This month's blog post will be a bit different. Yes, I want to share my next class offerings with you and will do that near the end of the post. But I wanted to take some time to really encourage you to give yourselves extra Grace as you work with your scripts or ornamental designs. It seems that many dear students meet an inner voice while they work which feed a bit of doubt or stoke the embers of perfectionism. Let me assure you, we all deal with doubts and want our work to be better. But without allowing yourselves the incredible freedom to explore, make mistakes, throw things out, or even be pleased with the work you create, you will be hitting huge roadblocks in this creative calligraphic journey. For now( and indeed always), be Gracious with your work. We are not machines and have no mandate to replicate the past down to the exact stroke of the pen. We are constantly motivated and inspired by beautiful work, that is completely true. But we have our own voices, are own eccentricities and an appreciation for beauty that does not conform to anyone else. If we all produced cookie cutter results with our work, how boring this journey would become. Pursue the things that bring you joy, with a bounce in your step and a lighthearted grip on the tools of the trade. Play with your toys! Take a deep breath, reach for a fresh piece of paper and appreciate the marks on the page. Know that as you work, perfection is never an option. There will always be a gap between the beauty that you see in your mind's eye and the result on the paper. But with each project, you close that gap and become more confident. You will find beauty in this gracious freedom as well as joy with the approach. Practice patient grace. I cannot say it enough. The rewards of this approach will present themselves even in the state of well being that you feel as you work. Life has enough stress factors and nay-sayers around us. Push back by being so much kinder and so much more gracious to yourselves and to others. I truly hope you take these words to heart.
April flew by with rain, grey skies and an occasional outbreak of sunshine. I have the promise of tulips emerging and some beautiful hellebores in bloom. Now that May is here, I am sure the splendour of the Spring will bring an abundance of blooms. My Spring planter of pansies always brings a smile!
I have been incredibly blessed to see so many students enjoy the projects in Once Upon A Garden. There were some gorgeous letters produced in the style of Walter Crane that I think he would have loved. I reluctantly packed those letters away to prepare for May and June's classes. Thank you to all those who enrolled in the Rabbit Season Study Day. I will be sending out the course notes and zoom link shortly to the registrants. I will close the registration shortly if you are still thinking of joining the experience.
May's French Ribbon Script class at Ardington School sold out very quickly and I am so excited to see what happens with these glorious Marie Antoinette inspired letter designs. I think a magical experience is on the way!
Florentine Dreams is open for registration on The Gentle Penman website. I was so encouraged by the response to the Walter Crane class last month and I know I have eager students who want to continue to learn decorative design strategies. Florentine Dreams is a great place to build these skills and should be a very intriguing class to explore. 
The Rinceau Class for Ardignton is also sold out, but I will be continuing to build techniques for Floral Rinceau. I have years worth of materials to explore and discover and this beautiful border style keeps me so interested and refreshed. We will revisit this style!More is coming up after the summer but I want to circle back to the opening of the blog post and encourage you to cultivate that inner gracious spirit as you put pen or pencil to paper and create something beautiful. Even if the mistakes are glaring, your paper has taught you something beautiful and it was important to spend time with the project. Find the grace, joy and wonder on the page and celebrate each project.
" The years teach us much, which the days never knew." Emerson
