Office Space

I have been M.I.A. for far too long.

I had a baby a year and a half ago. He is the most amazing thing I've ever created, but with that has come the biggest life-adjustment I will ever experience. In addition to becoming a full-fledged family, my husband, our child, and I have continued to travel the convention circuit for the last 18 months.

It has been grueling and near impossible to sketch at shows, especially as my kid became increasingly mobile. So for our last handful of con appearances this summer & fall, we opted to leave the little guy at home with family, which has been just as challenging. It has definitely come with mixed emotions, as to be expected. It has been difficult getting my head in the game when my heart is at home (awww!), but I inevitably hit my stride at each convention -- and then some! -- as now, more than ever, do I have the deep understanding of the value of my time and how much I can actually accomplish when my efforts are concentrated.

For 2012, my husband and I are discussing a restructure to our convention travel schedule and with that comes a restructure to everything else. I am extremely happy to report that we have acquired office space outside of our home, and though it has only been 1 week, it has been the welcome change that we have been seeking! Having worked from a home-based studio for the last near-decade, and having lived -- and worked! -- amidst major home-renos (not just the baby proofing kind, but YES, ceiling-to-floor baby proofing as well!), finally having that separation between work and family is reflecting itself already! We're into a new and refreshing routine!

Many of you have commissioned me at shows and some of those pieces are still outstanding. For that, I offer you my deepest apologies, and thank you for your continued patience. I hope that I have your understanding. I have never "not delivered" on a commission even if the wait has been long, and in those instances I have always poured much more additional time and effort into a piece due to the long wait so as to never leave a fan unsatisfied. ...My would-be consolation prize!

In the meantime, many have inquired about commissions via my website, and eventually -- once all of the back-orders have been fulfilled -- I will open up the request line there, too!

As for now, in an effort to get back into the forefront, I am happily settling into my new nest, new routine, new business model! I have one more trip to take this month, so I will post freely for the next few weeks before settling into a more regular blog routine.

"Thank You!" to the many, many great people and fans I've met out there over the months and years! More "Laurie B!" is on the way! ;D