As I ease back into life in the studio, I’ve been thinking of what type of tone I want to set for my art business going into fall. I find that these energies can often be honed in with a single word. Much like a “word of the year” where people choose a word to represent a mantra or goal they have for themselves for the year — I’m choosing one for the remainder of the year.

In this studio sesh, I’m creating a mantra surrounded in color to hang in my office. I use Life of Colour paint pens to build up layers of color around the word. I chose the word “SEEN” as in allowing myself to “be seen”. This also correlates with not being shy about showing my work, my process and putting myself out there in new ways. Yes, even us seasoned artists can still be shy at times.

Think of a word to represent the energy you want to bring into the end of the year and create a meditative piece of art using that word. Hang it in a place that you’ll see every day.

This video was filmed in August, but I’m just now getting it on the page. Paid subscribers can expect a second video for September in the coming weeks!

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Enjoy the video below!

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Euro summer is coming to a close and I’m soaking up every last bit before life gets busy again. I’m back with a NEW moodboard and color palette for August and I must say, it’s a vibe. All of the images were gathered from my recent trip to Spain (Barcelona & Sitges). I noticed that I kept coming across the same colors over and over both indoors and outdoors. I love when a place reveals a color palette on its own.

Take a look at this sophisticated Spanish moodboard and palette.

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There’s something mysterious about this color palette. Dare I say, it’s giving FALL! I encourage you to take a look at these colors and start dreaming up ways you can use them in your creative play time!

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If you had to choose one work to describe this moodboard, what would it be?

-Jessi

About the Author:

Hi friends! I’m Jessi, a fine artist, designer, author and the creator of the color brand EttaVee. I’m originally from Indiana and have been living in France for the past 12 years. Here, I share my passion for artful living and hope to encourage others to invite a bit of creativity into their everyday lives.

💬 Feel free to like or comment on this newsletter so more Substack users can find it! ♥️

Casa Vicens

Visting Casa Vicens was my first stop and the visual highlight of my day. This lesser known site was the first home designed by famed Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and is now a Unesco Heritage site. Casa Vicens is also Gaudí’s “manifest” home, meaning it was the architectural & stylistic blueprint/ manifest for all of his work to follow. As an artist, it was fascinating to see the project that put him on the map stylistically.

Gaudí loved nature and brought it into the home in any way he could.

This concept of the “manifest home” made me think a lot about the first brightly color piece I painted and how it became the “manifest” artwork for my lifestlye brand “EttaVee”. You can easily book a ticket before arriving.

My favorite space in the interior was the smoking room. My goodness what a beauty! Also, this is the exact shade of indigo that I have in my entryway!

You can tell he had fun designing this house and that’s a great message to take away from this visit.

Skirts? Skirts!

I’m NOT a shopper, I simply don’t have the patience for it. However, I was completely taken by the shopping in Barcelona. Sure the city is covered in Zara’s, Mango’s and Lefties, but I was impressed to find that each store seemed to have a completely different marchandise than its next closest location. The clothing was WAY more playful than what we find in France. I bought a few skirts and sparkly tops.

Stationery Shops

As my day was winding down, I headed out to explore some of the local stationery shops. There were two that weren’t too far from where I was staying. I wandered the small streets of the Barrio Gothico near the Barcelona Cathedral towards Papirum (Baixada de la Llibreteria, 2, Ciutat Vella, 08002 Barcelona, Spain). It’s a small stationery shop specializing in leather-bound journals and other stationery accessories.

The second stationery/ design shop I visited was Raima (located Carrer Comtal, 27, Ciutat Vella, 08002 Barcelona, Spain). This was more of an art supply store, but they had floors and floors of amazing products. Their decorative paper section was fabulous! I felt inspired to create and snagged some cool fountain pens for my daughter.

Dinner & Drinks

I headed to the Kimpton Hotel to meet my cousin & his cherie for a cocktail and then off to dinner we went. We had dinner at Maleducat and it did not disappoint. We shared the most delicious meal surrounded by locals (that’s how you know you’re in the right place).

