Inspired Naturally – Kate MacAndrew, artist and school workshop leader based in Derbyshire

The last couple of days have been quite dull. This is simply because I have been unwell and taking the Docs advice and resting. (I have never been good at doing nothing) The one positive to come out of this though, it the opportunity it’s given me to catch up with the blogs I like to read and also to flick through and become inspired by my collection of Artful Blogging magazines. Artful Blogging is a publication by Somerset Studios, showcasing ‘visually inspiring online journals.’ I often find myself behind in the magazines I subscribe to – not getting the time to enjoy sitting down long enough to read them properly. The down time I’ve been forced to have has at least allowed me this opportunity! I think in an ideal world everybody should take the time out to read and look at the things that inspire them – it’s so important for development and for forming new ideas.

If it wasn’t for publications like AB and following the blogs I have, I don’t think I would be where I am today – they have all played a very important part in my creative development and confidence. One day I hope to be featured in one of these places so I too can inspire people to do what they love.

Creating a Life List! ‘What’s that all about?’ I hear you ask! I followed a link off Kelly Rae’s Twitter feed and came across this post. Since finishing Marisa’s e-course I have been thinking a lot about my blog posts and what I’d like to share with every one – there’s always the risk of sharing too much, or worrying you haven’t got anything interesting to say. I’m hoping to grow in confidence about my ability to write interesting and authentic posts. When I read Karen’s thoughts on creating a Life List it resonated with me. I thought, ‘That sounds like fun’  and something I can share with people on my blog – I grabbed a pen and paper and started jotting down a few of my ideas. I tried to think of both big and small ideas so as not to feel too overwhelmed! Here’s what I’ve come with so far:

Learn how to grow my own fruit and veg

Make my own jam/chutney

Go on safari

Visit Rome

Swim with dolphins

Learn how to use a sewing machine

Buy and experiment with a polaroid camera

Write a creative book

Learn how to make pasta

Improve my fitness further and continue completing the Great North Run and other events to raise money for a charity very close to my heart

Create my own e-course one day

Start a running club at one of my local schools I’ve taught at

Go to Paris again

Sponsor a tiger

Ride on a horse across a beach

Learn how to recognise star constellations

Research my family tree properly

Visit Australia

Learn another language

Have my own exhibition

I have just 20 here – these are the thing that came to me straight away - I’m not going to worry about what’s on my list but use the list to inspire me and to remind me what it is I’d like to do. Sometimes with daily life getting in the way we forget what’s really important to us. It’s important to take a step back.

What would feature on your Life List? Go on – give it a go!

P.S The above picture was taken by my iPhone as I watered my new herb container – I love ladybirds!

he photo above always makes me smile for some reason, I think it was because it was taken on a wonderfully sunny day from the car in North Yorkshire, one of my all time favourite places to go. It’s actually my wallpaper on my iPhone – well at the time of writing this – I get bored of the same images easily and change things on a regular basis!

The reason for the post title, ‘A mixed bag’ is because there’s a few updates I wanted to share with you, all quite different from one another.

 I have just managed to listen to the last of the Fish Bowl audio and video posts and I feel a great sense of disappointment that it’s all over – because I enjoyed it so much and loved getting such an insight into the creative world I’m slowly trying to become a part of. I also feel excited about the future and what it might hold and also have found a much needed boost of energy to keep going, to keep trying new things.

To help me further in on my creative journey (and to get my next fix of online learning) I have just signed up to Kelly Rae’s e-course ‘Flying Lessons’ which begins in May, I am looking forward to this because it was finding Kelly’s work on Etsy that began my journey into following my dream and also introduced me to the blogging world. Kelly continues to be a great inspiration to me and I know that she has been wanting to do an e-course for quite some time. I’m sure it’s going to be great!

In other news, my Moonwalk training, more about this here, is going well. The group of us completing it together managed a 17 1/2 mile walk at the weekend and are due to do a 20 mile walk on Saturday. This will be our last long training walk before the event because the following weekend half of the group are signed up for a 5k Race for Life run.

I’m looking forward to the Moonwalk and I’m hoping to be able to carry my iPhone with me somehow so I can snap some great photos – starting at midnight and us finishing the walk around 8a.m should give me lots of interesting lighting to see London by!

I hope you’re all having a good week and I’ll post again soon. 

o, it’s Friday already and I feel like the week’s past so quickly and I haven’t got half as much done as I wanted to! I did do some more work on my cat painting  - I don’t think it’ll be long before I attempt the eye – I’m looking forward to seeing it finished.

