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Help Save Australian Wildlife
It is devastating the harm that the recent fires in Australia have caused. The fires started in November of 2019 due to extreme drought and record breaking heat waves. Over 100 fires are still active today all around the country, causing more threat to everyone around. So far, over 7 million acres have gone up in flames and with it an estimated 500 million animals. Many organisations are working tirelessly to rescue and treat as many animals as they can.
Wildlife conservation and animal welfare are two topics I am very passionate about. It has been my dream to reach the point with my artwork that I could make a difference when help is needed. That’s why I am excited to reveal my latest piece I have been working on in honor of Australia’s wildlife.
I put a lot of heART into this piece and I am so pleased with how it turned out! It is now available in my shops at Redbubble, TeePublic and soon Society6.
((*Update* Edited – 4.1.2020*)) The first two months this piece was posted, I donated 100% of the profits to WIRED Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation. With the help of other wildlife lovers, we raised enough to make a great donation! To keep the drive going to protect Australia’s wildlife no matter what issues they face, I will continue to collect 25% of all profits from this piece and make another donation at the end of the year. ))
Help me raise money to further protect the Australian wildlife! Animal Activism through Art! I cannot wait to start making a difference by combining my greatest passions, art and animals! Thank you for stopping by today! Please share and get the word out!
Here are some other organisations accepting donations:
- Koala Hospital Port Macquarie ~ koalahospital.org.au/shop/donation
- Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital ~ wildlifewarriors.org.au
- Wildlife Victoria ~ wildlifevictoria.org.au
- RSPCA Australia ~ https://www.rspcansw.org.au/
- Zoos Victoria ~ donate.zoo.org.au/donation
- Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park ~ https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-kangaroo-islands-koalas-and-wildlife
- World Wildlife Fund Australia ~ donate.wwf.org.au
- Australian Koala Foundation ~ https://www.savethekoala.com/adopt-a-koala
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Small Business Saturday
There are so many deals going on this weekend!! Today is also Small Business Saturday! There are many small and local businesses out there to include independent artists. It is exciting to see all these people living passionately and working for themselves, supporting each other. It’s a wonderful time to build a dream! I’m very thankful to be a part of it.
My Redbubble Shop is 25- 60% off everything! You can find art prints and home decor such as blankets, pillows, tapestries, and more! There is also a great selection in clothing in men’s, women’s and kids! There are even have socks with my art on them! Finally socks you can get for Christmas and be happy about!
Mother Bear
My Society6 Shop is celebrating the weekend with up to 50% everything and FREE shipping! That’s always the best! This shop has unique gifts like beach towels, yoga mats and even furniture!
Beach Towels!
I have also recently created an account with TeePublic! Now I can offer little trinkets such as magnets and pins! (I am secretly obsessed with pins) All my tees in this shop are currently $13 and everything else is up to 35% off! Check it out to see all the new products!
Art makes a perfect gift and I appreciate each and every supporter! Every sale helps my business and helps me grow as a true artist. It’s also my bread and butter; as it is for all the entrepreneurs trying to build a life for themselves and their family. Even if you have never purchased a product, every follow, like, share or shout out makes a big difference! In honor of our most recent holiday, I just wanted to say how thankful I am for everyone who has helped me along this journey and for everyone that continues to show their support and love by shopping small!
Thanks for stopping by today and enjoy shopping from the comfort of your own home! Check back soon as I will be starting my animal symbolism posts again! Yay!
Until next time,
“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer
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Free Spirit Meg’s Art Shop!
Free Spirit Meg’s Art Shop….I like the way that sounds! Anyways…I am so excited to officially announce that I have my own online store now! It’s been a long time coming. Now, I can finally offer prints and canvases of my work. I am slowly creating an online presence starting with Society6 and RedBubble. They have a lot of great products on both sites and it is really fun creating merchandise with my art! I’ve already made my first sale on Society6 and I am so excited and grateful! This is my next step to becoming a full time artist and I feel that much closer to achieving my goal! Thank you to everyone who has supported me this far. I hope I can continue to create beautiful artwork to please your eyeballs! Be sure to check out the new shop and pick up what you like. There are frequent sales going on so check back often!
Another way that you can support my work is by subscribing to Free Spirit Meg on Patreon. It is a site that helps creative entrepreneurs build their business and put together Reward Tiers. You get to choose how much money you want to contribute and receive subscription boxes for each month you are subscribed. I currently offer monthly photography postcards, totem animal prints and custom totem cards exclusively for patrons! The more I grow, the more goodies I can put in my subscription boxes! Check it out and let me know what you think!
