Friday, September 17, 2021

Famous Author Reveals The Secret To Staying Motivated

A couple days ago, I was watching an interview with best-selling novelist Stephen King.

I hate anything horror.

So...

... as you can guess...

... I haven't read any of his books.

But, I'm always open to learning from the greatest artists of any field.

In the interview:

King talked about the importance of finding (and working with) ideas you enjoy.

He mentioned how a lot of people approach their craft with the intention of making stuff that OTHER people will like. Then, they try to finish that work as quickly as possible. So that they can breathe a sigh of relief once they're finally done.

But King doesn't approach his work that way.

He doesn't CARE about the end result... at all...

... or even what other people think of his work.

The finished book on a shelf is just a pile of dead skin to him. So it isn't about authoring yet another book.

All that matters to him is that he finds enjoyment in the process of creation.

And he always does.

In fact, he enjoys it so much that...

... by the time a book is finished...

... he has a hard time saying goodbye to the characters he created...

... and he wishes it wouldn't end.

Thinking back, there are times when I've fallen into this sort of trap. Where I forget to enjoy myself when creating art, and I just wanna get the job over with as soon as possible.

So I can move onto the next project.

And I focus too much on what other people will think of my work.

But now that I think of it, those are the times when the work I create isn't that great.

It's good.

But not great.

Why does this happen?

I believe the answer lies in a story I read sometime back from a well-known Olympic coach.

One training day:

One of his track athletes came up to him and said...

"Coach, I gotta win that race that's coming up."

Coach replied...

"Alright. We'll do some special training just for you today. For this first practice lap, I want you to put 100% of your effort in! Run as fast as you can! I wanna see you at your best!"

And so, the athlete got the message.

He went up on the field.

Got himself ready.

And RAN with all his might.

The result?

The time he recorded was... mediocre.

Pretty bad even.

Hearing the result, he walked back to his coach with his head down in shame, waiting for feedback.

After which, his coach told him:

"Alright, let's try this again. This time, I want you to go onto the field, and just forget about running your fastest. Just put in 50% of your effort this time. Alright?"

The athlete was puzzled.

But he went back up on the field. And did what his coach told him.

End result?

He ran SO fast, that...

... he unofficially broke a World Record!

The moral of the story:

When you focus too much on the end result, it really messes you up. You strain yourself so much, your performance goes bad.

You start to get nervous.

And impatient.

Your mind and muscles tense up.

Self-doubt starts to rear its head.

And everything just goes haywire.

So it goes for the creative professional...

... and for me as well...

As Stephen King says (and I paraphrase):

"I don't care about whether other people like what I create. All I care about is that I have fun and enjoy the process. And if people have fun reading what I write, then that's great."

Gotta remember that.

Relax.

Have fun.

And don't focus too much on the end result.

That's why these days, I'm spending more time on just playing around with my work. Not doing it just for the sake of reaching a specific goal.

And that's also why...

... these days you'll find a lot of fun new pieces in my store.

Will people like them?

I don't know. But I know one thing.

I had fun making them.

And to me, that's all that matters...

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Doing 50% Of My Best"

...

This letter "Famous Author Reveals The Secret To Staying Motivated" was first published on turnip.co

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Sending My Art Into Space

A couple years back:

I was sitting in a cafe. With my hubby. And my hubby's piano sensei.

My hubby was trained as a classical performance pianist in the past. And it had been quite some time since he'd last met his most favored piano teacher.

So we were in this cafe to meet and just catch up.

His teacher, I soon got to know, was quite an amazing pianist.

In more ways than one.

Other than the typical traits of a famous pianist, such as regularly doing sold-out concerts and having best-selling albums under your name, he also had some other qualities that distinguished him.

Such as his talent for using music to treat and cure various illnesses (especially mental) for which most doctors had given up hope on.

"Why are you moving back to America right now, master?" I heard my hubby ask.

"Well, my son doesn't want to be a pianist." the master replied.

"Huh? Really?" my hubby gasped.

"Yeah. I and don't really want him to be a pianist either."

"How come? What does he want to be then?"

"Well, his passion is in space exploration. So he's been planning to get into SpaceX. And I'd rather he follow his dreams. I'll be going there too to support him."

Awww...

Nowadays, everyone wants to go to space. Or at least work at a space company.

Well, I for one don't wanna go to space right now.

Not yet anyway.

But that hasn't kept me away from the allure of the cosmos.

In fact:

Recently, I've been searching for ways to get my art sent into space. So it can go there on my behalf.

And guess what?

From my research, it look like almost every year, there are contests from various companies that you can participate in. And if you get chosen, your art gets sent into space!

Sometimes it'll be painted on a satellite.

Sometimes it'll be put on a chip and taken there digitally.

Other times you might even get your art taken by an astronaut. I think.

Well, the sad news is...

... I missed out on the last contest for this year that I could find...

... but I'll be sure to try and get selected for next year's intake!

For now:

Unfortunately, I can't tell you that you're buying art from an artist who's work was once sent into space. :(

However, I can give you some candy while you're waiting. :)

And if you like that, feel to click here and get it now.

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Soon-To-Be Space Artist"

...

This letter "Sending My Art Into Space" was first published on turnip.co

Fake Coffee

I'm sitting in my studio right now.

And I don't feel like doing anything. At all.

It's been raining outside since yesterday. Non-stop. The weather's cold. The sky's grey. Could it be that Autumn is early this year?

Well, all I want to do right now is bundle myself up in a blanket and sip on some hot chocolate.

So I went to the kitchen to get the raw chocolate. And put a pot on the burner to boil.

But before I put the chocolate in, I thought to myself...

"Mmmm... This chocolate looks good. Would be a shame to melt it and drink it."

So I threw it in my mouth.

And enjoyed every bite.

So instead of making hot chocolate, I switched to making fake coffee instead.

What's fake coffee you ask?

It's one of my favorite drinks. And tastes exactly like coffee (to me at least). But without any drawbacks of real coffee.

No caffeine.

No acidity.

No additives.

No bitterness.

And it's nutritious in a lot of ways because of the herbs used to make it.

(You can do a quick Google Search on each of the herbs if you wanna know how they benefit you.)

But in case you were wondering...

... no!

It's not hard to make.

In fact, it's so easy, I thought I'd share it with you today in case you'd like to give it a try.

I know a lot of people these days are trying to wean themselves off caffeine. And coffee.

But don't know what to substitute it with.

If that's you, then you'll wanna give this a try.

(According to what I've read, people who tried switching over have no withdrawal symptoms.)

And even if that's not you, you might wanna give this a try. Especially if you need something to keep you warm while you're crafting or making your art. Even more so if it's cold outside.

---

FAKE COFFEE RECIPE:

- 1 teaspoon of Dandelion Root blend (I use this)
* you can add more if you want stronger flavor
- 1 teaspoon of Raw Almond butter (I love this!)
* if you want it even milkier, add more!
- 1 teaspoon of Honey
- 1 cup of hot water

DIRECTIONS:

- Put the raw almond butter in a small container with some water and shake until it all dissolves.
- Add the hot water to the Dandelion Root blend and mix with honey.
- Combine everything together and enjoy.

---

Oh. And if you're totally vegan, feel free to substitute the Honey with something else.

I don't mind cheating with a little honey, because I enjoy it. :)

Well:

It's back to sipping on my fake coffee and lazing around for now.

See ya.

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Sleepy Sloth-Bunny"

...

This letter "Fake Coffee" was first published on turnip.co

Monday, September 13, 2021

Inside The World's Worst Hotel Room

Several years back:

I read about this hotel. It touted itself as the world's worst place to stay at. And it had abysmal reviews on all the popular travel sites.

But, guess what?

The hotel was ALWAYS fully booked!

In fact, sometimes you even had to book in advance to stay there.

The secret of their success?

They marketed themselves for what they were best at.

Namely:

They were the best at...

... being the worst hotel in the world.

