Where Did the Community Go? A Reflection on Creativity and Connection

That's a great question I've been asking myself for the past six months. In February, I started feeling tired, lazy, and drained of the energy that used to fuel my creative days.

Looking for ideas on Pinterest or just observing my surroundings didn't spark the same fire as before. Suddenly, the pencil on the paper wouldn't draw like it used to, and a small detail was no longer enough to ignite the "sacred fire" of inspiration.

I thought maybe an online course or community could reactivate those same circuits as before, but online communities aren't what they used to be. There isn't a great exchange of ideas and sincere interest. Have we really all become so self-centered? I get the impression it's all "me, me, me" and just replying to comments with a "thanks" and an emoji. Where did the real exchanges go? What happened to reciprocity? Why do we want to put ourselves on a pedestal, believing the community that follows us is already one step below us?

So, even with all that, I couldn't find anything that truly made me say, "Okay, I'm signing up for this course." Have you noticed that more and more course platforms no longer offer a real space for the community to connect? Have you noticed that it seems incredibly difficult to interact with fellow students, and you can only praise the host?

The thing I remember most fondly is that 30 years ago, when I was teaching patchwork in person, I created communities. I brought groups of people together, and it was lovely to meet up from time to time. Genuine friendships and equal exchanges were born that still continue today. When you give from the bottom of your heart—even if you have a goal to earn money—what you get back in terms of feelings is priceless. And when you give something of yourself and do it for people like you, it's as if you're receiving it yourself. So, besides the course materials and the technique, you give so much more in sentimental terms.

This made me wonder: what do you think? How can we bring back that sense of real connection and reciprocity in today's online world? How can we create communities where everyone feels like a valuable part of the conversation, not just a follower?

What are your thoughts? I can't wait to read your comments and continue this conversation.

Ps: the above image is a fluffy dust I spot on my floor, it’s an heart shape fluffy dust, love is everywhere, just look for it.

Since next time, xoxo, Jdeebella @soulfulcrane - the creative nest in Italy

A new month, a planner and a plan, perimenopause and navigating this life getting out of the “blue days”

Hello! How is going your summer?

I can say I’m glad that July was a fresh and smooth month here in northern Italy. The end of June was super hot and I was scared about that beginning of a hard summer, but at least the universe listened to my wishes and we get the pleasure of windy and raining days throughout all the past month.

The forecast predict that some hot weather is around the corner from the middle of next week, but I want to be positive and I hope that this would be just a few days

Anyway, we’re not here to talk about this, aren’t we?

August is here, and I’m planning some good things for me and my family. A reset is required.

I feel I was in a whirlwind for too much, and I learnt that Hard time require strong minds. I’m in my perimenopause and on the last two years I felt like I’m loosing control on everything. I gained weight, I felt stressed, I felt that my brain melted in some case, and It seems I can’t focus on anything seriously for more than a moment. I felt speechless in some circumstances. For the first time in my life, my creativity also slowed down, and I lost any capacity I had in the past for creating and “overdoing”.

How do you feel about your age? I constantly show up as if I were still 30 (because that’s how I feel - I’m an enthusiastic and genuinely happy person inside), but at the same time, I’m not that young anymore. This has made me feel like I’ve lost a part of myself. I can’t recognize the middle-aged lady I see in shop windows. So, I’ve started asking myself: “Who are you now?”

I felt a profound sense of loss to be honest. I’m going to start a new chapter of my life, grieving something but conquering the new with open heart and mind.

So I ended with some planning:

• I need to focus more on my art; there, I can be as young as I want to be. (Read Fragolin! - My stickers character will help me a lot on that! And you can see all about it at my IG account @stayscribble )

• We’re going to welcome a new furry family member soon and we’re so excited about that! I’ve wanted to adopt a cat for ages, but allergies held me back. However, last month I decided we could manage it with homeopathy and by choosing a specific type of furry cat. I hope that this dream can come true very soon.

• Refocus and prioritize what’s important for me and my family, with a renewed twist on socializing, like getting in the world more often.

So, that’s all in here, I have to admit, it’s been a while since I’ve written so honestly on the blog about my feelings. I hope to see you again soon, and that this post can help you too if you’re going through the same things. See you next month with lots of new stickers, planners, pens and inks!

Till next time Xoxo Jdeebella at Soulfulcrane - the creative nest in Italy

Cute Planner Stickers and Fountain Pens obsession - and melancholy a la Virginia Woolf

Hi, I hope you're doing well.

You might have noticed that I skipped May’s blog post—not because I had nothing to say, but because it was an incredibly busy month, buzzing with activity!

I imagined how Virginia Woolf would have described our time:

There are mornings when the kettle hums like a distant train, and the child—still warm with sleep—murmurs something about monsters or math homework. She, the mother, the woman, the worker, stands in the doorway with a mug in hand and a mind already fractured into lists: groceries, deadlines, the forgotten permission slip.

She is not a martyr. Nor is she a heroine. She is simply a woman who has learned to live in fragments.

The world does not pause for her. The office expects punctuality, the school expects presence, the child expects magic. And so she becomes a seamstress of time, stitching together moments between meetings and mealtimes, between exhaustion and affection.

There is no room of her own, not in the literal sense. But there is a room in her mind—a quiet corridor where she walks alone, sometimes at night, when the dishes are done and the child sleeps with one hand curled like a comma. In that room, she remembers who she was before the world named her “single mother.”

She writes emails with one hand and wipes tears with the other. She smiles at the manager while calculating how many hours of overtime it will take to afford new shoes. She listens to podcasts about self-care while folding laundry at midnight.

