Zone 8 | Spring 2025

Zone 8 zine cover with red background and light blue line drawings of three daffodils in different sizes

I recently finished the Spring edition of my zine Zone 8. It features lots of nature photography, Spring in the south is one of my favorite times of year! The weather is amazing and all the plants start to come back to life. Also included in this issue are drawings from my sketchbook done during the winter and Spring. I thought I would share a biscuit recipe too, I was surprised how easy they are to make. You can take a virtually flip through a condensed version of the zine here. In two days it will be summer! After 8 years here in the Southeast, I have realized that it’s best not to fight the heat and instead roll with it.

Sambas Everywhere

I went to NYC and all I saw was Sambas. Just kidding I saw a lot more but almost every other person had a pair of Sambas on. I sat for a while in Madison Square Park and people watched, I found it funny that 90% of the conversations were people complaining about boyfriends, girlfriends, co-workers and family members. I guess the trip could have a titled “Drama in Sambas”.

Multiple drawings of adidas sambas in a sketchbook

The Many Shades of Sambas

Where Nature is Nice

This year starts the eighth year of living in Charlotte. The one thing I enjoy everyday here is the nature. Matt and I talk often about where else in the United States we would want to live. We have not come up with a place yet but I am sure we will eventually. When I think about what I will miss about Charlotte if we do move away it’s the nature. I often chuckle at the city’s slogan “Charlotte’s Got a Lot” because I don’t think it does, I have found it to be just one big suburb with lot’s of nature and endless options for grocery stores.

Zone Eight-Issue 1

I made a zine called Zone Eight. Creating a zine has been on my to do list for many years, so I am quite happy that I finally followed through. The name comes from the planting zone of where I live, which is Zone Eight. It’s a collection of photographs and illustrations from the year so far, ranging from our garden, my surroundings and my favorite beverages. Now I get to start working on the the next issue. Check out the full zine here!

A Reminder

Work for me has been a dumpster fire for a while and I need to make changes to get into a better work situation. I am currently in a work situation that makes me feel like I am a round peg trying to fit into a square hole. I thought maybe if I draw how I have been feeling about work it would be a visual reminder to work more on figuring out a better fit for me. A dear friend told me that I should own my own business but she admired that I was always trying to find a better fit for me. I think she is right, I want to be a full time Illustrator. All I need to do is believe in my talent and actually work on making it happen.