Tag Archives: joanna baker

Wednesday Wishlist…

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Happy middle of the week! We’re half way there =) I’m loving all the off-the-shoulder blouses trending this summer, they’re so feminine and pretty! I stumbled upon this look by Caitlin from Dash of Darling and just had to sketch. Lace + eyelet + pale blues + feather whites = perfection. Here are some other off-the-shoulder lovelies I found and have been adding to my summer wish list!

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Blogger Inspired…

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Some outfit inspiration to brighten your Thursday! I can’t quite remember how I came across Jenny’s blog, Margo & Me… it probably happened when I found her on Instagram and started obsessing over all the amazing retro looks! I’m loving this yellow-palazzo-pants-and-crop-top look… not sure I’d be able to pull this off but how fabulous is she?!

Catch up on her newly designed blog here and get ready for endlessly beautiful looks popping up in your feed when you follow her on Instagram. Happy almost weekend!!

~Joanna <3

My First Show…

renegade2-joanna-baker-smallMy Renegade Craft Fair day is over and I’m still wiped! It was a lot of fun and a ton of work to prepare. The day started off a bit crazy weather-wise, but we made it through and it was not only a good learning experience but a great success! I think next time I might try for two days to make all the work worth it, but here’s the low down…

We arrived around 8:20ish in the morning after pulling a near all nighter to get things packaged up. (I had what seemed like a billion snafu’s getting everything ready… including a printer melt down) My friend Kristin was amazing and helped me finish the final touches and stayed with me the entire day of the fair. Thanks K!!

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I had the sweetest booth buddy, Ashley of Poko Jewelry. She brought a tent that we could both share. The fair opened at 11:00AM but around 10:30 while we were setting up shop, the skies opened up and it started to rain. Along with that, big gusts of wind threatened all of our tents and I had a moment of thinking everything would just blow away and we’d have to go home. But around noon the rain stopped and by 1:00PM the sun was shining and the park was packed with happy shoppers.

It was so wonderful to meet people in person and be able to share my work in a public setting for the first time. I just wished I had more sleep from the night before! My NYC cards flew like hot cakes and got lots of laughs which was fun. Everyone seemed to have a favorite print and it was interesting to see what people liked best. My city dogs were definitely a hit, along with anything flamingo. And I’m sure national donut day had a thing or two to do with the popularity of my donut illustrations =) I made notes of things people wish I had, like the Eiffel Fleur print on a journal or the NYC illustrations in an 8×10 print.  It was great to get instant customer feedback so I can prepare for next time!

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Overall it was a fun event (with great food!) and I definitely want to go back to the Renegade Pop Up Shops another Saturday this month so I can experience it as a shopper. It’s a wonderful opportunity for artisans and makers and I can only hope I get accepted into the holiday show later on this year! Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth and for all the wonderful feedback. It gives me a boost to keep moving forward and figure out my next move!

Hope you have a wonderful sunny start to your week, I’ll be posting my latest products that debuted at the fair in my shop shortly. Stay tuned!!

~Joanna <3

About Cannes…

cannes-gowns-joanna-baker2Watching all the coverage of the Cannes film festival pop up on social media has definitely been the fashion highlight of my week… there were so many sparkly dresses! And I’m obsessed with these column gowns with full side skirts from Zuhair Murad. Petra and Chanel looked absolutely stunning in theirs while Karlie made an entrance in blue Oscar de la Renta. I never tire of sketching gorgeous gowns!

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I hope you have a wonderful long weekend! Relax, rest up, and enjoy some sunshine =)

~Joanna <3

Behind the Scenes…

behind-the-scenes-1-joanna-bakerHappy Tuesday! I’ve been busy working on prepping for the fair but thought I’d take a moment and share a bit about the behind the scenes stuff… the stuff that happens when you quit your full time job and take a leap of faith…

I can’t believe it’s been four months now since I left my corporate fashion job. There have been so many emotions that have gone along with it and getting used to a new way of living and working is still a work-in-progress. I feel like I’m far from figuring it out but I do know that I’m headed in the direction of something that makes me happy!

Some of my favorite things so far about freelancing:

1. Being able to prepare and eat healthier meals — this seems simple but having the time to grocery shop and plan to eat a proper breakfast, lunch, and dinner makes a huge difference in my overall well-being!
2. Setting goals and having the freedom to work at my own pace to achieve them — I’ve always worked best when I understand what’s expected of a project, know the deadline, and then am left alone to prioritize and get the job done. Freelancing definitely feels right in that sense.
3. Having the flexibility to schedule things in the middle of the day — this makes going to doctor and dentist appointments so much easier!
4. Taking on more custom illustration projects that make me happy — my greatest joy so far in all of this is getting to work with lovely new customers to create unique pieces of art for them. I love packaging up an original creation and sending it off to it’s new home knowing that someone is super excited to get it on the other end or send it as a special gift!

Some of the things I’m still getting used to:

1. Not having a team of people to bounce ideas off of — it’s been an adjustment not having someone else to turn around and ask a question or see what they think about something… I do ask Junebug a fair amount but she doesn’t seem to have too many opinions about my work or business goals =)
2. Feeling connected to coworkers and working towards a shared goal — there is definitely something to be said about everyone working together to get something done. Freelancing is often a one person show and it can be isolating. It helps to reach out via e-mail or in person to other artists and freelancers. Even making a simple connection through Instagram helps to keep that human interaction alive.
3. Not knowing who/what/where I will work next and taking opportunities as they come — this is all still new to me and right now I’m getting a feel for the amount of work, type of work, and how to keep more consistent work.
4. Having to advocate for myself 24/7 and consistently putting myself out there — I feel like I’m either actively working on or thinking about some aspect of my business every waking minute. When it’s all up to you, figuring out how this will all work consumes your thoughts. This is both really exciting and really terrifying! I try to balance out these thoughts with a healthy dose of perspective, getting out, going for a walk, running unrelated errands, etc. but I’ll be the first to admit that these thoughts are a beast to wrangle with.

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I have to remind myself that some amazing things have happened in these past four months. I’ve had some wonderful Instagram features from Essie, Birchbox, Copic Markers, Carolina Herrera, and Bergdorf Goodman, I have built and launched my own online store with brand new illustrated stationery and gifts, I got accepted into Renegade Craft Fair and will be debuting all my work for the first time ever in public on June 6th. (So excited for this!!) These things may seem small, but it’s the little things that eventually add up or lead to bigger things. And even though I don’t know what the future looks like exactly, I have to continue leaping and know that what I’m doing will add up to something great!

I hope you have a wonderful, productive week and if you’d like to see more behind the scenes photos, be sure to follow me on Instagram =)

~Joanna <3