Aug 2022: CVNP & Mini Milestones

Hi friends - We survived the dog days of August with the help of some fun distractions & hitting a few life milestones. Here’s what has me high-fiving this month:

A trio of awesomeness near Cleveland, Ohio: Time in the outdoors is always good for my soul, so I took a quick trip to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. CVNP is Ohio’s only national park & full of cute waterfalls, train rides & rich history. I was a bit tricked by my weather app & what I thought was going to be a pleasant summer day, turned into a steamy one! After getting a workout on the Buckeye Trail, a cool refreshment was well earned, so I made my way to Hi-Ho Brewing Company. This cute brewery has a great variety on tap, a patio for sweaty patrons & the cutest t-shirt shop next door. The Social Department’s retail shop specializes in Cleveland area designs & their online shop has even more! (Think apparel to rep your love for pets, Bigfoot or beer.) I ended up with a new baseball themed tee, some Camp Pranks Hefe and some real happy camper vibes.

This month I’m also celebrating a milestone with the launch of my very first illustration portfolio! Toot! Toot! Confetti & more! I’ve been taking classes at RISD for graphic design for the past year, which have been awesome for expanding my understanding of design. But it was my time in Mike Lowery’s recent Getting Paid to Draw class that really helped me focus on how to pull together a portfolio. I know my portfolio is far from perfect & I’ll probably look at it in a year & think its garbage, but I’m going to rock the “progress over perfection” mindset & be happy for a hot second with where I’m at right now.