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?

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.

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?

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.

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?

A woman came running towards us, laughing and almost shrieking. We couldn’t see what she was escaping until we found one enormous pelican standing on the path.

What do you call yourself when your creative business no longer fits neatly into one box? I finally found the words that connect my art, illustration and creative mentoring.

If someone has joined your email list, they have already asked to hear from you. So why are so many business owners reluctant to write to their subscribers?

A comment about Scruff’s papoose led to an unexpected conversation about Texas, Russia, the Queen’s English and British comedy.

Mabel assumes everybody will be delighted to see her. What could her wholehearted confidence teach us about sharing our work and talking about what we sell?

How large does the month need to be on an illustrated A4 calendar? I’m weighing up visibility against artwork and space for people to write.

Building a creative business rarely follows a straight line. The tools, ideas and old versions we leave behind still help us find our own pretty way.

One finished artwork can give you far more than one social media post. Look behind the image at the inspiration, motifs, decisions and difficulties to find five stories worth sharing.