Note To Self – the complete first series

Sometimes we need a little (or a lot of) encouragement or a gentle reminder or love or swift injection of motivation … and as hard or as easy as it may be, I think sometimes that sentiment is best when come from Self.

A little while ago I wrote about the beginning of this hand-printed postcard series – now I can share with you the complete collection in the first series of my Note to Self postcards.

Each card has been hand-printed, front and back … hand-printed with a sense of fun, joy, love and hope that the person holding the card will enjoy their own ‘note to self’ moment to get them to the next step or space along their own way. And each card is essentially unique … the sentiments have been printed on multiple cards, but the backgrounds of each card are monoprinted, so no two cards are the same.

Not all Note to Self sentiments will be relevant or pertinent all the time; some will resonate with people more than others; and some won’t make any sense. And that’s ok. I have my own meaning and thoughts around each sentiment, and you will have your own. I have shared below my thoughts; I would love to hear yours.

I hope they inspire you to create your own Note to Self cards.

The cards below are available to buy from my studio or online. Or … consider coming along to my new Note to Self Postcard Printing workshop.

There are 12 cards in the first ‘Note to Self’ series release.

Share with generosity

I think that ‘sharing’ is a fundamental activity for all living things … be it sharing resources, knowledge, information, things, love, food, skills, time and more. Imagine how much more joyful, precious and fulfilling life would be if everything we shared was shared with a spirit of genuine, heart-felt generosity; with no expectation of anything in return, no feeling threatened by someone else’s ability or territory, no sense of needing to withhold something for fear of copy or imitation. I love to share my printmaking skills and my studio with students excited to learn … and I aim to do that with a sense of generosity underlying each gesture and workshop and opportunity. Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my Share with Generosity postcards.

Celebrate Your Wins

How often do you stop and celebrate your own wins? Small wins, big wins? I mean … CELEBRATE them! Do a little (or big) happy dance; pat yourself on the back; bask in moments of your own glory. Sometimes what may seem to others to be the smallest of achievements can be the biggest win for You! Celebrate it. Rejoice it! No matter how small or big or in-between … do your own little happy dance and celebrate. Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my Celebrate Your Wins postcards.

Come From Love

I learned this sentiment from a dear friend (Kelly, that’s you xx) … when I feel hurt or let down or frustrated or disappointed by someone, or some-thing, I try to approach the situation from a position of love, not anger or resentment. We don’t always know or understand the motivation behind someone’s actions, but coming from a space of love and make the world of difference. That doesn’t mean there isn’t pain, but coming from a space of love helps me approach the situation with empathy and compassion. It isn’t always easy, and sometimes doesn’t work, but it does help me keep perspective and maintain a level of maturity in what could otherwise be a difficult or heated situation. Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my Come from Love postcards.

Create the Space

Physical space … mental space … pause, a space between words. I have learned, in a very long and hard way, to create space … space for my thoughts, space to create, space to breathe; and I learned that it was Me who had to create that space myself. For so many years I filled my head with so many thoughts and worries that there was no space to stop and take in what was around me. I didn’t have nor make the space to create, spend time with friends and loved ones or nurture myself. My head was so full there wasn’t room for anything else. So, I started small, literally with a corner of the kitchen table and permission to stop and play and create. I admit it was hard, mixed with all sorts of conflicted feelings around self-worth and what was important and what wasn’t. Now, after many years of slow space-clearing, I have space inside my head and around me in my physical world. ‘Space’ is relative and means different things to different people, but we all need it. Create the space … you need it, and you are worthy of it. Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my Create the Space postcards.

Give Yourself Time

And as much as we need Space … we also need Time! Time to stop, listen, read, speak, walk, breathe, grieve, dance, celebrate, create, eat, sleep, learn, laugh, prepare a meal, observe, play, wonder … time. We have created a culture of haste and automation, where instant results are expected and we seem to have lost our sense of patience and tolerance. And as adults I think we divide our time in a very unbalanced way between things we think are ‘important’ and ‘not important’. Maybe, in the busy, those things we considered ‘not important’ are really more important than we realised. Give yourself the gift of time … give yourself the permission to give You time. Time is a finite resource, we need to use it wisely. Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my Give Yourself Time postcards.