They started running advertising on how their rooms were scientifically tested for (and proven to have) dozens of different types of mold, and... if you'd never seen giant cockroaches the size of your fist before... this hotel was the best zoo you'd ever go to, and... how their rooms included free toilet flushing (no extra charge), and even boasted themselves on how terrible their customer service was (if you miss the feeling of being verbally abused as a child, this place will bring back memories).

People flocked to the hotel like kids to a Disneyland.

They were drawn to the sheer novelty of it.

And everyone wanted to stay there just to see how bad it was.

But whether they stayed the whole night, or ran screaming back to their homes before their stay ended, that I have no clue.

The moral of the story though?

People LOVE extremes.

And they couldn't care less about the averages.

No one cares if you're the 3rd best hotel in the country, or maybe the 7th worst place to stay in the world. Do you ever hear people arguing about who's the 5th best quarterback of all time?

Didn't think so.

That's why...

... no matter what sort of creative profession you're in...

... or even if you're working a business or a day job...

... find something you can be the best in the world at...

... or even the worst.

Preferably, you'll want a narrow niche that plays to your strengths. And talents. Don't try to be all things to all people.

Extremes get you attention.

And attention gets you...

... well, a lot of stuff.

Customers for example.

For me?

I'm the best in the world at illustrating beautiful, black and white, botanical borders.

But you probably already knew that. :)

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"I'm The Best At Something!"

P.S. A couple days ago, we were watching an amazing video that was trending on YouTube.

It was about being:

"Inside Japan's WORST Hotel Room"

Granted that Japan is known for it's relentless pursuit of perfection, it makes sense that this video caught eyeballs and went viral.

People never change. :)

Be the best or the worst at something. It really helps.

...

This letter "Inside The World's Worst Hotel Room" was first published on turnip.co

Sunday, September 12, 2021

"I no watch footballz..."

"Aurelia, you don't watch football?!?"

This question is typically followed by looks and gasps of astonishment when asked by American friends.

And it reminds me of a similar question asked by Canadian friends:

"Aurelia, you don't watch hockey?!?"

And yet another similar question asked by South East Asian friends:

"Aurelia, you don't watch Sepak Takraw?!?"

Sepak Takraw, by the way, in case you don't know...

... is a type of volleyball that's played with the feet instead of the hands... which means that you have to do tons of somersaults and backflips in the air in order to spike the ball with your feet... which also means that it's more like a combination of acrobatics + volleyball + soccer.

I don't really watch it.

But my hubby thinks those Sepak Takraw players are pretty cool.

I agree.

The only sport I like to watch?

Synchronized Swimming!

Because those swimmers are all so artistic!

Well, with the artistry in my blood, it's natural that I'm drawn to more artistic forms of sport.

Other things I enjoy watching, but aren't really sports, include stuff like:

- Ice Sculpting
- Sand Castle Sculpting
- and even... Snowman Building!

Which brings me to today's creation...

I've been drawing a lot of wreaths recently.

Especially Christmas wreaths.

But then, I thought I'd try something different and do some story-telling in my designs... combined with the subtle art of... Snowman Building!

If you're a fan of my frames, and...

... you also like illustrated stories, and...

... you like building snowmen too, and...

... you're getting ready to fill your store with Christmas art, just like most of my fans are right now, then...

... this new illustrated window frame might be something you'd like.

Check it out here, and let me know what you think of this new experiment!

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Synchronized Storyteller"

...

This letter "I no watch footballz..." was first published on turnip.co

Saturday, September 11, 2021

My Fans Show Me How It's Done

I've been having a lot of fun.

On Instagram.

In a previous letter, I mentioned how I was starting a new project. And featuring our fans' amazing masterpieces using our illustrations.

I then mentioned how you could (potentially, if you're lucky) get your artwork featured too, if you used the #turnipco tag, or even just tagged me on Instagram. But I wasn't expecting to be so blown away by all the beautiful artwork I've been seeing!

Fans have been sharing the most incredible ways of using my illustrations...

... from pyrography (wood burning art)...

... to embroidery...

... to wood scrollsawing...

... to even making key chains!

Well, this project is just starting off.

More lovely stuff is on the way. :)

And I'm SO looking forward to seeing more.

You know:

Some time back, I received some messages from fans letting me know that Etsy's review feature was broken.

Normally...

... Etsy allows you to upload a photo of your artwork that you create with our designs when you post your review.

But for a lot of fans, they told me that the feature was broken.

And that they couldn't upload their photos.

Which bothered me a lot.

Because I knew I was missing out on seeing a lot of lovely art. And fans were missing out on sharing their lovely artwork too.

Well, problem solved! :)

I hope this continues working great.

If you haven't checked out all the lovelies from our fans so far yet, just gently massage your eyeballs and bring them over to this direction here.

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Curator Of Fine Art"

P.S. Instagram isn't the only thing I've been having fun with.

More fun just released over yonder here...

...

This letter "My Fans Show Me How It's Done" was first published on turnip.co

Why People Curse When I Gift Them Presents

Growing up, I did have some perverse tendencies.

For one:

Whenever I gifted someone a present...

... whether it be for their birthday...

... or Christmas...

... or some other events...

... I liked to see them working for it. :)

After buying my gift, putting it in a nice little present box, and wrapping it up finely... I would often take the packaged gift, and then... put it in another bigger box, and... wrap that up too!

And then I would find another even bigger box.

And put the packaged gift into that even bigger box.

And continue wrapping it up again.

You get the picture.

I like to make my gifts as hard to open as possible. Because it's fun to imagine the look on people's faces when they try to open my gifts. It gives me inspiration for creating my art. He he.

Around 5 to 10 layers of boxes and packaging is normally my ideal range.

Boxes within boxes within boxes.

So...

Why am I telling you this?

Well, I just recently created a new packaged present box. Just for you.

But unlike the ones I normally gift my family and friends, this one isn't going to be gifted to you, so you don't have to worry about me pranking you and imagining as you pull your hair out while opening it.

I will have a little less enjoyment, no doubt.

But, no.

No prank here.

This is something a lot easier for you to open and use, and you'll enjoy using it too.

If this sounds like fun, and you can't wait to get your hands on it, just clicky here to feast your eyes on my new creation...

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Santa's Most Blacklisted Bunny"

...

This letter "Why People Curse When I Gift Them Presents" was first published on turnip.co

Thursday, September 9, 2021

50 Shades Of Grey Sky

I'm looking outside my window right now.

Sitting in my home studio at Noble Bunny Manor. With the window open. I see the stretches of forest before me. I hear the birds singing. And see the squirrels climbing.

But I also see that it's about to rain soon.

And that means I can't hang my clothes outside to dry today.

Oh, bother...

While a lot of the world is doing their laundry using washing machines and tumble dryers, I'm still sticking to the old time ways of washing my clothes by hand right after I shower.

And hanging out the clothes to dry too.

A little physical labor is good for the body and mind.

One of my mentors, who is a farmer, once said:

"In the modern world, people keep looking for ways to get rid of their work. They make machines to do everything for them. But the end result is that they have nothing left to do. And they sit around bored all day. You don't want to be too bored. Because then, you start doing dumb stuff."

And I believe in many ways, that's true.

Now that I think of it, it's hard for me to find time to even BE bored. Which I'm grateful for.

Practicing and creating art takes up huge chunks of my day.

Doing the housework takes up another chunk.

And reading takes up yet another chunk.

I enjoy what I do everyday, and every moment of my day. But sometimes I wish I had more hours in the day so I could enjoy even more stuff. Because there's still a lot of hobbies that I don't have enough time to do regularly.

What hobbies, you ask?

Well, for one, sewing.

Hand sewing. Which I love. And find relaxing.

But haven't really had a lot of time to do recently.

In fact, sitting on my ironing board right now is a dress that I hand-stitched all by myself, one stitch at a time. With my bare paws and string and needle. Without any sewing machines or any robotics whatsoever.

