I am happy to announce that my printing partner is officially settled in at their new location. This means the Ghoulish Garments section of my Etsy shop is re-opened and I can now start taking orders for wearable art shirts again! 👕✨
Thank you for your patience during their transition period and to those of you who have already placed orders while I was reactivating the listings in my shop. Your enthusiasm of my work means the world to me.
Stay Strange & Magical ✨
LDG Nicole
I wanted to share a quick update regarding the Ghoulish Garments section of my Etsy shop. At the moment, this portion of the shop is temporarily on hold while my printing partner transitions to a brand new location.
The good news is that this pause is only temporary. Once they are fully settled in their new space, all of my wearable art shirts will be back in the shop and available to order again. I can’t wait to bring these pieces back to you as soon as everything is up and running smoothly.
If you currently have an open or pending shirt order, there is no need to worry. Those orders are already being processed and fulfilled as planned and will go out before the big move.
Thank you so much for your patience, understanding, and continued support of my art. It truly means the world to me. I will be sure to announce as soon as my Ghoulish Garments rise from the crypt once more.
Stay Strange & Magical ✨
LDG Nicole
Some of you may be setting your New Year’s resolutions right now, however with it still being the dead of winter I prefer to follow the rhythm of nature and set my intentions with the spring equinox, when light takes over darkness, life re-emerges, balance is restored, and creation begins. So for me, winter is the time to dream without pressure and reflect on what I have overcome thus far.
With that being said, this time last year looked very different for me, and what started off on a very high note came crashing down rather quickly. I was so excited to kick the year off with a brand new job where I could finally support fellow artists for a living, only to be led by a CEO full of false promises that resulted in surprise layoffs and the company closing their doors. Despite them being a startup, I jumped all in when the opportunity arose and was quickly reminded why I have never been much of a big risk taker. Having been on my own since I was 18 and always holding a job since I was 15, I was overcome with emotions. I had never lost a job before, especially at no fault of my own, and on top of it, in an industry I was genuinely passionate about. To say it was soul crushing would be an understatement. It didn’t help that it all happened with terrible timing, and I don’t mean just being let go the day after my 44th birthday, but the fact that I was left to hunt for a new job only to find myself tangled in the web of a nightmare job market filled with scammers, hackers, AI garbage, age discrimination, remote jobs that are really hybrid, too many applicants, fake job postings, and most of all, false hopes.
Unfortunately, I still haven’t escaped that job hunting web just yet, but my mindset has changed as I continue to reflect on all the blessings that have resulted from it. For instance, yes, I may have taken a risk, but I also was stuck in a very toxic work situation, and jumping ship to board on with the new startup gave me the push I needed to leave. And although everyone’s time at the startup was cut short, I was blessed to be able to work with an amazing team of women I may never have had the opportunity to meet. I quickly picked up new software and skill sets, and even some great advice and ideas that I now utilize for my own art practice. Most importantly though, I got to experience what it was like working directly with some very talented and well-known fine artists from all around the country, which was something very special that I had hoped to gain from my time working there.
As months passed, one thing remained constant, and that was me word vomiting over and over again about how incredibly grateful I am for my hardworking husband. He has not only been keeping us afloat financially, but he has been my emotional rock through everything, reminding me that just because I am not working full time doesn’t mean I am worthless, because honestly most days thats how I’ve felt. Not having the spending money to enjoy ourselves like we used to or having the ability to save like we were has definitely taken a hit to my self esteem but at the same time allowed me to gain a sense of freedom that money could never buy.
Which leaves me with the one thing I feel this year has blessed me with the most, and that was time. Something I never had before and at times still feel guilty about gaining. When working for other companies, I never had the dedicated time and creative energy I needed to fully invest into my own artwork. Writing this blog alone would have been much different, much shorter, or not even written at all. I would become overwhelmed trying to balance and keep it all together, my health often taking a toll, projects and ideas piling up because it would take me forever to finish anything, or feeling overwhelmed enough to skip the creative process altogether, which would ultimately leave me feeling unaccomplished and unfulfilled.
