It was in December 2019 when I started my journey as a surface pattern designer. My designs have been printed in many different surfaces (phone cases, bags, coasters, postcards, stickers, hats, etc.) and bought by many wonderful people. I’m so grateful to all who supported my arts and my small business.
In June, I was happy to have my design on shoes. How exciting is that! These shoes are really cute and comfortable.
My design will be seen in a new product soon! You can find my designs on products here. Thanks so much for your support. Small businesses need people like you!
After returning from a family trip in Canada, I was basically just preparing three classes on Skillshare. It was tough. I thought that this is it. I will never make another class again! Although, I always think such things every time I’m in the process of making a class… 🙂
So I was really happy to have finished the month of July with three classes on Skillshare. Here they are:
Check out the class hereCheck out the class hereCheck out the class here
In the midst of this, I took a week off and went to Venice. It was in Venice when I received the news from Skillshare that my sticker class was given an award as an outstanding class. I was really really happy to be acknowledged this way. I felt my effort was worth it.
Coming home from holiday, I put together a Venice scrapbook and over the weekend, I designed 18 Kawaii food stickers that I will be printing out, cutting away and selling soon. I’m so excited and I really think they are so cute. But also, this is in preparation for another class on Skillshare that I will publish in September. I’m so excited!
Coming in September
So now I’m asking, “Is the summer getting over?” I can feel the air is getting cooler and of course, August is here. And in this first day of August, new ideas coming my way. I’ll let you know soon. Have a wonderful August and thank you for journeying with me!
Do you want to draw a fancy Pancake to share on Social Media or even to print out? I’m preparing a class on Skillshare where we can draw this together on an Ipad with the Procreate app. Please look forward to it. Thanks!
I’ve never regretted starting this journey 3 years ago! In November, I even ventured out and started to teach on Skillshare after receiving a grant from Arts Promotion Centre Finland. What more, I’ve became a more confident online graphic facilitator after a series of Webinars. Thanks to you all for your love and support!
To celebrate this third year, here is a short clip on how to make a quick stamp brush on Procreate as a token of thanks. Please enjoy learning with me! This will also be a bonus video in my next Skillshare class on how to design a bullet monthly journal template on Procreate. Please look forward to it. Thanks!
They say that COVID-19 will eventually come to an end. In my mind I kept asking when. Sadly, it is becoming normal for me. Wearing mask in public, washing and sanitising hands like crazy, careful what I touch, avoiding people, avoiding crowd seem to have become my standard way of living. I have learned to navigate and live with it and hoping that I won’t be infected. I don’t live in paranoia. I try to live as usual. But there are many exceptions to this, for example, I can’t just work on live settings or travel easily. But those too seem to have worked out. I overcame my fear of what will 2021 be while now, it has been replaced with what will 2022 be. However, in any case, 2021 was after all a good year!
How was your 2021? I’ll be happy to know. May 2022 be better!
Today is the day EV Visuals turned 2. I remember that application day and the days and months prior to it, wondering if it was the right move. Then over the next months of being established, I still questioned my decision. But now that EV Visuals is 2, I don’t anymore think about whether it was right or not because now I’m 100% certain that it was the perfect choice for 100 and 1 reasons. I’m very happy and thankful!
Everyone is talking about COVID-19. The disruption to the normal days is huge. Some people are understandably concerned about elderly or vulnerable relatives. Many entrepreneurs are worried about the financial consequences. Multiple work contracts are being cancelled at an alarming rate. The security of being fully booked over the next months has suddenly been replaced by great uncertainty about the future.
Some are looking on the positive side. They hope it might be a time of healing for the earth as there are less flight emissions and less air pollution from factories. Some even see it as an additional occasion to spend with the family, a moment for self-learning, for re-evaluation and even, an opportunity for the elusive, but much needed rest.
For me it brought multiple sides. Being an introvert and an entrepreneur who works mostly from home, the effect was subtle, almost difficult to describe. My small entrepreneur endeavour just turned a year old when the pandemic started. I was ready to apply what I learned over the past year and I was certain that this year will be better. My small business was being established. I had a line-up of work. And after all, Wuhan is far away from Helsinki.
By March, the borders were closed. Since most of my work involves travelling and the gathering of people, I knew that most of my work are cancelled. Any possibility of future work is now unforeseen. The present reality became overwhelming. I had to find the best way to manoeuvre in this new situation. However, as a visual practitioner, I know visuals have no borders. Visuals are not confined to the four corners of my flat. Visuals have spoken words. With these in mind, I created letterings with messages of hope. I drew fun illustrations to get to the lighter side of the pandemic. I made illustrations to portrait the heroism of the front-liners. I even drew hands to remind people of personal hygiene! Drawing each day gave me the peace and stability I needed. My illustrations gave me a way to communicate to the world.
Then I was asked to draw illustrations for COVID-19 prevention materials. Many resources are already published by international organisations but illustrations that will speak to the local context are needed to reach out to people who belong to the lesser known languages. These illustrations are now being used by different organisations as they produced COVID-19 materials for local languages.
In a very unexpectedly way, visual creation became my small contributions in times like this. Visuals speak in the days of COVID-19.
As a visual practitioner, what is your unique contribution in this time of crisis? How can your visuals reach out to others?
Do you allow yourself to use visuals as a form of communication?
— Malte von Tiesenhausen.
Many years ago, people were saying that handwriting is going to die soon. And I really believed it as I’ve noticed how my beautiful cursive handwriting was turning into full capital letters. I used to love composing handwritten letters on beautiful papers, then mailing them to the rest of the world. Then I stopped all together. Gone were the days of waiting for the postman, of smelling the scented stationeries, of admiring the stamps on the envelopes. Taking notes was all made on the computer too. Mind you, I can take notes verbatim on my computer. I can’t even recall having a notebook until I feel in love with a stationery covered in red leather that I saw in one shop in Bangkok. The year was 2011 and I knew I was back on. I started writing by hand again. I felt liberated. I felt I was on the right path. But, I was not there yet. At that time, I didn’t even know I was going somewhere.
Then slowly, my lined notebooks were replaced with sketchbooks. Instead of endless linear text, I was arranging my notes in different ways. Illustrations too became part of my note-taking. I went on visualising my thoughts and my ideas. I also started visualising recipes and my travel adventures. Then visualising spilled over to my role as a facilitator. Agendas and processes were presented in visuals. I visualised documents, organisational communication processes, talks, reflections and many different kinds of information, including CVs and self introductions. Communicating in a creative way through the process of arranging information visually has awaken my creativity. I was better at expressing myself. It was also very engaging. People responded to my visuals better than if I’ve written only in text. Workshop participants become more participative and inspired to be creative themselves. For most part, I don’t use my computer when I facilitate. I even stop using powerpoint.
Furthermore, my love for anything handwritten and hand drawn returned. I love illustrating cards and mailing them. My heart jumps for joy when I receive hand drawn pictures. I love composing handwritten notes. I would even love to send you one!
Where are you in your visual journey? Are you staying no to the death of handwriting?
EV Visuals 