Our contributors are:
January – Dorkys Ramos | February – Darice Pauselius | March – Tiffany Smith | April – Jenelle Montilone | May – Kimberly Kling | June – Sara DiMantova | July – Karen Jansen | August – Sam Osborne | September – Lix Hewett | October – Emily Poe-Crawford | November – Shauna Lynn Panczyszyn | December – Jessika Hepburn
To kick off the pre-sale launch of our calendar we are sharing a selection of the calendar art and a few of the beautiful stories that inspired them:
NOVEMBER: Shauna Panczyszyn
My year started out with a bit of a shock and suddenly my world was turned upside down. I jumped into freelance illustration and was lucky enough to have the universe on my side and started my business in a new town with few friends. Through positive thought and a lot of good karma, things have been fairly smooth as I have ventured into the world of full time freelance this year and everything seemed to fall into place. This is why I chose the phrase ‘There is so much to be thankful for’, because I truly do have a lot in my life I am thankful for. I have a wonderful support system in my family and friends, wonderful agents to help me in my work, and strength I didn’t know I had until I had to use it.
JANUARY: Dorkys Ramos, Porcupine Hugs
This past January I found myself still dealing with the emotional rollercoaster brought on by my breast cancer diagnosis the month before. I started 2013 with tests, surgeries, and radiation all while diving into my newly created stationery business to keep from slipping into a depression. It was during that month – and while surrounded by friends and family for my 31st birthday – that I realized just how much love I have around me to help me get through even the roughest trials. ‘Together we’ll weather whatever’ comes from the belief that with others by our side, we’ll find ways to turn scary moments into hopeful ones and be strong enough to take on whatever may come.
FEBRUARY: Darice Pauselius, Pauselius
Community reminds us that we are not alone. We only need to scan the shore for a reminder of support…of friendship…of understanding. Community invites us to venture out into the waves: to laugh, learn, and grow together. All it takes is a little trust and a whole lotta love! Because, as John Donne said, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
OCTOBER: Emily Poe-Crawford, Em Dash Paper Co.
I started my hand lettering business from nothing. Literally. I was about to finish graduate school with a Master’s degree in English, but the thought of teaching or working in an office under harsh fluorescent lights filled me with panic; all I really wanted to do was create. So I began, with a calligraphy pen, a jar of ink, and a sheet of brown kraft cardstock. And what ultimately flourished from that humble beginning is all thanks to an incredible community of friends and fellow makers who believed in what I was doing, bought my early work, promoted me on their blogs, and encouraged me daily. The Mitch Albom quote I lettered for this calendar spoke to me for this very reason: I make my living creating things that give me purpose and meaning, and that just wouldn’t be possible at all without my amazing community.
MAY: Kimberly Kling, Joyful Roots
So much can come from a simple hello. For me, saying hi to an amazing group of people at OMHG opened the floodgates to an incredible community. They took me in and treated me as their own from the very beginning. A simple greeting blossomed into deep and lasting friendships, a huge support system, and a much needed sense of belonging. My design was inspired by this deep-rooted community that has helped me and my business blossom in more ways than I could have imagined and the simple hello that started it all.
JUNE: Sara DiMantova, Sara Does
Last year I made the jump to self-employment and started taking my creative business aspirations seriously for the first time. It would have been impossible for me to successfully abandon the cubicle farm and embark on my tiny boat of dreams without the support of my community – communities! Local and not-so-local, it’s amazing to see how supportive our community is when we embark on risky life and work journeys, or [especially!] when things go absolutely terribly. This is the idea behind my design, that as a community we shine brighter with, and for, each other.
AUGUST: Sam Osborne
My design is all about celebrating differences and coming together as a community. Each of the circles is unique and beautiful but together they create the most fantastic pattern, just like us. Individually we’re beautiful, together we’re stronger.
March: Tif Smith, Stubborn Press & Company (our inspiring printer of letterpress goodness)
My husband and I have been in the process of launching this letterpress business (Stubborn Press & Company) since August of 2011. It’s been a long, difficult process, but one neither of us have given up on. I’ve always been trusting of the timing of things, though, that all things will work out when the time is right. That’s the spirit behind my saying, and the imagery used are cherry blossoms. They’re the quintessential symbol of life, and I’ve come to recognize that the seasons of life are things to be enjoyed, difficult or not. It’s through the support of the creative community that I’ve been able to keep this little letterpress flame in my heart burning, patiently waiting and nurturing my dream so that it grows strong.
April: Jenelle Montilone (design by Jessika), TrashN2Tees
April showers promise the fresh green sprouts of Mays flowers. As the drops of rain effortlessly nurture the seeds just below the soiled ground- so simple yet powerful. My design was inspired by the storms we weather, seeds we sow, and the beauty that grows when we allow ourselves to let things be. Baby snuggles, kitty cat kisses, chunks of chocolate and the OMHG community make me happy when skies are gray. What about you?
July: Karen Jansen, Ink And Dirt Designs
I have a ‘day’ job; I sit in a cubicle all day working on tasks completely unrelated to design in anyway. However, when I am not in a cubicle or with my little family, I do what I love, which is to paint, design prints and just plain create. I am small in this grand creative world but I love that I am a part of it and this inspired my design.
I started with a single circle. A circle, no matter its size is great in its own way but when you bring several circles together, from tiny ones to big ones, you can create something really grand. I consider myself a tiny circle here but I sure am glad that I can be part of something grand like this.
September: Lix Hewett, Lix Hewett Photography
This year has been a real whirlwind for me — I went from not doing much at all to launching a business and running an crowdfunding campaign to replace my laptop so I could launch another two branches of my business. It was very much worth it, but it pushed me beyond the limits of my anxiety, and that became noticeable early on. Summer in particular was really difficult — I had to wait a lot, and the heat was stifling. I’ve always looked forward to autumn, but this year, the arrival of September was like coming alive again. I think that’s one of the many roles community plays in our lives; it encourages us to reach for our dreams, but it also keeps a careful eye on our well-being and assures us it’s okay to step back for a moment and make sure we’re not overwhelmed. That’s what I wanted my design to represent: the importance of taking a deep breath and touching base with the essentials again.
December: Jessika (me!), OMHG
Every day when I step out of my little pink house the loveliness of our town makes me smile. It isn’t just the pretty views and gorgeous buildings that make me treasure our new community – it is the friendly waves, developing friendships with our neighbours and a growing sense of belonging that are helping us make this house into a home. In this same way OMHG has become a community where many of us find connection + a friendly face and a cheerful hello whenever we stop by. A house can be nothing more than a place to lay our heads and a community just somewhere we live, but when we find our own community (on or offline), we are home-and is there anything sweeter than that?
