Illustrator. Graphic Designer. Performer. Photographer. Bibliophile. Nerd. Dark Mori. Wanderer.
Black Cats. Bats. All the Halloween. Personal & Inspiration blog of Brit Austin Illustration
I surpassed most of my goals for 2018, which I’m really happy about. Oh, but 2018. You were a damn hard year for no reason other than being world weary. Depression was almost a constant. Anxiety skyrocketed. But with these things, I tried harder. I have a wonderful therapist now and am working through the constant struggle. Overall, I’m okay. I’ve grown immensely this year and working on what is best for me and my soul. It was only after categorizing what happened this year that I realized exactly how busy I had been. I pushed myself to do more and I’m so glad I’m surrounded by amazing people.
+ Theatre Shows: HAMILTON at the Kennedy Center on my birthday courtesy my love, Hamlet, Dracula at community theatre, and Beetlejuice: The Musical.
+ Saw first Drag Show and first pole dancing competition
+ Gorgeous lights at National Cathedral, went to the Apothecary Museum in Alexandria, and Longwood Gardens in PA.
+ I was invited to my first podcast with Mouthy Broadcast, Red Vein Army, Blue Bee Cider for Wicked Women of Richmond for Women in Horror Month in RVA
+ Flew a bat kite near the DC monument
+ I pet WOLVES ya’ll.
+ Library Conference in New Orleans: Relaxed by the hotel pool, ate the BEST food including shrimp and grits, met one of my favorite illustrators LeUyen Pham, met the AMAZING Laini Taylor, went to Red Truck Gallery, toured St. Louis No. 1 and saw Marie Laveau’s grave, had a wonderful cocktail called the Witch’s Brew in the secret Victorian room at Muriel’s with its ghost, and of course beignets and chickory coffee at Cafe Du Monde. Seriously, I get it. I fell in love on the first day. I will be back.
+ Beach day with friends <3.
+ Attended the Fairfax Makerfaire, SPX and vended AwesomeCon, BlerDCon
+ Organized wonderful library programs like: History of the Kimono, The Hunt for the Great American Read: A Library Scavenger Hunt with PBS + WETA, LOTR program with swordfighing demonstrations for World Hobbit Day, created a full one-night only haunt at the library, and Bad Art Night II
+ Saw amazing exhibits like the art of Mike Mignola and March at the SOI, interactive Sakura Yume exhibit at ARTECHOUSE with Manda, the Burning Man exhibit at the Renwick Gallery, and Bill Safi’s work at HausWitch
+ FAE OMG: FINALLY attended the Faerie Festival at Spoutwood Farm, friends came up from RVA and we made flower crowns the night of for MD Faeriefest, met amazing illustrators like Cory Godbey, Iris Compiet, and Sam Guay at FaerieCon and of course MD Rennfaire.
+ Attended the wedding of some favorite people at a winery in Jersey and Virginia.
+ Janelle Monae, I saw the goddess and she’s everything and more.
HOLY OCTOBERBATMAN +Salemin October: Old Burying Point Cemetery, the Witch House, Hocus Pocus filming locations, Death Witch lecture by Order of the Good Death’s Sarah Calavarnes? and met the most amazing death positive people, Gulu Gulu Cafe sketch night, Jolie Tea Co. for the best Macarons in this planet and wonderful tea, journeyed up to Portland, ME to see some changed trees and the International Cryptozoology Museum, Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Halloween Parade with new friends (Hocus Pocus themed)
+ Sleepy Hollow, NY in October with Friends. Explored cemeteries and saw the Great Blaze Jack-o-Lanterns and the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn
The ability to empathize with a character unlike yourself is one of the most important and fulfilling things fiction can teach us and it is really, really unsettling that we’re so much better at teaching kids to empathize with animals, magical creatures, aliens, robots, and anthropomorphized inanimate objects than with various entire groups of their fellow human beings.
+ Use my sketchbook to think and record living. Why am I intimidated by this little thing? Afraid of mistakes? Ugh. + Draw & Read everyday. + Read 40 books. + Work on personal grief pieces. + Finish 8 art pieces + Experiment with painting and new materials + Apply to Light Grey Art Lab’s Norway Residency, and hopefully get in. + Drawlloween 2018: Full pieces. Work earlier. You got this. + Get Wisdom Teeth out + Go to the gym more or find an activity that I can enjoy working out. + Cook a new dish every month. I’d like to be a better cook. + Donate every month to an organization. Be active. #fucktrump + Renew Passport + Advanced Directive and Will - never too early. #deathpositive + Further study of Illustration - take a class + Get out of the house and into the community more. + Another Tattoo or two. + Travel one place in country (Salem? New Orleans?) and one place out (Prague? Norway?)
