It’s hard to believe I was introduced to Iron Orchid Designs a little over 2 years ago. My art has come a long way since my first transfer, “Entomology IOD Paintable Decor Transfer”. You can see in the “How it Started” pictures I used the butterflies and bugs sparingly, relying on stencils heavily. I had not tried my hand at any IOD Stamps. Or moulds yet. Or at blending. Or custom mixes. Or at…

There are so many wonderful IOD products that have evolved my artistry skills the last couple of years. It’s more then just the products though, it is what happens during the process of using them. I want to introduce you to one of the mantras from the IOD Sisters’ Manifesto that has been a huge part of my growth as an artist:

Failure is a lovely part of the process, embrace it and look for happy accidents.

Failure has been the biggest part of my evolving as an artist. I cannot tell you how many times I mess up as I am working on a piece and get so angry with myself for ruining whatever I am working on so passionately. When I look at these pictures of my first scroll top desk, I distinctly remember all the things I did wrong. At one point, it looked like butchered butterflies had bled out on the bottom half of the desk. How pissed off I was! Two years ago, I stewed on that anger for a while and figured out how to fix my hot mess up.

“How it’s Going” is a whole different kind of hot mess. I have learned to embrace the mistakes and absorb them into my art intentionally. It is not failure, but truly a happy accident. When I look at my most recent roll top desk, all I see are the things I learned along the way and a beautiful place for a person to enjoy writing their first book or studying for their big test.

Kindest Regards,

The Accidental ArtMaker