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Setting dreamy goals ✨

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Setting dreamy goals ✨

Nicole Kelner
Aug 17, 2023
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Setting dreamy goals ✨

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It’s wild to say that I've been a full-time artist for over a year now! The time flew by and has been the most creatively fulfilling year of my life.

Last month I went to a yoga retreat with Elizabeth Gilbert. It focused on creativity and I had a wonderful time! I spent the weekend reflecting on what I want to make of my newfound life as an artist now that I’ve nestled into it a bit.

I was still wrapped up after my wrist surgery and it felt particularly special

Right as I was journaling about this, a little butterfly landed on my hand! It was so wild. I had just come up with the idea to take an art class a week for a year (a mini MFA).  It sat on me for a solid 10 minutes. It was magical.

Please enjoy these fantastic renderings of a butterfly

Side note: during the retreat I gave Liz a copy of my book as a thank you and she kept it on stage and I proceeded to freak out.

Peep my book A Brighter Future under her chair!  (Rob Bell and her were laughing, no idea what was going on here though 😅)

After that weekend I came up with some new goals and looked back at goals I set for the year.

A few dreamy art goals:

  • Have my art in the New York Times or New Yorker

  • Have my art on the subway

  • Publish a children's book about climate

I think of a dreamy goal as something that is not entirely out of reach and that the 5-year-old version of myself would be so proud of. 

What are your dreamy goals? 

Really, I want to know! Email me 😊

Some goals I set in January:

  • Grow Twitter to 15K (done!)

  • Grow newsletter to 3K (there are 2,700 of you here so that is totally going to happen!)

  • Work on 2nd book, maybe around a children’s theme (I’m almost done my coloring book about clean energy) 

It’s cool to see that I’m on track/have met a few already!

Photo by my friend Miriam Rachael Freed

A few of my other art goals that I also listed were:

  • Take a pottery class 

  • Go to Happy Medium art cafe (if anyone wants to go together, shoot me a message!)

  • Go to figure drawing class

  • Take an in person art class maybe at the New School (going to try to do one in the Spring)  

I haven’t done any of those yet sooo I’ll have to get busy these next few months!

Coloring book updates

I’m almost finished with my coloring book on clean energy! I have 48 pages done and 2 more to go. If you’d like to get an advance copy to give feedback, shoot me a message! 

I’m still finalizing the title and have narrowed it down to 2 (very similar ideas). If you have other thoughts I’m all ears too!

Option 1: Electrify Everything: The Clean Energy Coloring Book

Options 2: The Clean Energy Coloring Book

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Here are a few new pages I love!

This newsletter is made with lots of love. If you’d like to support more climate art, please consider becoming a paid subscriber 💖

Creative Recommendations

This was a hit, so it’s going to be a regular section!

  • This Skillshare class on Botanical Illustrations by Sara Boccaccini Meadows.

  • Speaking of botanical illustrations, there’s a free botanical drawing class in NY here. 

  • One of my favorite New Yorker cartoonists, Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell (who did my birthday workshop), is hosting an event at the Strand called Sketchy Book Club that sounds so fun!

  • This article on how art that integrates data visualizations can help bridge the US political divide over climate change. Truly obsessed with this article.  

  • This TED talk on bringing humor to business with cartoons from the Marketoonist. 

  • I will always love Elizabeth Gilbert’s book on creativity called Big Magic.

Ways to support me:

  • Buy yourself something from my shop- my book, a t-shirt, a mug, a print, a onesie. Whatever your little heart may desire

    my OG climate stripes dress
  • Get on the waitlist for my coloring book here.

  • I’m open for contract work or commissions. I help climate organizations simplify their messaging into pretty art!

Ok my climate cuties, that’s all for today! 

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