Giclee fine art prints of our new 'Two Scoops With a Fantail On Top' have arrived and they look SO good. I've included some close ups so you can see that delicious paper texture! I've spent this afternoon packaging them up ready to sell. Hit me up if you'd like one, we have A5, A4 and A3 ☺️🍦 #kiwiana #icecream #illustration #nzfantail #piwakawaka #tui #kereru #woodpigeon #nativenz #nzart #nzartist #supportlocal #shopsmall #nzbusiness #madeinnz #nz #nzmade #shopkiwi #buynzmade #shoplocalnz #shopnzmade #fineartprint #artprint #giclee #papertexture #pretty #purple #lilac #littlewolfstudio

So it turns out when I'm particularly sick, I turn to art! It's a good distraction from the discomfort and something that feels positive and productive (I was actually meant to be having minor surgery today but we've had to postpone it as I'm not well enough). I spent many hours on this one to refine the style, colours, details etc, all from the couch using my iPad, surrounded by tissues and Lemsip. I don't usually let myself do art as there's always something else I 'should' be doing, so I guess positive things can come from something negative 🙂 This latest artwork features a native NZ triple scoop ice cream cone with a light feathery texture 🐦🐦🐦 Is your favourite flavour kereru, tui or piwakawaka? I'd love to gauge what products people would be interested in with this print, e.g. fine art prints, posters, t-shirts, tea towels, etc, so let me know! #icecream #birds #nzbirds #kereru #woodpigeon #tui #fantail #piwakawaka #art #procreate #digitalart #unwell #littlewolfstudio #kiwiana #nativenz #purenz #madeinnz #nzmade #shopkiwi

When your jewellery photoshoot props are delicious and your bunny wants some too! 🍪🐰 #photoshoot #productphotos #productphotography #bunny #rabbit #treats #hungry #jewellery #earrings #studs #studearrings #handmade #handpainted #lasercut #kiwiana #biscuits #cookies #nz #nzbusiness #smallbusiness #feedme #yum #cute #perksofthejob #littlewolfstudio

Okay team, time to be open and vulnerable. For a lot of us crafters, craft markets (and sales in general) are REALLY hard right now. I avoid calculating how much pay I'm getting per hour after taking into account material costs, crafting time, stall fees and display costs, hours setting up and manning the stall etc, because the resulting number would make anyone squirm. And when you have bad sales at the one market you consistently do okay at (i.e. 1/3 the sales compared to the same market last year), it's extra hard. Especially when you have chronic health issues and have to pick and choose where to put your limited energy, and that markets themselves can be a trigger for symptoms. There has certainly been some thoughts along the lines of 'is my work not good or interesting enough?', 'am I even enjoying it any more?', and 'am I sacrificing too much to do this?' It's also kinda hard seeing posts from other stall holders saying what a great weekend of sales they had (don't get me wrong, I'm stoked for them, but I wonder why people chose their work over mine). So here I am, choosing not to pretend that everything is all okay, so that any of my stallholder friends who are also struggling know that they aren't alone. At times like this I have to reason with myself that it won't always be this hard, my work isn't necessarily the problem, and that I get so much more out of doing all this than any financial gain. Yes it's all worth it, because Little Wolf is my best way of expressing myself and my ideas and allows me to connect with people over my work. It's about having something that adds meaning to my life and the lives of others, and encourages me to spend time being creative even when I don't feel like I have it left in me. So thank you to everyone who came along to Encraftment and gave my work a smile, made a nice comment, or purchased something I made. You help make all this mean something and help me carry on creating, even when it's hard 💖 A huge shout-out to anyone within my stall holder community who is also doing it tough right now - let's get through this together 💪