Again, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has helped me get this far and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here! Let me know what you think of the new shop and what your favorite items are! Also, if you have a favorite totem animal that hasn’t made it to the shop yet, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll be sure to add it in with haste!
Take care, free spirits!
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Totem Animal: Raccoon
Raccoon is a powerful totem. These fuzzy ninjas of the night represent protection and generosity. It is common for males to band together for greater strength against predators or other male raccoons from different territories. A group of raccoons is called a gaze. The gaze will have a dominant male who will stand watch and defend the group while the others forage for food. The best morsels will be given to the dominant male as a sign of respect and gratitude for the protection he offers. Raccoon is generous and protects the young and elderly. They are the guardians for those who feel like a dark horse, the underdog. They offer strength and wisdom gained from self experiences.
If Raccoon has bumbled it’s way across your path, it is time to share your wisdom with others in need. Does anyone around you need help or guidance that you can offer? You possess knowledge that you have worked hard to obtain. It is time to share this with others. Do not become a crutch but rather equip them with the tools necessary to obtain their own strength. Lift them up, dust them off and show them the way. Speak up when others speak ill behind another’s back. Do not tolerate unfounded judgement and gossip. Recognize the guardian within you. The protector is always rewarded for their great deeds. Though beware of those who refuse to help themselves; those who are lazy and greedy. They will drain you of your resources while refusing to learn how to stand on their own.
Perhaps it is you that needs to be lifted up. Are you stuck in self pity and feeling like you’ve hit rock bottom. Change your perspective and see the strength you hold within. Do not become a victim but fight. Help someone. Do not become selfish but instead be giving. The gratitude and appreciation you will receive for helping another will give you the boost of confidence you need.
On the contrary, Raccoon could be warning you to take time for yourself. Female raccoons often live solitary lives excluding mating season and when raising young. Have you been giving too much energy and have left nothing to care for yourself. An empty pot feeds no one. If you do not tend to your own needs first, you will have nothing to offer those who depend on you. Take time for yourself and recharge.
It’s no surprise that I enjoyed creating this piece. I enjoy creating all my totems yet I believe Raccoon may be my cutest so far. I still need to add color to
this piece as well as moose and owl. I’ll talk about Owl symbolism next week! My prismacolor pencils are preforming beautifully and I can’t wait to finish these three totems completely. I have much more coming that I’m excited to share with everyone. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning the different totem animals with me. I know I have!
What raccoon stories do you have to share? Leave a comment below and thanks for stopping by this week!
Until next time,
“Don’t call me raccoon. -I’m sorry. I took it too far. I meant trash panda.”
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Sources: Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams & David Carson
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/r/raccoon/
http://insider.si.edu/2013/07/suburban-life-does-not-alter-solitary-ways-of-the-raccoon/
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#33 – Moving Day
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2,000 and You!
I’ve been keeping this blog for just under a year and I am amazed on how focused it has kept me. I have never had such a great way to share my work, photos, and stories with all of you! Which is why I am writing this post… to honor all of YOU! Yes….YOU!
In less than a year, my blog has hit over 2,000 views and I want to share a special thanks to each and every one of you! An artist is nothing without an audience and I couldn’t be more grateful for all the support. It keeps me chugging along and pursuing my dreams!
Ya know, I thought it was the blog that was keeping me motivated but now I realize it’s my viewers! Every like, comment, and share makes me “gitty” inside and I appreciate the time you’ve spent following along on my journey! I am more proud of my work than ever and I hope to continue creating art that catches your eye!
My goal is to reach 5,000 views by my blog’s one year anniversary! Wish me luck and spread the love!
Until next time,
“It is not our abilities that show what we truly are… it is our choices.”
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We wish you a merry…wait!
Trick or Treat! We celebrated Halloween and as soon as November 1st came around…
Christmas carols, wrapping paper, Christmas lights, trees, and stockings; ugly sweaters, sleigh bells and Santa hats; Christmas specials and the ever controversial Black Friday! Wishlists, Christmas decor and early shopping for the season! Could there be a more wonderful time? Well, I like to think so. Does anyone recall a holiday called Thanksgiving? Does anyone know why it’s a national holiday?
