2018 Catch up - November
Some months plod by and you barely notice them pass.
November 2018 was nothing like this. It was a month of huge ups and downs, and looking back on it now, I wonder how it all managed to happen in just 30 days.Firstly, work was a huge high. I was producing on a new event, with a new client and new agency and although there were a few moments where I worried about what I'd got myself into, it all went so well. It was the biggest event I've worked on, with new elements and a completely different way of working. I loved it. The team were amazing, supportive and just plain lovely and the whole thing was a brilliant experience. I have every finger crossed that I'll get to work on it again!Secondly, while I was onsite for work, in the middle of the client rehearsal, I got the call that I had been completely prepared for and expecting, but still hit me for six. My amazing, wonderful and kind Gran had finally lost her battle with dementia. I really can't explain the huge sense of loss I felt when I realised I would never be able to speak with her again.I don't want to dwell on this here, Gran would never want that, instead I can tell you that she would say to dust yourself off, get back on your feet and keep going. So that's what I did and that's what I'll do now.I arrived back from being onsite, to a skip in the driveway. I had ordered it, so it wasn't a huge surprise! We were finally ripping out our 20 year old kitchen. Little did I know, that this would lead to over a week without a sink, about a fortnight with no oven or hob, and that it would take until January/February to finally be finished! (Ok, almost finished, we're still missing a cupboard door and a couple of handles...)Lastly, my art. My Christmas cards were ready and printed in early October, so they were selling happily as the ramp up to Christmas began. However, my Mum put the cat amongst the pigeons somewhat when she requested a 2019 calendar... in November. It was something I'd thought about before, but had always managed to procrastinate long enough to push it to the back of the queue. Now I had a just few weeks to pull one together in time for Christmas.After sifting through all of my illustrations, I found some months were already covered (phew), but some others would need new illustrations. So where better to start than November itself.
Nothing beats snuggling up with a good book and hot chocolate on a chilly November day, so this one was quite quick to tick off the list! The other missing months were surprisingly non-stressful to get started (except September, but let's not go over that again!), so the calendar was no where near as big a beast as I'd imagined it to be.As we got towards the end of November, I could finally start one of my fav Christmas traditions - watching all of the Harry Potter movies. As soon as Hedwig's Theme starts playing, I start to feel all wintery and cosy, perfect for the lead up to Christmas. Seeing the Great Hall festooned with giant Christmas trees and swirling snow makes me want to dig out the decs and get into the swing of the festive season.
In between my calendar illustrations, I managed to add a few Luna paintings into my sketchbook. The below, Luna with her Spectrespecs illustration, just so happens to be available to buy as a print here in my etsy store and I'll hopefully add my Luna Patronus illustration soon!
In November, it's easy to believe in magic. With the dark nights closing in, autumn leaves on the ground and fireworks in the sky. The smell of bonfires fills the start of the month, then the scent of cinnamon and mulled wine slowly takes over as the festive spirit sets in.What a month.