May 2023 in the Garden: Renewal and Rebirth at the Start of the Growing Season

I’ve been eating asparagus, rhubarb and young walking onions from the garden. I’m also harvesting chives and pinches of my basil seedlings.

Pausing With My (Uncomfortable) Feelings And an Invitation for You to Do It, Too

Yesterday as a gentle rain tickled the windows, I cleaned and organized my studio and thought about what I wanted to write to you.

lifeAnne ButeraMay 13, 2023acknowledging uncomfortable feelings, struggles, spring, arrival of spring, awakening nature, art from a place of joy, noticing joy, noticing beauty, sitting with our feelings, pausing for reflection, uncomfortable feelings, being gentle with ourselves, being gentle with yourself, claiming space, returning to creativity Comments

7 Plants I'm Not Growing in My Garden This Year and 4 I'm On the Fence About

It’s hard for me to believe the days were sunny and warm and my flowers were blooming only a week ago.

gardenAnne ButeraApril 22, 2023gardening, plants I'm not growing in my garden, garden planning, winter garden planning, deciding what to grow, garden experiments, snow in April, April in the Garden, April in the Garden in Wisconsin, garden vlog, art vlog, art and garden vlog Comments

Is Perfection Possible? Contemplating Simple Shifts in Business, Art and Life

When I was first starting to learn to make art I thought that if only I could discover the perfect art supplies, I’d be able to create the beautiful, perfect art I imagined in my head.

business, life, artAnne ButeraApril 8, 2023perfect schedule, creative schedules, art work balance, life work balance, creativity, art supplies, choosing art supplies, learning how to make art, learning to paint, Artist Dates, Searching for Perfection, Is perfection possible?, Is there a perfect schedule?, simple shifts to make life easier Comments

20 Garden Favorites: The Best Projects, Plants and Ideas from My 2022 Garden

When I’m planning my garden for the year I always like to consider my garden from the year before.

gardenAnne ButeraMarch 25, 2023gardening, garden planning, assessing the garden, garden favorites, best plants in my garden, my favorite plants in my garden, favorite garden projects, garden projects Comments

Let's Talk Creativity: What's Your Story? Join in 2023's First Reader Conversation

If I were to ask you, “Are you an artist?” What would your answer be?

Would the question make you feel uncomfortable?

creativity, Reader ConversationsAnne ButeraMarch 11, 2023reader conversations, creativity, creative journeys, sharing our stories, sharing inspiration Comments

Delighting in Dahlias: Dreaming of My Garden in the Depths of February

Over the last couple of weeks, our snow was slowly melting. Two weeks of predicted snowstorms never materialized. What was left was nearly gone and then this week we were hit with snow, sleet, freezing rain and more snow. Now everything is white again.

garden, inspirationAnne ButeraFebruary 25, 2023dahlias, dahlia tubers, growing dahlias, growing dahlias from seed, dahlias in the garden, watercolor dahlias, garden inspiration, painting inspiration, winter garden planning, winter garden dreaming Comments

Why I Love the Library: a Review of 10 Books Inspiring Me Right Now

Last week I mentioned how books are one of the ways I make it through the winter. And over the years I’ve shared books here on my blog again and again.

books, inspirationAnne ButeraFebruary 11, 2023books, libraries, why i love libraries, book review, art books, language of flowers, textile art books, why I love books Comments

How to Expand (Garden) Delight in the Depths of a Wisconsin Winter

Written on my calendar today is “Blog: Garden”.

garden, joy, life, houseplantsAnne ButeraJanuary 28, 2023winter, winter blahs, battling the winter blahs, garden, winter garden, finding joy in the winter garden, expand delight, joy, winter joy, winter in wisconsin, winter in the studio Comments

Ease into the New Year: Welcoming 2023 with New Words, New Projects (Same Me)

Here we are, two weeks into the new year. How are you feeling?

Have you chosen a word for your year? Are you setting intentions?

life, art classes, inspirationAnne ButeraJanuary 14, 2023word of the year, 2023 word of the year, easing into the new year, new year, welcoming the new year, skillshare classes, Skillshare teacher, skillshare, Skillshare Class, Skillshare, Skillshare classes, block printing, lino printing, lino cuts Comments

Focus on Gratitude in December: Thankful for Gardens and Nature

I stand at the window and look out at my garden. Birds come and go from the feeder.

Focus on Gratitude in December: Thankful for Art and Creativity (and a Giveaway!)

“In the pocket of her jacket, Aunt Edna found a small sable brush, and throughout dinner she repeatedly dipped it in her water glass and drew…. upon her absorbent napkin.”

Focus on Gratitude in December: Thankful for Teachers and Students

I vividly remember the first time I tied my shoe.

gratitude, inspiration, lifeAnne ButeraDecember 3, 2022gratitude, gratitude for teachers, thankful for teachers, thank you teachers, why I teach, gratitude in december Comments

My Intentions for the Rest of 2022 and an Invitation to Join Me in Gratitude

Last week I asked you to share your intentions for the rest of 2022 and to choose a word to guide you through the holiday season.

gratitude, lifeAnne ButeraNovember 26, 2022gratitude, gratitude practice, embracing gratitude, gratitude challenge, committing to gratitude, a month of gratitude practice, transformative power of gratitude, A month of gratitude, gratitude in december Comments

Reader Conversations: How Do You Want to Feel? Setting Intentions for the Rest of the Year

We usually think about setting intentions at the beginning of the year. Maybe we come up with goals, choose a word, make a plan. If we’re really organized and on top of things, we revisit this and check in with ourselves quarterly or even monthly.

Reader ConversationsAnne ButeraNovember 19, 2022reader conversations, community, holidays, holiday, how do you want to feel during the holiday season, setting intentions, choosing a word for the season, inspiration from other bloggers, winter, intentions for winter Comments

Why Skillshare is Great and How to Get the Most Out of Your Membership

I’ve been teaching on Skillshare for over 6 years. My first class came out in July of 2016.

Today I have 27 classes on the platform.

inspiration, creativity, art classesAnne ButeraNovember 12, 2022skillshare, Skillshare teacher, skillshare classes, Skillshare, Skillshare classes, what is skillshare, how does skillshare work, what is skillshare and how does it work, why is skillshare great, why you need a Skillshare membership, how to get the most out of your skillshare membership, Skillshare membership Comments

My Art Studio is Still Evolving but I'm Savoring Its Imperfection

Last year I blogged about planning my dream studio. I was hoping to move my work space from one room in our house to another. For various reasons this never happened.

life, studio, inspirationAnne ButeraNovember 5, 2022In Her Studio Magazine, art studio, bloom where you're planted, dreams, creative dreams, rearranging my studio, studio, dream studio, making do Comments

Sharing Inspiration: Join Me for a Tour of Reader Sketchbooks

This week I’ve turned my blog over to my readers (again — this summer 12 of you shared your gardens here). Today, though, instead of gardens, I have 6 brave, creative women sharing glimpses into their sketchbooks.