Leanne Creates – Leanne Armstrong

Category: Leanne Creates

An insight to how & why I do what I do…

06
Jan
2023

Writing For Release

I love to write. It’s been a form of escapism and therapy for me for many years and I genuinely enjoy the way it makes me feel as the words flow. At the age of 11, I had one of my poems published in Aquila Magazine and I now ghostwrite for international clients with The Urban Writers, producing non-fiction books on a range of topics from mental health to menopause, fitness to travel. In 2021, I also released my debut fantasy children’s book, My World, and plan to continue the adventure with a novella featuring the same characters.

Last year, after many of us began to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects the lockdowns had on our lives, bodies, family, and mental state, I wrote a short piece about anxiety and how people who suffer from it may feel. It is written about a young person struggling to get to grips with her condition and, as I believe in the power of mental health awareness, I’d love to share it with you.

Phoenix

“It’s all getting a little too much to handle. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but today feels as though the pressures of life are becoming a burden too great to bear.”

Phoenix wrapped herself in the safety of her duvet and embraced the trusty darkness that engulfed her. The soft weight of the covers helped her to sink into her own world; free from responsibility, deadlines and fake smiles. The darkness allowed her to simply exist without a care but she knew this was a temporary fix. Phoenix had to face yet another day, which was simple for most but an exhausting haul for her because, although the days were busy, each hour crawled awkwardly, painfully dragging through every minute until it was time for the next.

It was a Summer morning in London, so the rain beat against the bedroom windows creating an uneven rhythm; enough to make Phoenix stir from her cocoon. A hazy beam of sunlight entered the room and the gentle warmth soothed the back of her neck. As she turned to lie on her back and stare at the ceiling she thought “maybe it wont be so bad today” but slowly, the excuses and irrational thoughts flooded her mind, and just like clockwork she was back to her anxious ways. She mentally and physically twisted and turned as she imagined situations that could and would “definitely” throw her off-course today.

“I need just ten more minutes!”

She’s late; over half an hour late but at least she was awake—that’s progress. Despite this minor triumph, her pulse raises and her head swells with overwhelming guilt and worry. She lies still, questioning herself over and over – “why can’t I feel better?” – as her eyes well and tears roll. Thirty minutes of procrastination quickly turns into hours when Phoenix feels like this. She obsesses over the unchangeable, worries about the flexible and becomes anxious about the nonexistent and, although she knows it’s a “mind over matter” situation, her mind continues to natter.

Eventually, Phoenix rises.

She drags her heels along the floor to the bathroom in a half-hearted rush because she knows she should, but she stalls at every opportunity because she knows she can. As she peels off each item of clothing she begins to feel increasingly vulnerable, with the audience of shower gel judging every inch of her body and mind. Fortunately, the heat and sound of the shower provides some comfort but again, the solitude opens up a space for thoughts and internal conversations. “He said”, “she said”, “he’ll say” are regular topics of discussion and with nobody around to snap her out of it, her ruling thoughts are always right; convincing her that the worst will probably happen.

Phoenix doesn’t know her purpose, she underestimates her power and this is the beginning of her downfall. For many months, she had forgotten herself and succumb to third-party projections of weakness and rejection. She started to absorb the negativity and it is becoming detrimental to her, giving her an overwhelming feeling of defeat. She didn’t want to let herself down but she was failing and falling rapidly and that’s all she could think about.

In the past, Phoenix had always put on a brave face but recently she was struggling to conceal her weakened foundation. Her eye line has sunk as she has became a shadow of herself. Hot flushes of embarrassment blush her cheeks as her lips stick and she stumbles over her words. The cracks in her fake smile are starting to show and these cracks are turning into valleys which are becoming canyons from which she desperately needs rescuing.

“Just ten more minutes” she whispered to herself as she sits naked under the shower head.

Twenty minutes pass and her wrinkled fingertips wipe the salty water from her face. Through the warm mist, she looks down and traces the lines of her tattoo—a phoenix feather—which awakes a sudden feeling of strength, which made her rinse the suds off and get out.

Phoenix has risen again.

Written by Leanne Armstrong

My first love is fiction writing. I love the fact that almost anything goes and there is no limit to my imagination. I wrote the following piece for an American audience after being prompted with the sentence “you’re strapped to a table and you don’t know why” and I was given 30 minutes to write it.

Trapped

They’ve got me… and I saw it coming!

For months I had had the feeling I was being watched by them and, with the cold metal clasps around my ankles and wrists, it was clear that their plan to abduct me had worked. They were a lot leaner than I had expected, but sure enough, their translucent skin was just like the sample I had found on May 23rd in Anacre Woods.

