Hello, Subscriber First Name,

August giving way to September. Summer shifting to autumn. The start of a new school year. This time of year can be bittersweet for me.

But it also has me wanting to shake things up. Learn something new. Plan for the next season.

Do you feel it, too? The energy in the air? The urge for new beginnings?

I’ve been thinking a lot about dreams and goals. In part because of that energy, but also because I just finished filming and editing a new Skillshare class: Banish Fear and Make a Plan to Pursue Your Creative Dreams.

It’s a very special class to me. This video, one of the lessons from the class, shares why. Although the video is specifically talking about my new class and Skillshare, what I share about why I love teaching and why it’s so important to me is the same underlying why for everything I do. It’s true for these notes I write to you, too which is why I’ve made this lesson available for you to watch without a Skillshare membership.

If you’re dreaming but fear is holding you back from pursuing your dreams, I hope you’ll join me in class.*

Another reason I’ve been thinking about fears and dreams is that Dana Barbieri and I just opened up registration on the free Sketchbook Playground Mini Class.

Teaching with Dana is a dream come true for me. Our 2x2 Sketchbook Project helped me not only to overcome my fear of sketchbooks but also to fall in love with them. I’m so grateful to be able to share our enthusiasm with you.

The four lessons will be delivered right to your inbox starting September 13.

Some inspiration:

• Tara Leaver shares the most thoughtful emails. In her most recent newsletter, she talks about whether it matters if you’re self-taught or formally trained. Her conclusion really resonated with me.

• Looking for ideas for creating in a small space? Take a look at these 20 tips from In Her Studio Magazine.

• Ingrid Fetell Lee recently posed the question, can you still find joy if it feels like the world is ending? I think you can guess her answer and mine, too.

• I struggle with anxiety, especially with all that’s going on in the world. If you do, too, you might find help from this blog post by Rachel Wolf.

• I’m reading Erin French’s memoir Finding Freedom. Parts of it are not easy to read, but her story of overcoming abuse and addiction to "remake a life from scratch” is so inspiring. Hold tight to your dreams, friend.

• While doing research for a recent commission, I stumbled on the Seed To Fork blog. How did I not know about Meg Cowden and her wonderful garden?

• I was excited to see Rochelle New writing on her blog again. While I’m not sure if I agree with her that Instagram killed the blog, I definitely agree with what she says about it stifling creativity.

• Late summer wildflowers are in full swing around here. Are they by you? If you’ve got goldenrod, maybe you’d like some ideas of what to do with it? You can find them in this roundup from Chestnut School of Herbs.

• Dyeing with avocado is something I’ve been wanting to try. If you have, too, this blog post from Rebecca Desnos will show you how.

Dreams are important, my friend. I know it’s not easy to overcome fear. I know it’s not easy to start something new and hit roadblocks and failures. I know it’s not easy to create and fall so short of what’s in your head. Just keep going.

Until next time, wishing you joy,

*If you’re new to Skillshare you can try it free for 1 month. Skillshare is a learning platform with a subscription membership. With your membership you have access to tens of thousands of classes on a variety of topics taught by teachers around the world. If you have questions about how it works, take a look at this blog post, or you can always reach out to me. I’m happy to help!

P.S. I just had to share one more story of fears and dreams.

Last week my sweet Clara overcame her fear of stairs and made her way into my studio for the first time since we adopted her last December. I dreamed of having her in my studio while I create before we even brought her home. Listening to her snore while I paint has been a joy. She’s not an old dog, but she’s stubborn and bullheaded and now she’s so proud of herself each time she climbs the stairs. Again and again she’s a good teacher for me. I think we could all use the reminder that each of us can do hard things.

Hi, I'm Anne Butera, the artist behind My Giant Strawberry. 

Thank you for inviting me to your inbox!

I'm completely self-taught and my experiences have fueled my passion not only for watercolor, but also for encouraging others to embrace their creativity and discover their joy. (Read more about my journey here).

You can purchase my art including original paintings, fine art prints, fabric and other product designs on my website and elsewhere on the web.

Looking to learn how to paint or find creative inspiration? I teach online. Come join me in class (you can learn for free for a month!).

In addition to teaching, I love sharing inspiration on my blog. If you want to stay connected, I hope you'll join me there.

With gratitude.
--A

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