It isn't easy.

But it is meditative. And relaxing. :)

And I know a lot of my fans who enjoy a little stitch-work too.

So I've just put out a lovely little design you can use for your Sewing Room. You can even use it to make a sewing uniform for yourself to wear everytime you start stitching. ;)

Don't really do sewing?

No worries.

It can be used to make a great gift for those who do.

If the thought of any of that excites you, then all you gotta do is click here to check it out now...

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"I Wish I Had 8 Hands"

...

This letter "50 Shades Of Grey Sky" was first published on turnip.co

How I'm Preparing For An Etsy Mass Store Shutdown

I've been spending the last few nights watching...

... survival videos on YouTube!

In preparation for the worst-case scenario where Etsy doesn't like me anymore and shuts my Art Store down (maybe because of something I said that used to be normal but turned offensive overnight after a new movie came out), and my career as an artist suddenly takes a turn for the worse, and I get tossed out onto the streets, having to draw and beg for pennies and scraps.

Hey, you never know...

Artists always seem to have a tendency to go starving for some reason or other.

For example:

Sometime back I read Vincent Van Gogh's biography.

He spent most of his career starving. And by starving, I literally mean that he had no food to eat. What little money he did have (which his brother kindly sent him), he used to buy art supplies rather than food. And he numbed his hunger pangs by painting.

Eventually, he starved so badly... was so malnourished... and on top of that also struck bad by heat stroke... that...

... he did some terrible things to himself.

Things that I won't mention here.

Because all my letters are rated PG.

But:

What would I do if I were in a situation like Van Gogh and only had $1 a day to survive on?

Some stuff I learned from watching YouTube videos:

- You need to be good at foraging for wild fruits and vegetables.

Unfortunately, I'm ashamed to say that... even though I'm a herbalist, foraging is not one of my strong points. I'll have to work on that...

- If you live next to the beach, you can go hunting for live oysters.

Unfortunately, I'm mostly vegan. As most bunnies are. But I guess you can't be picky if you're starving.

- If you hang around fast food places, or even food courts, you'll always find extra condiment packages on the table that people didn't use.

Good for using with whatever you're cooking. Extra flavor.

- You can get reduced price, stale bread for pennies at a local supermarket.

You can also can get tiny portions of vegetables (like a single tiny mushroom!) for pennies. Get lots of those different tiny produce items, and you can make coleslaw. Or soup.

- Some coffee cups people litter on the ground have stickers.

And if you collect 6 stickers you can get free coffee at McDonalds. And if you give the lady at the counter a sweet enough smile, she might even give you some free butter.

I think I'm prepared enough now for any worst-case "starving artist" scenarios in case they ever pop-up.

Hmm...

But now that I think of it...

I don't really need to do all this stuff. Do I?

Even if I lose my store. And my business. And everything else...

... I still have...

... my greatest asset...

... which is my existing stock of artwork.

And unlike the typical artwork that can only be hung on a wall, with my digitalized art, I can always take them and:

- Put it on T-shirts and Mugs and sell them for a profit. Nowadays, you can even use Print on Demand sites that do it for you, so you don't have to keep any inventory or do any manual labor.

- Learn to scroll saw. Or carve wood. So I can carve my designs on wooden blocks and turn them into signs. And offer that as a service to make money.

- I could always use my art as a template for an embroidery piece. And sell that too.

- I could probably even print my art on greeting cards and sell those for a profit.

Hmm... the possibilities are endless.

Well...

It's good to know that I have some assets that I can fall back on in an emergency.

And you know what?

As long as you have my art, you have an asset that you can use to do all that too.

So you don't have to starve on the streets when disaster hits.

Or have to learn how to forage or fish for food.

Life's good!

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Artist Turned Survivalist"

...

This letter "How I'm Preparing For An Etsy Mass Store Shutdown" was first published on turnip.co

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Why I Continue To Embarrass Myself In Public For Your Future Benefit

I've been doing some weird stuff recently.

For example:

On Instagram, you may or may not have noticed that sometimes I just spontaneously burst out into poetry on the fly. And so, you may be scrolling through your Instagram feed, and all of a sudden, you see some rhymin' from Aurelia, and you start to think...

"Uhh... Say what?"

Yeah.

I know I'm weird. But I'm supposed to be weird.

I'm an artist.

But bear with me. There is method to my madness.

Some time back:

I was watching a recording of a retirement seminar given by one of the world's top writers.

In the seminar, he decided to share all his top secrets for becoming one of the greatest of writers.

One of the biggest secrets I learned?

Be an artist. Not an athlete.

While the athlete peaks at a certain age because of the physicality of his profession (and so the never-ending mad scramble to achieve as much as possible before they hit their prime), the artist doesn't have this problem.

As artists, we are athletes of the mind.

We don't have to care about the prime of our physical bodies passing us by.

So all we really have to do is to keep sharpening our minds while not putting too much stress on our bodies. Theoretically speaking, the mind doesn't really have a peak. Which is probably why the saying goes... with age comes wisdom.

This also means that...

... as long as we keep honing our minds daily...

... and take proper care in maintaining our bodies...

... the older we get...

... the more mentally amazing we become...

... and the more incredible our art becomes!

In other words:

If you're in any creative profession, don't try to rush things. You don't need to. Take your time. Relax more. Rest more. Spend more time daily working out. Mentally and physically. And just have more fun.

We don't need to burn ourselves out at both ends.

Because we don't peak at a young age like athletes.

As long as we keep improving, the older we get, the more powerful our minds get, and so does our art.

One of the things I do to improve my mind daily?

Spontaneously bursting out into poem.

Sometimes even song.

Other weird things I do in an effort to improve my mind:

- I always eat and brush my teeth with my non-dominant hand (left hand, since I'm a rightie).
- I spend time practicing and writing out positive affirmations in cursive everyday (helps direct my focus while building my brain, aka homunculus theory).
- I like to fall asleep to the sound of Christmas music (hey, it helps me relax and I just love Christmas).

I guess I'll stop here.

If I share anymore, I'll REALLY start to get embarrassed...

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Weird But Wonderful"

P.S. A little random poem from me today:

"A fishin' I will go.
Because of how it relaxes me so.
But skies are gray.
And the storm doth stay.
So inside I play.
Drawing about fishing today.
To the store I now add this.
For those who would reminisce.
About a fishin' day gone by.
Missed out because of dark skies..."

...

This letter "Why I Continue To Embarrass Myself In Public For Your Future Benefit" was first published on turnip.co

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

The Easiest Way To Scare Kids And Customers Away

Making money is Art. Working is Art. And good business is the best Art."
- Andy Warhol

When I was a kid, one of my relatives was an amazing baker.

She'd often bake all sorts of cakes, cookies, and tons of other pastries for us and the rest of the family. And her baked goods were uber delicious!

One day:

She decided to start her own business. Making cakes for birthdays and other events.

I still remember her first order.

It was from one of her friends.

This friend had a kid whose birthday was coming up soon.

And so...

She ordered a delicious chocolate birthday cake. Just for the event.

My relative was delighted!

And she got down to working. Preparing to make a delicious cake, like all the others she was known for. And soon, as the day approached, the cake was done.

But it wasn't over yet.

There was one more thing to do.

Before she delivered the cake, she still had to...

... decorate it.

I still remember I was in her kitchen at that time. All of us there suddenly had blank looks on our faces as we stared at the almost-finished cake on the counter.

Uhh...

How do you decorate a cake?

Turns out that my relative had always been making delicious-to-eat cakes. But she'd never actually had to decorate them before. Now that this was the first time, she'd never thought about what she'd do.

It's just decorating a cake?

Couldn't be that hard, right?

A short while later, out came the whipping cream.

And:

With an unsteady and untrained hand, she made a really unsightly-looking "Happy Birthday" squiggle across the top of the cake that was hardly legible, along with a couple of hearts.

To be honest...