As terrifying as I predicted my abduction to be, I actually felt a strangely overwhelming sense of calm flow over me while lying on their operating table. I’d never felt like this around anyone or anything before. Maybe, because I had been studying them for over two decades, I felt more of a connection to them than I did to Hallie.

Hallie has never had any faith in my work and constantly reminded me that she thought I was wasting my life and money on pointless experiments and equipment, but she didn’t even know the half of it! I vowed that one day I’ll show her that June 14th was no accident and it was a true sighting. Why does she think Bobbie suddenly became blind? It was because of them! I knew they were not coming in peace, but I needed to find out what they wanted from us and Bobbie was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

I have been studying these creatures so closely and for so long, that my life has admittedly passed me by with little to no memories. My kids have left the nest, my cat Charlie died (or could have just run away) and Hallie divorced me last year to start a new life with her high-school crush, Andrew. and yet, I barely remember anything. All of the details have gone and I can hardly recall the face of my first-born son. I’ve been so wrapped up in my studies that my life has become a blur, but I had a feeling that today might be the day that made it all worthwhile.

I knew this day would come. In fact, I may have made it happen! The beams, the fossils, and the old radio masts in the attic could have attracted these fascinating creatures to my home again but I hadn’t predicted they would return so soon.

The last thing I remember from this morning was walking into the back yard and tripping on a piece of copper from my old wire helmet. As I bent down to pick it up, I felt a heavy tingling sensation in my legs like fire ants crawling through my veins. I dropped to the ground as the tingling turned into pain and noticed that the dirt beneath me was sinking and becoming more and more like liquid. They were coming for me and there was nothing I could do about it.

Now, they don’t come down from the sky in metal flying-saucers with beaming lights that lift you off the ground like the news would like you to think. No, they suck you down into the ground! Their ships are underground! Why do you think there are so many pot holes and sink holes around the Anacre Woods? And that’s exactly what they did to me… so here I am. I can hear Hallie in my head now, asking me how I’m going to get out of this mess and the truth is, for the first time in my life, I can honestly say “I don’t know”. Today will either change my life or end it.

Written by Leanne Armstrong

Let’s Write

As a keen writer, I am always looking for more projects to take on, so if you like my writing style and have any opportunities for me to contribute to your blog, articles, or publication, please do get in touch with me!

03
Mar
2022

Happy World Book Day!

Categories: Edu-create, Leanne Creates

The 3rd of March is World Book Day and this year it’s celebrating its 25 year anniversary with the theme “You are a reader”. World Book Day is a day recognised in over 100 countries across the world and is a charity sponsored by National Book Tokens which aims to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.

In 2021, 54 thousand books were donated to children by publishers, to support World Book Day with their mission.
worldbookday.com

This year, I was honoured to have been invited to St Luke’s Church of England Primary School in West Norwood to read and discuss the themes of my debut children’s book, My World – Mackilli and Seeva’s Switcheroo! I had the pleasure of sharing my book with Years 2, 3 and 4 and loved the feedback and ideas I received from the children (or ‘learners’ as they are known in this school).

Morning assembly at St Luke’s

The day started with a fantastic assembly where I was introduced to the whole school. It was great to see such diverse faces in both the teaching staff and the pupils as my book touches on themes of differences and people being unique and special in their own way.

MC Gramm a r kicked off the day with an energetic song about books and story-telling, followed by Nadia Shireen, who went on to read a short story from her book Welcome to Grimwood. It was encouraging to see these more established creatives present their work and really geared me up to hold my workshops later on.

The children’s (and teacher’s) costumes were fantastic! They were asked to dress up as characters from books they’ve read already or planned to read. I saw a few Rockets (from Look Up!), an Oompa Loompa (from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) as well as children dressed up as Rosa Parks and Cruella Deville.

https://twitter.com/WorldBookDayUK/status/1499401977133948928

My World Workshops

After assembly, I made my way through through the school, starting with Year 2. I began by introducing myself as a children’s book illustrator and author and asked the children what they knew about these professions. I was very impressed by the answers and how enthusiastic they were about drawing, writing and creativity in general.

Before I started reading the book, I asked the learners what they thought the book was about. They observed the cover and the title and Year 3 in particular were very accurate in their response, stating that it could be a story about two aliens who switch places. This was very reassuring as the illustrator/writer!

During the reading, I asked them if they would prefer to live in the colourful and busy world of Stiplop (where Seeva lives) or the quiet and relaxing world of Mimpal (where Mackilli lives). The majority of the learners said they preferred the bright colours and activity of Stiplop but appreciated the need for some time out and peace and quiet in Mimpal.

A teachable moment

Part way through the story, I asked the class what they thought of these unique looking alien characters.

