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Finding Joy

How-To

4 things to do before you make big decisions
Creativity | Mind | Soul

4 things to do before you make big decisions

One of the defining characteristics of being human is our ability to exercise free will. Our ability to choose is…

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How we got our baby to sleep through the night
Family

How we got our baby to sleep through the night

Could it be? Has my baby worked out how to fall asleep on his own and through the night?? I…

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4 must-have books to survive the ‘witching hour’
Family

4 must-have books to survive the ‘witching hour’

My baby just fell asleep. He was awake for 4.5 hours (I’m led to believe this is far too long a…

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A Filipina woman with brown skin and dark wavy hair writes on a writeable wall/whiteboard wall in the Reward Gateway office

hi there! I'm Joy

I am a writer and artist from Western Sydney. A lover of all things creative, colourful and curious. Hoarder of books, stationery and wine. Collector and teller of stories. You'll find some of my art and writing here, along with my a̶d̶v̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ misadventures while attempting to balance a creative career + family life. I'm on a mission to cultivate courage and connection through creativity. Subscribe below and join me on this crazy adventure!

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One of my fave things is seeing my pieces in situ. One of my fave things is seeing my pieces in situ. ❤️ Visiting my friends in Brisbane and found my lettering on their bookshelf. 🥹❤️
It's been a good type of busy, I guess? I'm now bo It's been a good type of busy, I guess? I'm now booked for the next month and taking orders and bookings from mid November onwards. 😝 If you want custom orders/commissions before Christmas, get in touch sooner rather than later! ✌🏽
I went to the @universalsisterhood_ Arise women's I went to the @universalsisterhood_ Arise women's retreat on Saturday and had such a beautifully nourishing break from the hustle and bustle of daily life. One of the speakers, Dr Jovina James, read this poem at the end of her session, and I wrote it down while listening to @gen.lee sing worship songs - that entire session left my heart feeling so exposed and seen in the best possible way. I'm still reflecting on all the things I received at this retreat... one of the things that has stood out about the entire experience is how I have never once regretted investing time in spiritual nourishment. The last few months have been unusually busy (busier than I normally like anyway) and I could have easily pulled out and given my ticket to someone else because there were about 2,084,736 things I could have spent the 12 hours of my Saturday doing. But I knew that slowing down and devoting time to prayer, reflection, Adoration, listening, learning, reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones... was exactly the balm that my restless soul and my busy mind needed. It's Monday and the work I left behind is still where I left it on Friday - as it always is. The to-do list is still here and as long as ever. My kids missed me and wanted extra mum time for the rest of the weekend. But I return to them and all the things I need to do with a fuller cup and a calmer mind, and more equipped and hopeful than I was a few days ago. Retreats are awesome. If you ever get a chance to go to one, would 10 out of 10 recommend it. Your heart will thank you. 📷 ID: An open dot-grid journal lies on top of a table with a white tablecloth. The page contains the following poem lettered in black ink: The Weaver My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me; I cannot choose the colours He worketh steadily. Oft times He weaveth sorrow And I, in foolish pride, Forget He sees the upper, And I the underside. Not til the loom is silent And the shuttles cease to fly, Shall God unroll the canvas And explain the reason why. The dark threads are as needful In the Weaver's skillful hand, As the threads of gold and silver In the pattern He has planned. Benjamin Malachi Franklin
Spring is in the air! Sunny days = park time for t Spring is in the air! Sunny days = park time for the fam = playground and bike track for dad and the kids, and painting time for mum. Yes that's a baby food container that I use to cart around water to wash my brushes in. 😆 #WatercolourFlowers #Watercolour #FreestylePainting #LooseFlowers #SummerFlowers #WesternSydney