I have no idea how many times I’ve visited the country of Spain (I’m going to guess around six in total) and every time I visit, I leave loving it more and more. This was a nice reminder to get out and see the world more often. I can’t wait to translate some of my inspiration to paper! More to come!

xo, Jessi

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Sometimes, I feel like I have a whole art store in my studio and I love taking a deep dive into my materials and creating something completely new from materials that might get tossed out at some point.

For July’s Club Couleur Studio sesh, I grabbed a pile of decorative EttaVee paper. These are pieces of paper I saved from expired EttaVee calendars and agendas. I didn’t want this bunch of perfectly good decorative paper to go to waste!

I decided to use this artwork to create a cute bookshelf collage. Watch it all come together in the video below! Honestly, I can’t stop making these - they’re so relaxing to create! I can honestly see myself getting more into junk journaling. Excited to explore more!

Enjoy the video!

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I’m back with another fresh moodboard and color palette for July. Life has been HOT HOT HOT in Europe this summer with one heatwave after the other. I wanted this month’s color palette to capture a bit of that spicy-ness!

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Here’s the how this fresh July moodboard came together:

I’m really into the playfulness of the color palette that this moodboard produced. I encourage you to take a look at these colors and start dreaming up ways you can use them in your creative play time!

Free Painting workshop!

I plan to use this color palette in a FREE upcoming painting workshop I’m teaching in early August. Join me August 6th for Summer Creative Retreat. I’ll guide you through a creative exercise and show you how to paint your own unique butterfly during SCR put on by my friend Peggy of The Pigeon Letters.

Join the FREE workshop!

Also, if you’re looking to build your own moodboard, here’s a quick “how to” guide I put together to help you learn to build your own moodboards here.

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What are your thoughts on this month’s moodboard? More to come!

-Jessi

About the Author:

Hi friends! I’m Jessi, a fine artist, designer, author and the creator of the color brand EttaVee. I’m originally from Indiana and have been living in France for the past 12 years. Here, I share my passion for artful living and hope to encourage others to invite a bit of creativity into their everyday lives.

💬 Feel free to like or comment on this newsletter so more Substack users can find it! ♥️

The year was 2013 and my flight was 20 minutes away from landing at Paris CDG airport. I was feeling anxious, not only because I was on a plane and loathe flying, but because I was moving to Paris from the U.S. to join my husband. I opened my plane window shade and was welcomed with the most beautiful periwinkle blue sky. A familiar shade I only ever see when landing in Paris in the early morning. There’s something about this specific shade of morning-sky periwinkle that I find so comforting. The calming blues with twinges of purples and pinks for optimism. A magical chapter of my life was ready to unfold and the periwinkle skies over Paris soothed my soul letting me know that everything would be alright.

To me, the memory of moving to Paris is periwinkle.

Color as a Time Machine

Sometimes, there are specific scents that transports us back in time. This can be the scent our grandmother’s perfume or the smell of fresh cut grass reminding us of childhood summers. This got me wondering if color, like other senses, can transport us back into our memories as well. Color plays many roles in our lived moments - enhancing our memories in the process.

A few colorful momentos of my past are:

• There’s a specific shade of deep red that, when I see it, makes me think of the kitchen table my parents had in the late 80’s.

• Bright yellow cake frosting takes me back to my fifth birthday party.

• A specific mix of turquoise blue & emerald in water, transports me back to my marriage proposal in a boat in Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe.

And what about you? What are some colorful momentos from your past?

• What was the color of your first bicycle?

• What color were your walls in your childhood bedroom?

• If you had to associate a color with the sport you grew up playing, what would it be?

As Artists We Collect Memories

As artists, we’re the collectors of color. It’s our job to observe and translate the colors we encounter in world into our work. When out and about in daily life I’m always sure to take lots of photos to pull from later as inspiration. In the moment, I’m capturing fun colors that catch my eye, but in the long run I’m capturing a memory through color. Color is what often draws me in; inviting me to capture it in some way.