A few of the learners said that they didn’t like Seeva’s grey afro and that it looked weird. Here, we paused and reflected on how it might be hurtful to comment negatively about the way somebody looks.

We looked around the room and discussed how we all have different hair, skin, heights and personalities and that was OK and something to be celebrated!

By the end of the discussion, we were all in agreement that we should respect and appreciate people’s differences. It was lovely progress!

It was important for me to explain that differences are part of what makes them who they are and they should be proud of these things. We all look different and have different skills and abilities but we can still be friends and inspire each other, just like Mackilli and Seeva do in the story.

Thank you!

It was great to see how excited the children were about reading, the fantastic costumes and how much value imagination and creative expression has in their lives!

The fact that the school’s vision is that “every child is a unique gift from God” fits so well with the themes of individuality and loving ones differences found in my book, which made it even more of a rewarding experience for me.

The day was also filmed by World Book Day, which was quite nerve-wracking but I’m so glad I was able to be part of this day. Reading and writing has always been something that’s interested me and has lead me to writing blogs like this as well as poetry and children’s books, so I hope that my visit has inspired the children of St. Luke’s to have a go at writing their own stories in the future.

I’d like to thank Ms Francis (Deputy Headteacher) and Miss Madden (Early Years teacher) in particular, for having me and I look forward to seeing the children’s love for literacy grow!

Buy a copy of My World

Future workshops

My time at St Luke’s felt so rewarding and positive, that I would love to continue holding similar workshops in pop ups, schools and community groups.

If you would like me to host a session(s) at your establishment (or virtually), please do get in touch. The workshop (30 mins to 1 hour) would include the following, adjusted for the ages of the children:

Reading through parts of My World – Mackilli and Seeva’s Switcheroo!
Discussing themes of difference and acceptance
Understanding literacy techniques
Drawing aliens and giving them a personality (character development)
Writing a short poem about the alien the child draws
Q&A
Opportunity for parents and guardians to purchase a copy of My World and any accompanying merchandise
Free signed copy of My World for your organisation, if applicable.

If you’d like to know of any open events I hold in the future, please do sign up to my newsletter here.

Book a My World workshop

25
Jan
2022

Happy New Year!

Categories: Leanne Creates

Here's to a fruitful 2022. Read what my plans are for this year.

Who else can’t believe it’s 2022 already?

2020 and 2021 both seemed to go by quickly and slowly at the same time and now we are in 2022, still feeling a little confused about what the future holds in terms of the dreaded virus, work and lifestyles! Despite this, I am determined to make as many plans as I can and stay positive, so my first post of the year is my way of putting my goals and plans into the universe and working towards making them happen.

2022 goals

Develop new and personalised products

I was fortunate enough to get a Cricut Explore 3 for Christmas! It’s something I’ve wanted for a very long time and I know that it will open up my possibilities of creating personalised items and expanding my range of products in general.

I can’t wait to start using it and if you have any suggestions of what you’d like to see in my collection, please get in touch.

Collaborate with more brands

Building connections, relationships and friendships are great ways to learn, achieve and grow as an entrepreneur and business owner. I hope to meet more and more like-minded people and build innovative ways to expand together.

Create more videos

I’d like to build on my YouTube videos and become more active on TikTok, so it’s time to get out my ring light and regain my confidence in front of the camera. I’ll be producing fun and entertaining videos and finding ways to incorporate my love of dance into them. Who knows, I might end up being a TikTok sensation!

Review my service prices

As a graphic designer and illustrator, I’m constantly learning new skills, developing existing skills and updating my tools in order to produce relevant, high-quality and impressive work.

Over the past few months, my skills and efficiency has improved after training, practicing and purchasing tools to allow for more styles of illustration for example, so this will be reflected in my new rates. I still promise a friendly and professional service but with more detail and features! Exciting!

Avoid burnout

Sometimes we need to say “no” in order to make time for recovery. Last year, I often worked until 2am and started up again early in the morning, so I want to make sure that I factor in some down-time and not take on too much, in both my personal and professional life.

Now it’s in the universe, here’s to a successful, fun, inspirational, educational and love-filled year ahead! What are your goals for 2022?

17
Sep
2021

Leanne Creative meets Sainsbury’s!

Categories: Leanne Creates

Soooo this happened!

In August, I entered a Greeting Card Association (GCA), Ohh Deer and Sainsbury’s design competition on Instagram. The GCA teamed up with Sainsbury’s to provide a very exciting opportunity for designers like myself to have our greeting cards stocked in 107 stores across the UK throughout the month of October in celebration of Black History Month.

The GCA said that they had 999 entries and could only choose 26 designs, and I am very proud to say that one of my submitted designs was selected!

