our nights grew steadily in popularity. Soon enough, I decided to leave my boring office job and be a music event manager. This was a whole lot of fun but never made much money so I began supplementing my income with bar work again. After several years, I wound this business up and gained full time employment with an advertising agency. This opened my eyes once more to the world of design, although my own role was not creative and I felt a little like a fish out of water in the advertising world. I craved autonomy and found it increasingly hard to get up in the mornings. I struggled to maintain control as various aspects of my life began to crumble and I found myself face to face with depression once more, spending almost as much time crying in the toilets as at my desk. It was at this point my relationship ended and after several days of complete and utter misery, I had an epiphany. The problem, I realised, was that I was not living MY life. I was being swept along, turning this way and that, but never really getting to the bottom of who I was and what would really make me happy in life.

My getaway car!

And so, I made some decisions and took drastic action! I quit my job, sold my flat, my car and most of my possessions, bought a rusty but charming old campervan and left my island home of Tasmania for the Mainland (aka Australia!). After a few months of travelling, I settled into a new life in Melbourne, absolutely determined to never work for anyone else again. I realised that I was not built for the 9 - 5, for the office, for mundanity or for commercialism. I needed to be creative, free and at peace. I finally decided that it was ok to be like this - it wasn’t failure, rather it was logical to accept I was different and could never be happy doing all these things I’d tried to do. I was no longer going to be ashamed. I would be proud of my eccentricities, my lifestyle choices and my mind because, destructive and depressed as it can be at times, it is also what makes me me.

The first greeting card a drew... and it still sells well!

That was three years ago. At first, I tried to make a living as a freelance editor. I got a few jobs here and there but it never took off and I didn’t really like it that much - I was just looking to be self-employed. I’d always enjoyed bookbinding (I used to sell my books at the market while at uni) so I took this up again and started going to markets around Melbourne. And then, the big turning point... I was designing a logo for a friend as a favour. I asked an illustrator friend of mine to do the drawing, which he did, but my friend said he liked my sample version better. I was amazed as I considered myself to be a complete amateur, but encouraged, I finished the job myself. The logo featured a simple cartoon horse and inspired by this (and because I was unemployed and had plenty of time on my hands), I started drawing a whole series of animals in the same style. I made some of these into greeting cards thinking I might sell a few at the market alongside my books, and to my surprise, people loved them! In fact, it wasn’t long before I was making more from the cards than the books! I saw other people at markets selling prints of their artwork and decided to try it. And again, people bought them! I was truly amazed, because as much as I’d always loved art and design, I never thought I could make a living from it.

Thus encouraged, I began to work in earnest at my illustration and Red Parka was born! I drew like crazy, got busy doing online tutorials in photoshop and illustrator and expanded my product range. I got myself a website and an online store. And somewhere along the way, I got comfortable calling myself an illustrator.  

Wade and I, taking on the world together these days...

I have never studied art formally, except for the six misguided months of art school 15 years ago. And my current occupation is the culmination of years and years of trial and error. I love working for myself and although it has some serious challenges (financial stability for one!) I will never give up on this dream. I think I’m one of the luckiest people on earth as my work is my dream and my passion. And I will be forever grateful for that. To top it off, I met an amazing man in Melbourne who shares my dream to live a life of freedom and creativity. We got married last year and together we work, laugh, struggle and create our beautiful, crazy, creative world.

It’s not always easy. I still struggle with depression and self-doubt. I still have days where I feel like the world is a dreadful place that's out to get me, or where I feel like a fake because I don’t know how to do certain things. But ultimately, I am happy with who I am and the life I’m living. And the best thing is, at the age of 34, it’s only just beginning!

Thanks for reading my story folks! We all take such diverse and interesting paths in life. I’d love to hear your story sometime so please share if you feel like writing one!

Jen x

Unveiling... new Red Parka designs!

It's been a challenge for me lately trying to find the time and mental space for creating new work. In fact, one of my goals for 2012 was to spend more time creating new work. And so, I'm pretty excited that finally, I have a new collection of cards printed up and for sale in my store. Here's a peek at a few of them but you can check them all out in the shop!

I LOVE belted galloways! After the positive response to my galloway print I just had to turn it into a card as well!

This is a doodle I did years ago that I found recently when perusing old journals for inspiration. A little bit of work and it's become the 'Weird Flowers' card! Something different for me but I like it!

These two elephant designs are also old ones that I've redeveloped into something new. The top one was meant to be elephants running but most people seem to think they are flying. Which is fine by me! The bottom one has just changed shape and colour from the previous incarnation. And I'm totally in love with this new, bold colour combination!

These two cards are from some recent experimentation I did with watercolours (see previous post). They are now available in the store as prints and as cards. I've received a great response to these as prints so I think more watercolours might be on the way!

And finally, my adorable, troublesome, crazy and lovely little dog (who isn't so small these days!), immortalised on a Red Parka card. One for the dog lovers. Thanks to my Benny for being such a cute model!

All these, and quite a few more, are now for sale in my online store. And to celebrate, readers of my blog can access a discount of 25% off all items in the store, including these new cards! Just use discount code GALLOWAY at the checkout until April 6.

