In May 2025 we travelled from Brisbane to Seattle, cruised through Alaska and finished our adventure in Las Vegas. Looking back, I remember the glaciers and mountains, but I also remember hot apple cider, an iceberg shaped like Nessie, a Reindeer Fart and some very good rosemary fries. Sometimes the smallest dots are the stories we keep.

I’ve been part of Creative Pals with Laura Jane Illustrations through two marketplaces now, creating everything from seamless patterns to my Far North Queensland Adventures Calendar. Here’s why the creative briefs, support and, most importantly, the community keep me coming back.

My word for this season is EXPAND, but I'm not trying to add more work to my creative business. I'm learning to look at what I've already created and ask one very useful question: what else could this be?

Far North Queensland Adventures started with old photos, library books and memories of our trips around Cairns. One afternoon feeding rock wallabies at Granite Gorge became part of the inspiration for a whole cast of characters and their Australian adventure.

Sometimes the problem in our business isn't that we need to create something new. After Paul went on an unexpected rescue mission to retrieve our resuscitation poster from the bottom of the pool, it got me thinking about the things we've already created that aren't where people can find them.

Some ideas visit because we are meant to create them. Others may come through us because we are the person who can help them find their way to somebody else.

Think your story is too small to share? From a 45-cent Spoonflower sale to the ordinary moments in your day, the little stories can be the ones that help people get to know you.

What happens when most of the people seeing your social media posts don’t actually follow you? That’s great for discovery, but it also shows why social media can’t do the whole job. Here’s why I’m using it as a doorway to my blog and email list instead.

Do you ever wonder why anyone would care what you have to say? Let’s talk about posting anxiety, finding your voice and getting more comfortable sharing your work.

Toy Story 5 had Paul and me thinking about our childhood toys, the ones we kept for years and why passing a pre-loved toy on doesn’t erase its story.

We often think an adventure begins when we board the plane, step onto the ship or arrive. Perhaps choosing the books and packing the art supplies are already part of it.

My main quest is a Far North Queensland calendar. This week, I somehow side-quested two Christmas cards and four Halloween patterns. What are you creating instead of the thing you planned?

Four months, eight little characters and more deleted backgrounds than I care to remember. Here's how Far North Queensland memories, library research and one travelling backpack became the beginning of my 2027 illustrated calendar.

My second breast cancer diagnosis was found during the mammogram I had before I was due to be discharged. That is why I’m asking you not to put off screening or ignore breast changes.

I want to create practical, affordable resources for creative business owners, but I would rather ask what you need than sit here and guess.

If every post tells people what you do but none show who you are, how will people get to know the person behind your business?

Yesterday’s wet iPad was only the beginning. The hidden wet drawer became a useful reminder to check the knock-on effects when something changes in your business.

Paul told me his iPad “got a wash” and left its case standing on top of the fridge. Naturally, I invented an entire explanation before asking what actually happened.

After a sleepless night left me feeling flat, a 90-minute conversation with my lifelong friend Mandy was exactly what I needed. Who is your person when you’re feeling low?

One creative idea can quickly become five possible products, but none of them will exist if the original project never gets finished. Sometimes you need to finish the frog first.