My winning design

I entered several designs for this competition. Each design celebrated the diversity of people from African diaspora and were taken from my existing Royalty Collection.

My designs use bright colouring, unique portrait illustration and empowering messaging, which I believe are perfect ways to celebrate not only Black History Month, but every occasion.

The winning design features the wording ‘You Are a Queen‘ and a stunning portrait of a joyful black woman with short hair. With no specific occasion, it can be sent to your recipient on their birthday, wedding day or during any special time during which they need a positive affirmation. You could even keep it for yourself and frame it!

The story behind the design

This design originates from my Crown & Story collection. I first created it to celebrate women with short hair after my mum lost her hair to chemotherapy over 2 years ago. I hope it helps women with short hair (by choice or circumstance) feel beautiful and represented as it’s rare to see on greeting cards and in general media.

Find out more

Where to shop!

My You Are A Queen cards can be found in the following large Sainsbury’s stores:

Ashton Moss
Badger Farm
Bamber Bridge
Banbury
Barnstaple
Beckton
Bicester
Bishop Auckland
Blackhall
Bognor Regis
Braehead
Brentwood
Broadcut
Bybrook
Calcot
Cannock
Cameron Toll
Carlisle
Castle Court
Castlepoint
Cheadle
Chesterfield
Chichester
Cobham
Colne
Crayford
Crystal Palace
Crystal Peaks
Darnley
Darlington
Durham
East Mayne
East Kilbride
Edenthorpe
Edinburgh Longstone
Ellesmere Port
Emersons Grn

Halifax
Hamilton
Hampden Park
Hankridge Farm
Harrogate
Hayes
Haywards Heath
Hazel Grove
Heaton Newcastle
Heaton Park
Hempstead Valley
Heyford Hill
High Wycombe
Irvine
Kempshott
Kidderminster
Kiln Lane
Kings Lynn Hardwick
Leamington
Leicester North
Leigh
Lincoln
Livingston
London Colney
Longbridge
Longwater
Low Hall
Mansfield
Milton Keynes
Monks Cross
Newbury
Newport
North Cheam
Oldham
Osmaston Park

Penzance
Pepper Hill
Pound Lane
Preston
Prestwick
Purley Way
Romford
Rugby
Rustington
Salford
Scarborough
Sedgefield
Sevenoaks
Shorehead
Springfield
Sprucefield
Stanway
Stirling
St Clares
Sunderland
Sunderland North
Swadlincote
Sydenham
Tamworth
Thetford
Upton
Wakefield Marsh Way
Wandsworth
Warren Heath
Washington
Watchmoor Park
Wednesfield
Weedon Rd
West Belfast
White Rose
Wigan

So, please visit the store, buy a card and take photos! You can tag me on Instagram (@leanne_creative), Twitter (@leannecreative), Facebook (@leannecreative) and TikTok (@leannecreative). Buying a card (and hopefully selling out) may lead to more orders from major stores such as Sainsbury’s and would be a huge achievement for me as a small business and us as a nation in celebrating and representing diversity.

Thank you so much in advance!

Shop other cards

25
Jun
2021

Art or Design – What’s the difference?

Categories: Leanne Creates

Growing up, I loved fine art (still life, acrylic painting and portraiture). I then fell in love with design after completing a Foundation Diploma in graphic design at the University of Arts, London. Some believe that the two disciplines are the same but there are actually distinct differences, which made my transition to design quite a learning curve!

In this blog, I have teamed up with mosaic artist, Dionne – founder of Qemamu Mosaics, a company that produces beautiful mosaic art – to discuss the differences between art and design and our experiences surrounding the two.

“I am a mother of two teenagers, mosaic artist, voiceover artist, ex gymnast and ex athlete and lover of life! As well as immersing myself into my mosaic practice, I love to take walks in nature, listen to a wide variety of music, from Classical to Old Skool hip hop, Soca, Neo Soul and R&B. I enjoy yoga and self-motivation material and my friends would probably describe me as a sweet and gentle soul, who loves a laugh and can be a bit random and crazy on occasion!” Dionne

Art

My experience with art was very fulfilling and explorative; I loved getting my hands messy with paints, inks and printing materials. It was a very experimental and rewarding part of my life and as students we were encouraged to express ourselves subjectively. There was no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ as long as we could explain our reasoning and concepts behind our work articulately.

Art is a thing of beauty and it can and should be interpreted differently by different people. We bring our own thoughts and experiences to art and the same piece can evoke different feelings for each viewer. For example, have you ever viewed a famous, award-winning piece of art, worth millions and not ‘understood’ it, whilst others were praising it greatly and were able to deduce hidden meanings behind it? Well, that’s a powerful piece of art – its beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder!

