Are you ready to dip your toes into the world of digital artwork, but feeling a little intimidated? Fear not, my friend! In fact, my Apple Pencil sat in my junk drawer in its perfect white packaging for 2 years before my digital art journey began, so I understand what it feels like to put off trying something new. As a seasoned digital illustrator (okay, maybe "seasoned" is a bit of an exaggeration), I'm here to share my top 5 tips for beginners who want to start creating digital artwork. Let's get started! 1. Get the tools you need First things first, you'll need a drawing tablet, a stylus p ..read more

There are a lot of children’s growth chart ideas out there but here’s a simple hack to take yours to the next level. Easily transform your kids growth chart/height board into a tree with only a shelf and some plants. What You Need: A growth chart. You can buy one or get crafty and make it yourself (easy DIY instructions below). Tip: Brown is a good option because it looks the most tree-like. A floating shelf. I recommend one that matches your growth chart. Plants. Instructions: Install the shelf directly above the measuring chart. Decorate with plants and voila! https://video.wixstatic.co ..read more

Sharing your work as a creator has never been easier, but it often doesn’t feel that way! In many cases it takes the same amount of time and effort to promote your art as it does to create it in the first place. In order to get the most out of your Instagram account, you’ll need to incorporate a healthy mix of grid posts, Stories, Reels, Live and Instagram Video. Below I’ve included 50 Story/Reel ideas to help get you started! They were written with Instagram in mind but many can be used across other social/content channels (e.g. TikTok, YouTube, used for blog articles, etc.) Workspace Tour ..read more

Maybe you’re just starting to think about selling your art and aren’t sure where to begin, or perhaps you’ve been at it for a while and are looking for ways to generate more revenue. Whatever stage you're at, I’ve outlined my top strategies that have brought me the most financial success as a digital illustrator in hopes that they will help you grow your creative business. Disclaimer: If you’re looking for quick and dirty tips, or gimmicky shortcuts, keep looking because you’re not going to find those here! 1. I found my niche If you’re trying to appeal to everyone, you’ll appeal to no one. Z ..read more

We were at Home Depot standing in line to buy a fake traditional Christmas tree when my husband said, “I’m surprised you want a regular tree, I thought you’d want something weird.” After pretending to be offended, I realized he was right and we didn’t buy the tree after all. Instead we made our own Christmas Cactus and you can too! What You Need Home Depot: PVC pipe (black, 3-inch diameter): 2 - 5-foot pipes 2 - 45-degree elbows 2 - Wyes 1 toilet flange (make sure it fits a 3-inch PVC pipe inside) Something to use as the base to keep the tree from tipping over (you can use a large piece o ..read more

My affair with Instagram started in July 2020 when I created my art account (@mishimooodesigns). Like many relationships, we started as friends. I’d share a new design every once in a while, I’d get a few likes from my close friends and family, and I’d go on with my day. However, as my art business evolved, so did our relationship. Today I’m ready to admit that Instagram is my secret lover. Here are the tell-tale signs: I spend time with it whenever I can slip away from my family, even if it’s only for a few minutes. I receive validation in the form of engagement/growth. Hello dopamine! I kn ..read more

Hear me out! There’s a minimalist clothing challenge called Project 333 where you choose 33 items from your wardrobe (including shoes, outerwear, and accessories), and dress yourself with only those items for 3 months. I don’t know that I ever would have agreed to this until I realized that I had inadvertently accepted this challenge while I was pregnant. When you’re expecting, clothing options are limited to say the least. Here are my biggest takeaways from this experience: 1. Less options = less stress (we make thousands of decisions each day, so it’s nice to not let trivial ones, like what ..read more

I didn’t go to art school and am often humbled by so many talented artists. I would think to myself that they have more talent, more creativity, more clients, more followers (okay, a lot more), more experience, are classically trained, have money to advertise, and the list goes on. I’ve also feared that all the people who I’ve convinced I’m an artist will wake up and realize that I’m not. Ugh, Impostor Syndrome strikes again. Impostor Syndrome (according to Webster's Dictionary): "A psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one's abilities or accomplishments ..read more

If you’re selling (or hoping to sell) anything on Instagram then you’re likely aware that there are a lot of growth strategies, unspoken rules, and hacks out there to help promote your brand. Here are some of my personal favourites: Don’t post more than once a day but also post as often as you can to grow your account, but also wait longer so that each post is seen as more valuable. Stick to a consistent colour palette but also mix things up so your posts don’t get boring. Don’t over hashtag but also use the maximum number of 30 hashtags per post, but also use 0 hashtags so Instagram is more ..read more

We’ve all seen it. The perfect home in 50 shades of grey (literally, the entire house is grey). Grey vases, decorative grey balls displayed in a grey dish, a perfectly tousled throw blanket draped across the bed or couch as if it wasn’t staged, and black/white artwork on the walls to perfectly match the aesthetic. For many people, this is the goal - a house as curated as their gorgeous Instagram feed, but to be honest, that’s not for me. And maybe I’m just jealous because my floors are covered in fluorescent ABC tiles, and I’m pretty sure there’s peanut butter on my wall, but more likely it’s ..read more