After being let go from the daily grind, it seemed like whenever I had a confidence crushing moment on my job hunting journey, it would immediately be followed by an uplifting art win of some sort. I now know those were signs from the universe divinely guiding and gifting me with what I had always asked for, it just arrived terribly wrapped in loss and confusion. It was like asking for flowers and the universe giving me rain instead. The seeds were planted. It was up to me to figure out that the glimmers in the rain drops only came if I provided the sunshine needed to bloom. So some days I chose to take breaks from the stress of the job hunt and strictly focus the time I was gifted to work on bringing more of my visions to life. Guilt free.
Since being laid off, I have also gained a plethora of new LinkedIn connections and although a majority of them are strangers in the real world, they’ve truly helped keep me sane. They’ve been there to boost my confidence when venting about job hunting dead ends while also being there to celebrate and support me when sharing my art wins and announcing my new creations. Many have even written up features or conducted interviews about me and my work, and others have actually become new collectors of it. Ironically, most of them may have never even discovered my work had I not been more active on the platform due to my job hunt and the time I was blessed with to focus and really go all in on it this year.
And although I was technically unemployed, I remained VERY busy. When I was not creating, applying or interviewing for jobs, I was putting in hours of unpaid work as an Artrepreneur, which really has put into perspective why it’s been so hard to keep up with everything while working a full-time job.
Top that off with everything else going on in the world, there were many days that made it harder to find the blessings and transform negative thoughts into positive ones. But I found that when I surrounded myself in inspiring environments and spent my time and energy wisely with people who would rather live in the moment than constantly focus on drama, politics, news, and negativity, I felt much lighter, healthier, and creatively motivated.
Refocusing my mindset was important for me as an artist. For instance, did someone physically steal a piece of my artwork and therefore I became a famous artist overnight due to the heist? No, but someone wanted my artwork badly enough that they were willing to risk getting caught and arrested for it.
Did I make a killing on my work this year to the point I could completely live off the income and stop job hunting? No, but I gained a couple freelance gigs that got me by, and both my Etsy and Closet Collectibles sales were on the rise, resulting in many happy dances for a girl who just wants to share her visions with the world while hoping they speak to someone as weird as she is.
So with that, I just want to show my gratitude to everyone that helped these artist milestone moments happen for me over the past “Gregorian calendar year”….
And most importantly, I want you all to know… I’m not stopping anytime soon!
Stay Strange & Magical ✨
LDG Nicole
The last thing you probably expected to read about on my art page is football. However some friends of mine over at BM-5 Tailgaters asked if I would be open to making some custom Chicago Bears Vs. Green Bay Packers pin up girl style barrettes for their female fanbase. As you all know I enjoy making anything that gets my creative blood flowing and loved the idea of getting to contribute to their team spirit and passion for the game. 👻✨
I handcrafted a total of 12 barrettes, 6 per team…
I individually packaged the barrettes so they were ready for their upcoming events and included a I Support Human Handmade Art sticker in each one for some added flare.
They really liked the way they turned out and I had a lot of fun making something where I was able to use my Dead Girl Decay pin up girl style but themed for something out of “my norm” or should I say out of “my weird”.
If you are a hardcore fan of the Chicago Bears I highly recommend to “bear down”and give this wild group a follow over on their Facebook page. These guys are not just fans, they are dedicated to the game. They have been featured on many news broadcasts, involved in charity fundraisers, and are proud Charter members of the Chicago Bears Tailgating and the National Tailgating Hall of Fame.
And if you are looking to add some unique handmade flare for your next event, be sure to contact me about custom orders and check out some of the other unique wearable creations I have conjured up on the Dead Girl Decay page of my official portfolio website. I also have a few remaining Pop Culture Decay barrettes available in my Etsy shop and on the shelves in my Cabinets of Curiosities at Closet Collectibles in Crete, IL.!
Stay Strange & Magical,
LDG Nicole
*Read more about my “never mass produced” creative process and in store discounted art prices here