“Art to me means total freedom of expression. Art is not confined to one discipline and has the ability to touch people’s soul in ways only felt by the viewer.” Dionne

Art allows you to use your imagination and be as abstract as you like. It can be appreciated at face value for its beauty or analysed and critiqued but there are not rules to be adhered to so get stuck in and enjoy!

Design

Design, on the other hand, does have its rules and restrictions because, generally, design has a function or purpose. For example, posters need to tell the viewers when and where certain events are happening and logos need to communicate whether a brand’s target audience is young children or pensioners. This means it is very important to follow certain design concepts that are universally understood in order to put across the right message to the right people.

As designers, we study universal perceptions of colour, fonts, imagery, hierarchy, sizing and more. For example, it is generally agreed that the colour light blue is calming and gentle, so we could use this colour for a massage therapy flyer. If we used a bright, fiery red with text in capital letters, it would give off the wrong impression to the majority of people, so we need to take this into consideration when designing.

If we break any ‘rules’, we risk the intended message of the design being lost. Have you ever seen a flyer and had no idea what the event was about or struggled to find important information like dates and time? This is probably because of poor design choices and a lot to rule breaking!

Take a look at the designs below. They have the same information on them but the font choices, colours and positioning/size of text has been changed. One follows good design practices making it clear and visually coherent, whilst the other breaks many of the best practice rules and the information is lost or is very confusing for the viewer.

Conclusion…

Both art and design have elements of creativity. Just because there are rules in design it doesn’t mean you can’t place things on a page creatively and use innovative ways to display information clearly – as they say… “Know the rules so you know how to break them properly!” I find design extremely rewarding; I love the challenge of taking information and presenting it in a way that is engaging, persuasive and visually attractive.

Need a designer?

Get in touch with me and I can help you create well-designed documents, flyers, posters, business cards, logos and more!

Contact Leanne Creative

Need an artist?

If you are interested in buying Dionne’s beautiful work or would like to take part in her mosaic workshops, please visit her website.

Contact Qemamu Mosaics

28
May
2021

Case Study: Activity book design – rant.academy

Categories: Leanne Creates

Original brief

Client: rant.academy (previously RANT Kids)
Project: 28-page activity book/workbook design and character illustration
Target audience: 8 – 17 year olds

The project

This client already had an existing brand under the ‘RANT umbrella’ – RANT Kids; a child-friendly empowerment brand that focussed mainly on producing stationary and merchandise. The rant.academy was due to be a new project under this umbrella, with more of an educational focus for young people.

The workbook was briefed in to be a written course that young entrepreneurs could work through. They (or their parents) would purchase the workbook and it would have activities inside that encouraged personal development and instilled business knowledge and tips.

The child characters already existed on previous merchandise for RANT Kids, but I was asked to rework them in my style of illustration. The original illustrations looked good and were well designed but in order to fit the new branding and style of illustrations due to go into the workbook, they needed to be updated.

Challenges and solutions

Challenge: The initial target audience age range was too wide. Having such a wide range meant that the content and the illustrations would struggle to appeal to either end of the spectrum.
Solution: Reduce the target audience age range to those most likely to have an entrepreneurial spirit, be able to fulfil the tasks/activities and appreciate the content. It is now aimed at 10-15 year olds who would benefit most.

Challenge: Too much content for 28 pages. As I was putting the creating the flat plan and laying out provided content, it was becoming increasingly clear that, in order for there to be enough space for the children to write in their answers, we needed more space.
Solution: Increase the page count to produce a much user-friendly design. This does increase print costs but it will make the workbook more appealing to the users. It is now 56 pages long.

Challenge: The client wanted to later incorporate more interactivity and have a website linked to the course. In order to keep young people engaged in a digital world, the client felt it was important to have an online element to the course. A great idea!
Solution: I recommended a web design agency (Guessdesignhouse.com) who were able to create a functional and well branded site with interactive elements, a shop (to purchase the workbook from) and more information on the brand in general. We then included bespoke QR Codes into the physical book design which took the children to the supporting website at the click of a button. Guess Design House then used my illustrations and icons to make the site visually coherent.

Design decisions

Module colours: I was provided with the 8 brand colours and decided to allocate a different colour for each module for quick visual recognition when flicking through the book.

Page placement: I highlighted to the client that having module cover pages will help the user easily recognise that they are entering a new chapter of the course. These covers are all on the right hand page so, again, it is easy to spot when flicking through.

Contents page: With the book now being over 50 pages and it being something the children will start, leave and come back to, I felt it very important to have page numbers and a contents page. Being user-friendly is very important.

QR Codes: I wanted the QR codes to integrate smoothly into the page designs so I created illustrations to sit around them and got the characters involved.

