Look, I'm all one for some cool insight.
But I am aware of how much a stretch "daily yoga helped me start my business" sounds.

Up there is a post-it covered in stickers.
It's how I track my yoga practice - I hesitate to say 'daily' as that's not completely true - but I try my best to show up every day to the mat every day.

I've followed the Yoga calendars.
Done the random spin and pick.
Searched key words for what I felt I needed on that day.

On the good days - you feel great.
On the average days - it's 20 minutes that you know is good for you.
On the bad days - you still get a sticker anyway.'
On the worst days - you definitely need it the most.

I'd decided to start this practice this year as I've always been inconsistent with yoga.
I'm a big example of 'tries it for a week and then has to give up because something else comes along'.
I realised the habits I had built which stuck were the ones I did every. single. day.
(or at least plan to and keep coming back to)
The difference being  -

Yes, it's nice for exercise and a moment of calm each day.
I've done it solely for those separate purposes in the past.
But the practice undeniably soaks into the rest of your lifestyle.

I started to notice I was building mental stamina in the face of stress.
I was staying calmer in a crisis's and I was starting to believe more in my own abilities off the mat.
​The world looks different in downward facing dog.

I've been fitter.
I've been stronger.
And I've been more flexible in the past.
But what I couldn't do was stay consistent.
And that's the part that is more important to me now.

I'd like to add that your reasons are your reasons and they are perfectly dandy indeed.
​I'm not judging here.
I use Adriene because I love her nature and vibe, it's nice to tune in each day for the familiarity - you use whomever or no one - that's up to you.

So what the heck has it got to do with an art business?
Well it's that 'soaking into the rest of your life' part.
Those hard practices, new moves, consistency, gritting and breathing though bad moods, looking at things upside down, turning up every day even no one is checking.
Yep.
All of that is really useful when you're being your own boss.

Knowing your own expectations of yourself.
Being kind when you fall short of them.
And getting up the next day to do it again.

So I'm going to keep going with both.
And I'll either see you on the mat - or in the studio - same difference pal.

and a time consuming business to run behind the scenes.
Ah, the life of a self employed artist in 2025.

I want to make this clear - this is not me complaining.
I thoroughly enjoy a lot of what I am doing.
I love making reels, I love editing long form videos and I actually love updating my website. I don't see it as a chore a lot of the time - more like the extra limb to my art practice.
I enjoy writing this blog, I can find cheer in making social media posts and I adore connecting with people.
Learning the ropes for digital marketing and the absolutely overwhelming intricacies of SEO has taken me a good amount of my time so far and I still have a long way to go!

I try to remind myself daily what it's all for - so I can keep making art and being creative.
I try to keep making it my no.1 priority even when things get super busy/super tech heavy.

Setting up my art shop was not easy - I had no idea I was going to have to understand 3 different platforms in order to outsource.
The successful combination of Printful, Stripe and Weebly felt like an algebra lesson.
​I did that moment out of ratatouille where the critic yeets back to his childhood in his head. Information overload. Help! I want to draw instead! 
Trying to link it all up took a lot of brain power.
I knew setting up a non-outsourced print shop at the moment wasn't a great move for the physical space I'm in. Plus - I'm pretty clumsy and there is paint and glue everywhere in my space...
​In the future - I'd love to.

Learning what SEO is was a minefield too. It took a good few hours on a course before it started to click. I felt the resistance of all this new information on the first day - I was so, so grumpy.
I took myself for a walk like some kind of stir crazy dog.
Grit my teeth kind of stuff.​

Digital marketing also feels like standing on a stage every day going,
"hey guys. it's me again. I do art."
On rough days it's tough - just like any job can be.
I'm constantly resetting my mindset about why I'm doing all of this.

Beyond that - I can already see the potential for burn out in this type of job.
You are doing the work of an entire team.
So, I'm trying to be as patient as possible with my growth with that in mind.
Keep my work/life balance as decent as possible - sitting down each week and each day to see the lay of the land.
​
What is essential?
What can I set to post so I can have my weekend?
How long is this piece going to take?
Trying to ask the smart questions.

