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Recently, I attempted to create a REEL for Instagram (never has there been a truer statement written- aren't we all just attempting to make reels) and after 3 days of trying to piece together what "A day in the life" looks like for me, I gave up. It's impossible. Having two children under 3, my attention cannot be bothered with taking snippet videos ALL DAY LONG. I can't. So instead, I decided to write my day down!
5:30 am- get dressed in the dark, stumble into the kitchen for my coffee and make the trek downstairs to workout (totally dependent on how we slept the night before). Shower post workout, morning routine with a load of laundry and sip on coffee #2 while babies still sleep while watching the news. 7:30 am Everyone is up and I am the master of making lunches and breakfast at the same time while reheating my coffee on repeat for the next hour before giving up. Sammy shovels his food in his mouth while watching his favorite programming (Ms. Rachel- IYKYK) while I chase Emma around trying to get her to take a bite of the breakfast SHE picked out. Then the battle royal commences, the fight over what Emma will wear. If it isn't a dress, Minnie Mouse, rainbow or some sort of combination of those things, SHE IS NOT HAVING IT. We just have a penciled in tantrum right here every day. Then it's time to head out the door and drop the kids off at the local church PreK. 10am After the mad dash out the door to drop Emma off at preschool at our local church, it's time to get to work. I make yet another coffee (hey- no judgement from you. These kids are tiring) and I head down stairs to my studio. I say hi to Bella who hangs out in there most days (studio cats are the best) to stay away from the noise and turn on either my favorite Spotify playlist which is a carefully curated list of indie/alternative bands circa 2008 or pop on a Harry Potter audio book and get to painting. On the days that the kids are both at the church, I try to get a 3 hours of uninterrupted time in the studio. Around 11:30, I'll break for a meal and make my favorite breakfast of plain full fat Greek yogurt topped with fruit and a healthy squeeze of honey, then its back in the studio. 1:00 pm Dash out the door still covered in paint to pick up Emma and Sammy and its tablets for the win on the way home so we do not pass out and ruin naps or have meltdowns! By 2:15, both kids are asleep and it's either more time in the studio administrative tasks (update website listings, send email to subscribers list, plan posts for the week, work on the blog one reads, you get the idea). 4:00 pm Both babies are up and now it’s time to prep dinner, get everyone a snack, and fluff that laundry I've forgotten about. The next two hours are a whirlwind of playing in the kitchen, tea parties, baby doll diaper changes and messes up on messes. 6:00 pm Daddy gets home and it’s time for all of us to sit down for dinner, talk about our favorite part of the day and try to get a toddler to eat something other than a piece of cheese. The struggle is real with that one. Jeremy and I clean up the kitchen and get these babies ready for the bath. I finally get to fold the clothes in a a blur of singing. splashing and pajamas followed by story reading with Emma and rocking until both of these babies are asleep! 7:30 pm It's mommy's turn for bath, bottle, bedtime... literally. Time to settle in and have a glass of wine and watch Netflix or Hulu with Jeremy. We have been on an adult cartoon kick for the last couple months or we will watch reruns of the Office. Sometimes it will be a really wild night and we watch TikTok together shamelessly. This is what it is to be married. Before bed, its showers, night time skin care and I make sure the house has been reset, toys put away and the layer of crumbs on the floor gone. 10:00 pm Off to bed for me before this baby wakes me up in four hours! Then we get to do it all over again.
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 This year, my little family was blessed with the opportunity of taking a 2 week summer vacation! We hadn't been able to do this since I was pregnant with Emma so two kids under 3 years old made this a true ADVENTURE full of new experiences and new stresses! Our first stop was St. Augustine, a truly magical place, immersed in history and so much nostalgia for me as this was our vacation destination growing up. As the kids affectionately call it, our time in the "Blue House" was filled with countless days by the pool, a spectacular personal fireworks show by Uncle Matt, and delightful escapades exploring the ice cream shops in downtown St. Augustine. If you were o ask our daughter, Emma, a highlight for her was catching a glimpse of a REAL LIFE pirate ship sailing in the bay. This would probably be tied with strolling through the Alligator Farm.