Icons: Another great way to make quick visual links is to create icons. I went for a hand-drawn feel to relate to the fact that children will refilling the book in by hand.

Video illustrations for animation: The client needed some illustrations to go into the promotional and instructional videos. These were created once the book was complete in a way that could be animated by the web team.

Conclusion

I and the client are extremely happy with the final product. It has had wonderful feedback from the children and young people who have taken part in the course so far and it is a visually striking and functional book. I love the link to the online elements and enjoyed the challenge of making a text heavy document look engaging and inviting.

What the client says:
“Huge shoutout to the insanely talented Leanne Creative for the amazing illustrations and layout of the workbook and bringing my vision to reality.”

10
May
2021

Mental Health Awareness Week – Social media anxiety

Categories: Leanne Creates

Hi guys! I hope you’re all feeling great but if you aren’t, I’m hoping this blog will help you feel a little better.

As you may know, it’s Mental Health Awareness Week (10th – 16th May 2021) – a week where we discuss and highlight the importance of taking care of our minds as well as our bodies. In this blog, I will be talking about the anxiety some of us may face as entrepreneurs or small business owners who use social media to promote ourselves. I really want to talk about this specifically, as its something I’ve struggled with in the past.

Social media & business anxiety

Lockdown has been a huge challenge for a lot of us, with people losing their jobs on an unprecedented scale. This mass unemployment has lead to many of us having to start or grow our own businesses to keep ourselves afloat and a lot of that has been done through social media as it’s now an essential tool to reach audiences/customers.

So, we start our business pages with enthusiasm and hope, posting images of our products or services whilst telling the world “WE HAVE ARRIVED!” A few moments later, we are confronted by the fact that there are hundreds, if not thousands of other businesses out there, doing similar work and we instantly start to question our significance in our chosen industries.

Over the next few weeks, we keep pushing and promoting our work but can’t stop scrolling through that Instagram discovery feed. We see image after image of our peers and competitors doing well and gaining more and more exposure, but if things aren’t going so well for us just yet, insecurity rears its ugly head and we start to doubt ourselves and, once again, question our abilities.

Sound familiar? Yea, it does to me too!

As humans, we can’t help but compare ourselves to others (especially on social media) but if these feelings aren’t dealt with in a healthy way, this constant comparison can have a negative affect on our mental state. Because of this, it is so important to curate a strong and positive sense of professional- and self-worth in order to maintain good mental health, otherwise it could lead to to so many issues such as low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and OCD.

If you see someone winning, celebrate and learn from them but it’s so important to maintain a sense of value in your own journey too. As successful as someone presents, they too have a story, and the snippet that is shown on social media is just a tiny percentage of the reality. They too may have started out slowly and felt the same way as you do a few months or years ago, so there’s no reason why you can’t be successful in your own time too! Social media is basically a highlight reel, so to compare your real life to their “reel life” can be pretty unfair to yourself, right? So cut yourself some slack. If you’re working hard, continuing to learning and taking steps to improve your business, then your win is coming too… trust me! I used to think to myself “Why aren’t my designs being featured in magazines too? (crying face emoji)” …then a few months later… two features in the space a month and that shut me up real quick (LOL), so now I trust the process!

My advice to anyone reading this who feels like their mental health is being affected by comparison on social media is to give yourself a break. Talk to real people you trust who can share rounded experiences and come back with an understanding that you are on your own perfect path and that everyone’s highlights have back stories. It’s so important to celebrate wins, but in reality we don’t all win all the time… and guess what… that’s ok!

Mother Nature’s healing touch

This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is nature and I have to admit it’s been a real blessing for me during lockdown. When things got overwhelming mentally, we would go for walks in parks or woods and I found myself appreciating wildlife a lot more. For me, just being around trees, water and animals makes me feel calmer and in tune with my emotions and always has done. I love the sound of running water and find comfort in the smell of fresh soil. I even have a tattoo that symbolises the beauty of nature and natural human beauty.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, 45% of us reported that being in green spaces had been vital for our mental health over the lockdown period, so I’m glad it’s being recognised as a natural stimulant for positive mental health. Being in nature is also a great form of escapism and helps you put your problems into perspective… it’s a huge world out there!

“Nature is our great untapped resource for a mentally healthy future.”
Mark Rowland, CEO of the Mental Health Foundation

So every now and then, why not take a few hours or days away from social media (I know its hard if you run an online business but…), explore your local park, sit in the garden, grown a houseplant from an avocado seed (like I did!) and enjoy the calming reality of nature! Step away from seeing others as unhealthy competition but instead use it as healthy inspiration, because after all, a flower doesn’t care how pretty its neighbour is, it still blooms just as beautifully as it’s meant to!

