Helllloooooo!
I'm Claire. I'm an illustrator and love creating work that is all about joy and living a happy life.
As well as loving to create things, I am a Mum to twin boys, and married we live in the southeast of England on the Essex Estuary near Southend - I love being able to walk to the beach as I come from the midlands which is about as far from the beach as you can get in the UK!
I started my business after maternity leave, falling into it almost by accident when I was looking for something new to do, something just for me away from all the newness of being a Mum and to create some space for myself, something I've always found crucial for my own wellbeing. I can be an anxious soul which has led to me seeking out the "right" answer to things which has led to me doing lots of different things, different courses and hoping someone out there had the perfect answer!
A few years ago I started hearing about self compassion and the idea of not just using "self care" but actively being kind and compassionate to myself on my journey through life has been revolutionary. I resonated with what I saw Kristin Neff, one of the founders (along with Chris Germer) of the Mindful Self Compassion 8 week course, talking about especially where she talked about how it had supported her as a parent and especially as she supported her autistic son. In 2020 I started one of the 8 week courses in London, until the pandemic hit when it all moved online! Since then it has been central to helping me feel more at home and comfortable with myself, helping me to be kinder to myself as i struggle with anxiety and "needing to know" all the details. I've come to realise (though the practical application is very much an ongoing and every day thing!!) that I don't need fixing, I just need to learn how best with kindness and love I can show up in the world as my best self.
Since I've done the courses, I have set up a new facebook page where I can share more about self kindness and I've been creating the images for it which have helped me so much during lockdown and led to the creation of the Choosing Self Kindness Card Deck, a beatiful tool for meditation, journaling and reminding yourself you can always make those kind choices for yourself.
