Gee's Storees - January '25 ❄️✨
Plans, sock-gloves, excess tea and cakes.
Hello! Welcome to the first newsletter of 2025. I’ve rewritten this so many times already, so I’m just going to sit, write and hope for the best.
*Phew* what a year 2025 has been, amiright? … jokes aside, why does January feel so long? I won’t blast you with all the plans I have for the year because guess what, I’m not planning my full year this year, instead I’ve made quarterly plans, just to keep things more focused and less overwhelming, it works better for my chaotic brain (there are way too many things to do and not enough time I feel so we shall pace ourselves this way.
So 1st quarterly update of the year, let’s go! This is a bit of a long one, so here’s a little guide on what is included:
Plans for January - April
Keeping things steady and manageable (here’s hoping).
Goal #1
Working on a picture book. You might already know about this, as I’ve already shared a couple of the illustrations from the story I started work on last year. I’ve had some time to think about the story, and you’ve also very kindly provided me with some interesting ideas from a Q&A I had over on Instagram Stories last month, and I’m so freaking excited to put the whole thing together! The story’s main character is Night (or Una, I haven’t decided which to go with just yet). I’d love this to be a calm, bedtime read for children (all the children, yes me and you included), in an effort to make night-time more magical for those afraid of the dark and the spookables it brings with it.
#2 Book Covers
Some of my first illustrations last year were covers based on books I had read. This was something I really enjoyed working on, and is an area in publishing I’d like to get better at and effectively get more commissions for. So I’m aiming to get a few of these done, at least one every 2/3 weeks. I mean on the positive, it’s also encouraging me to make more time for reading.
#3 Colour!
Last year I promised myself I’d improve the use of colour within my visual work, so I started doing exercises before starting any creative work. Last year I felt like I finally cracked the code and found a way of utilising colour within my work in a way that I that I feel both comfortable in and really happy with. These Colour Studies are done from reference photos I would have taken while out walking or on the bus and have really amped up my observational skills.
#4 A hobby? What is that?
Last year was chaotic, between work and personal engagements, I missed out on some of my favourite holidays, zoomed past months glued to my desk and laptop to finish off work, and this year, I’ve promised myself to prioritise activities that will stimulate my creativity better and give me a mental break from it.
To top all this up, it also felt like I prioritised everything and everyone over my work and health, which combined with the load of work, made for an exhaustive concoction. This year I’m doing things a little different and learning to say NO to things that just won’t serve me personally or creatively.
I’ve probably already mentioned this in the past: the flexibility you get when working as a freelancer is both a gift and a curse. You can work any hours you want, but you can work any hours you want. SO, with that being said, I’m going to try enforce an obligatory short walk at the end of the working day, every day when possible, just to signal to my brain that the work day is OVER. These last few walks have been interesting (?) - been keeping an eye out for all the mess left after Storm Eowyn, it breaks my heart to see so many fallen trees. Oh and I’m trying to make more time for a recently rediscovered interest: sewing and embroidery. (I’m already falling behind on this, but it’s ok, it’s a new week (at least when I’m writing this it is) and we’ll go day by day.
Repurposed Sock Gloves
I started my year with a thorough spring clean in the middle of winter. I still have the raging drawer of paper death to go through but that’s definitely the next on my cleaning list. I went on a bit of a rampage in my studio, my closet, we even cleaned out kitchen cupboards (I did not know I collected that many teas). Let me tell you, I feel lighter somehow, and the second I’m done with the last drawer, it’s going to feel great!
SO anyways back to the socks … I posted these over on Instagram, and so many of you loved them! They’re so simple, with minimal stitching required, and you get to hang on to and give a second life to your favourite socks! I love my little Snoopy sets.
Baking
This month brought with it the birthday of one of my favourite people on this planet and I baked him a cake! After my surprisingly successful salted caramel cake bake last year, I promised to bake a cake of his choosing, and all he wanted was a simple and yummy classic birthday cake. Bless. I’ll tell you one thing, sometimes the simpler the cake, the more complicated the process is…*looks away from the spilt oil mess*. So, what do we think? I think she looks pretty presentable. Baking is such a de-stresser for me, I LOVE DOUGH! My favourite has to be a focaccia dough though - the smell of proofing dough, with that olive oil is just yum.
I’ve recently sent a post with some information about Substack. I moved my newsletter and email list over to this platform a little over a year ago, but I realised there was some confusion as to what Substack was and how to navigate it as a subscriber. It is essentially my blog and newsletter nicely grouped into 1. So just to make sure I’ve cleared any questions, you can head over here to understand how to sign up if you want to (if you’ve received this in your inbox, chances are you already are ), to understand how my blog is split up if you’d like to venture onto it directly through the Substack app and not just via email. You’ll also be able to see an archive of what I’ve shared through the app or website and also all other future posts.
I’m re-opening personal commissions!
The plan is to take a couple of these a month, I’ve got a few packages available, which you can check out here. If you’re interested, feel free to reply to this email or drop me a message at hello@frannie-gee.com. I’m always happy to discuss any ideas you might have circling around in your brains so please do get in contact if you’d like a personalised illustration made especially for you!
Right then, over to you! Have you got any exciting plans for the New Year? Feel free to leave a comment on Substack or reply to this email!
I’ve started the year rather focused and determined, I can hopefully keep it up for the rest of 2025, but I do think to do so, I need to give myself breaks and the chance to allow my creativity to be inspired by things, ie. taking breaks. So here’s to a colourful and peaceful new year!
