Freshly squeezed optimism coming right up!

Hello fellow bloggers and followers! Well spring has arrived here on the West Coast :) Which means that a week of sunshine and heat is followed by a week of rain and cold. But no worries. Don't let the weather bring you down, cause you know that summer is right around the corner, right? And summer just happens to be my most favorite season – so I'm in good spirits right about now (and I hope you are too).

This past week I journeyed out of illustration hibernation into the real world to do some retail therapy on a cold and rainy Victoria day (long weekend).  I, of course, found myself drawn to Bath&Body Works. I don't know if it's just the smell of summer that draws me in, but I love their store layout, product packaging, and everything that seems to be geared towards a beach-bum-at-heart type like myself. If you haven't been in for a while, I'd recommend it highly. The candle scents bring me back to summers spent on the boardwalks in California. Good memories; good times = great marketing! What also makes me in such a great mood this week is that I received a cheque in the mail from the big illustration gig I landed. I love it when clients actually follow the "net 30 days" on their invoices :) Makes me love what I do even more (if that's possible).

Success doesn't happen overnight

When people tell you that the first two years after graduation are going to be challenging, you simply smile and think to yourself: how bad can it be? But one year after graduation, I'm getting a better picture of what they were talking about. It seems hard to find that perfect niche.

So here it is, one week into my new job and I'm already looking for other ways to pursue what I really want to do with my life: and that's to make illustrations/art for a living. Unfortunately illustration work (as opposed to graphic design work) requires another job to finance expenses. I'm hoping that I can at least work on building my client base. The last thing I want is to be trapped in a minimum wage job and lose sight of the bigger picture. I want to ensure that I am moving forward toward my goal. I guess the one good thing about this job is that it has forced me to get serious about my true passion. I'm hoping that sitting down and talking over coffee with some professionals in the business will help give me some perspective, and hopefully some pointers, on how to climb the professional ladder.

On a side note, I'm happy to announce that my illustration was chosen for Winsor & Newton's new limited edition ink packaging! If you want to see more of my recent projects, be sure to like my facebook page: Vivian Gerber

There's always time for tea time

First of all, happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays wherever you were. I enjoyed my time in the Caribbean, despite having to work long hours. Now I'm trying to settle back into a sort of routine. I have an upcoming interview that has prompted me to put together a design portfolio in addition to the illustration portfolio I already have. And my deadline? 3 days! So why am I taking the time to write a blog you might ask? Well, I've discovered that there's always time for tea time. Call it a sanity break, if you will. Sometimes it's a good idea to take a break and come back to a project with fresh eyes. While I was away working with Princess Cruises, I came upon this tea packaging and I thought I'd share it with you (as I sit here sipping on the tea).  Simply love the packaging!