Today’s show in tell is a story of my going to Nashville for Quiltcon in 2019 (I think it was, it was the before COVID times is all I remember). One of the most amazing things we did in Nashville was visiting Jack White’s Third Man Records. Not only was the interior as striking as the exterior, when we went on the studio tour we were shown all the woodwork done by a master builder who also did all the woodwork in Kenny Rogers’ studio. Now the photo is a little hard to see but it’s all I could find on the internet (they don’t allow you to take photos on the tour). Let’s just say it was absolutely amazing and it left me feeling, yes! Mastery, it’s something to aim for.
Spring forward to earlier this year listening to my favourite podcast, The Huberman Lab. I listen to it on Spotify but it’s also available on YouTube and all other major streaming platforms. I was listening to the interview with Cal Newport. I’m now reading his book Deep Work. In that interview they mentioned Robert Greene, which turned out to be one of my favourite interviews. I learned that he wrote a book called Mastery. Now I haven’t read that book YET but I have discussed it with my ADHD coach (did I mention I was diagnosed with ADHD last summer? Let’s just say things make a WHOLE LOT more sense now!) who has read it. I was really craving working one on one with someone and really wanting a mentor. I’ve taken enough online course to know it was time for a change. I didn’t want a whole group setting to get lost in again.
Then, low and behold, in pops this newsletter from Dylan M saying, hey I’m doing 1:1’s through Skillshare! I’ve been following Dylan since 2017 (I remember because I did a floral Skillshare class of hers). Below are my Zinnia Warrior Princesses (* wink!) I did from her class.
She does the dreamiest florals, fascinating lettering and most whimsical creatures. I’ve watched her talents grow from seeing her early gouache studies to her now amazing paintings. Her sketchbooks are to die for! She also does Cozy Painting retreats at her agent, Jennifer Nelson’s, Smiley Manse in Vermont! I’ve got it marked on my todo list! In a nut shell she’s done the work and she’s exceptionally concise and intuitive with the information she shares. Oh and she also does Human Design readings! But that’s for another post!
Okay so where am I going with all this…? Here I am craving to learn mastery and needing a mentor. Hello Dylan! Her call out about doing one to ones popped up in her newsletter and I reached out. Afterwards I sent her a message saying, hey I’m looking for a mentor, are you interested? We’ve been meeting twice each month since and I’ve also just registered for her Patreon. Oh so many goodies in there too!
Since I’ve taken so many online courses I feel like I have gathered all these bits of knowledge but I didn’t necessary understand how they all fit together. Dylan is helping me bridge those gaps. A big gap was how I was doing my portfolio and understanding what a sales sheet is. I have seen photos of them at trade shows but I still didn’t understand; if I’m not doing a trade show at the moment, why would I need to do my portfolio that way? Well, it’s the industry standard and understanding that I completely feel a big shift coming on how I do my work and create collections. In the mean time I had over 175 separate prints and illustrations I’ve been putting on to my very own sale sheets! Here’s a sneak peek at a few of them. I will soon be changing over my portfolio to password protected so enjoy this peek!
It’s been an exciting time and of growing pains, but I know in the end it will be totally worth it in learning mastery over my craft.