And yet—there is beauty. In the way her child laughs with abandon. In the way she still dreams, still dares to want more than survival. In the way she reclaims her name, syllable by syllable, from the noise of obligation.

She is not asking for pity. Only to be seen. To be read not as a footnote, but as a full sentence.

The only thing I was able to do for me this past month was reading, swatching inks, collecting new fountain pens, listing some new stickers sheet in the Etsy shop.

But it’s a crucial battle between the quiet ache where resilience wrestles with melancholy, and the only witness is the ink that never dries.

Life sucks, but we keep going—threading moments of light through the dark, stitching together small joys until they feel like something whole again.

Even cracked vessels carry sunlight. You’re stronger than yesterday just by waking up today. 🕯️✨

I’ve added some new planner stickers to my Etsy shop—two gentle little characters to help hold the chaos and soften the noise. A small touch of sweetness for the days when planning is the only thing we can control.

That’s all for today, stay strong, I feel you!

Xoxo, G. Aka Jdeebella at Soulfulcrane

April fools on BCBF 2025 and going on despite in all

Hi! How are you?

If you are an Illustrator, an author's, a publisher or an agent, you probably are or are looking at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. There are left two days and this edition is a big one as always.

So now, why this title?

Well, yesterday April 1st, I would have been at the fair, I spent almost a week on getting ready for the fair. But at least, I didn’t, I wrote about this here, so please get on my Substack (it’s free), to read about the why I couldn’t go.

And I wan’t to add a brief though about it, here too: I’ve been doing things alone all my life, now I’m tired about this fact, 50 years are weighing on me, and I’d like to finally share the good things with someone.

On the other side, I’m working to pursue my dreams. As my friend Rekha Salin told me yesterday, there will be other occasion for me to go at the fair or maybe something bigger is in preparation for us.

here is my beautiful sweater I’m wearing right now, I have a shopper too!

my personal shopper!

I spent the month of March on working on my stickers. As I said on the last post, I have designed some sheets in the past, and this year I would love to make more of them. Also I’ve got a character that stumbled on my sketchbook and I felt in love with it. I called this cute character Fragolin@ and I’ve designed and want to make more stickers about his activities.

Planner Stickers Joy! Meet Fragolin@

I’ve also made some other sheets about Tea Time, you probably saw the post card on my Instagram as well.

Well, that’s all for now, I am a bit tired in this time of the year, so on April I hope to have a slow down month to recharge my energy. But silently work on some new staff on the backstage.

I hope you’re doing well and enjoying your Spring.

So, till next time, xoxo, G. aka Jdeebella at Soulfulcrane the creative nest in Italy

March and me - big expectations for my career as an illustrator

Hallo dear Reader,

Awww March is finally here!

Today in Trieste - LNI

February was a slow and long month, a quarter of it spent in the hospital, but what’s important is that all is going well and I hope we will came out of this awful and uncomfortable period of our lives.

I did some profound thought about what’s have a meaning for me in my life and at least I can say I’m not different from many of you:

• The wellbeing of my family is a priority

• Being open to other people without prejudice:

  Open mindedness allows us to see beyond our small world and appreciate the diversity and experiences of others. I find it very stimulating to see how the simple act of listening and understanding someone else can pave the way for new friendships, ideas, and collaborations. It's a way to enrich each other and to build a more inclusive and compassionate world. Curiosity and empathy are our best allies.

• Working on things that have meaning to me and bring value to the world I live in, and this is my why:

  1. Personal Fulfillment: I love to be engaged in activities, projects, or careers that resonate with my core values, passions, and interests. When I work on something meaningful to me, it gives me a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

  2. Contribution to Society: Highlighting the importance of contributing positively to the community or world around me. By working on things that bring value to others, we can make a difference, solve problems, or improve the quality of life for people.

  I really want to find a balance between personal fulfillment and social contribution, creating a harmonious and impactful way of living.

• Traveling and collecting good experiences with my loved ones

  For all those above, I will strive to ensure that these aforementioned points become the milestones along my life and work journey.

And now a little recap on what I’ve been to in the past month.

Well, I’ve been working a bit on my portfolio just because it needs to be updated.

My portfolio cover page

I revealed the image I entered to one of the big competitions in January for the WIA presented by TheAOI and the DI

my enter to WIA 2025

There is another one to be revealed soon as possible, since the jury will decide the finalists in the coming weeks, let's keep fingers crossed and wish me luck!

This year I couldn’t participate to the BKS challenge, this year theme was Peter Pan, and you can spot all the entries at Instagram using the tag #BSKPeterPan. I really love all the illustrator’s colleagues involved in, and also I was really sad I couldn't find the time for it. But when I was in the hospital, I’ve got a moment to sketch Captain Hook for the prompt of day 5. And I loved to imagining him, especially his hair that seems candles from a certain distance and also his fringe jeans.

And at least I’m into a creation of new stickers again! I did some sheets in the past, and here are some new stickers sheets I designed on February. I’m going to refresh some old ones too to use into my planner, could you live without a planner and some embellishment for it? I surely cannot. And thanks to it I can say I could accomplished all my February goals this year.

Well, my plan for March is to get prepared for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair! I really can’t wait to plan some meetings too. For now, I’m planning to stay just for one day, but there is still room to change my mind, especially if I could arrange where to stay for a couple of days maybe with an illustrator friend… will see.

So that’s all for now. I hope you’re all well and happy and I encourage you to try to escape from the bad news and get into life with eyes wide open and a open mind and heart.

Since next time, xoxo, G. aka Jdeebella - at Soulfulcrane, the creative nest in Italy!