This time last year...

I've been meaning to write this blog post for a while, and as the internet seems full of talk about depression at the moment it seems an appropriate time.

This time last year I was in a very bad way as I was battling with both anxiety and depression. Unfortunately I've experienced both of these things throughout my life, but this time it was worse than it had ever been before. When it first came about I did what I had done previously and went back to counselling. This helped for a while and kept me functioning, but it also made me realise how bad things really were. I'd had a couple of really bad days when I'd called in sick, just not being able to function and it was only when I admitted I couldn't actually cope with going into work (let alone doing any) that things really got bad. It was like I'd opened a floodgate and all of this grief, sadness, anxiety and unhappiness just started pouring out of me. 

After one particularly hard counselling session I knew I couldn't face going into work and I also couldn't face lying to my manager about it any more. So I called him up and just cried down the phone to him, explaining that I hadn't been off with a migraine, but that I really wasn't in a good way. I don't know what I thought he would say, whether he'd be cross or fire me or what. All such irrational thoughts because my manager was such a kind, caring man - but I was still petrified. As it turned out, he was completely understanding and throughout my whole "bad episode" my work - including my manager, my boss and my colleagues couldn't have been more supportive. This of course was a massive help, but it still didn't stop me worrying about it all. 

It's hard to say why I suddenly got so bad, there were lots of external factors that probably didn't help - which I'm not going to go into here, but I think actually it had been a long time coming. It was like up until that point I'd just been frantically treading water, trying to stay afloat; juggling too many balls, whatever the analogy - life had become too hard. 

Interestingly, it wasn't the depression that was the hardest - but the anxiety. This time last year I couldn't leave the house without having a panic attack. The anxiety would be intense, lasting several hours and then when I finally calmed down it would send me spiralling into such a dark place, unable to accept this was happening to me. It's a pretty horrible feeling, when even walking to the shop feels impossible. 

I was signed off for 6 weeks in total. It sounds like a long time doesn't it? Yet every day was such hard work. Forcing myself to have a routine was the hardest part, get up, get washed, eat breakfast. Just the basic things we take for granted, that usually take us less than hour, were exhausting. 

This time I also went the medication route, which unfortunately was a pretty awful experience for me - but I'll save that one for another time. 

During this time, my family and friends were a God send. It was a time when I realised who my true friends really were, going out of their way to visit me or call me and just generally be there for me. It was also during this time I really got into sewing which I wrote about here. I finally managed to go back to work, part time at first and then gradually full time. But even that wasn't an easy process. I had a massive wobble and had to be signed off again, and actually after Christmas "tricked" my brain to going back to work full time by just pretending I'd been off on holidays. 

Being signed off and being very ill actually wasn't the hard part. The hard part was getting back to some kind of normality. Suddenly you have to go from just getting up in the morning, to doing a full days work, doing the washing, cooking, cleaning, seeing friends, and it can easily become overwhelming and before you know it you can be right back to square one. Having a period of illness that completely floors you makes you very VERY cautious to go back to full steam ahead. 

Before being ill, I lived life at full speed - and it was too much for me. The time I had off, finally  made me realise, I couldn't do it any more. So I started to slow down. It wasn't easy, but I had to teach myself to live life at a slower pace - from the literal speed I walked to work, to the way I felt when something stressed me out, to the amount of time I spent seeing friends. Every aspect of my life had to be analysed, and rethought.

I've talked a lot on this blog about balance, and how finding it is so tricky - but for me it's a matter of survival. Between battling depression and anxiety and coping with chronic migraine, I have to have balance. Often this makes me feel pretty boring, I very rarely go out all night any more, and I compare myself with my party-hard housemate but I just can't do it. In September I started a new job, which has been tough, but I've finally got to the point where I can do a full time job and still enjoy my time outside of work - I just have to go steady. It's not easy, and it takes a lot of planning and a lot of saying no but that is the way it has to be. 

A lot of my friends and family are very understanding of this, they get that if I decline an invitation it's not because I don't want to see them, or have a better offer - but it's because I need to say no. Sadly, there are still a lot of people in my life who don't quite get it - they don't understand that having time to myself is a necessity and that it's not only re cooperation but usually prevention from getting too burnt out. 

