As an illustrator though, I consume paper. Paper that comes from trees. And as an artist who sells her work through Etsy, I use packaging materials and participate in overseas shipping. This leads to the question -- how am I doing my part to keep my consumption from nature to a bare minimum?

Let me tell you a story. Back when I was in high school, I'd consume one sketchbook per month and also countless pieces of paper filled with random, unfinished sketches. While compiling them at one point, I found out just how much paper I've wasted. I felt horrible. There I was, a young nature girl who consumed too much paper on random sketches that could have been filled with more sketches than what I have drawn unto them. I was then resolved to erase all the mistakes I made so as to not waste paper. I realized that I not only saved paper, I also trained myself to be brave enough to erase mistakes and make a new beginning. It felt great. Fast forward to today, I only consume less. The only ones I still find myself consuming at a regular basis are on post it notes. But that is changing now, too. I use the front and back of them. I still have a long way to go, it seems.

Moving forward to 2016, I started working from home. I also started selling my illustrations to friends. After that event in high school eight years ago, I was hesitant to use plastic and lots of paper. But I wouldn't want my art prints to bend -- that would be a huge no-no. So I decided to use my curiosity into its fullest. I made my artist portfolio brochure from scratch using only thick paper in 2013. The design was made to showcase a bit of my portfolio along with my resume and I suppose it worked because it did help me land a good position later on. Now in 2016, it seemed my curiosity has helped me once again and I decided to use reusable hardy light brown envelopes for shipping, and for packaging, I wrapped my artwork in Japanese paper, tied in twine and a little note on a brown paper with my stamp on it. Plus the improvised backing board (a.k.a. used cardboard boxes) proved to do the trick of not bending the prints.

But the Japanese paper would often tear and it's hard to come up with recycled backing boards and the envelope I bought was often too heavy that it might increase the price of international shipping and it doesn't prevent bending. And so I came up with another solution.


As my new backing boards, I use cheap thick cardboard sheets that would sandwich the art prints in between. A nice string of twine to wrap it all together makes it sturdy and durable for the travel time it will take to get to its destination. A little note is also important for me as sending a parcel to someone feels like sending a letter. It's very personal. Of course, the paper is recycled and the thank you note is a stamp I designed and later carved by my friend, Marz Today. You must check out her craft, she's really good at it! She even hand carved my logo stamp and I must say, every thing was in perfect detail.


For the envelope, I bought a roll of tracing paper, cut it into the design of an envelope I thought would be optimal and ta-da! I immediately fell in love with it. Though obscuring the art print from inside just a bit, it still offered a peek inside the envelope. I liked the effect of it looking like a veil.   




As for my gift tags, I tie them all together with twine. I then wrap them up in thin recycled brown paper and tie it in twine again. Add a little note and viola! It's ready to go.
For local orders of two or more zines, I wrap them first with brown paper before wrapping with twine then off it goes inside the courier's envelope.


The only plastic that appears in my packaging is the bubble wrap. It does hold all the items inside safely. I was looking for thick brown envelopes in local shops but I couldn't find a store that carries it here. If it becomes available here, I shall switch to it. That way, there would be no more backing boards and bubble wrap envelopes. Only the translucent envelope and twine plus the note would remain. I did notice that my packaging did involve more materials than I had hoped for. But since the materials themselves are biodegradable, I suppose it's better than plastic. One plastic sheet would take so, so long to dissolve. Again, I do hope there are thick brown mailer envelopes from where I am, since that would be the best option.


I do hope that in this little step of using less plastic would somehow slow down the growing amount of plastic waste in the world. Let's help keep this world clean not just for our life time but for other people and life forms as well. After all, we're sharing this place with lots of living beings, so let's do our part to keep them alive as much we are alive right now.



Etsy shop: SunlitCuriosities
https://www.etsy.com/shop/SunlitCuriosities

Marz Today:
https://www.facebook.com/MarzToday/

Hello you guys! I made a Ko-Fi account! 
ko-fi.com/marielisthename

I’ve been thinking about opening one for some time and now I went for it. It’s a platform where one can give “Coffee” or about Php 180.00 per tip to support a creative they love. It’s such a nice concept, really. The tips I receive will go directly to art supplies that will then help me create more illustrations and stories. 

Such things mean a lot to me and every cent goes a long way.
The next series will be inspired by folklore and I’m so excited for that. 😘 I hope you are all having a lovely time, dearies!

This is also my instagram account

www.instagram.com/marielisthename/

String threads of blue and green, tautly stitched upon milk-white canvas – why must you be so intoxicating? Too much time choosing colors and sketching designs against the rather impatient eagerness to start thrills me. Even the sharp prick of a needle that draws the red crimson from my skin scares me not. Once I start the tedious push and pull of threads, I feel so at peace. — I’m so happy to have found something that eases my restless mind and heart. 

I am far too happy to be doing embroidery until way past midnight. Like illustrating and writing stories, I often times find myself lost in the long process of creating such embroidered curiosities. Despite the lancing pain of a needle poking my fingers in my eagerness to finally create a leaf or two, I still feel calm. I hate it when needles poke mercilessly through skin and yet, for this, I can tolerate them. 

In lazy (relaxed but still doing lots of things and hey, define busy) days, I always revert to my cottage lass form, enjoying endless cups of coffee or tea while busying myself with illustration and embroidery. I find myself thinking, just why do I keep myself busy with these? Well, aside from the fact that drawing on paper and pulling threads both give me an indispensable feeling of comfort and & familiarity, I much rather enjoy the tedious work of improving my skills and learning new things. I must learn and improve, always. To strive to be better, that's what I always wanted to keep on doing. It is such a huge world of possibilities out there and I am always yearning to at least take hold of some. In a small corner of the village, inside a sunny yellow house, I find myself open to the world. I'm still yearning to see the world as it is, and that is to be out there, experiencing it. For now, I shall continue working and planning to do so. 

Busy days often grab me by the sleeves -- do these illustrations, write those stories for that new book, learn how to sew bags, do more digital art and backgrounds, enroll in Japanese class, get a working visa in Japan, find a job, promote Etsy shop, apply for this and that. I'm so busy despite not having a day job. I suppose trying to manage my time and tasks as well as my goals is also the same as illustrating and embroidery -- do them one by one and with great focus. 

Ironically, I'm currently in a state of recluse as my eyelids are suffering from blepharitis, an infection that affects the glands of my eyelashes. I have to stay at home. But even though I must stop myself from illustrating and facing the computer and relax for several hours at an interval, I managed to finish that illustration piece that I've been meaning to accomplish and update all that needs to be updated (I made a Ko-Fi account! :3). I can't be stopped, even by myself, apparently.