Snapshots / A+D

14_Antonio_b_12-72dpi 14_Antonio_b_16-72dpi 14_Damian_b_14-72dpi 14_Damian_b_34bw-72dpi 14_Antonio_b_67-72dpi 14_Antonio_b_28-72dpi 14_Damian_b_28bw-72dpi 14_AD_b_70-72dpi 14_Damian_b_16-72dpi 14_Damian_b_24-72dpi 14_Antonio_b_01-72dpi 14_Damian_b_12-72dpi 14_AD_b_65-72dpi 14_Antonio_b_25-72dpi 14_Damian_b_09-72dpi 14_Damian_b_10-72dpi 14_Antonio_b_24bw-72dpi 14_AD_b_78-72dpiThese babies, their faces…I can’t handle it. They melt my heart and make me crack up. I can’t look at these photos without wanting to give them a snuggle!

When their mom contacted me to do a photo shoot for the twin’s first birthday, I couldn’t have been more excited! We went to an apple orchard on a beautiful fall day. I had my sister and cousin come with to assist me and they did a fantastic job. Let’s just say that getting two twins to look at the camera and smile is no easy feat, but I love how you can see each of their personalities show through.

Cheers, the cuddly cuteness of babies.

 

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  • This week, you guys, like whoa. It totally kicked my butt. I’ve been battling a raging cold, going through some hard/sad family stuff, and scurrying to stay on top of that ever growing to-do list. And I’ve been trying to push through, like I’m invincible. . And I am exhausted. Go figure. . So friends, this is my PSA to you. Rest is a key component to cultivating our creativity. Our creativity (and self, for that matter) can not flourish if we are constantly focused on being more and doing more. You don’t have to be an overnight success, you don’t have to hustle 24/7, you can embrace your pace. Take some time this weekend to slow down, practice some self-care and give yourself permission to really rest. Your body, mind, and creativity will thank you for it, trust me. . And you’ll come back next week refreshed and refueled, ready to take on another week, ready to #createcourageously. . So tell me, how are you going to rest this weekend? For me, it’s lots of sleep, hot tea, and reading. What about you?
  • Popping in real quick today to encourage you to keep showing up and to never give up. Those negative voices are always trying to distract us and make us doubt ourselves. They cause resistance in us and sometimes even stop us from taking action and creating. . Not cool, I know. So how do we even begin to combat them?! . We push through. We acknowledge that those negative voices are stemming from fear. And we tell that fear that it can’t stop us. We gather our courage and we keep showing up. We let go of perfection, give ourselves oodles of grace and we never give up. We keep creating courageously . Raise your hand if you’re done letting those negative voices deter you from following that calling on your heart to create and if you are ready to #createcourageously. . My hand is so raised. We're in this together, friend.
  • Guess what, friends? We’ve made it to the first Friday of 2017! High five! . To celebrate, let’s get to know each other, so we can be the best of friends! . I’ll go first, k?! . Hey! I’m Kercia, I’m a brand designer and handletterer/illustrator, who has a heart for encouraging creatives to cultivate their creativity, so that they can #createcourageously. Most days you can find me signing off key to Broadway musicals, playing board games with my family, or making funny noises and goofy faces at my baby nephew. My hair is 90% dry shampoo, I wear my glasses all day, everyday and I laugh...a lot! . I dream of days that are filled with tons of creating, real and raw conversations, and too much coffee. I dream of opening an online print shop, filled with pretty little reminders to keep creating. And maybe even one day a brick and mortar shop where we sell art and hold creative workshops...a place that revolves around cultivating, creating, and connecting! . If there’s one that makes me giddy is watching as someone lights up when they talk about their passions. So tell me all the things, friend. Tell me all about your passions, your dreams, your work, your side-hustle or fulll time business. What inspires you? What fuels you? What dreams are you chasing in 2017?! . Or heck...just tell me what you’re doing this weekend. I want to know your dreams personally, so I can encourage you to keep chasing them! . So drop those dreams in the comments! And go...!
  • I know we are already 4 days into 2017, but I still wanted to wish you a happy new year! . . Here's to believing ourselves and cheering each other on. . Here's to saying YES to the things that light us up and no to the things that make us feel meh. . Here's to comparing less and connecting more. . Here's to chasing our big and wild dreams. . Here's to taking small steps towards our goals daily. . Here's to overcoming our doubts and fears and creating courageously. . Here's to creating because we were created to create. . Here's to choosing heart over hustle and friends over followers. . Here's to embracing our pace and learning from our mistakes. . Here's to living to intention and focusing on self-care. . Here's to transparency and vulnerability, even when it's hard and scary. . Here's to whatever 2017 brings us—come challenges or celebrations—may we stand firm in love and always give grace upon grace. . . Cheers to the new year, friends! I'm so excited to keep encouraging you to cultivate your creativity, so that you can create courageously and make your goals happen in 2017!
  • Hey friends, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break! I meant to post this before signing off but alas, the last minute shopping and wrapping beckoned. But I still wanted to share because even though Christmas is over we can still spread holiday cheer, right? . So, let’s continue to remember that ‘tis the season for rest and reflection. . ‘tis the season for being present. . ‘tis the season for peace and love. . ‘tis the season for embracing our limits and accepting the moment as it is. . ‘tis the season for grace, not perfection. . ‘tis the season for holding our loved ones close. . and most of all ‘tis the season for celebrating and praising the light of the world! . So maybe, it’s always the season for these things! .Either way I’m wishing you and yours a very merry (belated) Christmas my dear friends! I’m so thankful for each and every one of you! I’m so excited to cheer you on in 2017! I just know you are going to keep creating courageously!
