It’s been a while since I last wrote about art stuff, and there is a good reason for that: I haven’t been making a lot of it lately. After spending the winter months engrossed in projects, I found myself completely out of steam in the spring. I simply didn’t feel called to create art. There was a part of me that felt guilty about it; dedicating a few hours to art on my days off from work had become a routine, which in turn gave it a feeling of being “productive work” which in turn created guilt around not engaging in it. I know, now, that this is an unhelpful and damaging way to approach creative endeavours, so I try to stop myself. Instead of beating myself up for not wanting to work on an art project, I try to give myself permission to enjoy the other things I feel called to do – whether that is reading a book, going for a walk, or (as lately has been the case) working on house projects.

What I have had to remind myself, again and again, is that I didn’t choose to reduce my (paid) work hours in order to take on a “side hustle” (aka turning my passion into paid work). I did it so I could have more time for myself and my family, away from the pressures to maximize (monetize) every waking hour. To stop and smell the roses, literally and figuratively.

So I’m making peace with the fact that, in this current moment, I am not expressing my creative energies by making art. Instead, my creativity is finding other outlets – fashion (of course), home design, gardening. I might not be creating beautiful things, but I am creating a beautiful life. Reminding myself of that helps me to live with intention and gratitude.

But all that being said, I did eke out a few bits and pieces this spring.

This necklace was inspired by cherry blossoms, one of my favourite things in springtime.

These earrings were a sort of companion piece to a necklace I made a few months ago, on an abstract water lilies theme. The design was organically inspired by the shape of the wire-and-fringe earrings I thrifted and upcycled for this.

I also dabbled a bit with painting again. I keep thinking about doing very large canvases slashed with bold colour, but when it comes down to it, I tend to chicken out. I did try to be a little more adventurous and loose with my use of colour for this one, but I still think I played it too safe.

As far as embroidery goes, I revisited an old design – my Klimt-inspired florals. I gave it a rainbow twist this time, just going wild with the colours.

I also finished a hoop commissioned by a friend last year. It was a special piece meant to celebrate her granddaughter’s Ukrainian heritage. This one meant a lot to me, for many reasons, and I was thrilled that she was pleased with the result (and hopefully her family will be as well).

As for the rest of the year, I don’t know what I’ll be doing. I’m going to play it by ear. I have signed up for maker’s market this fall, but I am thinking I may bow out because I’m not mentally prepared for it and I don’t know whether I will be in time to properly prepare for it. To be continued …

Details: H&M top (Poshmark), Second Female sweater (thrifted), Isabel Marant belt (thrifted), COS pants (thrifted), Ash sneakers (thrifted)

Thoughts: I am loving crop tops right now. I think it’s because I’m very into high waisted bottoms (skirts and paperbag waist pants, especially) which are a perfect pairing for crops. What I most like about this combination, I think, is that it allows me to play with proportions and invert my long-torso/short-legs body shape. I enjoy looking leggier than I am, haha.

Details: Zara tee (Poshmark), Liz Claiborne dress (thrift), Barbara Barbieri shoes (thrift)

Thoughts: I wore this to take my kids to the fairground (one of those mall parking lot affairs) and it seemed “on them”, so to speak. This remains my favourite dress, and I enjoy wearing it as a skirt too — especially since it allows me to wear a regular bra (something that would be difficult otherwise given the spaghetti strap situation of the dress). Plus, it’s extra versatile!

Details: Pink Tartan dress (thrifted), Gap shirt (thrifted), Stuart Weitzman shoes (thrifted), brutalist brooch (thrifted)

Thoughts: I wanted to switch things up a bit with this dress, so I decided to try layering it. It worked pretty well; I do like the extra drama which the sleeves bring here.

Details: Oak & Fort blouse (Poshmark), Twik skirt (thrift), vintage silver buckle belt (Poshmark), Barbara Barbieri shoes (thrift)

Thoughts: I am obsessed with this belt I found on Poshmark — it’s just stunning. I’m super into turquoise stones at the moment, plus the vibe really suits my summer 2022 aesthetic. I think I may be leaning towards a southwestern vibe more than I originally anticipated. White and aqua are the perfect summer combo for me – they feel so fresh andbreezy.