Banana Leaves spotted while strolling around Bourmes-les-Mimosa in the South of France with my mom | 2. Confetti jars during a fabulous photoshoot with The Confetti Project in New York | 3. Paint cans while painting my second ever mural in Jackson, Michigan | 4. Flowers from the weekly market in Strasbourg

I invite you to pay attention to colors that catch your eye throughout the day today. Colors that may make you pause or take a closer look. This can be a bright pattern on a leaf or a colorful flower pot that stands out from the rest. Capture it in a photo or sketch it. Here’s a color that caught my eye yesterday while I was visiting Freiburg, Germany with my parents.

Is there a color that takes you back to a certain moment in time? Let me know in the comments!

xo,

Jessi

For those who were unable to join for June’s Live, the prompt was to explore bringing checkers and flowers together. You can find more info on the prompt here.

Here’s what I drew!

I went ahead and made a pattern with it! Seeing this checkered flower all aligned reminds me of a stained glass window. I can’t wait to see what it becomes in the future!

I do want to preface that due to technical difficulties with the internet connection while I was live, the replay video is choppy in some areas. I tried my best to edit those moments out.

Club Couleur Update

I’ve noticed the majority of Club Couleur members prefer to watch the replay rather than joining the live. With summer now in full swing and people traveling, I’ve made the decision to make July & August non-live events to test out if this is the better format moving forward. You’ll still get a monthly Club Couleur art-making video for those two months. They will just be pre-recorded!

I’m so looking forward to inviting you back into my studio for the month of July! Make sure you’re subscribed to the paid tier if you’d like to watch upcoming and previous replays!

Paid subscribers can access the replay video below!

Happy creating!

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June Prompt: Checkers & Flowers

For June’s Club Couleur sesh, i’ll explore checkered abstract flowers using markers. I recently shared in my Substack Notes that I’ve been on a checker kick lately. This week, I also launched my latest Skillshare Class inspired by our April Club Couleur get together! It’s called Modern Blooms: An Acrylic Journey into Abstract Floral Painting. I thought it could be fun to combine the two themes in some way. Checkers & Flowers.

Here’s a peek at a few of my checker doodles from my art journal:

I took the star checker design (from the photo on the right) and turned it into an Americana quilt inspired repeat pattern. I added into to the art pieces below for my art licensing portfolio. For the crab piece I used it as a background and for the sailboat I used it as a pattern for the inside of the boat.

I ended up making a Valentine’s greeting card with the heart checker piece.

I find checker designs, relaxing to create. They make for simple (and unique) patterns to design with. I’m excited to try out some floral checker designs with you all!

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What is Club Couleur Live?

I know some of you may be familiar with my Live Painting classes. Unlike a Live Painting class, Club Couleur Live is a one hour informal (non-instructional) art meet-up where we take a moment to connect & chat while making art together. You can create along with me, work on your own projects or simply watch and hang out. Over time, I’ll adapt this group to what you all most enjoy & resonate with the most.

I plan for these hangouts to take place the last week of each month. There will be a video replay for all paid subscribers, so if you’re unable to join live you’ll still be able to watch the replay at your convenience!

I may use my June moodboard and color palette as light inspiration for this Club Couleur Live. You may reference it as well or not, it’s totally up to you & what is inspiring you at the moment. You can use any art materials you have on hand!

The simple goal is to make something!

To join monthly Club Couleur Live events, you’ll need to become a paid subscriber! Subscribers can join for only $10/month! You’ll also get access to past and future Club Couleur Live events & replays. Can’t join live? A video replay will be posted a few daays after the live!

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JOIN ME! Tuesday, June 30th, 2026 at Noon EST / 9am PST.

Read on to learn how to join the Live.

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Those of you who subscribe, may have seen that I create a moodboard each month. I then use this moodboard for inpsiration for our monthly Club Couleur Live paint sessions!

Sources - Board 1: Trout Design Co. | Board 2: Senia | Board 3: Laura Addison Designs | Board 4: unknown

Why I love a good moodboard

• It gets us into the habit of documenting/ capturing moments, objects or places we find visually interesting. Overtime, you’ll build up a visual library ready to fuel your moodboard making.

