MATS (Make Art That Sells with Lilla Rogers) - My process, progress, and releasing old negative patterns.

It's been an intense past three weeks, to say the least, with MATS5 going on. Three weeks already! I was super fortunate to have been able to register for this year's MATS (Make Art That Sells - with Lilla Rogers) and it's been a fantastic experience. Make yourself a cup of tea ;) and join me.

This initial post will be an overall review of my experience and what I was expecting prior to starting the class. I will be posting more detailed posts with lots of pics from the illustration process and will probably make my first Youtube vlog explaining it all!

I remember being online about two months ago and perhaps bumping into one of the reviews from other blogs and was immediately intrigued. I started seeing this amazing quality and body of work of fellow MATS alumni and was absolutely blown away and frustrated. Why was I frustrated? Because in terms of my art I have always felt that everybody else can and has always "done it better". What ever that means! This sense of insecurity that plagues many of us is really limiting. Our mind limits us because we let it.

Let me further explain with something that you should know about me. I have been practicing hatha yoga on and off since I was a teenager. I started to get really passionate about my practice last year and started taking private lessons with a neighbor who happens to be an amazing yoga teacher. Less than two months into my practice together with her I was able to do my first headstand. A headstand! My world was turned upside down, literally, and as a result I got this immense sense of clarity. I realized at that moment that getting past the fear meant being half way there! You need some core strength to prop your legs up and lots of focus to stay in the pose, but loosing that fear, that stupid, self-imposed sense of "I can't do this, it's too hard, I will fall", made it EASIER.

This same "ah-ha!" moment happened to me with Lilla. Our Fairy Art Mother. Her course is so structured, to the point, well-designed, and practical, that when it's paired with her constant motivation, words of wisdom, that fear of "I can't do this, it's too hard, I will fail", made it easier to find my art-self in the process. I can say that for the first time in my 30-something years of art making, I am starting hone in on my style. I'm seeing it. And people are starting to see it as well. Amazing. All thanks to Lilla. I will be forever grateful to you, magical art lady.

Let me tell you a bit about how the course works. There are two sections, A and B. Each lasts 5 weeks. Each week covers a different market. So far we've covered Bolt Fabric, Home Decor, and Children's Books Illustration. The latter has been the most challenging but the most rewarding week so far. I've loved it all, but I really pushed my limits (mental, self-inflicted limits) and I am ecstatic for having done so. I will write a post for each week, but here's a recap of the work I have created so far. This will be short and sweet for today, but stay tuned because I will be discussing each week in depth. :)

Children's Book Illustration:

Bolt Fabric:

Home Decor: