I'm an artist, surface pattern + fabric designer, author, mama, and online teacher in Portland, OR. I believe in the power of art-making as a tool for radical self-care. I help people feel a little bit brighter and a little bit less alone through the art and products I make, the words I write, and the classes I teach. Come join almost 10k people in my colorful, uplifting world!
I'm teaching a free class!
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Hi Reader – I recently had the pleasure of sitting down for a chat with my good friend Margo Tantau on her Windowsill Chats podcast, which is beloved by many creatives, and I'm happy to get to share it with you today as the episode is live and ready for listening! I met Margo many, many years ago when I was exhibiting at Surtex, a surface pattern design + illustration trade show in New York City, and we became fast friends and worked together on several art licensing projects back in the day. One of my favorite things about Margo is her relentless championing of artists and fellow creatives. She so genuinely wants to help artists succeed and thrive in their own unique ways, and she's just a real gem of a person. You know those people who you just feel comfortable and at ease around? Who leave you feeling a little brighter after spending some time with them? Margo is one of those people. She's authentic, real, and an absolute delight! I hope you'll enjoy this conversation about art-making, tuning out external noise in order to trust your inner voice better, using art as a vehicle for personal growth and insight rather than just a pretty visual outcome, combining outer art mediums with an inner focus for healing, and so much more. Listen here! And speaking of all that art + intuition business, my Art-Making For Inner Awakening workshop starts next week! This 4-part video workshop is in celebration of my upcoming online course, Unleashed, which opens for registration on April 23rd. Making art is the most impactful way that I've found to cut out the noise and tune into my own inner voice, so I can learn to source my life from the inside rather than in reaction to what's happening on the outside. Susan Magsamen, author of the book Your Brain On Art (which is a super fascinating read, btw!) says this: “Art can create new neuropathways in the brain because this happens through experience. With high visual stimulation, if we see a lot of art or make a lot of art, we are growing — dramatically — parts of our brain, and it’s never too late to create an enriched environment, whether as the maker or the beholder in any art form.” and “We have relegated art to only entertainment or enrichment – not lifeblood or birthright. We want to put art at the center of our lives, not as something that would be nice to have.” Making art literally changes your brain. Change your brain, change your life, one piece of art at a time. Come join me in the workshop April 18-23 and I'll show you how you can start tapping into the power of this practice and the magic that can happen in your life if you use art intentionally as a tool for personal discovery, transformation, and self-care in your own life. You'll learn about alll the benefits and then get to practice a teeny bit for yourself! You in?
Until next time... Peace!
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Jessica Swift.
I'm an artist, surface pattern + fabric designer, author, mama, and online teacher in Portland, OR. I believe in the power of art-making as a tool for radical self-care. I help people feel a little bit brighter and a little bit less alone through the art and products I make, the words I write, and the classes I teach. Come join almost 10k people in my colorful, uplifting world!
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Hi Reader! The refrain-on-repeat in my house right now is "I'm sooooo excited for Christmas!". I wonder how many times I'll hear that between now and Christmas morning? 1,000? A million? Infinite? I still remember that feeling so well from when I was a kid – the bouncy, tangible anticipation so huge I could barely stand it. Waking up in the middle of the night on Christmas to sneak into the living room to stare at the presents under the tree in awe. Removing one torturous ring each day from...
Hi Reader, What a day here in the United States. I took myself for a long walk earlier today to absorb the news and to wrap my mind around the huge changes coming our way that will impact us in the months and years to come, both here in the USA and around the world. Wherever we each fall on the political spectrum, we're ALL on the human spectrum, and I think most of us can probably agree that there's a lot of darkness in the world right now. A lot of division in this country, and a lot of...