It's actually cold here in Melbourne today! Which is exciting for me, a cold weather creature through and through. It also means I get to wear my favourite grey woolly jumper and hand-knitted socks... I love Autumn and these blustery, cold yet sunny days. Wade and I have been working our way through a Lord of the Rings (extended edition) marathon these last few days while making jewellery in the lounge room and I think today is the perfect day to finish it off. Return of the King!

Jen x

Illustration Crush - Beth-Emily

This week I'm excited to share with you the gorgeous work of a fellow Tasmanian illustrator. Beth-Emily's work is so delicate and lovely, beautifully combining black and whites with colour. I love the way organic, natural shapes are sometimes juxtaposed with subtle geometrics. Probably best summed up in her own words, her work draws inspiration from the world of natural aesthetics and the beautiful yet subtle human emotions such as sadness, longing and love.

Something about these illustrations makes me take a deep breathe and settle a little deeper into my chair. As though everything is right with the world even though so much appears misplaced. There's a sense of melancholic contentedness telling me that today, it's ok to be sad. In this sense, these pictures are perfect for me today as I am feeling an odd sense of peaceful sadness. I'm glad it's raining and grey outside while I'm in here drinking coffee, looking at the wonderful world of illustration and wondering what to do with myself next.

What's going on in your world today? I hope whatever it is, good or bad, that these drawings bring a smile to your lips and a little peace to your heart. If you'd like to see more of Beth-Emily, you can find her online at her Etsy store or her website.

Jen x

Illustration Crush - Linogirl

This weeks illustration crush is on Melbourne artist Kerry Scheen, whose label is Linogirl. I first met Kerry at the Rose Street Artists Market and was struck by the beautiful simplicity of her work. Just looking at it makes you take a deep breathe and feel a sense of calm creep over you. I guess it's the smooth, delicate white of the porcelain she uses along with the choice of colour and subject matter. But whatever it is, it's incredibly beautiful and I hope you enjoy taking a look!

Florence and the Swimming Cap

Kerry is an illustrator and designer who works with porcelain to create wearable art, vessels and paintings in her studio, just outside of Melbourne in the beautiful Macedon Ranges. All her ceramic pieces are hand-painted one-offs. These designs are then further used to create gorgeous prints and gift cards. On her website, she describes her works as being "designed to pass down through generations, they are keepsakes, stories, small objects and together they tell tales of the Black Forest".

The Illustrations of Light and Illusion

Becky and the Returning Companion

The Girl in the Ruby Red Cloak

Anton and the Swaddle

The Woodman's Daughter brooch

If you're in Melbourne you can find Kerry most Saturdays at Rose Street. Or for those of you in Adelaide, be sure to get down to the Bowerbird Bazaar to see Kerry and so many more talented designers show their wares. And if you're too far away for either of these options, check out the Linogirl website for your fix of this beautiful art.

Have a great day everyone!

Jen x

Note: All images used in this post are copyright to Kerry Scheen and must not be reproduced without her permission. Thanks!

The most amazing chocolate ever and other tales from Canberra Handmade...

I have just arrived home after a 9 hour drive from Canberra where we spent the weekend working at the Canberra Handmade Market. I'm exhausted but just have to share with you a few amazing shots from the weekend before I go to bed... seriously, this will blow you away.

Everything here is made of chocolate, except the knife! Incredible!
Photo by Wade Skelly

One of my fellow stallholders was Melina, a chef who specialises in Italian cuisine and who makes the best chocolate ever. Seriously. This coffee pot is made from 100% chocolate. And not only does it look like the real thing, you can unscrew it and inside there is a chocolate filter you can take in and out and everything! Amazing. And the camera below. I told you this would blow your mind!

A chocolate camera... because we all love photography AND chocolate!
Photo by Wade Skelly

I also just love the work of Brianna, from Mrs Peterson Pottery. Based in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Brianna works with porcelain and stoneware and creates gorgeous, unique things like this beautiful pendant, just for a start! Check out her website for more creations from the lovely Mrs Peterson. And don't forget her Etsy Store!

Photo by Wade Skelly

Here's a instagram pic of my own Red Parka stall at the market... are you on instagram? Let me know if you are! I'm pretty new to it but loving it! You can follow me here if you like - I'd love to check out some of your photos too!

Goodnight everyone!!

Jen xx

Illustration Crush - Wilmer Murillo

And now for something different... I'm fascinated with the artwork of Wilmer Murillo, an artist from the small Central American nation of Honduras. Wilmer draws his inspiration from retro sci-fi films, oriental imagery and music, influences that can clearly be seen in his work - can't you just imagine these creatures coming to life? Although I admit I'm a little baffled by his subjects I am drawn to them regardless - they seem friendly and shy within their outrageous bodies. I want to ask them questions and find out what makes them tick. And of course, I absolutely love Wilmer's use of colour! Those vibrant pinks and greens and oranges make me so happy!

You can check out more of Wilmer's work on his website here.