 After bidding farewell to St. Augustine, we headed to Ormond Beach to join my husband's family. The laid-back atmosphere provided a much-needed change of pace. Days in Ormond Beach were divided between relaxing beneath the family tent on the beach and the refreshing waters of the pool. The children splashed in a homemade pool and built sandcastles while the adults enjoyed the warm sunshine with no shortage of chilled beverages. To escape the summer heat, we alternated going to the pool where Emma learned to swim like a professional in her Puddle Jumper and jumped into the deep end with no fear. I hope she always meets challenges with so much bravery. Although the vacation was at times stressful and far from restful, the opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones was truly priceless.
As I reflect on our summer adventure and how despite the stress of having young babies, managing nap times and navigating play the the beach, I am reminded that the joy and love shared with family is truly priceless, leaving us with a treasure trove of memories that will endure for a lifetime.  xoxo, Lindsey
When it comes to showcasing your new artwork, finding the right frame can make all the difference. One question I always get when someone purchases a paper piece of mine is, "Lindsey, how do you usually frame these?" I am an advocate for affordable art and ie. affordable framing. Although art is a luxury good, it should also be attainable and while we would all love to be able to afford the highest quality frame from our local frame shop, sometimes it just isn't in the budget (yet). Thankfully, there are several affordable options available at popular retailers such as IKEA, Target, Amazon, Walmart, and even thrift stores. These are guaranteed to have a lot of different styles that will not break the bank.
Commissioning artwork for your home can be intimidating, but there is no reason for it to be. Imagine meeting with someone who WANTS to give you the perfect addition to your home, who WANTS this work to be cherished and loved for years to come and will tailor the artwork (within reason and the artists style/vision) to your wants and needs. That is 100% what a commission is. Instead of purchasing ready made artwork, it is something created with your personal space and style in mind. Pretty cool, right!
The commission process begins with expressing interest through an email or my Contact form (HERE). Sometimes I will get a direct message on social media but honestly, unless I know the person or the inquiry comes through my website, it is usually slimey and I do not accept the work. Therefore, it is better to contact me through a more professional avenue. After you express interest, I will schedule a time to chat via phone or Zoom. We will talk about canvas size (FYI all commissions must be 18x24 or larger), colors, your overall vision and timeline. I want all commissions to work PERFECTLY with your space so it is encouraged that you send any vision boards, previous work of mine that you were drawn to, paint colors or large scale fabrics within the room and inspiration photos you are using to dream up your vision. Once you are ready to begin, a 50% deposit is required before painting begins and will be done via a personal listing in my shop. Turn around time is generally between 6-8 weeks depending on the season and when the deposit is received. Certain times of the year are busier for me, personally due to having kids at home so I generally have periods where commission slots are open and closed. Once painting begins, I will send you periodic progress pictures as I go. We will then work closely to make adjustments (color additions or omissions, details, drips, markings, etc.) as needed. You may request an additional video call to see more detail. I generally allow 2 rework sessions. When the painting is complete and agreed upon, meaning it meets both YOUR vision and MY artistic alignment, the remaining 50% of the deposit is due. Once received, I will arrange delivery or shipment to your home. You may also choose to pick up locally from my home studio if you wish. Shipping costs are included in the commission quote. All paintings over 18x24 will be removed from the stretcher bars and rolled for shipping ease. You may then have the canvas restretched at your local craft store or framer. From then, you get to enjoy and live with your artwork. I love to see where my artwork lives so send ALL of the pictures after it is installed in your home! See, not too scary! 1. Embracing Minimalism