But I think most importantly.
What support can I get?

I am very much looking forward to working with The Kings Trust - It's free and for those under 30. (I turned 31 on the 23rd May and I made it in - phew).
- I'll post about it soon to update anyone who is interested.

Following last weeks Birthday Post - 31 Artist Thoughts - it got me thinking about the future.
And I've still got this quote from a course swimming about in my brain:

Dreams stay dreams unless we do something about it.
So I'm looking back at what I wanted to 'be' when I was a kid.
I love that.
I did a course with my dear pal Caitlin recently about calming your nervous system around money.
It turned out pretty great in the end and had some practical applications -
I think our respective partners did believe we had joined a cult, but we roll!
I followed the host on LinkedIn - so I don't think we did?
(that is a joke. Kate Northup is a cool cat and had some great stuff to say on compound interest, financial compursion and adding value to your life.)

Her mantra is about learning to 'be' before we learn to 'do'.
Working from a place of grounded resonance.

I've noticed I've done a big circle and I'm back to where I started but with more knowledge this time around.
I wanted to make art.
Play characters on stage.
Teach.
and I think I wanted to be a vet - but honestly. I know I am way too much of an emotional sponge for that. Maybe I will satisfy this by getting a pet again.

I tried the 'make a living acting' and it turned out - not fun.
To be fair to myself I had 0 plans and I was also not very well.
So I'm returning to the am dram roots and having fun again.

I tried the teaching out - in the form of coaching.
I liked it but I knew it wasn't fully me (the emotional sponge thing).

So I'm back to art.
And I'm looking at what went wrong from a place of curiosity.
- Have a plan 
- Understand business 
- Don't avoid the sticky stuff - it's the most important (accounts, maths, complicated stuff).
​
So them's the goals right?
​
That's how we get the dream into a reality - we put it in a calendar and work backwards.
And get sweaty palms when we publish shops.
And get a fast heartbeat when we message a customer the first time.
We keep going.

1. Get some art into a gallery - feel like the real deal!
2. Get that YT following - make a community!
3. Teach some art - get someone else inspired!
4. Paint some portraits - help people feel seen through art.

That's my dream list for now.
One day I might look at it and think it's small in comparison - for now - it's pretty big.
I'm a fan of dreaming a step at a time.
I'll let you know if they get any bigger!

Why 31?
​Well, today - I am 31!
​🥳

​Somehow that kid on the left is 31? 

31 Thoughts on creative/art things just for you.

1. Art block is an important time in life - its you facing your resistance and perfectionism. It's you needing a rest. It's normal and it will end and you'll work out how to get through by getting quiet and listening to yourself.

2. You should keep at least one creativity practice just for you in my opinion - no posting, no sharing - just for you to get your feels out or to mindlessly create.

3. Find the little reward that gets you to do the tougher stuff - mine is stickers.

4. Every time you feel like you hate what you're making - take a break.

5. Take a break before you hate it.

6. Find the time of the day you feel the most creative and use it. Aka don't force yourself to create at 9am if you are not a 9am person. Alter working hours accordingly. 

7. It is ok to buy a present for someone's birthday even if you are 'usually' the one who makes them.

8. Put your tea and your paint water on separate surfaces if possible.

9. You don't have to finish every project if you don't need to. I mean, if it's a client project obviously you do - but if it's a half felted hedgehog - it's ok - you can let it go.

10. Write or doodle the 'idea' that pops up down as soon as you get it.

Zoe, about 14.

​11. Have a notebook handy for this purpose! One you look at regularly and can weed out the good stuff or look at when your imagination has run dry.

12. Give yourself permission to adapt and shift in your style and in your practice.

13. Sit with your mental blocks and your resistance to things - you learn a lot in these moments when you approach them with curiosity and not blame. Do this with journaling, meditation and I recommend talking to yourself.