Still recovering from a pretty nasty virus that ha Still recovering from a pretty nasty virus that had me feeling pretty gross and out of the studio last week. Lots to catch up on, but taking a moment to enjoy the spring sunshine and set up a new bullet journal for the last quarter of 2023. It blows my mind just how much has happened and changed in the last 12 months. What remains so beautiful etched in my heart is the truth that God remains close to us, ready to fuel, comfort and transform us whenever we draw close to Him. In the busy-ness and challenges that life inevitably brings, I pray you too can find time to pause, to seek in Scripture, prayer, church or wherever you're planted today, the gift of His love, and find the peace you need. 🕊️
An oldie but a goodie. Thanks St Iggy. Take Lord An oldie but a goodie. Thanks St Iggy. Take Lord, and receive my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and thy grace, for this is sufficient for me. - Ignatius Loyola #CatholicPrayers #StIgnatius #BrushCalligraphy #CatholicArt #CatholicGifts
Gorgeous piece for a gorgeous person's Confirmatio Gorgeous piece for a gorgeous person's Confirmation gift. 💕 love the choice of colours too! ID: "The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment." - St Gianna Beretta Mola written in pink and purple freestyle brush calligraphy, with an abstract floral border. #BrushLettering #BrushCalligraphy #FreestyleLettering #FreestyleCalligraphy #CatholicArtist #CatholicQuotes #ArtGifts #CatholicGifts #PersonalisedGifts #CatholicWomen #SaintQuotes
Now that I've got multiple projects and income str Now that I've got multiple projects and income streams happening at once, I've gone back to tracking things in this weekly double-page #BulletJournal spread. I haven't had to do this in a while, but I find that when I have lots of different things going at once, dedicating 10 mins at the beginning of the week to this page helps me plan my tasks and time, keeps me anchored, and gives me a visual of where my time is going, esp as new tasks get added to the list. Yes, I still use my online calendar and task list, but this one-pager is tangible, colourful and super helpful. It's also a good place to track the home/family tasks that absolutely take up time but rarely get a mention in project plans or timesheets! Things like meal planning, changing bed sheets, folding clothes, cooking dinners, picking up kids from school... I get the satisfaction of ticking those off too. This is all done in the single notebook that comes with me to every meeting, so I check back through my notes from the past week's meetings and schedule tasks from those meetings. It's not a perfect system, but it's working for now and I will keep refining as I go. 📘 B5 dot-grid soft-cover @leuchtturm1917 Journal ✍️ @stabiloau Swing Cool highlighters #ProgressNotPerfection #MumLife #CreativeLife #BuJoIdeas #WeeklyPlanner
It's always really sweet getting feedback from cli It's always really sweet getting feedback from clients who've trusted me with a custom order and love the result! Thank you, Cat, I hope your niece loves the artwork and it continues to uplift and inspire her each time she sees it! ❤️ #BrushLettering #CustomOrders #PersonalisedGiftsAustralia #CommissionsOpen
This custom order is winging its way to a very spe This custom order is winging its way to a very special person as we speak. Privileged to be making these special moments shine for people around the world. 🖌️🌏❤️ #BrushLettering #BridalGift #CalledToCreate #PerfectlyImperfect #PersonalisedGifts
Grateful for the days when this is my workstation Grateful for the days when this is my workstation ☀️✌🏽🖌️💖
A friend of mine ordered this piece for a leader a A friend of mine ordered this piece for a leader at her organisation who was moving on. That friend described her manager as passionate, kind, empathetic, generous and brave how beautiful is that? Her choice of quote - "What we know matters, but who we are matters more" - Brene Brown- is such a perfect reminder that our knowledge will only take us so far. Our worth and dignity can't be captured in a degree or a job title or a promotion. Here's to all the leaders who treat their people with respect and humanity. ❤️ #BrushLettering #BrushCalligraphy #PersonalisedGiftsAustralia