• Helps us train our eye to notice the beauty in our surroundings. The more we pay attention and hone in on our surroundings (especially nature) the more you start to notice the beauty that we so often take for granted.

• Gives us a clear visual direction and aesthetic when designing

• Helps us develop our personal visual taste.

• Helps us learn how to balance and pair. For me, putting a moodboard together is like building a puzzle. Seeing which images and colors can live harmoniously together is sooo fun.

So let’s build a moodboard, shall we?

Step 1: Reason

Think of a reason why you would need make a moodboard in the first place. This will help guide you into a concise direction.

Reasons:

• To inspire a new art collection you’re working on

• To deep dive into a specific theme (coastal, florals, tropical etc)

• To gather inspiration for interior decorating

• To communicate a visual aesthetic to a client

• To gather inspiration on a current design trend

• To gather visual inspiration for a party or event

• Or simply for fun because they’re fun to make! Just pick any topic that speaks to you!

Step 2: Gather

Start gathering images out in the world. Personally, I take photos of things that interest me in my daily life. This could be a beautifully colored fascade. It could be the way light hits a tree or simply a beautiful flower that caught my eye.

Take yourself on a walk and notice the beauty that nature has to offer - she’s usually the best inspiration.

Hot Tip - Be sure to lean in and take a close look if you can. Beautiful and intricate patterns can be found when taking a closer look.

I have a special album in my phone dedicated to inspiration photos. This makes it easy to find later when i’m ready to start building my moodboard.

Ways to gather imagery:

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June is here which means it’s time for a new moodboard of the month!

I really love the ritual of this monthly challenge. For those who don’t know, I’ve started a little monthly challenge for myself to build a moodboard and color palette for each month using my surroundings as inspiration. I love gathering moments from life and bringing them all together to create a unique aesthetic.

In previous months, I shared why I’m creating a monthly moodboard and how it helps and guides me in my design and art creation process. You can read about it here.

Here’s the how this fresh June moodboard came together:

Bonus palette because I couldn’t decide:

Things are warming up here during the month of June. It has me looking for ways to stay cool — and this moodboard and color palette speaks to just that! I encourage you to take a look at these colors and start dreaming up ways you can use them in your projects. I’m just about finished putting together a quick “how to” guide to help you all learn to build your own moodboards.

Our next Club Couleur Live painting hangout will be taking place Thursday, June 25 at noon ET. I’ll be using this moodboard to create something during our time together. Club Couleur live studio hangouts are available to all paid Substack subscribers!

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What are your thoughts on this month’s moodboard? More to come!

-Jessi

About the Author:

Hi friends! I’m Jessi, a fine artist, designer, author and the creator of the color brand EttaVee. I’m originally from Indiana and have been living in France for the past 12 years. Here, I share my passion for artful living and hope to encourage others to invite a bit of creativity into their everyday lives.

💬 Feel free to like or comment on this newsletter so more Substack users can find it! ♥️

I’m really loving the energy going into this month. Maybe it’s the longer days of sunlight, but I’m re-awakening and remembering that the more open you are to life, the more pleasantly surprised you can be. Sometimes a little shake-up is all you need to feel inspired again!

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• Actively seeking joy

  Lately, I’ve been actively seek joy by trying to see how I can make my everyday moments a bit more magical— a bit more joyful. This means I’m taking business meetings in the park with colorful markers and slipping little drawings into my daughters’ snack boxes.

• Product development

  I’m trying something for the first time ever with my business. I’m exploring developing and self-producing my own products using my artwork. I still plan for licensing to be my main focus in terms of developing products via collaborations etc. But I have countless product ideas that are forever growing in my mind and it’s time to bring them to fruition. I’m having so much fun designing and sourcing. I feel like this project is adding a new energy into my brand. More to come!

• The Sun & Storks

  The sun is back and at full force. We had a bit of a heatwave last week, so I’ve been staying cool indoors. It has been nice having evening meals and playing UNO on the terrace once things have cooled down. We love watching the storks (cigones) fly overhead as the sun sets. My husband and I truly feel like bird watchers these days.