14. Don't belittle your old work - I've definitely done this - it was coming from a place of insecurity. I was trying my best back then and I'm trying my best now. I've improved and I'm proud. You never know who is watching and where they are at in their own journey.

​15. You're going to end up loving what you loved as a kid and called 'cringe' as a teen so you might as well lean into it.

16. You have to be prepared to be not good to start whatever you're starting.

17. Buy a bigger canvas.

18. You are going to finish pieces you don't like.

19. Always account for a 'Pandora's Box' in a big project. Just write PB and give it wiggle room. Something is going to go wrong at some point.

20. Admit when you need help. The more you do it the more you'll see it coming and the less it will be about crisis management.

It's me - I think I'm 24.

21. No one is going to call you an artist until you call yourself one.

22. Put the date in the diary to make the thing. Stick to it.

23. Just because someone is 'already doing it' doesn't mean that you shouldn't. I.e. someone already paints woodland creatures with little party hats. WELL. I think the world needs MORE.

24. Shop local business when you can - it gives people so much joy.

25. Take a sketchbook wherever you can.

26. Your sketchbook does not need to and, in my opinion, should not need to, look like a finished piece of art.

27. Celebrate the creatives around you whenever and in whatever way you can. They need the love!

28. Art is a voice for the voiceless.

29. Talk to your self employed friends about your business goals - they get it and they might have some amazing advice. Listen to their stories too.

30. Paint the thing that either slightly scares you or makes you nervous. Do it.
​
31. If you can get your face painted like a dragon you should.

Finding time and space for creativity again.

I mentioned it in the 'Bury a Friend' behind the scenes video - but making 'photoshoots' is something I've been doing since I was a kid. That - and making YouTube parodies in the summer holidays with friends. The most cherished memories. Just the kids who took a DSLR and random clothes in a bag to a field to simply make stuff.

Doing the same thing recently when I felt the need to change up my reference person (from myself) - it felt like stepping back in time - galivanting around with a bag of outfits and at one point
​- a large fake sword...

​ I've added some examples of baby Zoe and gang below.

I went through many stages with how I felt about this hobby.
I think we all go through those phases that we cringe at as we get older.
But I think I've somehow managed to come full circle!
Because, at the end of the day - it's harmless fun and childlike creativity. Not putting too many structures in place and going - hey - let's make something.

We seemingly had all this 'free time' as kids.
Our brains weren't as full thinking about bills for one!
I think time was more relative, slower even. We got this 6 week block of time we knew was coming each year smack bang in the middle of summer.
I've found the best thing is sticking the photoshoot in my diary and keeping to it. Once my brain recognises 'oh, we're taking this seriously? It's actually in the diary?' - it gets done.
Something else more important will always take over otherwise.
It's not always something more fun either.
But if I know I've scheduled in creative time then I somehow find time to do the hoovering.
They are both 'important'.

Not necessarily the original descriptive word for an unsteady shine - but in the sense of what it has more recently been known to describe:
Tiny, positive moments in the day that light you up.

So here are my 5 from a quiet day that made me smile.

​because I'm actually excited to return to my painting or work.

I make myself take a walk around 2pm each day - especially if I'm in a 'can't stop gotta go, go, go!' mode. At times it's like trying to convince a toddler that the next thing is actually going to be good for them. But it's always the right thing. Especially for convincing myself that
"things are actually okay and I do have time".
So I make myself walk slower on the way back.
Regulate my breath.
And smile because I know I want to rush back out of passion not panic.

Because I'm actually making enough art for once in my life.

I had that initial tube of white for years.
Painting sporadically or using it for highlights occasionally. But what a joy to have finished a tube - look at the paintings it made! To actually use up paint before it crisps up and mummifies itself.

And I put it onto a list to make a reality!