An update to 2018… + Used my sketchbook a lot more, but still excited to use it further. Not as intimidated, but trying to give myself permission for it to be awful. I can always cover it up or remake it. + I drew as much as I could, with many unfinished pieces and at least 14 new ones (breaking my 8 art piece goal) and reading 68 books (breaking my 40 book goal). + I did experiment with paint, more so ink washes this year, but acrylic is this year. + I applied to the Residency, but I did not get in. I think it was a great learning experience in just applying. Maybe I’ll try again, but I think I’m going to try to something my own way. + HA. I did not do full pieces for Drawlloween….not even close. My october was insane, so I’m giving myself a pass on this one. I’m planning on taking it ‘easy’ next year so I can accomplish this goal. + Wisdom Teeth are OUT. I faced that fear. + Been going to the gym more, going to increase it because it helps with my anxiety + New dishes were not cooked every month, but I did learn how to make quite a few things like cranberry sauce and salmon. + I started doing this then it tapered off. I’ve been donating more to friends in need. This year I would like to make a consistent monthly donation. I’m thinking ACLU, an animal rescue place, and then something else? #fucktrump #still + Passport has been renewed…adventure awaits! + Did not get to advanced directive and will. This will happen this year. + I took a class called the ‘Art of the Pitch’ and it was amazing. It normally would not have been something that I think I needed or gravitated to, but I’m so proud of myself for taking it. It changed my perspective on everything. + Community is great, but oof, I think my job covered that one 3000%. My introvert self says too much, hold back, hold back. + Tattoo: I saved up for this gorgeous Raven piece on my inner forearm by Tiff George (she’s amazing - book her). I still find myself constantly staring at it. + Ended up traveling to many places within the country: New Orleans, Sleepy Hollow, Brooklyn, and Salem.
Overall, I think I went above and beyond with accomplishing most of my goals. Of course I have many a plot for 2019. But that’s for another post. I hope all of you have a wonderful new year and give yourself a break!
“Lonelier in Spring (than in Winter)” - @rudebeetle⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Come by and check out Em’s collection of work when we re-open on January 3rd! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If you have any late gifts to purchase, take a peek at shop.lightgreyartlab.com for tons of awesome artwork.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#lgal #lightgreyartlab #illustration #exhibition #minneapolis #opening #art #event #emallen #vanessagillings #maggiechiang #gallery — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2QYiqVl
+ Use my sketchbook to think and record living. Why am I intimidated by this little thing? Afraid of mistakes? Ugh. + Draw & Read everyday. + Read 40 books. + Work on personal grief pieces. + Finish 8 art pieces + Experiment with painting and new materials + Apply to Light Grey Art Lab’s Norway Residency, and hopefully get in. + Drawlloween 2018: Full pieces. Work earlier. You got this. + Get Wisdom Teeth out + Go to the gym more or find an activity that I can enjoy working out. + Cook a new dish every month. I’d like to be a better cook. + Donate every month to an organization. Be active. #fucktrump + Renew Passport + Advanced Directive and Will - never too early. #deathpositive + Further study of Illustration - take a class + Get out of the house and into the community more. + Another Tattoo or two. + Travel one place in country (Salem? New Orleans?) and one place out (Prague? Norway?)
I did manage to work on a few of my goals for 2017. This
year was hard for a variety of reasons, but I was able to push though. I
did not get to as many illustration goals as I wanted to, however this year
I was majorly focused on my health, mental as well as physical. This
was such a hard year, honestly, I’m delighted it’s over, but there were a
lot of wonderful events that happened.
+ Saw Dita Von Teese perform with burlesque friends
+
Chopped off my long hair, then chopped it off even shorter! I love
my new hair in its short purple pixie cut. It’s so easy. Also, one towel. Just one. One.
+ Finally got a Library job with benefits and at the end of this year, achieved a Full-time Library position in that same system.
+ Saw Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors in DC with a good friend
+ Read 40 books
+ Achieved a huge goal of getting one of my art pieces (@britaustinillustration) into Spectrum 24 - I’m on page 244!
+ Found one of my favorite Bouguereau paintings hiding in a closet near me…#HillwoodEstates
+ Saw Iron Maiden with Daniel
+ Saw Cicadas emerge. BROOD X!
+ Went to the Annabel Lee Tavern and visited Edgar Allan Poe’s grave in Baltimore with a best friend
+ Took a picture with Stan Lee at AwesomeCon
+
Explored the National Museum of Science and Health right outside of DC.
This one shook me, it was creepier and more fascinating that the
Mutter, which is saying something.
