January, February, lately

January moved along at a snail's pace. Things were happy and pleasant for the most part, then—just as soon as people were getting back to their workdesks—we had another long vacation, thanks to Pope Francis' Philippine visit, which also came right before a scheduled family trip. Not complaining there, but it definitely slowed things down.

I had some time to evaluate myself, and I struggled, coming from a period of very little work activity from December all the way to the end of January. I barely promoted my work during this time, nor did I actively seek out clients. On a personal level, I knew something was up--I still hadn't started creating for my own pleasure. So a few days ago, while waiting for a friend at the mall, I forced myself to whip out my watercolor pad and portable paints.

The spring couture shows in Europe had just trickled through social media, and I had the chance to get glimpses of the Chanel, Dior, and Giambattista Valli shows. Just a few photos mostly, but it was enough to ignite that little spark for the two things I hadn't done in such a long time: portraiture and fashion illustration.

Back in 2010, one of the things that really set me on track to moving full-time into art, was getting exposed to (and trying my hand at) fashion illustration. I know I can't complain, as it's partly my fault for not producing more of this kind of work, which could possibly lead to projects of this sort. It's been too long that I've stuck to flowers and botanicals. Time to make other things happen.