Creative flow mode means ideas are coming in fast. And sieve brain means they need putting down on a list that is checked regularly if they have any chance of seeing the light of day. Sometimes if priority permits - I let myself start a new project in the middle of a current one! Mostly I pop them into a note app and then into a tracker - sometimes they're golden. Sometimes they would suit a later date. Sometimes - they need the spotlight! 
I used to find this frustrating - telling myself to focus and to stop generating ideas mid idea. But now I note them down and my brain feels pretty groovy with this transaction.

Looking over at the 'mess' on my desk and knowing it's from creative flow.

There is a definite difference between 'dirt', 'mess' and 'creative chaos' to me - and I can only thrive in the last two for a few days. Navigating the feelings around leaving things messy has been interesting - but now I see a desk of someone who is making stuff and in her flow - so I let her be.

And imagining it hanging in a gallery or in someone else's home.
I used to paint a portrait or something - then once dry I'd put it back into a big sketchbook and put it underneath my desk. Hanging up my art was a big step. But now I see how important a step it has been to me. Being surrounded by inspiration from both other artists and my own work keeps me in the right mindset for creating. When doubt steps in I simply redirect and go "Look. You're already doing it - keep going."

We start with the alternative arguement - 
it's bad for productivity
it slows you down 
it distracting
etc. etc. 

For my brain - it's like taking off the barriers and going "off you go! be free!".

I speak from an ADHD framework here so if multitasking and habit stacking sound like a nightmare to you - kudos.
I see it as permission to switch up what you're doing whenever you need - with one golden rule:

​The pomodoro method can be a a multi-tasking baseline in disguise if you let it.
(it's named after a tomato timer - it's nothing fancy).
Breaks are the other task you want to do - 
I like a loose version of this :20-25 minutes main task, 5-10 other task x4 - break. - rinse and repeat.
Sometimes I find it's the only way I can complete tasks that are
- boring
- hard
or the dreaded combo - boring and hard.

Essentially - it's definitely more chaotic to lean into multi-tasking but I find I get my most creative, interesting ideas doing it this way. 

They are here.
HooRAY.

For now they reside via Printiful through the Shop above.
You can get them up to A2 size which is close to the original.

I dream of having them in a shop properly one day.
To flick through a collection of prints with your hands.
Imagining them in your house.
Or who you know that would love it the most.
Truly a calming experience whenever I get a chance to do that in a gallery or an art shop.

So for now they are available here.
I'd love to see yours in it's new home - drop me a message!
(Especially if you manage to get a small, furry creature or yourself in shot too :D)
When I first painted them I didn't really dream of releasing them as prints - but it's people's feedback that made me want to do it.
I know not everyone is able to budget for a full scale commission piece-
heck I know I'm not currently!
But I always loved being able to own a little piece of an artists work I love.

​Thanks for being here.

29/04/2025 - A moment of realness.

Today I woke up with an inherent grumpiness - to what I have slowly realised is a defence - a steeling against change and opportunity.
​I open the shop in two days and I am still excited but I am also nervous!
It's been a lot of behind the scenes stuff - trialling and editing and learning (lots of learning) - so my brain wants a pay off, naturally.
But I am committed to this slow, steady growth of ZDAAP in this new direction.
I am selling my own art - much easier said than done. 
Art is feeling and connection and beauty. Trying to convince yourself it's worth pursuing as a career is hard enough so putting on a marketing cap is not easy.
I'm going to finish my coffee.
I'm thankful I've managed to name my apprehension and invite it in for a coffee too.

A final thought:
This post has been in my drafts - for months.
I am so happy it's finally released into the wild along with the prints.

Bonus - my actual face when I pressed 'publish' on my shop.

"Stop working for the gold stars"
"Stop making art to win awards"

Normally the ideas get buzzing with this podcast for me - but this one really set off those thoughts.

I've felt the shift in myself since the first time I tried this artist thang.
Initially I was buzzing for every single like and comment (back circa 2015/16 whenever I started posting).
That is by no means to say I am not happy when I get them now, I am still left smiling - but I think what means more are the conversations I'm having in my DM's with other artists that lead to coffee's and calls across the pond and inspiring pushes to completion. It has been wonderful.
It feels more about building something that I am both a part of and is bigger than me?
I don't know, maybe that reads as egotistical? But what I mean is that art has in the last year become a means of expression again as well as a service and I like that balance.