+ Experienced a partial eclipse
+
Vended at different events Dark Side of the Con (NJ), Scares That Care
(Williamsburg, VA), and Laurel Hill Cemetery’s Market of the Macabre
(Philly)
+ Visited Philly with Daniel and got to visit Laurel Hill
Cemetery and meet a ton of my favorite artists and spooky people, the
Mutter Museum, Philadelphia Art Museum which had some traveling Goya!
+ Went to the Renn Faire and got to adventure with friends
+ Met the 501st - our local Garrison did a presentation at the Library
+ Adopted another black cat named Ahsoka.
+ Learned Swing Dancing with Daniel
+ Worked on my mental health - got a Therapist and have been consistently working on my anxiety and depression.
+ Met and talked with Caitlin Doughty, a goddess.
+ Friday the 13th October Tattoo with friends in RVA
+ Finished MOST of the Drawlloween’s this year and will continue working on them into the new year.
+ Picnicked at the mountains with Daniel’s family.
+ Picked pumpkins for our 3rd year anniversary with Daniel
+
FINALLY visited the Library of Congress and saw their Halloween
exhibit, Chambers of Mystery, which included some original Edward
Gorey’s!
I’m sorry I took a little while to finish these, but here you go! Tea recipes from my grimoire ❤ I usually prefer winging it on my recipes rather than following a strict set of instructions, so most of these don’t have exact measurements. Sorry if that bothers anyone!
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Faerie Tea
- 1 tsp rosemary
- ½ thyme
- 1 large strawberry, crushed
- handful of rose petals
- a pinch of sugar (or 2)
steep 5-10 minutes
Self Love Tea
- handful of rose petals
- 1 tsp orange extract or peel
- 1 cup black tea
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- dried orange slices
- cinnamon
- cardamom
steep 3-5 minutes
Tea for Headaches
- 1 tsp lavender
- 1 tsp chamomile
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp mint
Tea for Open Mindedness
- a lemon
- a few sage leaves
- celery (maybe half a stick? I haven’t tried this one yet)
- a few dandelion flowers
mash up in mortar and pestle, squeeze lemon juice on top. should be well-mixed paste. strain into teacup, add boiling water
Psychic Tea
- rose petals
- thyme
- cinnamon sticks
- clove
Love and Happiness Tea
- honey
- ginger slices
- lemon juice/pulp
- cardamom
Dispel Depression Tea
- rose petals
- lavender
- tea of your choosing, I usually do green cuz it’s my favorite
can also be a jar spell!
Lavender Chai
- 2 cups vanilla soy milk
- chamomile
- lavender
- honey
- vanilla extract
- nutmeg
heat (not boil) soy in sauce pan. make chamomile/lavender tea. add honey and vanilla to soy, whisk. mix in tea. steep 10 minutes, pour tea, add nutmeg and lavender buds
Essay Supertea
- rosemary
- mint
- allspice
- cinnamon
Lavender Blues
- lavender
- rosemary
- lemon balm leaves
- mint
New Moon Tea
- lavender
- raspberry leaves
- chamomile
Sinus Reliever
- honey
- apple cider vinegar
- crushed garlic clove
- lemon juice
- cayenne pepper
- turmeric
(I know it doesn’t sound good, but it’ll sure clear your head)
Sore Throat
- honey
- apple cider vinegar
- cinnamon
- lemon juice
(you can add it to regular tea if you don’t wanna drink it by itself)
Orange Tea
- orange peel
- tea leaves of your choice
- anise
- cardamom
Summer Tea
- chamomile
- rose petals
- honey
- orange
Clairvoyant Dreams
- rose petals
- lavender
- honey
Fruit Tea
- cinnamon
- cloves
- sugar
- tea of your choice
- pineapple juice
- lemon juuice
- orange juice
Sicky Tea
- green tea
- cayenne pepper
- apple cider vinegar
- ginger
- honey
Summer Solstice Tea
- rose petals
- spearmint
- lemon grass
- lemon balm
Protection and Healing
- allspice
- black pepper
- cardamom
- cinnamon
- cloves
- lavender
- vanilla
Lavender Moon Tea
- lavender
- green tea
- honey
- milk
Floral Honey Tea
- dandelion
- rose
- jasmine
- violet
- marigold
Wassail
- water
- apple cider
- cranberry
- cinnamon
- allspice
- ginger
- apple slices
- orange slices
- cardamom
3 AM Dream Tea
- rosemary
- ginger
- anise
- lemon
- mint
Good Dreams Tea
- rosemary
- thyme
- rose
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- orange peel
“Leave Me Alone” Tea
(for when you don’t want too much social interaction, yaknow?)