Maybe we should rewind a bit. It’s Nov. 1st. What we should be thinking about is how the leaves are bright orange and the sky is the bluest we’ve ever seen it! Thanksgiving is just around the corner. A time to come together, share, feast (oh I’m feastin’ on pumpkin pie!), and show gratitude.
People will typically associate this holiday with pilgrims and Native Americans coming together for a great turkey feast and the Native Americans saved the pilgrims from starvation! Yay! Well that’s kind of true. There is a lot more to the story that brought us to the holiday we know now.
Both the Native American and European cultures incorporated a time for “giving thanks” most commonly associated with a plentiful harvest, rain after a long drought or a new birth. This was practiced long before the famous Thanksgiving in 1621. So what started the famous story?
When the pilgrims arrived they had lost many during the transition to the “New World”. Situations were grim for the survivors. There was however the Wampanoag Tribe who were already living here when the pilgrims arrived. From the tribe, Squanto, a Native American formerly captured by Europeans, came to their aid. He taught them how to grow corn, pumpkins, and beans and how to cook with them.When the pilgrims took what they had learned and created a bountiful harvest, it was time to celebrate. They spent three days pretty much chowing down and getting drunk with the Native Americans. I can’t really say for sure if the Native Americans partook in the drinking but there was definitely alcohol there! The turkey dinner can’t be proven but alcohol there was! Remember that when your setting the table! During this festival, the Europeans went hunting for fowl. They returned with enough ducks and turkey to store for winter! This was the only reference made to turkey. The Native Americans also went hunting and returned with five deer they presented to the governor of the colony. It was a time of appreciation and realizing that there was something to be grateful for. One document describing that day is Mourt’s Relation by Edward Winslow. He describes a three day festival full of activity and he ended with this; “And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”
Let’s not forget that it wasn’t all roses for long. Within 60 years the English overran the Wampanoag. Cheif Metacomet declared war on the Europeans but it unfortunately lead to another gruesome story of genocide. So how did we come to celebrate a narrow window of “peace” shared between the two?
Thanksgiving kind of bounced around after that. Each president changing it to suit whatever was going on in the nation at the time. Until Lincoln decided to make it an annual holiday in 1863. This was because of many things going on; The Union victory in Gettysburg, the growth in population, the plentiful harvest, and some persistent letters from a Thanksgiving advocate named Sarah Josepha Hale.
Thanksgiving was a time of appreciating what we had and what we’ve worked hard for and sharing with the ones around us. Now it is a time of football games and hot holiday savings. It gets overlooked by so many. The number of people who celebrate it are dwindling. Some people don’t support how it began. Some people don’t want to interfere with their super shopping. Some people just don’t want to put forth the time. Whatever your reason, if you don’t want to celebrate Thanksgiving that’s your decision. At least though, take one day to be grateful for something…anything. If you truly cannot find a reason to be thankful then go out and do something for someone else. When we help others we realize that we have something special to give and we feel more confident. We need to start changing the way we think. How can we have a perfect Christmas if we can’t be happy with what we already have? The funny thing is, typically the people with the least material items appreciate the world the most. When did we get so caught up with shopping and materialism. There is so much more to life then how much stuff you have.
If we stop thinking the world owes us something and stop judging each other, it becomes easier to appreciate what’s really important. You start to realize the most important things are always available to you and how much we actually take for granted. With very little effort the world could be a lot happier. For as many problems you find in your life, there is just as many blessings. It just depends on how you want to look at your life.
I hope Thanksgiving can start becoming what it was originally intended to be. A time to show gratitude, no matter what screwed up things are going on in the world. A time to share with others even though we won’t always have a lot or even be on the best of terms. Life isn’t perfect. Neither are people. The sooner we accept that the more appreciative we can be to one another. Don’t do something with the expectation of getting something in return. It’s easier and more rewarding to be giving when we expect nothing back. Don’t worry, karma won’t leave ya hanging. What you put out there will always comes back around!
Remember, November = Thanksgiving , December = Christmas. Show Santa you deserve presents by showing you can be thankful.
I am thankful to be able to share my life with the two greatest people on the universe, my husband and son. I have no idea how I got by before them. I am thankful for a family who loves me, friends who will always be around, a kick ass companion named Desoto (a.k.a my dog), and I am so thankful I can stuff my face on great food tomorrow! I am very grateful for my talent in art and photography. It is a gift I will not take for granted. I’m also thankful I’m done with this blog post because it took me forever to write it!
What are you thankful for this year and how will you show it? Share your story below! Oh…and thanks for reading my blog! Have a grateful day!