... it was hard to look at.

But the cake was delicious. And that's more important right?

Well, shortly after... the cake was delivered to the client. We left right after dropping it off. My relative had a smile on her face. She didn't think that the design really mattered. But in the car, I couldn't stop imagining the look on the kid's face once she'd open the box and saw what her Birthday Cake actually looked like.

Yeah, it was a delicious cake. For sure.

But:

That's not really what most children look for in a cake, is it?

They want it to look fancy. Cute at least. And maybe even get a gasp or two from their friends at the party.

Needless to say:

My relative's friend never ordered another birthday cake again.

And the cake business...

... rather quickly came to a halt.

So it is for most businesses out there.

There are so many well-meaning business-owners with a great product or even a great service. But then, they underestimate the importance of having great design and packaging to top it all off. And they try their luck at doing it themselves with their unsteady hands.

The end result?

Their customers come once for a taste...

... and...

... they never come back again.

(Some kids even end up getting scarred for life in the process too.)

And while there are businesses out there where looks don't matter at all, and no matter how ugly your goods are customers couldn't care less about how it's packaged and only care about the end result...

... those businesses are a rather... tiny... minority.

But if you're not in that minority?

And you don't wanna risk scaring all the kids away with an unsteady hand and watch as your customers never come back?

No worries.

As always, I've got your back.

All you gotta do is drop by anytime... ;)

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"The Steady-Pawed Princess"

...

This letter "The Easiest Way To Scare Kids And Customers Away" was first published on turnip.co

Sunday, September 5, 2021

Why I'm Boycotting Labor Day Today

Today, I received an email from an old friend:

"How are you doing, Aurelia? Why didn't you reply to my message on Whatsapp?" the message went.

"I'm doing fine, thanks. Long time no see! How's it with you? Uhh... I don't have... Whatsapp?" I replied.

Truth is, I don't even use social media.

Except for my business.

Yeah, I know...

You must think I'm weird.

That's ok. I'm an artist. I'm supposed to be weird. :)

But then the conversation continued:

"It's tough. I'm working my fluffy butt off everyday. Struggling to survive. I envy you. Dumping your job all those years ago to pursue doing stuff you love," she said.

After a few back and forth emails...

... it was clear that...

... unlike what they would have you believe on Labor Day...

... according to my friend...

... labor really isn't something worth celebrating about.

On the contrary. It's downright rough, tough, filthy, uber hard work.

I would much rather celebrate finding something you love doing everyday, so much so that it no longer feels like labor, and so (in the words of Mark Twain) you never have to labor a day in your life.

And so, in spite of all the celebrating about Labor today...

... I'll gladly decline.

And throw it all in the trash!

Because I don't want to be doing labor. And celebrating labor. And taking a day off from the harshness of labor just to celebrate about doing labor for the other 364 days of the year.

I just wanna have fun.

Doing stuff I love and enjoy.

And not having to take a day off from it all.

Because I love and enjoy doing it. Just as much as I love having my enjoyment seep into my masterpieces, and spreading cheer and joy throughout the whole world.

When you love what you do, it shows.

And people can tell when you put out stuff that's made with love and enjoyment...

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Labor-Hating Bunny-Sloth"

P.S. Speaking of having fun, I had a lot of fun today making this new wreath. Ha ha.

It's so different from what I normally create...

But I had a blast making it! LOL.

...

This letter "Why I'm Boycotting Labor Day Today" was first published on turnip.co

Artist vs Art Robot - Who's The Better Maker?

On the evening of our wedding anniversary:

Me and hubby were watching an interesting documentary at home.

It was about an artist competing against a computer to see whether computers had reached the point where they could beat humans at art.

It wasn't your average traditional art.

No drawing.

No painting.

No wood carving or scrolling.

But:

It was the art of...

... chess!

Well, a variation of chess anyway... called GO. Basically it's a strategy game where the only pieces are black and white stones. With the objective being to capture more territory than your opponent.

It's infinitely more complex (and creative) than chess.

And for the longest time, no one could develop a computer program that could beat a top level pro at the game.

Until 2016, when Google developed the AlphaGo program that beat the world's greatest Go genius, Lee Sedol.

Honestly:

I knew that the documentary had won a lot of awards. But a game of Go? I thought it was gonna be boring.

How wrong I was.

And it gave me a lot of insights into a different kind of art. And how machines are slowly eclipsing people even in the most creative pursuits.

But what amazed me the most:

It wasn't the fact that the machine beat the man.

While everyone else in the film was focusing on an epic battle of man versus machine (the heartbreak was apparent when man lost, the joy of victory was clear when man won), my focus flew away to somewhere very different.

What I saw was not a machine.

But rather, a product that was created by the intelligent minds of hundreds of people... pouring out their knowledge and skills into a single pursuit.

That's what defeated the man.

Not the machine itself, but the unity of a hundred men.

It got me thinking:

Instead of pouring all that intellectual effort into making a machine that could defeat a person at the most creative of pursuits, what if...

... we took those hundreds of men and...

... used their skills and intellect...

... and poured it all into the development of...

... a single person!

Would we get the next Captain America?

Or maybe even another Leonardo da Vinci?

Well, only time will tell.

I don't know of any computers intelligent enough yet to create the beautiful wreath borders I illustrate though (fortunately). A lot of people probably wish we could have one in every home. My hubby would probably love creating one. But we aren't there... yet!

(* wipes sweat away)

So for now:

You're stuck with me.

And my store.

And the lovely stuff in my store. :)

Which you may or may not be happy about.

But I'm definitely glad that I haven't gotten replaced yet.

Phew...

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Still Irreplaceable"

...

This letter "Artist vs Art Robot - Who's The Better Maker?" was first published on turnip.co

Saturday, September 4, 2021

How I Lost 8 Pounds In 7 Days

A couple years ago:

I was in my home office. And wondering whether I'd gained any weight.

After all, I'd been sitting at my desk a lot recently... drawing, painting, molding, sculpting, crafting, and what have you... resulting in a not-so-in-shape type of lifestyle that included the sin of not getting enough exercise either.

I pulled out the scale from under my desk.

Stepped on it.

And was shocked.

You know, I'd never actually been overweight before.

But this time, I was dangerously close to crossing the line. And I mean dangerously. If I didn't do anything about it, it would be a nightmare. So it was time to take emergency corrective action.

I started eating less.

I started exercising more. A lot more.

And most importantly...

... I started keeping track of my weight throughout my waking hours, just like your kid at the back of the car checks on you during a long drive (are we there yet?) to the point of you almost having a mental breakdown.

But:

Check as I would...

Days passed. Weeks passed. Months passed.

Still no weight lost.

I mean seriously. This was in spite of less eating, more exercising, and a hundred other things I tried. Well, maybe I did lose weight. Maybe I did lose 100 grams, or some other number too tiny to register on a non-digital scale.

But I was getting frustrated.

Seeing this, my hubby looked at me and said:

"You wanna lose weight?"

I turned to him sheepishly and said:

"Yeah..."

"You sure?" he questioned.

"Uhh... yeah...?" I looked at him blankly in response.

"Alright, here's what you gotta do. Just stop doing everything you're doing. And do this one thing... Turn off your alarm in the morning, and sleep as much as you want," he said.

Uhh???

Ok???

Well, what did I have to lose?

I gave it a shot. I stopped all the less-eating, the more-exercising, and just went back to my normal daily routine.

Except that:

I turned off my alarm in the morning. And started to sleep as much as I wanted to. Or as much as my body needed to anyway. One of the perks of being a work-at-home artist, fortunately. I'm allowed to do stuff like this.

One week later...

... to my shock and surprise...

... I actually lost 8 pounds! :O

Oh. My. Gosh.

I never realized then that... sometimes... the most basic things in life are still the most powerful (and the most important).

Stuff like air... water... sunlight...

And yes...

Sleep.