• Create & Connect

  I’m excited to announce that I have not one, but TWO creative retreats in the works for 2027! Plans are a bit hush hush at the moment, but just know it will be immersive, creatively restorative and an all around good time. The only hint I can share is that both will be in Europe. Here’s a look at a past creative retreat in France.

  

• Strawberry Fields Forever

  It’s strawberry season here and it has been oh-so-tasty! We’ve taken the girls to pick strawberries twice now. My husband is a chef and is making all kinds of artisanal confitures with these beautiful berries. I’m going to design a cute label for the jars.

• Statement works for walls

  I recently shipped four fresh pieces of art to my friends at Liz Lidgett Gallery in Des Moines, Iowa. Seeing them all together makes me feel incredibly proud to see thoughts put into visual form - ready for its future forever home.

• Art I can’t stop thinking about

  I came across German sculptor, Michael Berger, at an art event here in Strasbourg. I can’t stop thinking about his metal and colored glass spinning wall sculptures. It inspires me to think of the role light plays in our art.

• Summertime Soirée Season

  Long evenings in the moonlight with family & friends is currently feeding my soul.

I invite you to seek the joy around you this June! Take care!

xo, Jessi

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About the Author:

Hi friends! I’m Jessi, a fine artist, designer, author and the creator of the color brand EttaVee. I’m originally from Indiana and have been living in France for the past 12 years. Here, I share my passion for artful living and hope to encourage others to invite a bit of creativity into their everyday lives.

💬 Feel free to like or comment on this newsletter so more Substack users can find it! ♥️

May Prompt: Decorating an 3D Object

For May’s Club Couleur sesh, I’ll be painting a home decor object that I’ve been wanting to add a fun design to. The idea behind this prompt comes from the beginning of my art business when I wanted to create a line of beautiful notebooks with my artwork on them. I didn’t have the funds to produce them, so I hand painted a set of notebooks and they sold out immediately. I kept painting and selling these notebooks until a stationery company saw a photo of them on Instagram and asked if I would like to produce a real life stationery line of colorful notebooks with them. What a dream come true!

I find that painting on 3D objects is a great exercise in design because you have to take the shape and material of the object into account.

Here are some examples of 3D objects I’ve painted:

For this project, I used the color palette provided in May’s Moodboard.

Here’s what I painted!

During this art sesh, I explore painting on a 3D object - a beautiful ceramic swallow gifted to me by a friend. I explain why I chose the patterns I ended up with and how they tie into the meaning of the object I’m painting. I also encourage you to find an object around your home that could use a little artsy glow-up! I really love taking an intentional hour to create with you all. It’s the perfect start to the weekend.

I’m so looking forward to our next Club Couleur Live paint session. It will take place during the last week of June! Make sure you’re subscribed to the paid tier if you’d like to join us and watch the previous replays!

Paid subscribers can access the replay video below!

Happy painting and hope to see you at the next Live at the end of June!

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For my inaugural “Entre Nous” I’d love to share a few French things I’ve adopted and the American things I’m keeping after living in France for the past 13 years. A quick intro for those those un-familiar with me, I’m Jessi, an American artist, designer, author and lifestyle brand owner of EttaVee who moved to France with my French husband in 2013. I lived in Paris for six years and now Strasbourg for seven years.

This essay isn’t about my favorite French cheeses and butter (however, I totally plan to share my favorite French foods & brands with you all at another time). This is about finding harmony living between two cultures.

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Everyone has their own experiences with both countries. These are my personal experiences of being an American woman living in France. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to live in two different cultures and I love that I can implement what I appreciate most about them both into my life!

3 French things I’ve adopted:

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May is here which means it’s time for a new moodboard of the month!

For those who don’t know, I’ve started a little monthly challenge for myself to build a moodboard and color palette for each month using my surroundings as inspiration. I love gathering moments from life and bringing them all together to create a unique aesthetic.

Last month, I shared why I’m creating a monthly moodboard and how it helps and guides me in my design and art creation process. You can read about it here.

Here’s the fresh moodboard May revealed to me:

I honestly didn’t expect to come across so many reds in May. I suppose, in my mind, May is spring and pink! I love how life can surprise us once we take the time to look around.

