What the hell is wishcandy up to & more stories

Where the hell have i been all year? I’ve been pretty quiet, haven’t been taking in many commissions, or painting much at all. Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe not.

This January I came back from visiting my family during the holidays, and I became incredibly sick. Tired, dizzy, couldn’t get out of bed. Stayed in bed for a week worried, making my family (3,000+ miles away) worry, knowing i have no health insurance. I was lucky to find a health clinic able to see me.

I’ve been working with a doctor there for 9 months. Spoiler alert, i’m not pregnant! Ahah, anyway. I’ve been going on frequent visits, fatigued, depressed, and quite uninspired. She broke the news to me last week that it seems as though I have Hashimoto’s disease. I haven’t been responding to any meds, and this is going to be a very very very long battle. I’ll have it for life, but i’m hoping for it to become more manageable.

I’ve tried to keep quiet about it. Appear strong. I’ve always been one to hate to ask for help. But i realized being vulnerable and asking for help isn’t the antithesis of strong. Knowing i need help is strength.

So what’s the hell is this post all about? Get on with it, we wanna keep on scrolling, you say? I need help. My only income is through art. I’ll be putting some originals up and having a sale this weekend. I’d really appreciate if you’d help any way you can. Even spreading the word helps.

Thank you for sharing and enjoying the world i’ve built, and joining me on this ride. Hope to be inspired & bring you more paintings soon.

xo,

wishcandy

Post its show at Giant Robot 2!

 

This year I got invited to Giant Robot's Post-its show! There's quite a few post-its of mine there. I'm so fucking thankful to be working with GR. They put on such amazing shows and i'll be showing along artists i admire. Coming full circle!

As some of you know i originally wanted to be a fashion designer (long story how i wound up here). Artists like Audrey Kawasaki and Stella Im Hultberg made me decide that if I went into art I could make it. Seven years later! BAM!

The show opening is tonight and will be open until the 16th! But don't wait too long because all the good ones will be taken first. There is a line queueing outside Giant Robot as I type!

For those of you wondering, yes I'm still on break. It's been a wonderful month of contemplation and I'll still be taking more time. But I'll be back around January with a vengeance! xo

Edit: Just found out that Gary Baseman is in the show! *o*

This isn't goodbye, i promise

Important announcement!

It's been a wonderful year. I couldn't be any more thankful for your support and kind words! However, i'll be closing my shop down (and going on blogging hiatus) for a while. One month, two, three? I'm not sure.

I haven't made this decision lightly. I've been mulling it over for a long time. I need a break from technology, more time to get out there to live, and space to experiment. I'm pretty damn close to burning out and instead of continuing to go i will heal.

SO, there will be one last sale. Grab what you want now because i won't be back for a while! I'll also be discontinuing most, if not all, of the current prints. If you can't afford to, please spread the word. Every little bit of help is appreciated.
 
(Enter: GETWELLSOON for 20% off everything. includes originals! Sale ends on 11/13, shop closes 11/15. Thank you. ♥)

xo,
wishcandy

P.S.- When i come back i'll be better, fresher, and with more moxie! See you then my lovelies 

You don't own me

If you ever meet me and ask me what my paintings mean i will silently pause. I will studder and babble. I have a hard time articulating art into speech.

Turning the impossible into images? Great! Articulating things into written words? Sure!

So if you ask i will most likely say: "It's up to interpretation. No answer is wrong." But never doubt that I have good intentions. Art about struggle and triumph. About self empowerment and bringing our dreams into reality.

If there is something you've been putting off until the "right time" let me tell you something. There is no perfect time and you can always find an excuse. Start now, work hard, and your dreams will happen sooner.

We're all just figuring it out and making it up as we go along. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. xo

The reasoning behind Wishcandy

One of the best things about creating art is being able to express myself without saying a word. Something always falls short when I speak, which makes me generally quiet. I’m either quiet or passionately wordy. Nothing in-between. Art bridges that gap.

I might never open my mouth to tell someone I’m having a tough time. Or let myself actually slap someone. If you throw your negative energy my way you bet I’m going to turn it into something constructive.

Making art, I get to create a world that doesn’t necessarily exist. Where women aren’t depicted as flat characters. They’re beautiful, they’re tough warriors, full of secrets, awkward yet decidedly sexy. It’s my choice what they are. I get to defy stereotypes.

Growing up I was raised by two parents who were very protective and strict (in some ways). Don’t worry mom and dad, I know you did your best, I understand and I love you.

My dad has a very 50s image of how a lady should be. Being raised by him was very confusing. At first, he’d try and keep me from wearing anything too feminine. Makeup, skirts, slim fitting clothes, etc. He’d accuse my mom that she was trying to make me a slut. Then did a 180 and expected me to wear dresses and heels because I’m a “woman”. He raised me thinking of me as a girl (instead of being simply a person), who needed to be protected, a fragile object. One who shouldn’t go on road trips or be out late at night. A rule follower.