Just another one of those necessities. But if you think it's just a basic necessity, you would be wrong. Because since then, I've learned that it's so much more...

Everything, from better weight management, to better social relationships, to better art creation, to better finances, to better looks...

It's all affected by how much you sleep.

Some time after my weight loss mis-adventure, my hubby recommended me the book "Why We Sleep" by sleep scientist, Matthew Walker.

In the book, Walker talks about how...

... one day, after one of his lectures on sleep, a performance pianist came up to him.

This pianist happened to attend one of his earlier lectures on the importance of getting more sleep.

For years, the pianist had been having problems with certain songs he had to perform. No matter how much he practiced. No matter how long he practiced. No matter how he practiced. He just couldn't play certain passages right.

And he just couldn't figure out how to fix it.

After listening to Walker's lecture, he decided to just give it a shot. He went home, and got himself more sleep. Several hours more.

The next day:

Lo and behold, he started excelling in all those problem pieces without any extra effort or practice.

Sleeping more makes you better at almost everything.

With way less effort.

It's also the reason why...

... in case you were wondering...

... it's one of the things that makes my art pieces different from everyone else's out there...

... namely that...

... these days, I always make sure to get more than enough sleep before I start creating my artwork (at least 8 to 10 hours a day). If I don't sleep enough, I don't create art. That's just a simple rule I try not to break.

So:

It's the Labor Day weekend!

Even if you have better stuff to do, why not try catching up on some sleep?

These days, almost everyone's sleep deprived. Almost everyone needs more. And almost everyone will benefit from more. Your body and mind will thank you for it later.

With better looks, better health, better income, and better skills too...

Sleep tight!

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"The Bunny-Sloth Hybrid"

...

This letter "How I Lost 8 Pounds In 7 Days" was first published on turnip.co

Aurelia-chi And The Legend Of The 9 LaboRings

It's our wedding anniversary today! :)

Yay!

Yes, we did in fact get married on a Labor Day.

But, my how time flies...

9 years comes and goes in a blink. I really need to be careful. Because if I'm not, life will pass by in a flash, and suddenly I'll be old and realize that I haven't done anything meaningful at all! :(

Today:

We decided to do something meaningful for our anniversary.

We decided to stay at home. And whip up something super special together in the kitchen. Instead of going out. Or ordering a lavish meal delivered to our doorstep via limousine.

We thought it'd be fun. :)

And we had something really delicious on our mind. Something we saw on YouTube.

It looked fantastic.

Delicious too.

But most importantly:

Extremely nutritious!

I'm talking about cauliflower pizza! Made without any flour, gluten or processed ingredients. Totally comprised of fresh vegetables, nuts, herbs and spices. And yes, we were trying to make it as vegan as possible.

Thus the adventure began...

But unfortunately...

The adventure ended as fast as it started... because... after a long time of blending up stuff, and getting the pizza sauce and toppings ready, we realized that the cauliflower dough blend we made for the crust just wasn't forming.

It was on the stove.

Flat as a pizza dough.

But it just wasn't coming together. No matter how long we cooked it, it was still mushy.

Darn.

I knew we substituted too many ingredients from the original recipe while trying to make it even more nutritious! :(

And to make matters worse...

... we were starving.

And the pizza wasn't ready... yet.

I don't think it was ever gonna be ready.

Were we really gonna have to order a lavish meal delivered via limousine right to our doorstep?

Fortunately, not.

In a sudden stroke of creative inspiration, my hubby took the cauliflower dough, and made some additions to it... turning it into an amazingly tasty filling.

Next, he then used the filling, and alternated it with the pizza sauce (and some homemade vege crackers we had) and...

... created a uniquely vegan wholefood lasagne! :O

And it was the most incredible lasagne I've had in the longest time, vegan or no vegan! :O

I kid you not.

We ate and ate and ate and ate until we were stuffed. Along with all the other goodies we had. It was heavenly.

But looking back at this, I still have to give a little sigh.

*sigh*

Because:

It reminded me how...

... sometimes I focus too much on achieving a specific goal...

... like making cauliflower pizza...

... so much so that I lose sight of the big picture...

... like making an amazing meal.

And this means I'm less flexible. And less creative. And miss out on a lot of opportunities to take what I have and turn it into something even better than what I originally wanted.

I think the saying was:

"When life gives you lemon, turn it into lemonade"?

That's what I'm talking about...

"When life gives you a useless cauliflower pizza dough that refuses to become a crust, make cauliflower lasagne."

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"I Don't Have 10 Rings"

P.S. I didn't create any art today. It's a holiday for me. *Sigh*. :(

But I did fatten up my store by adding this wreath yesterday. :)

I hope you like it.

...

This letter "Aurelia-chi And The Legend Of The 9 LaboRings" was first published on turnip.co

Thursday, September 2, 2021

What An Art Spammer Taught Me About Creating Great Art

A couple days ago:

My hubby came over to my desk and asked me an interesting question.

"You wanna see something cool?" he said while beaming.

"Sure!" I replied in astonishment.

We then sat down and started watching a documentary. About creating art. Featuring someone the media calls "an art spammer". And when the media says that, it doesn't necessarily mean you are one. It just means that the media is looking for someone to paint as a villain so their story gets more views.

Anyway:

The documentary started off with this guy, Anthony, from Adelaide, Australia.

He was a failed musician.

He started a band with his friends. But they failed to make enough money to support themselves.

So they dis-banded.

(pardon the pun)

And he ended up in desperate straits. Because he wanted to create art for a living. But he couldn't make enough of a living doing it.

So one day...

... he ended up searching the internet for clues on how to make a good living doing the art he loved - making music...

... and his search led him to...

... Matt Farley...

... who is one of the most prolific songwriters of all time. Writing over 22,000 songs to date. And making a decent $65,000 a year just from streaming and downloads of his songs from what I've read.

This figure doesn't include what he earns from television and movie films using his music. And it also doesn't include the income he gets from sponsorships by companies who want him to make music for them.

Anyway:

Anthony decides to contact Matt.

Matt agrees to mentor Anthony in the ways of the middle-class artist.

And the series begins with Anthony flying off to the United States to learn Matt's prolific ways.

An incredibly interesting documentary series. Really.

I seriously learned a lot.

Some of the things I learned?

Well...

1. Quantity leads to Quality.

As creative professionals, we often censor our own ideas. Because we worry that they aren't good enough.

We want to create masterpieces.

Amazing hits that everyone will love. And no one will criticize.

But in doing so, we end up limiting ourselves. And our work. With fear. And we end up creating much less than we could.

The result?

We end up not making a lot of stuff that would have been terrible. BUT... we also end up NOT making a lot of stuff that would have been EPIC.

Quantity doesn't equal quality.

But it often leads to it in the end. If you create 20,000 pieces of art, chances are high that 1% or even 0.5% of that is gonna be a world-changing best-seller.

2. Don't censor yourself.

The thing I like about Matt's approach to art is that...

... he doesn't censor himself.

He doesn't just put out the art he thinks is great.

He puts out EVERYTHING.

The good. The bad. The ugly.

And this creates a very forgiving environment where... he doesn't criticize himself... or care about the criticism of others... and allows his creativity to steer the way.

3. All you need is one hit.

Watching the documentary, I kept being reminded of something a famous artist once said:

All you need is one world-changing, chart-topping mega hit...

And voila:

All the lousy work you created in the past becomes Collector's Items that people everywhere will fight over and auction for millions and millions of dollars.

Were Van Gogh's first paintings (when he just got started learning) awesome?

Heavens NO!

Just like any beginner paintings, they were trash.

But are they worth millions of dollars today?

You know the answer...

So why would you censor yourself and discard the work you think isn't good enough?

4. It helps a lot if you niche down.

While Matt did all sorts of songs... ranging from novelty songs where he just sang one person's name over and over again... to more celebratory songs like those singing about someone's graduation...

... he didn't put all those songs together.

He put each category of song under separate Artist Names.