I encourage you to take a look at these colors and start dreaming up ways you can use them in your projects. I’m putting together a quick “how to” guide to help you all learn to build your own moodboards.

Reminder that our next Club Couleur Live painting hangout will be taking place Friday, May 29 at noon ET. I’ll be using this moodboard to create something during our time together. Club Couleur live studio hangouts are available to all paid Substack subscribers!

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More to come!

-Jessi

About the Author:

Hi friends! I’m Jessi, a fine artist, designer, author and the creator of the color brand EttaVee. I’m originally from Indiana and have been living in France for the past 12 years. Here, I share my passion for artful living and hope to encourage others to invite a bit of creativity into their everyday lives.

💬 Feel free to like or comment on this newsletter so more Substack users can find it! ♥️

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Happy May friends!

May has been quite a busy month for me so far. I’m embarking on obtaining my French driver’s license (which the French themselves view as complex and they’re not wrong, especially as a native English speaker). But overall, it’s going pretty well!

Art-wise, I feel like I’m embarking on a bit of a creative renaissance. Maybe it’s the changing times, maybe it’s written in the stars but I’m feeling pulled to live and create without boundaries. More on that later.

Here what’s on my radar and what I’ve been up to lately:

• Bringing the colors of spring to the children’s hospital

  I’m super honored to have been asked back to bring some artsy fun to the children’s hospital here in Strasbourg. I brought my brightest paints and teamed up with pianist, Sébastien Troendlé, to bring a marrying of music and art from room-to-room on the children’s floor of the hospital. I combined many small canvases together to create three large canvases. Once the large painting was completed, we broke the canvas apart and gifted them to all of the kids & their families. I always have the best time sharing these moment of art with the kids!

• Current Workout

  I’ve started the 25 Day Pilates Challenge by Pilates by Izzy It’s been nice feeling my posture getting stronger by the day. It’s been an easy way to get a quick & efficient workout in.

• Objects I’m loving

  I’m a sucker for beautifully crafted home decor & will be sharing items I’m loving. A few months ago I visited an artisan fair here in Strasbourg and came across artisanal lamp maker, Maxime Prangé, based out of Lyon, France. He uses organic materials to airbrush the natural fibered papers used on his lamps. His lamps are such a beautiful work of art & warmth - I hope to own one one day.

• Music & Movement

  We held our annual African Dance Spring Show (4 sold out shows) this past weekend and I’m on cloud nine. Over 300 of us danced to professional live musicians, wore beautiful African wax fabrics and celebrated the African continent with movement & storytelling. Dancing and being on stage helped me re-connect with my main character energy and it’s energy that’s much needed at this time of my life with 40 is on its way. I danced so much my legs are down for the count!

• Colors I’m leaning into

  With the returns of blue skies in my corner of the world, I’m feeling soothed by blue hues. I’ve been working more of these soothing hues into my work. This new body of works will be available at Liz Lidgett Gallery May 22nd!

• Currently listening to:

  I’ve been on quite a Bossa Nova kick for the past year. Here’s a song that makes me happy & feels like sunshine.

• Permission to grow in new ways

  A few weeks ago, I received some unexpected news for my business. It sent me into a bit of a dramatic tailspin for a couple of days, but what is growing from it feels like an opportunity to build in new ways. Often times a “no” means that there’s a “yes” waiting just around the corner. I’m remembering the lesson that change is normal, change is constant and that change is necessary in order to grow and evolve. Sorry to be vague— I know. But I do want to say I’m feeling free & inspired to step into the next phase of my personal brand, EttaVee. I hope that you know you can always give yourself permission to change & grow when your current situation doesn’t quite fit anymore.

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• Setting weekly art dates for my kids

  In France, kids in Maternelle (pre-k & kindergarten) and Primaire (elementary school) don’t have school on Wednesdays. I’ve been implementing studio hours for the girls. I want to give them themes, teach them techniques and then let them run free with their own creative curiosities!

  

Are you currently feeling a pull towards trying something new or something you’ve been wanting to do for the longest time? I’d love to hear about it!