Putting everything else to one side for a moment, I think it's important to say that I'm actually really proud of myself and what I've accomplished in a year. I am forever comparing myself with others, and putting myself down saying I should be able to do these things - but this is part of my negative thinking that only exacerbates the problem. In a year I have gone from feeling like I can't cope with anything to having a new job, that I'm doing full time and managing to enjoy life again. I still struggle, and I know, like my migraines, that depression and it's little friend anxiety will probably always be there, but hopefully they can be much more manageable in the future rather than being an ongoing battle.

Struggling with your own mental health issues? Check out my 5 ways to help you stop worrying

A crafty weekend

This weekend I paid a visit to my Mum up in Cheltenham. It was such a lovely weekend! We visited my friends Simon and Claire and their beautiful baby Rowan, we had lunch, mooched about shops, went out for a curry, crafted until our hearts were content, visited craft fairs and went on the obligatory visit to a new Hobbycraft store! Here are just a few photos of my weekend. 

Some cute bits and bobs from Hobbycraft

My embroidery for dotmund (based on a drawing he made for me)

I got busy making Christmas decorations from my Mollie Makes mag

Spent a bit of time working on my cross stitch

Was inspired to make a Christmas wreath by Carla

Finished off my Suffolk Puff necklace

Which I am totally in love with!

Found some Vintage crockery in a charity shop

Got to have a proper look at my inherited 1950's sewing machine!

Guest Post: Inspiration in Art

My last post - Inspiration or Imitation - prompted some interesting comments on the blog, twitter and facebook. One of my all time favourite bloggers dotmund had some interesting points and so I asked him to write his take on it and how as an artist this issue has affected him. 

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The other day Fran did an excellent blog post about inspiration versus imitation, plagiarism versus influence. I added my thoughts to it in the comments with such artistry and wisdom that my efforts later won the Prix Albert Camus in Paris. Some parts of that are a lie. However, the bit about Fran's thought-provoking post is true.

I draw pictures. Many other people before me have done this and let's be honest, I have seen a lot of them. Sometimes I actively seek out pictures to look at. I like pictures.

However, one thing about people who draw pictures is that they are generally quite adept at translating things they see into an image on a page. It's impossible to not be influenced by artists who have gone before you, unless you grow up in a cave miles away from civilisation - in which case I imagine you would mainly draw rocks, spiders and lichen - and it's next to impossible for elements of that to not sneak into your own artwork.

This is not, as I said in my reply to this week's earlier post, plagiarism necessarily. The closest I ever get to actively copying is in terms of homage:

 

This, for example, is of course based on The Scream by Edvard Münch. It's a painting I come back to time and again - in fact, the only thing I return to with more frequency is the Bayeux Tapestry, my all-time favourite artwork - because it is so well-known and emblematic that you can have some fun with it. Spinning it your own way, is the key. To straightforwardly copy is, I think, so unchallenging and unstimulating as to not be worth the effort.

However, that is not to say that there are examples of the art of others in virtually every single picture I ever do. I am now 31. I have seen and drawn tens of thousands of images. There's barely a line I draw that isn't something I have done or seen before. But they're not being pulled from a conscious source or copied off of a page. Rather they're something you've liked, adapted and repurposed.

Copying has its place, of course. As children you copy everything, you learn by copying. My earliest artist awakening was probably watching Rolf Harris drawing cartoons with magic markers on Saturday evening television. That's what I wanted to do then. I'd still not mind doing that now. By watching, you learn all sorts of techniques. But it's only by doing that those techniques start to sink in, get adapted for your own thoughts, needs or even physical requirements. Some guitar players just don't have the fingers to play certain pieces. Rachmaninov's piano style was unique to him due to his enormous hands. It's all about adaptation and finding your own way. Then you can find your own style.

It's something you can't force, and something which adapts all the time. It's not even something solely based on artistic appearances alone - mindset, education and interests play a major part. But my earliest cartoon influences were probably Charles Schulz's Peanuts and Goscinny and Uderzo's Asterix books. There remain elements from both of those things in what I do, just as there remain elements from everything I've seen since. Like a patchwork quilt.

There are some artists, though, whose work I love so much that I will often actively pursue it, try and capture some of its magic. Here are a number of examples of those occasions where there are bits of a picture that just make me think "I should try and do that like (that person)". Again, these are not done with reference pictures of those artists, but rather the bits I remember, the bits I try to commit to memory to bring out when they're needed. Nevertheless, it would be pointless, given the evidence you're about to see, to deny the enormous influence they continue to exert.