Like:

- The Artist Who Sings People's Names Over And Over Again
- The Artist Who Sings About Country Names
- The Toilet Cleaners (an artist persona he created to sing about poop)

Why not be all things to all people you ask?

Because... psychologically... people automatically look at someone with a narrow range of expertise and have a better impression of them, treating them like experts.

Think about how much a Brain Surgeon makes compared to your General Practitioner doctor.

So if you have multiple interests?

You might want to put them in a separate business.

5. Double down on what's working

You know what really got Matt started churning out songs like there's no tomorrow?

At first:

He just created some songs for fun on Spotify and iTunes.

He checked sometime later and realized he made a whopping whole $2.

But then it hit him...

"Wait. If I can make $2 a year uploading a song or two. What if I created 10,000 songs and uploaded them? Wouldn't that be $20,000 a year? And what about 20,000 songs?"

Turns out he ended up making way more than that.

Because when you have THAT many songs in your portfolio, some of them are uncontrollably going to end up becoming smash hit singles. Whether by luck or by skill.

But here's the thing:

Most people do something. And they make a little money doing it. And then they stop.

Not realizing that...

... if they just doubled-down on what was working...

... no matter how small the success was...

... and did it over and over again...

... the money they made would exponentially multiply.

As the late, great John Wooden (who was once named the winningest coach in history) once said:

"Success = Simplicity + Repetition"

I agree.

So:

If you've been using my artwork to make your own creative masterpieces, and you've been making sales with them, and even hitting bestseller status left and right with all your new products like some of our fans are... why stop there?

Why not get even more of my art and create even more masterpieces and get even more sales?

I know it sounds simple. Too simple to accept.

But hey...

... why knock what's working?

He he. :)

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Art Spammer In Training"

P.S. One last thing I learned from Matt:

Were all his songs life-changing, world-shattering hits?

Heavens no.

And he got criticized by a lot of people for that.

But did his songs make people laugh?

Heavens yeah they did.

(Especially his poop songs which became some of his top pieces.)

And what type of person would begrudge another person for making others laugh and have some cheer in their day?

No matter what you're doing, make sure you have fun.

100 years from now, we'll all be 6 feet underground anyway.

So don't take things too seriously. :)

Cheers.

And happy designing.

(Inspired by Matt, I did create a fun new piece too recently, so do feel free to check it out in my store when you have time...)

...

This letter "What An Art Spammer Taught Me About Creating Great Art" was first published on turnip.co

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

How To Know Whether Your Work's Gonna Be A Bestseller Or A Bomb

Turnip-lover, Sara B., sends me some heart-filled praise:

"Hello!! I stumbled across your shop while looking for SVG files for possible future signs I could make for my shop. I just HAD To tell you that I fell in LOVE with your shop. I want to buy everything!! I will defiantly be buying in the near future! I’ve never done this before, I just really felt the need to tell you! Haha"

And while this is Sara's first time sending out a message like this, it's definitely not my first time receiving one. :)

(I never get tired of them though. So thank you so much for taking the time! It really means a lot!)

But:

It reminds me of something that world-famous Dilbert cartoonist, Scott Adams, once said about discovering hidden hits.

Most people spend tons of time creating artwork.

And after that, they spend tons more time promoting their artwork. To get more customers, sales, and to build their creative businesses so they don't starve on the streets like Van Gogh and every other starving-artist out there.

But the problem with this approach?

It doesn't matter how much time you spend marketing and promoting it... a piece that wasn't destined to be a hit, will almost never be a hit.

Better start with something that's destined to be a hit in the first place.

And then promote the daylights out of it.

But then comes another question:

How do you know whether the art you create is destined for world-wide fame and the oh-so-elusive bestseller status or not before you start the hard work of marketing and promoting it?

As Scott Adams says...

... you expose people to it and...

... you measure their PHYSICAL reactions to your work.

If something is destined to be a bestseller, it will almost always cause people to have some sort of physical reaction.

Whether that reaction is:


  • clicking the like button

  • telling their friends all about it

  • leaving a comment

  • sending a message about it

And the more physical effort required for a particular reaction, the more likely your work is gonna be a bestseller. Sending someone a message telling them you love their work and want to buy everything they create is WAY more effort than clicking a little blue 'Like' button.

And:

That's also how I knew very early on that my artwork was gonna be a hit sooner or later.

I just had to get it out there.

And in front of more eyeballs.

And...

... you know the rest of the story.

But it wasn't an easy ride, mind you.

It took a lot of hard work, effort, patience, diligence (and almost every other Biblical virtue out there) for me to improve my drawings and experiment with my illustrations until they got to a level where they created a huge physical response in almost everyone that saw them.

In short:

I don't recommend doing it from scratch.

Unless you love doing stuff like that, of course.

But otherwise...

... if you want the fastest and easiest way to create bestselling works of art for your crafting projects and your business that people love and drool over...

... just piggyback on top of mine and...

... use them as a base for your creative greatness.

I've already proven it works.

All you need to do is click here and grab what you need.

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Body Mover Extraordinaire"

P.S. I've been doing a new experiment on Instagram, where I'm featuring customer's artwork if you're using our designs.

Wanna see how much of a physical response you can get from people?

Let me feature your artwork on our page, and let's see. :)

Just use the tag #turnipco

I'll feature you here.

...

This letter "How To Know Whether Your Work's Gonna Be A Bestseller Or A Bomb" was first published on turnip.co

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Why I Suddenly Couldn't Breathe

It's scary.

Not being able to breathe...

A couple days ago, I was down in my mini home-laboratory, trying to mix up a new herbal concoction that could be used as both a natural cleaning agent, a bug killer and repellent, and a home air freshener and detoxifier... all at the same time!

You probably already know this, but...

... in addition to being an artist...

... I'm also a herbalist.

And as herbalists are wont to do, I like to experiment and create new stuff using Nature's finest herbs.

Stuff for healing.

Stuff for relaxing.

And even stuff for cleaning. Without all the synthetic chemicals laden on us by Big Industry that do microscopic long-term damage to your health.

(I also majored in chemistry in college for one of my degrees by the way. So maybe that's also why I have these weird hobbies.)

Anyway, after I was done mixing up my new solution...

... I started pouring it into a special sprayer I had so that I could start testing out my lovely new creation.

The sprayer was supposed to squirt the liquid in a straight line.

But suddenly:

The sprayer started malfunctioning...

And instead of spraying in a straight line like any good water gun does... it started turning the liquid into a mist and diffusing it everywhere! In case you're wondering... NO it's NOT supposed to do that!

And even worse:

I hadn't finished diluting the solution yet!

*sigh*

(This is the last time I purchase equipment from China. No-offense if you're from China. I just find that their equipment malfunctions way too often.)

Anyway, I didn't inhale too much, but I did breathe a little in...

... and I don't know why...

... but I started finding it hard to breathe.

Well, let me rephrase that.

I could breathe just fine.

But somehow, I felt that I wasn't getting enough oxygen. And I was starting to get dizzy and faint.

I quickly rushed to the pantry, and grabbed a bottle of extra hot cayenne powder... dumped some of it in water... and gulped it down... to open up my lungs, keep my circulation going and stop myself from fainting.

Next, I quickly whipped together a batch of stuff that's normally used to combat low oxygen at high altitudes.

Blackstrap molasses.

Gingko Biloba.

A pure and concentrated megadose of Vitamin C powder (which I normally don't use, but it's good to have on hand when you need fast recovery of any kind during almost any emergency.)

And I ran to an open window to get more fresh air.

I started feeling better.

But I was still having some issues.

Some dizziness.

Starting to get some numbness.

And I couldn't really think straight.

So finally, I grabbed a few drops of highly diluted food-grade hydrogen peroxide and used that to infuse oxygen into my body. I won't go into how I did it, because it's a bit controversial, but when you can't think straight, you just instinctively go for what works in the moment.

And work it did...

