October Projects Begin!

Today marks the start of October—which means there are only three months left in the year (less than 100 days, in fact)! Personally, I’m feeling energized because October is shaping up to be packed with fun projects and events… even if they require a bit of extra planning and prep.

Here’s what’s on my calendar this month:

🍑 Starting today (October 1), I’m participating in #peachtober—a month-long daily drawing challenge on Instagram. This morning, I happened to see a post from an illustrator I follow who’s also taking part. I wasn’t sure if I should join since I already have a lot I want to work on this month… But when I saw today’s prompt, “acorn,” an idea just popped into my head naturally. So, I decided to go for it!I’m excited to see what consistent daily practice brings out in my work!

🎃 On October 25, I’ll be helping out at the 2025 Chicago Publishers Fair, where my husband will be exhibiting—and I’ll also be selling my own Halloween-themed postcards! This week, I’ll be in full-on production mode getting those cards ready to go.

💛 And most exciting of all—my “Charlie Yellow Surprise Project” is finally launching! I’ll write a separate blog post about it soon, but in short, it’s a surprise mailing project where I’ll be sending out my illustrations to people… whether they asked for it or not 😉 It’s my way of sharing joy (and art) a little more boldly. I’ve been using my imaginary art school to build up to this, practicing hard through August and September, and now it’s finally go-time!

🎯 This Month’s Theme: Shedding a Layer

I want October to be a month of pushing myself outside my comfort zone. I’m ready to work hard, challenge myself, and make art that levels me up as an illustrator. I know it’ll be a lot to juggle—but I’m excited to grow through the process!