Ronald Searle
Ronald Searle is perhaps the artist I have actively sought to be more like than any other. I will never manage it, just like so many others who have or will try. There are elements of his artwork in everything I ever do. Here are some of the more striking examples.

This one is so brazenly Searle I'm almost ashamed of it, but it's so artistically good I am willing to forgive myself. Just.

Animated Cartoons
A huge influence on everything I do. Rolf Harris' TV programmes were just a vehicle for these classic cartoons - mainly those of Warner Bros. - which remain my absolute favourite. A lot of modern cartoon and comic artists will list their influences as being from American comics or from Japanese Manga and Anime. For me, it's Warner Bros all the way, no contest. Not so much in terms of character design, but rather in their overall appearance. I consider some of the backgrounds done by Maurice Noble and Philip De Guard, the great layout and background artists, to be some of the finest works of landscape and architectural art in existence.

The buildings in the background here are pure De Guard-Noble, based on the backgrounds from the brilliant cartoon Deduce, You Say?

Pure Warners character design in action. The face of the lion, particularly, is heavily influenced by the lions in Roman Legion-Hare

Everything here could be from a Warners cartoon, from the background, to the action, to the Yosemite Sam-style stumpiness of the legs.


Modern Times
I don't really look at a lot of contemporary work. Probably for the best, given my spectacular spongelike ability to consolidate everything I've seen, as demonstrated previously. However, one recent change came about due to a friend of mine buying me Jamie Smart's book 'Bear Immortal' for my birthday. I fell in love with its bold, heavy outlines and storytelling structures. It's been a big influence on my strip cartoon work, particularly in terms of appearance, ever since.

And finally....don't forget the classics!
There's one artist who is the absolute godfather of every cartoonist of the 20th Century and beyond, whether they know it or not or like it or not. Most do know, and do like it. Pablo Picasso. He is everywhere in everything we all do.

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A massive thank you to dotmund for writing this post. Aren't his drawings just incredible?!!! 

Swap Goodies

Back in September I organised a Make Something Swap. I've had great feedback and several of the people who signed up for the swap sent me pictures of the things they made and received! I wanted to share a few of them here:

A brilliant painting:

Made for Louise by Ed aka Dotmund

Another brilliant painting:

Made for Ed by Louise

An amazing knitted headband:

Made by Jane for Alice 

A very original cross-stitch:

Made by Alice for Janey

A fabulous pacman needle case:

Made by Emma for Stu

Some beautifully knitted socks:

Made by Claudia for Rachael

I'm so glad the swap worked out so well! If you were involved in the swap and I haven't shared your makes then please feel free to leave a link in the comments box. I'd love to see what you made/received!

How to increase traffic to your blog

Several people have asked me recently how they can improve their traffic volumes to their blogs. Below I've listed some good ways to get started on getting a larger audience. It's worth pointing out that successful bloggers put a lot of time and energy into their blogs, and a good following doesn't just happen over night. 


Juicy Content
One of the best ways in the blogging world to get traffic to your site is great content. An obvious one - but it's true. People won't visit an empty blog. Good content should be considered in terms of your audience. What will your audience want to read? If you don't have a large following, then think about the audience you would like to have. What are they like? What are they interested in? Often you can look to yourself for the answers, as if you are like me - you'll want to write something that you yourself would enjoy reading.

Write great content to get people reading!
(Image via: TN W on Pinterest)

What should I write? 
This really depends on one thing and one thing alone. What is the point of your blog? This is a really tricky one as you might start out thinking it's one thing, and then actually you start writing about something else. For me my blog started out as a craft blog where I could share my makes, but then I started writing my thoughts, and opinions and before I knew it I was kind of falling under the category of a lifestyle blog. Struggling with blog identity is something most bloggers go through and something I recently wrote about over at Craft Blog UK. 

Know the purpose or point of your blog
(Image via: PhanieLyn on Pinterest)

Encourage people to link to your blog!
A great way of getting traffic to your blog, is other people promoting it! If your content is good enough other bloggers will post about it, you know you are onto a winner! For craft blogs, tutorials are great content for getting links. There are also several sites you can upload your tutorials to.  