... for I quickly started going back to normal.

*phew*

That was close.

I'm fine now.

But I really need to be more careful about having all my safety equipment on when running experiments.

Not being able to breathe is scary!

Now I know what it feels like to be a terminally ill Covid patient who can't breathe.

I do have some health clients who came down with Covid. But, because of how knowledgeable they are right now about taking care of their health and immune system, none of them even got sick. So... this is the closest I'll get to seeing something like that... I hope...

Anyway, I'm still here.

I'm fine.

And I know what I'll be thankful for this Thanksgiving! :)

Being alive and being able to breathe fresh air.

And, in case you were wondering:

Yes, I do have some lovely stuff you can use this Thanksgiving to express thankfulness to your family, friends and loved ones and to show gratefulness to the world for just being alive.

It's now up in the store for the coming Autumn season.

So, if you have anyone or anything you're grateful for, check it out here before Fall ends.

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Too Clumsy For Chemistry"

P.S. Yes, I'm grateful to you too!

Thanks so much for reading this and for supporting all my work! :)

...

This letter "Why I Suddenly Couldn't Breathe" was first published on turnip.co

Monday, August 30, 2021

The Easiest Way To Cure Artist's (And Writer's) Block

Have you ever needed to write or create some artwork but all of a sudden...

... your mind started going blank...

... and your ability to write or draw went *poof*?

Well, it happens to me sometimes too.

In fact, it happened to me a few weeks ago.

Mind you:

This doesn't happen often.

Normally I have so much to write about (and draw about) that I can't stop writing. And eventually because I write so much, people start finding me annoying. So I have to consciously limit myself so that I don't start annoying everyone around me.

However, when I look back on how this week's writer's block came about, I realized something interesting...

Inside me are two sides:

My Creator side. And my Consumption side.

My Consumption-side is forever wanting to read more books, watch more videos, and look at more artwork.

While my Creator-side is all about making more stuff.

Normally my Consumption-side is holding the steering wheel.

But one day...

... my "Creator" side said to my "Consumption" side:

"Hey, you've been reading too much recently. And you haven't been writing enough! I need you to stop reading and watching videos for a couple of weeks, and sit your fluffy butt down and write and draw... or else people will forget about you forever and you'll starve!"

"Umm... Ok. I'll try..." said my Consumption side, reluctantly.

And so I did.

No books.

No videos.

No artwork.

Just sit the fluffy butt down on the chair and try to write and draw as much as I could to please my Creator-side.

And just like that...

... my mind went blank...

... for weeks...

Until:

I stopped trying to force myself to write and create and...

... I went back to reading again.

Reading as many books as I could.

As much as I wanted.

On as many different subjects as I wanted.

And...

Presto!

All of a sudden I have so much inspiration to write and draw that I don't have enough time to do it all.

And now, Creator Aurelia and Consumption Aurelia are both happy.

This reminded me about about something I once heard Jake Parker, the creator of Inktober, say:

"You need to breathe in first before you can breathe out. If there's no input, there's no output"

You would have thought that with all the thousands of books and artistic masterpieces I've gone through over the years, my mind would be a literal river of creative ideas that flow out endlessly 24/7.

Looks like it doesn't work that way.

No new input, no new output.

Speaking of new:

Recently I've noticed that a ton of fans have started stocking up on my Christmas Wreath masterpieces in preparation for the upcoming holiday season.

And, yes I know...

I haven't started releasing my new Christmas pieces yet for this year.

I've been so busy working on some amazing illustrations for a contest I'm in. It's been taking a lot of my time.

Well, I'm enjoying it.

But in case you were waiting for new Christmas masterpieces...

... rest assured, they're coming! :)

But for now, our Christmas masterpiece collection from years past is now available in the store.

Might wanna stock up while you can.

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Crazy About Consumption"

...

This letter "The Easiest Way To Cure Artist's (And Writer's) Block" was first published on turnip.co

Sunday, August 22, 2021

A Fan Asks About My Multiple Personality Disorder

A couple days ago, a fan asked me this:

"Aurelia, how come your emails often sound like they are coming from different people from different walks of life? Sometimes you sound like an old, scholarly sage in the style of Leonardo da Vinci.

At others, you sound like an unhinged teenage girl who is full of energy and bursting at the thought of adventure.

And at yet others, you sound like the typical, peaceful matron. Who is sitting quietly next to the window, and sewing herself something lovely for her family."

And the answer to that, my friend is because...

... my personality at any given time slightly changes depending on the projects I'm working on.

You see:

My main focus is on honing and mastering my art.

However, while my main art of choice is normally illustration, I dive into lots of different types of art at any given time.

For example...

... sometimes I have this urge come over me...

... and I'll be into hand-sewing for weeks.

At yet others, I'll be studying and learning the crafts of movie producing and directing. And thinking about making myself a feature film.

And at yet others, I'll be doing clay molding and stop motion animation.

But it doesn't just stop at art.

Sometimes I'll take a break from art for a while. And I'll be studying the business and marketing side of art.

At others times, I study the neuroscience and history of art.

And at yet others, I'll be watching old replays of Mr. Bean and laughing hard.

So whatever I'm immersed in at the moment, it affects my mood.

And perhaps my personality.

And that affects my writing. As well as my art.

But you know...

... in a sense, that's also what makes my art so special.

And gives my art that extra edge.

When I'm creating art for children, I'll often be dipping myself into childish pleasures. Like watching classic Ghibli films.

I noticed that it adds a special fairytale-like feel to my artwork that you can't just explain with words.

When I'm creating art that can be used for weddings, perhaps I'll grab my hubby and ask him to get married again.

And my latest example:

Recently, I managed to find myself in a country where everyone's being locked down and longing for freedom.

Including me.

And that helped me create this piece that just screams out with my longing for freedom.

I want to travel!

Actually, I even made two versions of the piece. One with and one without borders.

Because I guess, subconsciously, I just want all the borders and restrictions to go away so I can travel again.

Have a look and just tell me that that doesn't make you long for freedom!

Well:

This is true for me, and...

... as you're working on different types of crafting and artistic projects...

... it'll be true for you as well.

If you have a client, who needs a wood art piece for their children's bedroom, immerse yourself in some childlike pursuits.

Perhaps playing with your kids.

Or take out your dusty, old doll collection and pretend to be a princess for a day.

Or if you're designing a project for someone who's getting married...

... get out your old wedding dress and start making some rounds around the house. ;)

I guarantee you that it'll put an extra special "ooomph" in your artwork that makes it tower over everyone else's.

And your clients will be so amazed... they won't be able to explain just why.

Or you could just use mine as a base...

Since I'm already doing that.

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Still Clinically Sane"

P.S. Recently, I created a masterpiece that feels just like this.

It has multiple styles and personalities all blended into one.

Imagine Pixar + Disney + Papercut + Collage + Watercolor Painting

I made it for submission to a contest with the Society of Visual Storytelling. And the judges picked it as a quarter-finalist. They said they couldn't stop talking about it. Yay!

Unfortunately, I lost in the end.

But it was fun. :)

...

This letter "A Fan Asks About My Multiple Personality Disorder" was first published on turnip.co

Thursday, August 19, 2021

How To Get In Hundreds Of Squats A Day This Fall

A couple of weeks ago:

One of my fitness mentors (who also happens to be a world champion martial artist) posted a funny photo on Instagram.

In the photo...

... he was squatting while wrapping his hands around a beautiful piece of bamboo growing outside his home, with its leaves scattered on the surrounding grounds.

Someone asked in the comments:

"Who rakes the leaves?"

To which he replied:

"No one does. I pick them up one by one. One squat at a time."

He uses the leaves as an opportunity to get in his daily squats. And with each squat a leaf is removed. One by one. Until the grounds are clear. Some days there are hundreds of leaves. And that means hundreds of squats.

All this just goes to show that...

... life is full of opportunities... hidden in plain sight.