May the month of May be good to us. Take care of yourselves!

xo, Jessi

For those who were unable to join for April’s Live, I created a quick expressive watercolor flower field inspired by the dandelion field photo from April’s Moodboard.

Here’s what I painted!

I really love how this quick painting turned out. I think it will make a lovely repeat pattern for textile, so keep an eye out for how this piece continues to live on in different forms.

I’m so looking forward to our next Club Couleur Live paint session. It will take place Friday, May 29th at noon EST! Make sure you’re subscribed to the paid tier if you’d like to join us!

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Paid subscribers can access the replay video below!

Happy painting and hope to see you at the next Live at the end of May!

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Bonjour & Hello!

Welcome to Atelier EttaVee! A place for artsy kindred hearts looking to invite more creativity into their day-to-day and connect with like-minded creatives.

If this is our first time meeting, hi I’m Jessi Raulet, an Artist, Designer, Author and the CEO + Creative Director of the bright & bold lifestyle brand EttaVee. I’m excited to explore Substack as a more intimate way to connect with like minded creatives whilst sharing tips and the behind-the-scenes of my art practice and studio life.

What is Atelier EttaVee?

“Atelier” (French for studio) is the place where messes are made and creative curiosities are explored. Atelier EttaVee is a virtual rendition of my real-life Strasbourg studio where I share what I’m working on, share creative moments, musings, inspiration and practical tips to aid you in your art practice.

The atelier is a place where we make the time to create! The goal is to create a space for like-minded creatives and hobbyists to connect, create together; while inviting more art making into our everyday lives.

A new home for my creative play & musings

So why Substack? After spending the past decade building my lifestyle brand EttaVee, and sharing a lot of my journey on Instagram, I’m looking for a quieter and more thoughtful way to share the heart and soul behind my creations & art business.

This season is about following my creative curiosities and gently re-igniting my art practice with intention, grace and whimsy. I would love to invite you along the way!

What you can expect

Free subscribers will enjoy:

• The Atelier Letter, that shares my inspirations and occasional articles on art, inspiration & creativity.

• La Palette du Mois - a lovely color palette or mood board of something inspiring me at the moment.

• Notes

Paid subscribers will enjoy “The Atelier Letter”, “La Palette du Mois”, Notes as well as:

• Club Couleur - a 1 hour monthly Virtual Zoom hangout (join us for our first one May 1st). This is a casual hang out where we connect and create together. You can follow along as I paint or work on your own project. Replay videos will be made accessible to re-watch on your own time!

• Entre Nous (Between Us) - a true behind-the-scenes look at my art process, mindset, challenges I’m working through and lessons I have learned along the way.

• Le Cercle - Access to the chat to connect with like-minded community chat where we will share what we’re working on, favorite art supplies and more!

• Occasional opportunities for booking 1-1 portfolio reviews, coffee & chat.

Simply put Atelier EttaVee has one goal — connecting while making more art!

Bienvenue!

xo,

Jessi

Why this challenge you ask? Well, it’s is all about re-training my creative eye. I started my creative career as an art director designing for major brands and building a moodbaord is the first visual step in my design process. As time passed and my career evolved, I got out of the habit of making them. I do still use them when designing for EttaVee. However, I usually work off of trend forecast reports prepared for me by my agents. I want to get back into the habit of visually gathering for my own vision.

A few ways making a moodboard helps our art practice

• Gets us into the habit of documenting/ capturing moments, objects or places we find visually interesting. Overtime, you’ll build up a visual library ready to fuel your moodboard making.

• Helps us train our eye to notice the beauty in our surroundings. The more we pay attention and hone in on our surroundings (especially nature) the more you start to notice the beauty that we so often take for granted.

• Gives us a clear visual direction and aesthetic when designing

• Helps us develop our personal visual taste.

• Helps us learn how to balance and pair. For me, putting a moodboard together is like building a puzzle. Seeing which images and colors can live harmoniously together is sooo fun.