  • Earlier this month I had the most amazing chat with Lauren from @gritandglitterco and gosh, darn my heart was so full. We talked about creating courageously and what that looks like. . When she asked me what my biggest fear was I had a hard time coming up with an answer because there were too many to pick from. From a fear of failure to a fear of judgment to a fear of not being good enough, my fears pop up Whack-O-Mole style. When I shut one down, another pops up. . After giving it some thought, I told her that my biggest fear is being found out. The fear of having fingers point at me—accusing me of not being a real artist—has kept me hidden and paralyzed for so long. I told her that I was fearful that someone would come and look at the pile of sketches on my floor and say ‘You’re kidding, right? You think you’re a handletterer? You think you can draw? Think again, Kercia.’ . This is my longest standing and most deeply rooted fear. It’s the fear that drives my perfectionism. It’s the fear that robs me of so much joy. And it’s the fear that keeps me hiding. . From a young age, I felt that desire to create deep in my heart. But with that came a constant second-guessing of my skills, a persistent doubt that made me wonder if I would ever be good enough to be an artist when I grew up. . Even today, I still have these thoughts. Some days I feel like an imposter. Some days I forget that I was created to create. . But no matter how hard those days are, I will always continue to be courageous. Because if there is one thing I know full well, it’s that I was created to create. And showing up is fall the battle. . Creating courageously is a constant determination to continue despite the fears. We have to be continuously looking our fears in the eye and telling it “I hear you, I acknowledge you. I understand your concern. But I’m going to do this anyways. Courage is going to take over now.” . And then you create. And you keep creating. Again and again. You feel the fear and choose to #createcourageously anyways. . P.S. For the rest of the conversation with Lauren, you’ll have to tune into the Grit and Glitter podcast on Jan. 18th!
  • In my last post, I admitted that I am finally taking my business seriously. But what I didn’t tell you is how much making that decision felt like I was taking a leap into the unknown and how much that terrified me. . I wanted a guarantee. I wanted the timing to be perfect. I wanted to feel prepared and I wanted to be ready. I wanted a fool-proof plan and clear directions, so I could avoid all mistakes and mishaps. . But here’s the thing: There is no guarantee our dreams will work out, there is no perfect time; it will never be perfect. Mistakes and mishaps, well, those are obviously unavoidable. The good news is, though, that they are paramount in helping us discover which way to go. . That’s why we have to jump in. We have to get our hands dirty. We have to learn and explore, so we can find what works for us and what doesn’t. We have to be okay with making mistakes and maybe even failing. We have to stop peering over the edge, wondering what could be. We have to jump into the unknown. . We have to show up and say “I don’t know the way and I’m terrified because I don’t know if this to going to work out. But I trust that my heart is leading me and am determined to figure it out along the way.” . Gosh, that takes a lot of trust, doesn’t it? As scary as the unknown is, we have to trust the journey. . So here's to trusting the journey, jumping into the unknown and developing our wings on the way down!
  • Guys, I seriously can not stop doodling plants these days. And it’s got me thinking maybe it’s because I’m in a season of growth and change. . A few months ago, I decided to do this thing called Take Your Business Seriously. And whoa, has it been quite the journey! . There have been doubts, there have been tears, there have been moments of panic and moments of paralyzing fear. And honestly, there have been times when I wondered if my dreams were even worth exploring. I wondered if I had the capacity to actually make them happen. . But there has also been moments of insane clarity and of pure joy. Moments where I felt in my heart flip flop, confirming I was headed in the right direction. Moments where I have literally said out loud to no one but myself, “How were you even questioning yourself yesterday? You know in your heart of hearts this is where you are meant to be. Trust it.” . And I think this is what the true creative journey looks like. It’s not always successes and masterpieces. A lot of the time it looks messy; it feels scary, like you are dipping your toes into the unknown, unsure if it’s going to work out. But you keep exploring, and practicing, and learning because you feel that pull to create. . And that, my friends, is where growth happens. Persevering through the push and pull of resistance and curiosity is what it takes to grow and change. And you betcha that is what it looks like to #createcourageously. . And so alas, I’m drawing plants nonstop because I’ve been feeling like I’m finally sprouting...Well, it’s either that or because Winter has finally shown up here in Minnesota and I’m missing all the plants. . Either way, I don’t think I’ll be stopping drawing plants any time soon! In the same way, I hope you continue to create courageously, friends!

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Remember you were created to create. Stop doubting yourself, let go of that perfection and just make.

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