But as the legendary Ralph Waldo Emerson once said:

"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are but tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

The opportunities we see on the outside pale in comparison to those hidden within us.

Inside you are an uncountable number of hidden talents, strengths and abilities that lie untapped. Most people go through their lives never discovering these buried opportunities. And at the end of your life, they are buried, gone and wasted.

A great teacher helps unlock those undiscovered opportunities inside you.

They see what you really have within. And bring it out to the surface. Where you can polish it and turn it into fine treasure.

But notice that I said... "great teacher".

I have no qualms about saying that 99% of the teachers I've had in my life were terrible. And I hated them.

But the remaining 1%?

They believed in me.

They encouraged me.

They helped me unlock talent that I never knew I had deep within.

And they changed my life by encouraging me to focus on and refine my strengths.

And that's why... I'm so incredibly amazing now!

Just kidding. Ha ha.

Anyway...

I'm making progress daily too. Just like you. But a few great teachers really made the difference for me.

And I think it would be it would be a shame for such teachers not to receive the recognition they deserve.

Especially considering how rare they are.

Recently:

I've been doing a little experiment.

I decided to start creating some 'themed' wreaths. Like my recently drawn and illustrated "Teacher's Wreath", which makes for an amazing design on any gift for that teacher or teachers who made a difference in your life.

I wasn't expecting a lot, to be honest.

Didn't think that many people would like it.

But...

*BOOM*

The Teacher's Wreath turned into one of our best-sellers right now.

So:

I'll be making more themed wreaths in the near future. But for now...

I see something special inside you...

... but I don't know what it is.

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"School Hater Extraordinaire"

P.S. The Adventures of Aurelia continues on Instagram and YouTube. If you need some daily laughs, or maybe even some inspiration, then you really should check it out. :)

...

This letter "How To Get In Hundreds Of Squats A Day This Fall" was first published on turnip.co

Sunday, August 15, 2021

What A Shooting Star Taught Me About Making Your Wishes Come True

It happened when I was in elementary school:

One fine week in August, there was a news report. It was about an upcoming shooting star shower in the skies above us. Forecasts said it would happen next week. Around 5 am in the morning.

If we could wake up early enough, we could see a spectacular sight that only happened once every... fifty years I think?

Anyway:

Our school was in an uproar.

All my friends were talking about it. And we'd spend long hours chatting about how amazing it would be. And what wishes we would make. And about how lucky we were to witness such a grand event.

Days passed. The week was over. And finally the skies would be aglow soon.

Tomorrow morning.

That's when it was gonna happen.

I set my alarm, and looked forward to seeing the shooting star sights.

Unfortunately though, for a young kid (though I should really used the word *kitten instead, because that's what they call young bunnies these days) trying to wake up at 5 a.m. is like trying to rouse the dead from their graves.

The alarm rang. I hit snooze. And went back to bed...

... before it hit me 30 minutes later that...

... I wasn't supposed to be sleeping! The event of a lifetime was taking place outside in the sky!

I bounced out of bed.

And sprinted to the door. Sad at the thought that the shower was probably over by now.

But to my pleasant surprise, I managed to catch the tail end of the event. And a couple of shooting stars were still streaking across the sky. They looked like blue balls with short fuzzy tails dancing in front of a dark night.

"Amazing!" I thought to myself.

I didn't miss it.

I really made it.

And I managed to make my wish...

What did I wish for, you ask?

Ha ha ha. I'm pretty smart. So I made the best wish anyone could wish for:

I wished for a million wishes!

But sad thing, I think my wish wasn't granted. Because even now when I try to wish for more cash so I can buy new art supplies, I don't see money dropping out of the sky in front of me.

Oh well...

Next day I went back to school. Waiting to share the grand experience with my friends.

And looking forward to hearing about what they all wished for.

Guess what?

None of them managed to wake themselves up that early to watch the shower. I was the only one who saw it! :O

"How lucky I am..." I thought to myself.

But then again, it wasn't just luck was it?

I put in a lot of effort. Hard work. Diligence. And sheer determination. To maintain my rationality in the face of blissful sleep and a soft bed that was waiting for me. I pushed myself to my limits and got out of bed.

And that's why... I witnessed it!

Event of a lifetime! Yeah!

Sometimes in life we spend so much time wishin', wantin' and waitin' for things to happen.

When the truth of the matter is...

... our wishes are just within our reach... they're right in front of us... but they're waitin' for us to put in that last bit of effort we need to get them.

Just like those shooting stars were just waiting for me to get out of bed to make my wish.

It's tough work.

But all worth it in the end when you finally get everything you wished for.

I was reminded of this story (and what I learned from it) a couple of days ago.

I suddenly got an Etsy message from a fan named Maggie.

She owns a farm called Shooting Stars Farm. She loves my work. And was wondering whether I had any wreath illustrations with Shooting Star Flowers.

She sent me a photo of those flowers.

And I'd never heard of them before.

But I was amazed at how uniquely beautiful they looked. They really look like shooting stars, with tails of purple following behind them as they streak through the night sky.

So I decided to make a Shooting Star Flower Wreath.

And add it to my store.

Because I love how lovely they are.

And I thought to myself that... with how uncommon these flowers are... and how uniquely beautiful they look... I'm sure a lot of my fans would enjoy using them to make their own designs and projects stand out from the crowd.

After all:

Most crafting projects these days are focused on the same ol' flowers again and again.

Roses.

Peonies.

Sunflowers.

There's even a popular quote these days which says:

"In a world full of roses, be a sunflower."

Well...

I'm sorry to say it but, the world is just FULL of sunflowers right now! Just looking at how much my uniquely illustrated sunflower wreaths are being swiped and copied by art thieves and hustlers left and right makes me well aware of that fact. Sunflowers are everywhere right now.

I think it's time for a new quote.

"In a world full of sunflowers, be a shooting star flower."

Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Wishin' but still wantin'"

P.S. I can just imagine someone using this Shooting Star Flower wreath and engraving it on a birthday gift.

And when the gift gets opened, they tell the birthday girl:

"You know what this flower is called? A shooting star flower. You know you can make one wish on it? Just like a real shooting star? So this birthday... you got two wishes! One from blowing out candles. And one from my gift. You're welcome."

LOL. That would be awesome...

...

This letter "What A Shooting Star Taught Me About Making Your Wishes Come True" was first published on turnip.co

Friday, August 13, 2021

The Truth About My Rumored Kidnapping (And News On AoA Season 2)

Dear Friend,

I've been missing... for a while...

... and you've probably been hearing rumors about my sudden disappearance all over the place.

All sorts of rumors...

... like maybe...

... me being kidnapped...

... or me being abducted by aliens...

... or even...

... me riding a recently launched commercial tourist rocket ship into space and suddenly going off-course, dooming me to the outer confines of the galaxy forever.

Yes, I know.

As always, the rumors seem far-fetched.

But are they really?

Wanna know the real truth?

About why I've been gone for so long?

I just created a new animated short which explains exactly what happened. And you can have fun watching it by clicking here.

By the way:

This short is the first in a new animated mini-series I'm doing.

And it marks the beginning of...

... The Adventures of Aurelia, Season 2!

YAY!

That's right.

Season 2 is going to be animated.

And it's going to be hosted on Instagram!

So if you're not following me yet over there, you might wanna hop along and follow me if you wanna be the first to know when I release a new short.

I haven't done animating in nearly a decade, so I thought this'd be fun. :)

Enjoy!

Sincerely,
aurelia nobleia

P.S. In case you saw some of the new wreath illustrations I've been releasing on the store...

... and you were wondering...

... the answer is...

... Yes, I have been working hard on improving my drawing skills and bringing them to the next level.

As always. ;)

My policy is to never stop improving.

And my favorite way to improve my illustrative skills right now?

Tell you about that in another letter...

See ya!

...

This letter "The Truth About My Rumored Kidnapping (And News On AoA Season 2)" was first published on turnip.co