You’ve Got This

We are stronger and more resilient that we give ourselves credit for! No matter how hard or challenging or impossible you think it is … you’ve got this! And even when you think you haven’t … you really do! Believe it. Say it. You’ve got this! Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my You’ve Got This postcards.

Stop Overthinking It

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory! Stop the worry. Stop filling your head with self-doubt. I know this is easy to day, but the past is the past, we can’t change it; and the future hasn’t happened yet, so we really don’t know what’s going to happen. If your head finds itself filled with doubt and questions sending you in spiraling circles of second-guessing … pause and breathe. Give yourself time and create the space to think and breath if you need to … stop overthinking it! Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my Stop Overthinking It postcards.

Release the attachment to the outcome

This is one of my most favourite statements. And I use it often in workshops. When we focus only on the end-result we can often lose something along the way … the enjoyment of the process, the discoveries, the learnings, the mistakes and the opportunities. By releasing the attachment to the outcome, you can free yourself up to play and learn and make mistakes and solve problems. Give yourself the time and create the space to immerse yourself in what you’re doing … release the attachment to the outcome, be courageous and enjoy the sense of liberation you feel. Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my Release the Attachment to the Outcome postcards.

Trust the Process

Ahhh … trust the process. Art, cooking, sports, learning, gardening, printmaking … there is often a prescribed series of actions or steps that need to be taken in order to achieve a particular end result. These actions or steps may be as varied as the people who apply them – and they ALL work to create the sequence needed to achieve that end result. But how often do you feel frustrated or lost or disheartened when you’re somewhere in-between the beginning and end result of what you’re trying to achieve? Learn or create your own process, then trust it as you work toward your goal. Trusting and working with, or to, a process can remove huge amounts of stress and pressure. Trust yourself, trust the process. Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my Trust the Process postcards.

Stand Your Ground

Have you ever had something to say but not felt able to say it? Had an opinion but felt scared to voice it? Known what was right or wrong but felt silenced when you wanted to express it? Sometimes it can be hard to muster the courage to say or do what you think needs to be said and done. And sometimes its your own Self that you are struggling to stand up to. But when you believe something to be right and true, or have something to say, take a deep breath, muster the courage and stand your ground. Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my Stand Your Ground postcards.

Embrace the Imperfections

Our modern, mass-produced, tight margined, online socially accessible and curated culture has created an expectation of unblemished perfection in just about everything we produce. We put pressure on ourselves to produce and present a perfect anything, first time and every time .. even a perception of perfection. Its not real. The blemishes and mis-placed marks on a handmade object make it real. The sharp and out-of-place note played on a musical instrument proves that a human is playing it. The bumps and lumps on different parts of our bodies makes us as human as everyone else! Embrace the imperfections! They are who and what we are. Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my Embrace the Imperfections postcards.

You Are Enough

Yes You are! As you are. Right now. You are enough! Click here if you’re interested in buying one of my You Are Enough postcards.

The Technical Information

Every card has been hand-printed. They took time … delicious time that (I have to admit) took me a while to give to mySelf. And I needed space to make them … space inside my head and space in my busy life. This is just the first 12 postcards in the series. There are more to come.

Card size – 147mm wide x 104mm high

Card stock – white or cream 280gsm Knight Smooth card stock

Card fronts – hand-printed letterpress type with gelatin plate monoprinted backgrounds using plants from round my home

Card backs – hand-printed letterpress ‘postcard’ motif

The text was letterpress printed with lead type on my Adana 8″ x 5″ press.

The monoprinted backgrounds were printed with acrylic paint on one of my Gelli Arts gelatin plates. Pure bliss!

Are you interested in buying some postcards?

Each of the cards shown above are available for sale in my online shop. Each card is $5.50. Shipping within Australia is free. International shipping is available and the cost is added at the checkout.