Expanding The Spacious Tarot

Hey guys! I've been quiet on here, working diligently on the new expansion pack for The Spacious Tarot with Carrie Mallon. We knew we wanted to stay in the "Spacious World", and when Carrie thought of this old Minchiante deck that has an additional 22 cards, we both felt that exciting burst of butterflies!

We've been working on these cards for over a year now and we are finally close to printing them!

Right now we are finalizing the last two cards, and I'm laying out the guidebook. I recently stopped freelancing (it's been good) and I'm devoting my time to either my work wth fly.io, or the Spacious Tarot. Carrie is no longer having to ship all these decks, and we are thoroughly enjoying the focus and creativity.

Back to Expansion...

This oracle-like deck has 12 Zodiac signs, four Values, and the four Elements. It's a very grounded deck, and you can draw a card daily as a practice, add it to your tarot deck, etc. It will feel and look like the Spacious Tarot, but--fun fact-- I am illustrating it in Procreate this time rather than Photoshop. I think it'll have a slightly different feel but much richer over all.

We are making updates on when this project will be out via Instagram, so please hang with us over there!

Carrie posted this recent photo from when we got together last month in Salt Lake City. (Note the little kitty face in the lower left corner) I don't have any pets, but she has four of them, so it was a pleasure seeing her, her partner, and so so so many soft snuggles with all the animals.

Have a creative rest of your month and Happy Halloween!

-Annie

February

Winter always gets me. Even when I try my hardest to work with this slower, colder season, I feel like I'm born again out of a dark hole when the end of February arrives. My body finally wakes up, my heart opens, and I'm ready to take on the days ahead. Not the case in Winter. All I want to do is sleep and hunker down under ten blankets. Maybe I'm part bear??

February has been a great month, though. I wrapped up the final watercolors on my newest picture book. I'm so happy with how they turned out! I reflected recently on my first book, "The Three Things"- did a little post about it on Instagram and sold some copies. That was delightful, knowing my story would be read to some new children. I still LOVE this book with all my heart, and there aren't many copies left. I'm a bit bummed that I won't really be able to promo it anymore. But I'll always have a few copies on hand to do a reading!

Because I have renewed energy, I want to start making things again. Things that nourish me, things that require time and some ingredients; things that require a process. My first attempt at sourdough in a while is going well. I have yet to bake a loaf but the starter is lookin' alive! I'll let you know how it goes. I've had back luck in the past but I'm optimistic this time!

I'm also finishing up some custom art pieces for the platinum kickstarter folks of The Spacious Tarot. I've been sharing the progress on Instagram and talking about why I chose certain colors. Some are for stylistic reason, and some are to convey perspective or distance.

Lots of love, everyone. Spend time with the people you love and doing some things that bring you joy.

-Annie

My Dad, me, and my twin sister at a local farm.

Refuge oh Refuge

At least 40, probably more, slightly larger than life figures sit inside an inflatable boat, waiting for land. Some have horns, some wear ornate collars, and some look like Nefertiti. There are a clan of mythical creatures, historical figures, and nameless men and children, that are searching for hope. Constructed by thin lengths of bamboo that wrap around them in ovals upon ovals, they are fragile as well as strong. They long for space and peace, knowing that they are barely there to the eyes of others. They are hollow and subtle energetically to the western world, yet immersed in theirs you would feel the weight and distress, and crumbling flesh. This is Ai Weiwei's "Life Cycles" at the Marciano Art Center in Los Angeles.

Refuge: a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.

A human right.

After the show, I clambered upstairs to see some hidden galleries (the place is so much bigger than it looks when you first enter). And came upon Andrea Bower's piece.

I was delighted to see this piece, because a little spark tickled me, knowing that refuge is found in art, in cultivation of good things in our lives. To seek refuge, we are seeing safety and peace. Sometimes this is external, God forbid it is, and I hope our world can work on helping everyone find safe homes, decent food, and warmth. But many people also seek internal refuge, knowing that even though they are in a warm house, their hearts are longing for a closeness to… the everything. To the joy that we all can experience, but for some reason don’t know how to just “turn on”.

I see this joy as something kids play so easily with. They run around, chasing each other and laughing their heads off. No cash required.

Sometimes, when I need refuge, I light a candle, turn on some soft music and bring out my art supplies and tarot deck. I’ll pull a card or two and let it speak to me. Usually the cards bring forward a theme that I can then work with in a small art piece. This is why I’m so excited to share the tarot deck that I’ve been working on with all of you. I find tarot, basically, art therapy. Images can help us literally SEE what’s going on for us, where talking or reading a book may not touch the abstract place that we need to view from. Of course, with all internal work, our power is within, but tarot can be such a lovely catalyst to accessing that power.

Photo by Carrie Mallon

Keep track of the tarot deck and potential release dates on instagram: @thespacioustarot !

Love,

Annie

Introducing the Spacious Tarot!

Carrie explains it all perfectly, so without further ado, read her post here.