Details: Wilfred dress (thrift), Obakki jacket (swap), Zara crop top (thrift), Napoleoni shoes (thrift), Anna Paola bag (consignment), Rafael Alfandary necklace (ebay)

Thoughts: I put this dress back into rotation for the summer, because the style is very suitable to my current Jo March-inspired aesthetic (especially as a layering dress) and the colour is a good neutral. I do wish it was slightly longer. Funnily enough, I had been using it in the past couple of years as the backdrop for all my jewelry photos; I didn’t think I would be wearing it as a dress again, but here we are. I’m definitely glad I kept it. Ditto for this crop top that’s a bit too cropped for regular wear — it makes for an interesting (layering) boob halter 🙂

Details: Wilfred top, Talbots skirt, Debew poncho (all thrifted); Manolo Blahnik shoes (ebay)

Thoughts: I love love love this skirt, and had to give it at least one try before putting it away till fall. It has such a 90s silhoutte and pattern, which is perfect for my fall 2022 plans (mostly, a continuation of my spring style, heavily influenced by vintage Ralph Lauren). Spoiler alert: I also think it will be a perfect match for the floral Talbots sweater I got not too long before. This Wilfred top on the other hand? Chalk it up as a loss; it’s too scratchy for me, so I will be passing it on.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt (Poshmark), Cartonnier pants (thrift), selfmade necklace, Chie Mihara shoes (thrift)

Thoughts: I adore the patchwork pattern of this RL shirt, but I have to confess that I am struggling a bit with styling it. I think the sleeves are part of what’s throwing me off; I will roll them up a bit next time. And try again, of course. Still, I did not hate this outfit; in fact, I was quite pleased with how the stripe (pants) on stripe (shirt) action turned out.

The last time I wrote about Jo March, Style Icon, was January 2020, shortly after the release of Little Women. In so many ways, a simpler time. It marked the beginning of my love of vests and waistcoats, which endures. But as I was looking around for inspiration for my summer 2022 style adventures — and having a hard time visualizing my ideas — guess who popped back into mind?

Jo March.

Okay, so a lot of the outfits she wears in the most recent movie are more fall/winter than summer, but bear with me. My spring looks have been heavily leaning into the Historian avatar (inspired by my obsession with all things Ralph Lauren), but for summer, I feel like I need to pull more towards the Bohemian again. For the past 2 years, my Bohemian avatar has been centered around colour and pattern (key word: eclectic maximalism), both things I still enjoy, but I want to make a bit of shift now towards something softer and more romantic. Some of Ralph Lauren’s prairie/boho pieces fall in line with this aesthetic which I continue to struggle to articulate — I’ve seen the term “high country” used in a few places, but I’m not sure if it’s well defined enough. I’ve never been a fan of Wuthering Heights but when I say “romantic” in this context, that’s what I mean: gothic romance that’s all about wild, wind-swept places not dark forests and creepy castles. Think billowy nap dresses not sharply tailored black.

Now, you might say: what does Jo March have to do with it? And I’m sorry, but my brain works in mysterious ways. The heroine I see in my mind’s eye populating my prairie gothic romance would dress a lot like Jo March. Long skirts (or dresses), flowy robes, cropped jackets, waistcoats, Edwardian style blouses, roughhewn fabrics (heavy cotton, linen) mixed with soft ones (velvet, silk), patchwork, a little bit shabby chic, not too buttoned-up.

In general, I feel like I find my footing once I have a clear “character” in mind for my avatar. For the Historian, that character has been Diana Bishop in recent years. I have a very clear idea of what Diana would wear (in my opinion) and that’s helpful to me in visualizing and choosing my own outfits (when I want to tap into that avatar’s style). And, maybe, Jo March will become that character for my Bohemian avatar this summer.

There are definitely some common elements between my spring and summer style, but the latter takes those elements and loosens them up a bit – quite literally, I need looser/airier layers for summer. Less blazers, more robe-like duster coats. Less wool, more linen. You get the idea … hopefully.

Here are a few inspo photos I’ve been saving up:

As I mentioned, I think a lot of my current clothes will work nicely with this new direction, and I have a fairly short list of items I will be looking to add (secondhand, of course) to my closet to complement them. This includes: a white cotton prairie-style maxi skirt or possibly dress (airy but not see-through), a patterned silk waistcoat, a floaty robe-style long duster or two (could be dresses, as long as they’re the kind that button all the way down so they can be worn open), and some boho-style wide belts. I’ve starting keeping a written list of things I’m hoping to thrift — both for summer but also, looking ahead, for fall — in the hopes of manifesting my luck or, at least, keeping myself focused on these things (and ignoring other cute stuff that might distract me, always a danger with thrifting).