I make update videos mostly - for self accountability! (press record - it's like being observed ha)
I make them into longer videos - because I like seeing my progress! (it reminds me I can do it!)
I edit short videos - because I like doing it and it keeps that muscle moving. 

I write on this blog, fully knowing hardly anyone is coming here - because I feel like it's good for
-my brain; so it's less full
-my accountability; I pre-write the blog posts for when I've finished what I'm working on
-an account; I think we learn so, so much from reflecting and looking at what we've done and learnt

And most importantly
I paint because I have something to say that I ain't got the words for.
It's feelings and images and thoughts and dreams and weird stuff that comes out much better as a painting than it would if I tried to say it.

So,​

It feels sometimes like social media is inundated with artists - especially when you run an art account and your for you page is a different artist every 0.5 seconds.
It feels overwhelming.
It can feel oppressive if you let it.
If you give your brain the chance to take it and warp it - it's great fodder for the cynical argument 

​bonus thought- (and they're better).

So I think the better questions to ask are:

And I think if the answer to any of those is no - that is completely valid.

​If it just so happens you can get paid for what you love doing - go for it.
You post it or you don't - either is fine.
If you happen to enjoy receiving positive feedback and knowing someone has seen your work - excellent.
​Social media has helped to connect us with people who like what we like too - makes us feel less alone. 
Posting can have its positives and negatives - set your expectations and work from there.

​Because someone is always making similar art.
Someone is always 'better'.
Please don't let it stop you.
​
You have to decide why you want to make it.
If you want to share it.
Tree's be falling everywhere babeh - you might as well.

Here's my top 5 for sending  me into creative cyclone mode - or at least dragging me out of the depths of whatever mood I'm in to put paint to canvas. 

Works every time.
​Something about listening to Andy J talk abut creative stuff is super motivating.
The episodes are a great length for that initial push of two Pomodoro's.
I think I have Pavlolv's dog-effected myself with the intro because I will be picking up a brush when I hear it.
Anyway.
Cheers Andy - you da man,

This man posts the most unhinged stuff and I love it.
The inner-child goes - YES I CAN CREATE!
I think he might be my most liked on Instagram - to be honest the alogorithmn feeds me like a hungry gremlin.
Also it's worth saying our styles are nothing alike but I love the humour and absurditiy.
Takes me out of Perfectionism Brain into Creative Brain.
Thank you David for being so weird.
His page link,

Do you want to listen to a cool Australian artist talk about all sorts of arty stuff and struggles?
I do.
He's very cool.
​Yes, I am very aware at this point I enjoy other creators with rampant adhd, thank you.
He comes up with the best systems for help and manages to inspire at the same time,
Thanks Campbell - keep on keepin' on.

Do you want to watch a hobbit make things.
Yes?
I do also.
​It makes me want to make things.
It is very cosy and hilarious in equal chunks.
I enjoy watching Gremlin Mode as a reminder that things are not perfect.
Thank you for your content and living in a place I aspire towards.
Bonus points for any pet content.
Thank you Rachel - may you find the perfect trinket.

She posts when she wants to - she livin' on her own agenda, and I respect that.
It feels like Christmas to receive a video but they are always great.
​I truly award her chaos Queen for whatever is going on there.
Micarah I never knew I needed to watch a woman carry a bird places and make unhinged fashion until I found your channel.
Honestly my favourite reminder that I have for free will.
Stay cool.
​

I have many honourable mentions - but I will keep it to 5 - maybe I'll make another one as I collect more.
In general - fast, chaotic, authentic and aesthetically delicious content is good for my brain.
It makes me want to go MAKE.
So - if you read this and you even wanted any recommendations - here is 5.
Happy making, happy painting, happy creating, happy existing.