Get people shouting about your blog
(Image via: Skip Town on Pinterest)

The personal touch
People like to know about you. This doesn't mean you have to tell your whole life story, but giving your blog a personal touch rather than only posting about your specific niche will help attract new visitors. 

Talking about yourself adds a personal touch to your blog
(Image via: Ashley Hamilton on Pinterest)

Write regularly
A really important one. Often when people start a blog they write a few good posts and think "why aren't people coming to my site?" Your audience want to be kept updated and have new and exciting things to read. If you are only writing sparingly, then they'll simply go elsewhere. I aim to write two blog posts a week and I try for three if I'm not too busy. Again, don't do it for the sake of blogging - but if you can make time, do it. 

Keep people interested by writing regularly.
(Image via: Sara Weaver on Pinterest)

Appearances do matter! 
Think of your blog like a shop. If it's full of loud music and flashing lights people probably won't want to enter or stick around long if you are selling homemade baby gifts! The same applies to your blog, be kind to your audiences eyes - stop and think, is your design reflective of what your blog is about? Is it easy on the eye? Is your blog easy to read? Choosing font type and size can make a massive difference to creating a successful blog. There are blogs I know out there that have fantastic content, but some days I just can't handle reading them as they are stylised to the max and it's hard to read!

Make your blog enticing like a shop front
(Image via: Johanna Van Daalen on Pinterest)

Use good quality photographs or images
People like pretty things! make sure your photos are good quality - especially of anything you've made. It makes such a massive difference. I started out just taking quick photos of things, but realised that putting a bit more time into photos is really very rewarding. 

Take good photographs!
(Image via: Diane Tira on Pinterest)

It's not all about you
Getting your blog to look and feel right is really important - but it's not just about your blog. Your blog is part of a blogging community and you need to get involved! Interact with the blogs you follow - comment on other people's posts. Don't comment just for the sake of it. Bloggers will see right through that. Getting in the habit of interacting within the blogging community will get you a steady stream of followers who actually do want to read and interact with you! 

Get chatting!
(Image via: Andrea Brooks on Pinterest)

Give your audience an incentive
I recently did a giveaway on my blog which was a great way of getting new followers. Make sure the giveaway is representative of your blog - so that any new followers are likely to stick around rather than simply enter the competition and never bother visiting you again. Make sure to publicise your giveaway through social media, and give more incentive to win by encouraging your followers to share your giveaway. For example give your followers several chances to win each time they share your giveaway through a different means of social media. This will extend your reach and make you more visible to a wider audience. There are also loads of sites that will promote your giveaway, and these can be useful too. Again, make sure these sites are niche to your market. Otherwise you'll just get loads of entries from people simply out to get free stuff. 

Give your readers an incentive to follow your blog
(Image via: Ardith Ohka on Pinterest)

Guest blogging
Another great way to get new followers and to expand your reach is by guest blogging. I currently guest blog regularly for two craft sites: SW Craft Club and Craft Blog UK. Again, guest blogging shouldn't be done for the sake of it - do it because you like the site you are blogging for and have something to say! I got into guest blogging through twitter, as both sites were looking for people - so you can either offer your blogging skills or do a search to see if any relevant blogs/websites are looking. 

Write some guest posts for another blog!
(Image via: Evelyn Curtis on Pinterest)

Analyse what's happening on your blog
Does your blog have any stats on who is coming to your blog? Blogger has some good basic statistics - but I'd definitely recommend getting Google Analytics. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to use it, it's very easy and will give you a good idea of how much traffic you are getting, where it is coming from and whether people are coming back! This can help you identify which posts are popular, so you can write more of the same and what isn't quite working. 

Analyse the traffic on your blog
(Image via: Nina Palucci on Pinterest)

This is not a definitive list by any means - but it's a good basis for getting a steady stream of traffic to your blog. Other ideas would include link parties, submitting to social bookmarking sites, tagging your posts, understanding a bit about SEO, getting people to guest blog for you, writing about things that are hot topic, use attention grabbing headlines, give your readers lots of different ways to subscribe to your blog, article marketing, utilise social media across all platforms and above all else enjoy it! 


I hope this has been useful for people and I'd love to hear your thoughts on what's been useful for getting you more traffic!