I've stumbled across some really amazing art from the Central American region of late - it's a part of the world that seems so far from my home in Australia. I know that I'll travel there and experience it for myself one day and hopefully I'll be able to meet some of the artists I admire!  

Back to my own little creative world in Melbourne, we have just had a delivery from the printers with all my new card designs! Very excited to have them at last... I'll be spending most of the rest of my day folding and packaging cards so we can take them to Canberra this weekend for the Canberra Handmade market. If you're in Canberra give us ahoy and come to the market!

Happy Wednesday folks! 

Jen x

It's our 1st anniversary! Yay!

One year ago today I married the love of my life! I wasn't writing my blog back then so thought I'd take this opportunity to share with you some of my favourite photos of that day. Life has thrown more than a few challenges our way of late but I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world to know this kind of love.

My family, walking down Degraves St in Melbourne on our way to the tram stop.

My gorgeous friend Mel and I on Brunswick St, Fitzroy, on the way to the ceremony.

With my Mum on the tram.

My Mum, Dad and Sister - the wedding was in Edinburgh Gardens in North Fitzroy.

So happy!

Champagne time!

Walking down Brunswick St to Palookaville, the bar where we had our reception.

Possibly my favourite photo of the day, taken just after we stopped off at the Lord Newry for a drink  on our way to the reception.

I'm a big believer in celebrating milestones in life - it doesn't need to be lavish but I think it's important to recognise, celebrate and enjoy these moments. So on that note, we're off to celebrate!

Happy Monday folks!

Jen xx

Getting it together - my plan!

One of my prints, The Phoenix Reborn.

It's been such a busy time of late in Red Parka World. In my world in general, in fact. And it's been a heady mix of good and bad, enthusiasm and despondency, joy and depression. All in all, it's been quite a roller-coaster and somewhere during the last fortnight, my poor little brain said "whoa, stop it! Right now! Before I implode"! Now, I don't want to implode. Really, I don't. So I stopped.

After yet another minor meltdown this morning I decided to write a little post about how I was going to fix things. You should understand that I'm a fixer. I'm a yes-girl. I've been known to mistakenly believe I'm invincible. So here's a little list of areas of my life I'm going to tackle this month to get it together. It's my Get-It-Together List. Yes!

1. Inspired by a blog I read recently I've decided to label March the month of self care. This will involve exercising more, eating better and taking more time to relax and reflect on my own. Because my blog is a happy place I've not mentioned on here before my ongoing struggle with depression. It's been a part of my life since I was a teenager, and these days, I am in fairly good control of it. However, these last couple of months have pushed me more than I have been pushed in a long time and I'm having to really reassess my coping mechanisms. I guess I've become a little complacent. And it's catching up with me. So a month of looking after myself is much needed to get myself back on an even keel (as even as a skittish, introverted creative like myself can ever hope to be, at least!)

2. Develop a morning routine - inspired by this post from Jena (aka Miss Modish), I'm going to work on developing a better morning routine. I'm inherently anti-routine and having the freedom to control my own time is one of the main motivations for me to be self-employed. But I've noticed of late that far from being in control of my time, I've actually sunk to new levels of slackness. Because I don't have to, I don't. Things such as doing my hair, basic skin care, making the bed, wearing nice clothes... Also, like Jena, I tend to get up and go straight to the computer (via the coffeepot) and immediately get caught up in emails, twitter, blog reading and then my own design work. Before you know it, it's well after midday, my poor old body is operating on 4 cups a coffee and an empty stomach and, unsurprsingly, I begin to flag. Being the obsessive overachiever I am, I then mentally beat myself up about my lack of productivity all afternoon, and to make up for it, I'll stay up late trying to work but getting little done in reality. Then I do it all over again. Crazy, huh? Time for a change...

3. Business - Anyone out there also selling their wares at markets would probably be sharing a similar experience to me right now. The market scene is flat. The economy is flat, people are not spending like they used to, and in Melbourne at least, there seems to be such a proliferation of good markets that perhaps the market for markets is somewhat flooded. I also feel that the market life, while fun and good in so many ways, is also a little unsustainable. So my decision for March is to focus on and streamline my online work. I have a bigcartel shop, an Etsy store and a Madeit store, as well as my little blog which I love and want to devote more time too. All of these online faces of mine could use some attention and revamping. And if I can increase my income through these sources, I can take a much needed break from markets every weekend.

4. My husband Wade and I share many things and for better or worse, one of these is suffering from depression. Recent weeks have been tough on both of us. So this month, we are dedicated to not only improving our individual health but also the health of our relationship. As we reach our first wedding anniversary next week we have plenty to celebrate! This month we'll be going to therapy individually and together to learn better ways of communicating and helping each other through tough times and we'll be working on reorganising our lives (and our house!) to reduce stress and find more time to relax and enjoy each others company. We are a pretty nutty pair at times and both need to chill out and start enjoying life more. So here goes!

So March is my month of self-care and getting-it-together! I'll give you all an update towards the end of the month and hopefully by then I'll be feeling happier and more relaxed than I do right now - wish me luck! 

For those of you still reading, thanks for making it this far through my little therapeutic blogging session. What are you working on this month?

Jen x