Hey friend, in case you need reminding, you're ama Hey friend, in case you need reminding, you're amazing. There is no one on earth like you. You were made uniquely, purposefully, intentionally. There is a space that only you occupy. Let no on tell you you're going too slowly or too quickly. You don't need to be "going" anywhere. You can simply "be". There will never be anyone in the history of humanity that can be you, or repeat your experience of life and love. You being here is enough. You are unrepeatable. Your story matters. You matter. You're amazing. #FindingJoy #PerfectlyImperfect #LetteringWithLove
Got a few seconds? Take some deep breaths. Drop th Got a few seconds? Take some deep breaths. Drop those shoulders. Relax your eyes. Find some colour and some joy in the moment. 😘 #JustBreathe #WatercolourArtist #WatercolourCalligraphy #BrushLettering #BrushCalligraphy
Welcoming the weekend... Happy Saturday friends. ✌🏽Choose your words like you'd choose your outfit for the day. ❤️ #BrushLettering #BrushCalligraphy #LetteringWithLove #CatholicCreative #CatholicArtist #CreativePlay
Happy Monday friends. Calligraphy demands that I s Happy Monday friends. Calligraphy demands that I slow RIGHT down to focus on every stroke. And it makes my to-do list pretty so 🤷🏻‍♀️ #WorthIt ☺️ #ToDoList #MondayMorning #BrushCalligraphy
We're giving away a Brush Lettering Kit worth $75+ We're giving away a Brush Lettering Kit worth $75+ in @thehustle.society's fundraising raffle! Just over 12 hours left before the online raffle tickets close - it's just $10 for a chance to win over $1000 worth of prizes! 🎟️🎇🎁🎊 $10/single ticket $25/3 tickets $50/7 tickets Head to thehustlesociety.com.au/raffle for details and to buy your ticket. The generous businesses supporting this growing community are incredible - head on over to check out the people redefining what hustle culture looks like and bringing hope & happiness to Western Sydney and women's sports. @jchoops.au @city.cave.minchinbury @neosrecovery @younglionscafe @hairbyleiyah @embersbasketball @gardenofherwomb You gotta be in it to win it!
Rainbow Rain 🌈 This was a random warm-up I did Rainbow Rain 🌈 This was a random warm-up I did while we were on holidays earlier this year: mixed a bunch of muted colours and just started painting strokes all over - it was quite therapeutic and very satisfying! Have no idea what to do with it now, but sharing it because it might be an exercise you want to try. Go on, whip out those watercolours! #CreativeWarmup #PerfectlyImperfect #WatercolourArtist #Watercolour #WatercolourWarmUps #AbstractArt
Had an impromptu paint picnic with my nieces yeste Had an impromptu paint picnic with my nieces yesterday, and my heart is full ❤️❤️ We'd all met up to remember and honour the life of my aunt who passed away 4 years ago and had lunch at a park not far from the cemetery. 🎨 I realise now that I'm older that visiting the deceased regularly and hanging out at the cemetery is NOT something a lot of people do, but I kinda love this part of my family's culture and custom. It reminds me that the people who've gone before us are never far from our minds and hearts, and it also normalises the ups and downs of grief and missing someone, long after their last breath. My Uncle Greg is a legend and posts pics of my aunt pretty regularly, and reminded us yesterday how happy she would've been just hanging out with all the kids on a sunny day. I often picture my aunt in heaven, playing with the baby that I lost last year. I'm sure they're making all sorts of fun mischief together, and praying for us. God normally sends a rainbow on days like this but he surprised me with a spectacular sunset on the drive home, and I am still awed (and utterly grateful) that this is the type of view I can get when I drive home from a quick run to shops. 🌄 Beauty is everywhere. In life's ups, downs, celebrations and commiserations... There is beauty. #Watercolour #WatercolourArtist #WatercolourFlowers #PaintPicnic #Sunset
More practice pages from the archives. And by "arc More practice pages from the archives. And by "archives" I mean the stacks of random pieces of paper and receipts that were collecting dust in random corners of my house. 🤭 Ooops. #Watercolour #WatercolourFlowers #WatercolourArtist #WatercolourWorkshops #PracticeMakesProgress #PerfectlyImperfect #CreativeDate #CreativePlay #CreativePractice
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Finding J😜y 🎨

Hi! I'm Joy. I am a writer and artist from Western Sydney. I'm on a mission to cultivate courage and connection through creativity. I created Finding Joy in 2016 to share my art and writing, along with my a̶d̶v̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ misadventures while attempting to balance a creative career + family life. Hope you take a moment to pause and enjoy what you find here!

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