This Christmas I'll be supporting handmade and independent sellers

This Christmas I’ve decided to embark on a mission. I’m going to only buy each person on my list one gift and I want to try and buy everything from independent shops or sellers.

(via: Jan on Pinterest)

I love Christmas. The sparkly lights, roasting chestnuts by the fire, drinking mulled wine; I think it’s fantastic. Yet the more commercialised it becomes, the bigger everyone’s expectations seem to get. I only buy for immediate friends and family, but even this can get costly. Yet this venture, isn’t actually about money – it’s about fighting back. I like giving gifts to my loved ones, but there is no need to buy them five presents each! 

“Oh well I’ll just get Mum one big present and four little ones.” 

Why? Why do I insist on doing this?

“Oh I can’t just get her that...it’s not enough”. 

I should say at this point, this is MY thinking, not my friends or family – and I’m certainly not accusing them of being greedy – it’s just this attitude I have seems to have become the general ethos of Christmas ‘MUST BUY LOTS OF PRESENTS’.

So this year, I’m going to buy everyone one gift (I should point out, I had to backspace this sentence as I actually wrote “This year I’m JUST going to buy everyone one gift!) because this is more than enough. It shows I’ve thought about them, and is an expression of my love and gratitude for having them in my life.

As well as this I want to try and buy everything from independent shops and sellers. Interestingly this is less to do with “OMG all massive corporations and companies are bad” but more to do with small independents are amazing, and I want to tap into that resource!

As regular readers will know, I’ve recently set up my own shop on Folksy. Selling handmade makes you realise how little return you get. You can spend hours and hours working on an intricately designed brooch, but realistically how much is it worth and how much will people pay? None of my makes are profitable – not for the time and energy I’ve put into making them, not to mention photographing the items and the time it takes uploading photos and describing them on Folksy (not to mention - I haven't actually sold anything yet!)

I’m always stumbling across amazing handmade items, and what better way to start giving something back to the handmade world than sourcing my Christmas shopping from them? I’m not just sticking to handmade however, independent shops or retailers have also got a look in and I’ve already bought some great presents from some small indie shops in Brighton.

The great thing about doing this is I feel like everyone is going to get some really great presents. Obviously I’ve started quite early which helps, but all of the gifts I buy are going to be really unique – not mass produced; I love this.

So far I will confess that I am finding the “only 1 gift” rule quite hard. I’ve often found myself going “Oh I can’t just get them that....” even if it’s something amazing and I know they’ll love. I really need to change my mentality, and realise it’s better to get someone something small that they’ll love rather than a load of old tat that looks substantial when wrapped up, but really they won’t be that fussed about.

You join me at the start of my mission; I’m optimistic and excited it’ll work out. After I’ve finished my Christmas shopping I’ll update you to let you know how it went, and will also provide a list of all of the independent shops/sellers/ebayers/online shops I’ve accessed. Maybe if it’s a success I can inspire others to do the same. I know it won't be easy, I've got a couple of real hurdles like my 11 year old brother, I've no idea how that one will work out! But I'm going to give it my best shot.

Inspirational Women: Chief Crafter and Creative Director of Shipshape Studios

Next in my Inspirational Women series is the brilliant Emily Burt. Crafty folk in the blog world/twitter may be more familiar knowing her as Handmade by Emily. I often wonder how I ended up following certain people on twitter, but I'm so very glad I stumbled across Emily when I started blogging as it's been so exciting watching her turn her dream into a reality. 

I caught up with Emily to find out all about her exciting new venture - Shipshape Studio. 

You are about to launch Shipshape Studio. Tell us a little bit about it. What is it? 

Shipshape Studio is an independent creative venue and boutique. It’s a friendly space full of vintage and homemade treats where you can come and learn to make all kinds of different things, meet like-minded folk and shop our range of vintage and handmade home, fashion and lifestyle products. We’ve created a space where people can feel comfortable, like a home from home, as we know that it can be a bit daunting coming to a new place on your own. We also want people to be inspired to create and design something for themselves so we’ve got lots of inspirational books and gorgeous fabric to kick-start the creative process. As well as creative and crafty workshops, we’ll also be hosting community events such as short film festivals, exhibitions and regular craft nights. We are launching our bricks-and-mortar venue and website with an opening party on Friday 18^th November and an open day on Saturday 19^th where you can try some free taster classes – I am so excited!

