6 months

loosen up

A couple of months ago, I offered a sale on Instagram (@robindanely, if you're so inclined) for the kind of quick study I usually do as practice before the finished piece. I figured out that I like to do these the most, since they are usually devoid of the hair-pulling that can accompany the Real Thing. Somehow I can let them be more impressionistic and less precise, and I can stop before I overwork them and kill everything that makes them interesting.

So, basically, this is what I have to do to psych myself out of my perfectionism so I can enjoy what I'm doing. 

Here's the first one:

I'm so please with the way it turned out... the colors are soft, the brushstrokes expressive and uncomplicated. Honestly I think sometimes I just luck out and everything comes together. 

(And also, to be fair, this was an absolutely dreamy image to work with -- the light! That coy half-smile!)

I'm excited to do more, so don't be shy if you want one of your very own. 

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thirds

There have been some other interesting developments around here... 

That's five months of baby right there! We are all very excited, especially Auden & Isla, who, it's safe to say, have no idea what they're in for. Those of us who do know are tempering our excitment with denial and anxiety. 

I have been wanting a third baby since Isla was a toddler, even though I couldn't admit it at the time -- I would repeatedly talk myself out of an urge that seemed rooted in utter craziness. Since then, after three more moves -- two of which were international -- I'm starting to feel like craziness might actually be an asset, not a deterrent. 

So here we are! Looking forward to meeting the newest Danely in January.

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