My mom always wanted me to be classically feminine. Or a mini-her. Parents do this a lot, try to form us in their image instead of helping us figure out what we actually like. She bought me makeup, we’d watch old movies and fashion shows. She made me aware of societal expectations, what to be aware of, and lessons I could learn from other people’s mistakes. I was also taught to cook and clean, because men typically don’t do those things. Also to be self sufficient.

So I’m going on this tangent, and I’ll get back to my point real soon. Okay?  Being raised that way, given so many conflicting rules made me anxious. I was a goody fucking two shoes; I followed all the rules no matter how many I was given. (I have to thank my brother however, he introduced me to rock n’ roll, my parents didn’t really listen to any).

I can’t tell you the exact moment, but I’ll tell you what. I stopped caring so much about the rules because they were getting me nowhere. I was choking. Rules only benefit those who create them.

It’s okay to like punk rock, flowers, wear dresses, be chubby and never shave. You might like wearing men’s clothes, glitter eyeshadow, read cheap novels, and be a doctor or a lawyer. You can like pop music as much as politics. You can be both serious and silly. Being silly isn’t a negative trait.

You can do what you want, be who you want. You don’t have to be who people expect you to be. Tone it down for no one. Love who you want, don’t be ashamed.

This is what I want to express. Celebrate the grey areas. Encourage you to love yourself. Make yourself happy. Be your own hero. Write your own damn story.

This is what I believe. That is what makes me Wishcandy.

xo

On being "dreamy"

I'm an adult and I still draw. Often enough i get called dreamy, unrealistic, and naive. If being strong willed enough to pursue my dreams and write my own story is all those things, i'll take it.

Most of us draw and paint when we're kids. We're told we can be anything we want to. But as we get older we're told to be realistic and aim for something stable. I still believe I can be whatever I want, i believe you can too!

I'd rather live a wild rollercoaster of a life than to wake up when i'm 30 or 40 and wonder what I did with my life/ youth. Wonder if working for a stable paycheck was worth selling my life for. Ditch the mid life crisis and fight for the life i crave.

I won't lie. 2011 was probably the toughest year of my life. But I regret nothing. Sometimes not knowing how I would eat or pay bills. But in the end I pushed my limits and things are looking up. I have faith that i'll be able to support myself fully from my art at sometime next year.

I'd like to thank all my friends, fans, fellow artists (who i love more than you know), and anyone else i'm forgetting that most likely helped me in some way. I'm going to spend this last day drawing and being in the company of good people. Hope you have a good new year.

Work hard, believe in yourself, and stay humble.

xoxo,
wishcandy

Artist 1, Universe 0

It's not necessarily this artist versus the universe, but sometimes it feels like it. I had my week all planned out. I don't plan very far ahead, but when I do plan, the plans come crashing down and exploding from the sky. I wind up with days blocked off in advance, making me feel productive. But when the day arises, everything turns to crap. Somebody cancels, circumstances change for the worse, etc. But this week, despite the obstacles, nothing stopped me!

Sure I got canceled on, but I had a grand ol' time. On Tuesday I made soup i've never made before. And on Wednesday, I meandered around Baltimore with some people.



My brother had been going on and on about how we had to go to Dangerously Delicious Pies. For weeks, he went on and on about. I said, okay okay yeah sure. But I'd been on a inspiration kick, and found a blog with a pie recipe from that pie shop. The name of the pie: White Trash Creme Brulee. Instantly, I knew I had to have pie there. Any pie shop with a fabulous name like that for their goods? Aw hell yes!

Their main store is closed until the 20th, but they had another store in the city. So we trekked out to Baltimore to get a slice. Upon arrival, we found that not all pies on their menu was available. I'll either have to make White Trash Creme Brulee myself, or wait till the main store is open. Boo.



So I got the Baltimore Bomb instead! It's made with Berger cookies (i'm told the cookie is local to B'more) and custard. It didn't look good or sound great, but i risked it anyway. Why not? I got it and it was a flavor explosion in my mouth! So deliciousss. They have decent deal on pie, if you get two sweet slices, two savory slices, and two drinks, it's only $20. Otherwise flavors vary from $6-7 a slice.

The place is decent, although the red lighting is a bit jarring.

Next on the list of our travels was Teavolve, a local tea shop I hadn't ever been to.



Not really much to say about the place. Aesthetically, it's very metro. The menu has plenty of tea drinks: loose tea, cold tea, bubble tea, chai, and tea lattes. They also had an array of finger foods and sandwiches. We got spinach dip with pita, which was tasty. But the pie shop had more character and flavor.

See for yourself.



In it's defense though. The atmosphere was pretty chill and cozy. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. Didn't feel any rush to leave. Even though it was hella late.

Did I mention after this I went to yet another place? I went to a dive bar for late night kareoke with some friends. Very last minute, and kinda funny. Nope, no photos. But the best adventures are had without cameras.

Lastly, I'm still making progress on this drawing. Getting caught up in detail.



I should be done in a day or two. Fingers crossed.

P.S.- Do you prefer shorter posts, or these more in-depth ones?