Here’s what April revealed to me:

I don’t expect my monthly moodboards to always be this magical (I really lucked out with the rainbow & swan haha), but I love the idea of taking what I have in my surroundings and putting it all together to create an aesthetic for a moment in time.

-Jessi

Over the weekend, I received the most stunning bouquets of spring fleurs after hosting a beautiful baby shower for family. I’m wanting to make a habit of painting my blooms while they’re fresh to keep them around always. Here’s the first bouquet I’m exploring with from my favorite local Strasbourg Flower shop.

Instead of starting a completely new piece of artwork, I’m turning my attention to the stacks and stacks of unfinished works I have laying around. This year, I am making it a point to finish these pieces one-by-one! Below are two watercolor color-studies my daughter made earlier this year. I decided to use them as backgrounds for my paint sesh!

I chose the green-hued watercolor for this bouquet because I feel like the bright pink flowers will pop nicely against the greens. I used a color pencil to sketch the flowers. Honestly, I could’ve left it like this - I love the simplicity!

Of course, I used EttaVee Multi-Surface Acrylic Paints to paint my subject!

I loved this experiment! I feel inspired to paint a few more using the same bouquet, since it’s still fresh. It could be a cute idea as a small collection in celebration of Mother’s Day since it’s a collaboration between mother and daughter!

Until next time - stay artsy!

-Jessi

Here are some things that are helping me get into the swing of spring.

• New art journals

  I’ve been looking for a new art journal to try out and saw on artist Jennifer Orkin’s Substack, that she likes to use Muji notebooks. Her sketchbooks are so inspiring, so I ordered a few of the high quality paper A5 notebooks and can already tell i’m going to love them. Though the paper is thin, it’s very silky, smooth and high quality. My pens & markers just glide across the surface. I’ll report back with my thoughts!

  

• Bike rides

  With the sun making its glorious return, I’ve been enjoying scenic bike rides through my town of Strasbourg, France. We had what felt like an endless winter, so the blooming flowers are a much welcome sight. I loved seeing that there were many locals and tourists alike out soaking up the sun, taking photos and appreciating the fleurs. My soul is happy, my allergies — not so much!

  

• Re-arranging my office for new energy

  My office doubles as a guest room and I lazily hadn’t moved the guest bed out since my last guest. Now that the bed is moved out, I feel like I have space to breathe and think again. I even added a colorful rainbow-esque paper chain that I made for my holiday decor. It adds a nice crafted feel to the space.

• Moving more

  With said newly arranged office comes a little workout corner that I’ve added to remind and motivate myself to get up and move. I’m making it easy to get my steps in!

• Designing for clients again

  I started my creative career as an art director & freelance designer for brands. Since running EttaVee full-time, I’ve pretty much stopped taking on freelance design work until now! Lifelong friends of mine invited me to create the branding for their up & coming wine brand. It has been such a fun project to work on and has reminded me of how much I love designing bespoke lifestyle branding elements for others. Will share more when I can!

  

• Crafting with friends

  Last Friday, my bestie came over and we had an impromptu art session where we built an African mask using cardboard for our upcoming African dance show in May. We had so much fun making it that we didn’t realize that it was early morning by the time we finished. I loved being able to create with whatever materials we had on hand. I usually work in 2D & digital art, so it was a nice challenge to make something structural. Here’s to more moments of getting lost in the making/ creating!

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• Spring cleaning

  I’m emptying out my studio to make space for my new vision for EttaVee. I’m very proud of all i’ve created and am finally ready to take the next step with new endeavors! In the meantime, I’m having a BIG Spring Sale over on my site of original artwork. It’s nice rediscovering older pieces. It’s kind of like taking a walk down memory lane.

• Gold pigment

  I came across this gorgeous gold pigment at the art store the other day and can’t wait to see what it can do!

  

• Feeling the need to connect in-person

  I’ve been playing with the idea of bringing a small groups into my real-life Strasbourg studio for spring and summer workshops! The more I think about it, the more excited I am about it! More info to come.

I’d love know, what are some things you’re doing this spring to activate inspiration?

May April be good to us. Take care of yourselves this spring!

xo, Jessi