What inspired you to embark on this venture?

I don’t know if there’s just one answer to this question. I think the main thing is that I have a strong sense of the shortness of life. My father passed away when I was young and my mother has struggled with serious illness. About a year ago, my partner, Adam, fractured his skull about a year ago, just a week before we left our little cottage in Brighton and were set to move to London. It’s things like that which make you think. You never know what’s around the corner so I think it’s important to grab life by the horns and do what you really believe in. Life’s short and you’re the author of your own story. It took Adam a few months to recover properly and it gave us a lot of thinking time about what we really wanted to do, and it was this!

Adam and Emily are embarking on this venture together!

How did you go from getting the idea to open a creative space to making it a reality?

A heck of a lot of planning, late nights, and then planning again. And faith that I had the ability to make my dreams work. I think that that is a really important thing. If you don’t believe in yourself then it is difficult to see all your dreams come in to fruition. The support of family and friends has been invaluable too. When things seem insurmountable a hug and a pep talk can do wonders. 

Following your journey on twitter has shown you've had to work very long hours to get this project off the ground. Were there times when you questioned what you were doing?

My goodness, yes, there have been a lot of long hours! I suppose there have been times we’ve both thought ‘What are we doing?!’ but those emotions have actually been very useful. They make you sit down and really think about everything. When I face a problem or a bit of panic strikes I find it really useful to stop and think about things logically. Little in life is insurmountable so stopping to revaluate and problem solve is a very useful way to stop things from mounting up. I like to tackle each problem as I face it so then I can resolve things and move on.

A sneak peek of the studio

What can the general public expect from Shipshape Studio? What will be on offer?

Lots of creative things! We will have an online and instore shop selling craft kits and supplies so that you can get making at home. We will be selling felt and vintage fabrics in a whole rainbow of wonderful colours and patterns. Cute and quirky vintage haberdashery pieces such as unusual buttons and pieces of trim so that you can embellish your project or give new life to a piece you already have. We’re also going to be offering a carefully selected range of pieces from some of our favourite illustrators and designer-makers that we’re sure you’ll love as much as we do! Oh, and we will be carrying our range of design-led own-brand home and fashion accessories. I’ve been working on them for a few months and can’t wait to share them with you!  We’re hoping that our bricks and mortar venue will become a hub of creativity with a strong crafty community. We’re located in a little courtyard off High Street in Northwood, a leafy part of Greater London near Harrow, so are easily accessible from Central London and Middlesex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. 

I'm going to carry on writing my personal craft and lifestyle blog, Handmade by Emily, which I really enjoy, but we're also going to have a Shipshape Studio blog where we'll share news, behind the scenes info, crafty tips and lots more.

What advice can you offer others who want to set up their own business?
The first thing would be to plan, think and really test yourself. Think about what sort of personality you have. Different people are suited to different things, and there are so many ways to approach the same thing, so really think about where your strengths lie. Never lose sight of your dream but be prepared to make the right compromises and keep thinking. There are many different ways to realise a dream so keep trying until it becomes a reality.

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Shipshape Studio opens in Northwood, Greater London at the end of the month. Be sure to get down to the open day on the 19th November for a sneaky peek of what's going on!

You can find out more about Shipshape Studio:

On the website

On twitter

It's also definitely worth going over to Emily's wonderful blog and following her on twitter. 

What do you do if you don't feel creative enough to craft?

I cross stitch!

Sometimes, you don't feel all that creative but you really want to craft. If you don't have a project on the go this is especially difficult; even simple tasks like choosing fabric become a chore! It's at times like these when I can't be bothered to turn my brain on that I cross stitch.

Don't get me wrong, cross stitch is a fantastically creative craft in itself from a design point of view. But if you just want to get your head down, produce something but not have to think; for me cross stitch is the perfect medicine.

Since the beginning of the year I've had Emily Peacock's Hug design on the go. I'm honestly not THAT slow - it's just I have it as an ongoing project, which is great to fall back on when I don't have the time or energy to start a new project, or am not feeling particularly patient for anything fiddly.

Even after working on this project for 9 months I'm still not bored as I can see how it's slowly progressing.

I love Emily Peacock's designs, and of course the fact she's done a design with Rob Ryan means I love them even more!

Here are a few more of my favourite designs:

(All images via: emilypeacock.com)