If you are in need of any professional support or want to learn of ways you can help those who need it, please always reach out and contact the below services:

Mind – mind.org.uk

Mental Health Foundation – mentalhealth.org.uk

NHS – nhs.uk

If you’d like to get updates on when I release new blogs, please subscribe to my newsletter.

14
Dec
2020

A rollercoaster 2020!

Categories: Leanne Creates

The year 2020 has been ‘interesting’, to say the least! A rollercoaster of events and emotions plagued our entry into the new decade, making it one of the toughest years in a very long time!

2020 has been a struggle for so many people, not only financially but also emotionally, mentally and physically. Our lockdowns have wreaked havoc with our businesses and incomes (especially small businesses like mine), social unrest and racist rhetoric has made us question our places in society and the unprecedented effects of the Coronavirus pandemic has left us feeling more fragile than ever…what a year! But to avoid complete despair, I’ve made sure to focus on the positive things that have happened in-between the craziness!

2020 Round-up

This blog is a breakdown of all the positives I can take away from this year and the events I am most proud of. I sincerely pray that 2021 has more of this positivity for me, you and everyone who’s been struggling to stay afloat!

January

BBC Radio London interview
The year started with an amazing opportunity which sparked my desire to hop, skip and jump my way out of my comfort-zone. On my birthday, 13th January, I was invited to speak about my business on BBC Radio London’s The Scene with comedian, Aurie Styla. I was so nervous but it helped me find the confidence to speak to my audiences directly and I then went on to creating a YouTube channel!

February

Leanne Creative joins Jamii
Jamii is an online discovery platform, that makes buying from black-owned business easier. There are over 50 different brands and I was proud to join this platform this year. Shoppers with a Jamii discount card also get 10% off my greeting cards and coaster designs! So why not sign up?

March

Representation Matters campaign (part 2)
It was great to find even more people who felt represented by my greeting cards and gift illustrations – it’s why I do what I do! Thank you to everyone who sent in photos of themselves.

April

Healthcare greeting card release
With the pandemic in full swing, I decided to create an illustration to say thank you to the healthcare workers who are working so hard to keep us safe and as well as possible. I designed this purely for an Instagram post but the response was so great that I decided to turn it into a greeting card!

May

1k Instagram followers
I hit my target of 1,000 followers sooner than I had thought! Thank you so much for your interest in my products, services and tips. I’ve enjoyed engaging with my followers and meeting many inspirational people along the way and I am now at over 2.5k followers! Follow me here.

June

LGBTQ+ greeting card design launch
June is the month of many Pride celebrations for the LGBTQ+ community in the UK. I was approached by ParliREACH and ParliOUT to help them promote their initiative of better representation and equality, so they asked me to design greeting cards that had illustrations of same-sex couples.

Response has been very positive and I’m pleased to have been able to create greeting cards that Black gay and lesbian couples can relate to. Shop here.

July

Charity fundraising
My mum wanted to do something special for charity this year – two years after her diagnosis of Leukaemia and losing a lot of muscle strength. She challenged herself to do a 26 second headstand to raise money for The Sunshine Foundation for Children with Special Needs and the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) and she smashed it, raising over £2000!

Thank you to everyone who donated and please continue to support these great charities.

August

Black Pound Day
I was very pleased to be able to meet the founder of Black Pound Day himself! Swiss is so dedicated and passionate about his initiative to promote and shop from black-owned businesses like mine, so it was amazing to hear him speak about it and his plans for the future.

This event, at BOXPARK Wembly, was the most successful event for my greeting card and gift sales, so a huge thank you to Carib and Co Brunch for organising it. When we all pull together to support each other, great things can happen!

September

World Afro Day
Founded by Michelle De Leon, World Afro Day is a day to celebrate afro textured hair. Our hair is unique and beautiful but often faces judgement and discrimination in workplaces and in the media, so this day aims to combat these problems. I celebrated by sharing my original illustration of a black woman rocking her ‘fro with confidence and style!

October

Debut book release
I was so excited to release my very own children’s book! MY WORLD – Mackilli & Seeva’s Switcheroo is a fantasy story with real-world themes of self-love, teaching children to love their differences and the unique features of others. I wrote and illustrated this magical book during lockdown and I am very proud of it. The support has been amazing so far and I hope to grow this series of books next year!

November

Ebony Her collaboration
I teamed up with Ebony Her – a holistic digital marketing agency with a focus of unlocking brand validity – to offer those who sign up to the marketing packages FREE bookmarks that I have designed (while stock lasts). I understand the importance of great marketing strategy, so wanted to partner with a great company like this!