With the arrival of another child came the arrival of all of his stuff! I suddenly found myself with double the kids, double the clothes (or even triple at times because let’s be real newborns need 2 to 3 outfits a day at minimum), quadruple the diapers and a HUGE mess. I needed something to be easy in my life and I needed cleaning routines and household chores to become easier. The fact of the matter is, the more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to take care of. With having a new little human that depended on me 24 seven and nursing around the clock, I had to have a change because I was always looking around the house seeing things that needed done. It was overwhelming and taking away from my kids. I decided to cut down our material items in the house by 2/3. This was actually easier than I thought it would be. I started with seasonal decor, things that I hadn’t used in years and either decided to donate, sell or made a trip to the dump. Next was kitchen items. I had so many dish sets, plates and extra pots and pans. These were old things that we had accumulated from our first apartment, so much stuff. Who needs all of this? I mean do I ever use 5 sauce pans at the same time. No. Again, another trip to either Goodwill or the dump. Various China sets and things I put away for later or sold on Facebook marketplace. I love Facebook marketplace as a side note. I made a stark change in decor style. I wanted something more simplistic, neutral that I wouldn’t have to feel like I needed to keep up with the design trends. Also, EASY to clean. I sold antique rugs that I had collected because they also collected a lot of dirt and were very hard to keep clean. as I saw everything on them. I sold old artwork that was a part of studio sales. I sold all kinds of antiques and things that I had accumulated, but no longer felt like they were me or I would use them in the future. I sold A LOT. With the cash, we were able to make some easy to clean swaps and I am so thrilled. My 10 min before bed cleanup takes just that, 10 mins (Kitchen included). 2. Dry Brushing and Gua Sha Both are apparently supposed to drain you lymphatic system. Now, I am not sure I buy so much into that mainly because would I know what that felt like and or be able to tell the difference, no. Why do it then? It feels so nice. I love dry brushing for its exfoliating purposes. It is a tiny luxury that lasts 30 seconds prior to each one of my showers. For me, it’s scrubbing the day off and has done so much for the texture of my skin! Gua Sha is more of a massage in my opinion. In the mornings, somewhere after my 2nd cup of coffee and before the kids start screaming (unless Sammy has a hard night) I try to get some sort of facial oil (liking this one right now LINK) and Gua Sha my face and neck. This just feels so good and wakes up my skin. It releases any kind of tension I had from a previous workout and it’s just one of the small little rituals I can do to help start my day. Being officially closer to 40 than 30(OMG) I will take all the glow I can get. 3. Diet and Exercise Keeping with the year of Lindsey theme, I have been begun working out and monitoring what I eat. I have always LOVED exercise, so much I have a bachelors and masters surrounding health and movement but after going through 4 years of infertility treatments and then having two kids in 3 years, my body is NOT where it was nor do I really expect it to be! Luckily, I know what works for me and I have been implementing that for the last month with great results. I know intermittent fasting works. I also know that working out while in a fasted state is also best for me so that is what I'm doing. Unfortunately, the only chunk of time I have been able to carve out between in the morning hours during my fast is 5:30AM-6:30AM so that is my workout window. I am loving it. I am also tracking my calories through a basic fitness app and allowing myself one day a week to not beat myself up. Thus far, so good. Stay tuned! 4. Specifically Carving out Time for ME We as mothers tend to take care of everyone else before we take care of ourselves. I have started purposefully carving out pockets of time that nourish me. Do not think these are extravagant things. They are things as simple as completing. 15 minute meditation when I am stressed, allowing my husband to hold or care for the toddler or babe when I’m done being screamed at or even just taking a shower by myself. I have also made a change in my studio practice. Prior to having Sammy, Emma would give me solid naps of two hours which were dependable and easy to schedule in studio time. Now with the new babe, naps for everyone are all over the place and I haven’t been able to rely on a set time frame so I moved my studio to the kitchen for the time being. I find that on days when I am able to express my creative self, I am a happier person and happier mother. 5. Practice Kindness Towards Myself as an ARTIST My new mantra towards my creative practice is DO LESS. In regards to my creative practice, this means doing less reworks, less overthinking, being less critical of my work and less of a perfectionist. Just allowing myself to get into the creative flow and having faith that the work I make is worth it and will turn out fine. I’m also slowly becoming okay with the idea that not all work IS good and that’s ok. It serves a purpose. It was practice and that’s wonderful. In the past, I have fallen so much into the comparison trap as we all have. It's time to like my work, like my process and know life happens in seasons and this one is pretty great. |