One thing that’s happened this week, which I’m very excited about, is being accepted by Deb of fabulousplaces.co.uk as a ‘fabulous’ local artist to Derbyshire and will soon be appearing on her wonderful website. If you do live locally to Derbyshire or Nottingham (which is also now part of the website) I highly recommend you take a look. I’ve lived in Derbyshire all my life but still find fantastic places to visit I didn’t know existed by looking on the site. This will also mean I’ll be exhibiting at the website’s next show, the Summer Fete at Shottle Hall, Shottle, Derbyshire. This event is free to get into and the exhibitor list coming soon is sure to be fantastic.

The image above wasn’t taken this week – it was taken from the car on a recent trip to North Yorkshire – when the weather was gorgeously sunny and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It’s a photo which makes me feel summery just looking at it!

Having had a break from blogging until my new site was up I realise this is my 3rd post in a space of 4 days – I knew I’d have a lot to say when I got back!

iven the fact I have been crazy busy with getting all the info for this blogsite done and trying to keep on top of my ever-growing to-do-list I haven’t updated my painting progress in a while. Having said that, now it’s all about the little details, adding small amounts of texture where it’s needed. This update doesn’t look too different from the last one – these little bits of texture don’t stand out as much as the initial parts of the image. The eye is the bit I’m most looking forward to and I’ve decided to leave it until the very end!

The beautifully designed letter ‘G’ I have used to begin my post is from this site – a great link from Jo’s newsletter  at The Darling Tree.

In other news, I’m reaching the end of a very long program of training for the London Moonwalk on 15th May, raising money for Breast Cancer. Click here to find out more about this fantastic event and here if you’d like to sponsor me! The event begins at midnight and 15,000 people will be walking the 26.2 miles to raise as much money for breast cancer as they can. Last weekend a group of friends and myself who are completing this together walked 14 miles and this weekend is our 16 mile walk – so far we have managed these distances without too many injuries! I received my event number, t-shirt, cap and bra (which we have to decorate for the event) yesterday – it’s all becoming very real now and I’m very excited!

As some of you may know, I signed up to Marisa’s online course In The Fish Bowl: Life as an artist online. It has just finished and, despite having yet to listen to the last installment (due to lack of time!) I feel I have learnt so much. Marisa has the ability to tap into the nitty gritty bits of running and maintaining an online presence  and tackle each stage in a way that feels manageable. I’m looking forward to carving out some much needed quiet time to reflect on each part of the course and move forward with confidence. When signing onto the course I felt I was at an important stage in my business – having just embarked on getting a brand new blogsite started (which I am thrilled with) I felt I needed a little push to really believe in myself and keep going. I have had so many wonderful opportunities in the last year and want to make this year no exception. As my new site shows, my workshops and commissions are a new and very big part of my development and I feel so passionate about them. Marisa’s class has reinforced this passion and reminded me why I do what I do. I am determined to keep doing what I love and to take each day as it comes…. the possibilities are endless! The course also allowed me to become a member of an online community, a part of a group of people all looking to create and be a a part of the online creative world. Meeting these people through their blogs and reading about their journey’s was one of the most inspiring parts of the course and I want to say thank you to them!

On another note, the photo above was taken on one of the first longer evenings here, with the sun staying up that little bit longer – this is my favourite time of year – longer evenings, more sunshine and time to do things outside. I’m really enjoying getting back into blogging, I just think I’ll need to get used to thinking about potential posts on a weekly basis again!

I have been a little quiet over here on the blog front but for very good reason….I have been working on getting this new *shiny* website complete – it has been designed and made by the excellent Jo at The Darling Tree.

I can’t believe the website of my dreams is actually a reality! I loved my old site but I needed to be able to add all the new information about my school workshops and commissions. – A blogsite is what I’ve wanted ever since I started a blog!

The photo above can be found in the Commission Gallery – I wanted to include it in my first post on my new website because I’ve just completed it and it was so much fun to do! This image is the final picture I had printed onto a 24″ x 36″ canvas – it’s a shame I didn’t get a photo of it against something so you could see it in proportion – it was a large piece!

I hope you all like my new site – please let me know what you think!

I’ve missed blogging regularly and I’m sure I’ll remember things I want to say here to catch up with myself here online!

Hope you are all having a good Thursday