December

Stylist Magazine Feature
I couldn’t believe it! I was so excited to see that my classic bauble Christmas card design had be listed as Stylist Magazine‘s Best for Subtle Sparkle! To have my work recognised and awarded felt amazing after such an uncertain year. Were you able to grab a copy (Issue 533) and buy this card?

Roll on 2021!
With so much happening this year, we have to count our blessings to still be here in the first place, so I am very grateful to be healthy, working and thriving amongst the chaos. What have you been grateful for?

Please stay posted, for my 2021 blogs, new items and books by signing up to my newsletter and I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas (if you celebrate it) and a Happy New Year!

07
Oct
2020

Welcome to My World

Categories: Leanne Creates

I’m so excited to announce that my debut children’s book is now on sale! Growing up, I’ve always loved writing fantasy stories and poems, so this was an opportunity for me to delve into my imagination again and create a story for children and families to enjoy…

Purchase a copy of My World

What’s the story?

Written in prose and poetry, My World – Mackilli & Seeva’s Switcheroo is a magical story about two young aliens from opposite worlds; Mimpal and Stiplop. Mimpal is calm and dark with rolling hills but not much to do, whereas Stiplop is bright and busy with tall buildings and angular shapes.

One day, Mackilli, who lives in Mimpal, stumbles across an unusual rock on his way to school, which turns out to be an amazing portal into Stiplop. In the portal, he discovers an intriguing alien called Seeva and they are envious of each other’s world, so they wish as hard as they can to switch places.

Overnight, they magically switch worlds and, although it is a very strange experience for them, they each have a sense of belonging because they both have something a little different about them.

Read the book to find out what their differences are!

The message…

Mackilli and Seeva each have something about them that makes them stand out from the other aliens in their own worlds and they’ve hidden it all their lives. After experiencing opposite worlds, they find the courage to be proud of their differences and agree to show them off from now on.

This book helps children (approx. aged 5 – 9 years), who may feel a little different from their peers understand that their differences are what makes them special and with 36 pages of vivid illustrations, I aim to entertain, inspire and boost confidence!

We all may feel a little alien sometimes, but that’s OK. As Seeva says “my differences are what makes me, me!”

Meet the characters…

Mackilli is a brave and inquistive character who has a cute gap in his teeth. He is grey with patterns all over his body, including his special mopspots.

Does your child have something unique about their skin or know someone who does?

Purchase a copy of My World

Seeva is an intelligent, chatty and independent alien with big green eyes, two noses and four ears! She wraps her hair because she feels self-conscious about her grey afro which she calls her ‘grey-tness’.

Does you child have hair that is different from their peers?

Purchase a copy of My World

Thank you!

This is a massive step for me and I’m very proud to have been able to self-publish my own book after illustrating many other author’s books. Please support and let me know what you think by leaving a review.

I plan to write more in this series and potentially some merchandise to accompany the story, so please do stay posted by joining my mailing list or following the dedicated Instagram page: @mackillaandseeva.

If you would like to buy wholesale copies, would like me to read the story at an event or want a signed copy, please do get in touch.

04
Jul
2020

Looks like you! Bespoke illustrations

Categories: Leanne Creates

If you’re familiar with the mission behind my greeting cards and gifts, you will know that positive and diverse representation is something I’m very passionate about. And what better way to represent and celebrate a friend or loved one, than a personalised illustration.

As well as my Royalty collection of items, I offer a bespoke service to those who want an extra special portrait illustration. I can create these illustrations using one of two different styles – a poly-vector technique or a flat vector technique.

How it works…

Send me the photo of the person you’d like illustrated as well as any wording you’d like featured and any colour preferences you have for the background.
Please send an image that is as high quality as possible.
I will then illustrate the image in your chosen style and send you the high-quality image for you to print on anything you’d like! (Or, I can send off to print for you at an extra cost).

Poly-vector technique

This style of illustration takes the longest to complete, so please allow up to 5 working days before you need it (longer if you require it to be sent to print).

This technique is best suited for completely front-facing or side-facing close up portraits.

It gives quite a realistic finished product and is my product’s signature style! Watch a video about this style here.

Send an image and get a quote

Flat vector technique

This style is the most versatile. I can work with most photographs and even change the colour of clothing.

It is a great way to revamp old photos or have portraits of multiple people in different poses.

I can produce either a more realistic style or a cartoon version, which is great for kids!

Send an image and get a quote

Although my cards and gifts feature a wide range of hairstyles, ages and skin tones, I will probably never build a collection that represents every single beautiful person in the African diaspora (but I’m trying!), so bespoke illustrations are a great option to get that illustration looking just like the recipient!

PLEASE NOTE: As every illustration is unique and won’t be used anywhere else, prices are more expensive than my existing collection of cards (from £35).

Written by Leanne Armstrong