Afri-love

Invitation to Asilia’s Open Studio – 5th March 2015

 

I moved office a few months ago and my Asilia team and I are finally opening up our doors to welcome our clients, collaborators and friends.

You're invited!

Drop by our new studio in Brockley, London, any time between 4pm and 8pm on Thursday 5th March.

You’ll get to see some of our work and enjoy some nibbles, and of course, our company.

Some of my art will also be on display, including a mural in progress. Lusungu will be showcasing his screenprinted goods and if we're lucky, there just might be a demo and opportunity to try the technique for yourself!

The address is:

Black Female Yogis

 

I first took a yoga class when I was in university, around 15 years ago, and I've been in love ever since.

In the many different classes that I've taken over the years, I am often the only black person, let alone black woman, in the room. Fair enough I live in England but, London is a diverse and multi-cultural place.

I have come across several people, with complexions similar to mine, who have misconceptions about yoga that prevent them from trying it. Some feel that it's in conflict with their religious beliefs and some feel that it's something that only 'privileged people' do. I think it's a shame for barriers such as these to prevent the discovery of the amazing benefits of yoga – physical, emotional and yes, spiritual too.

I'm always excited to discover black female yogis who are breaking the mould (and hopefully some of those barriers). Here are 3 women I've come across, via beloved Instagram (which, over the past year, has really encouraged me to concentrate on truly creating the life that I desire). They have inspired me to get serious about something that I've been wanting to do for a long time: develop a consistent, regular practice.

They are, from top: Yoga Racheal (@yogaracheal) is a yoga instructor who describes herself as a 'lover – encourager – giver – believer'; Wasia Wasia (@wasiawasia) is an artist, musician and yogi; Koya Webb (@koyawebb) is an international holistic health coach and yoga instructor; Racheal and Koya are run Acroyoga workshops together, in Los Angeles, CA (There's one tonight!).

 

Resources + inspiration

For those of you interested in practising yoga, here are some other useful resources and inspirational people:

In Technicolour: My Winter Colour Palette

 

In January, I noticed a trend in the photos I was taking – there were a lot of peachy, coral colours alongside different shades of green. I love this combination of colours and can't wait to apply it to some illustrations or designs.

It's freezing and grey outside so, I'm just happy that my spirit is still vibrating on a more vibrant frequency!

What colours are speaking to you right now?

Portraits of 2014

 

 

Last year, I started taking commissions for the style of portrait illustrations that I’d previously made for my design business and a few of our clients. The response was really exciting! People ordered illustrations for themselves and their loved ones, coming up with reasons and occasions that I hadn’t even thought of.

 

This is what they’ve been used for, to date:

• Present for a wife, just because
• Birthday presents (especially for ‘big’ birthdays, e.g. 50, 60)
• Wedding presents
• Christmas presents
• Website banners
• Social media avatars
• Editor’s portrait in a magazine
• Illustration of interview subjects for a magazine

 

The image above is a round up of commissions from 2014. I really love making these.

 

2015 commissions

To help me manage my time, I’ve decided that I will only take 12 of these portrait commissions this year. I’ve already got a few in the works so, get in touch ASAP if you’re interested in one: lulu [at] weareasilia [dot] com. You can also find more details on ordering here.

 

See larger versions of the portraits above, on my Pinterest page.

 

 

All illustrations copyright yours truly, Lulu Kitololo 

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Related:

• Female Relations – older portrait work in oil paint
• Interview with artist Toyin Odutola – this woman creates hauntingly beautiful portraits!
• Inspired: Robert Pruitt’s women at Studio Museum Harlem
• Afri-love on Easy – portrait edition
• Inspired by Lubaina Himid’s collage portraits and kanga paintings

 

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The Life-changing Magic of Tidying

 

 

Just before Christmas, Stacy from my mastermind group shared a book she was reading, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying. At the time, it piqued my interest and I made a loose mental note to check it out. A few weeks later, it came up again and this time, something in me wanted to read it NOW! So I ordered the book and proceeded to devour it in a couple of days. It’s true what they say about timing – it was just what I needed. I’ve recommended it to several friends since who’ve caught the fever just as bad as I have. Often, it’s all we can talk about. 

  

Intrigued yet?

 

I doubt I can truly do author Marie Kondo justice – you just have to read it for yourself – but, I'll summarise why I loved the book and how it’s changing my life:

In Pictures: When Darkness Meets the Light

 

Over a decade ago, I came across a quote which has stayed in my memory since:

"Had I not fallen, I would not have arisen.
Had I not been subject to darkness, I could not have seen the light"
– Midrash 

The quote has special resonance for me now, given how good I feel about this year, in contrast to the last. Incidentally, as I look back through my Instagram feed from the past couple of months, there are quite a few photos that play with this contrast between darkness and light. Above and below are a few – catch the full story behind each, over on Instagram.

Plant Something Daily – January Favourites

 

I reached a turning point mid-last year when, I decided to stop talking and start making, putting an end to years of creative frustration. It's not that I was previously lacking in ideas but rather, that I had been fooling myself that I just didn't have the time.

And then I made the time and it led to so many great things: showcasing at events like Africa Utopia and the Renegade Craft Fair; getting featured on one of my favourite blogs, Fly, not once but twice and; generally receiving such great feedback from people.

To keep the making momentum growing, I've set myself a challenge for 2015: to create a piece of plant-inspired art, every single day. Why plants? Well, besides Africa, nature is my biggest muse and I think we can agree that plants make (most) people happy.

On this last day of January, I can say that I have successfully stuck to the challenge! I'm really proud of myself for that. Especially as this month has been busy beyond belief – I've had so many excuses not to create my daily piece! In this way, this challenge has been a great exercise in self-discipline.

It's also been good for helping me to let go of expecting everything to be perfect. As I shared with one of the drawings from last week – I'm not necessarily happy with each drawing but, I'm happy I've made each drawing.

Above are some of my favourite pieces from January. I post them each day after making them, on Instagram (#plantsomethingdaily) and on my new Facebook page, dedicated to my art. View the collection so far and follow the journey – help keep me accountable!

Have you set yourself a daily/weekly/monthly challenge this year? I'd love to hear more about it and see what you're working on. 

Stand out from the crowd

There is such huge pressure for new beginnings in January. Reflecting on the month I've had, it's been more about recalibration, in preparation for new things.

Rather than be frustrated, I'm reminding myself that, ultimately, we can start whenever we like!

For those who are working on starting (or restarting/refreshing/revamping) a business, I'm running a 3-part workshop in London, in collaboration with business coach, Danielle Anderson of Step and Stone. It's titled, 'Stand out from the crowd.'

The sessions will cover: identifying and crafting your unique voice; building an online presence that is in alignment with this and; leveraging the power of social media, with confidence. We want you to be able to market your business in a way that's authentic to you, effective and fun!

You can take one or all three sessions for a comprehensive foundation. Find out more details here.

I'd love for you to join us!

Why I’m thankful for the toughest year ever

 

 

There are 2 hours of 2014 left as I write this and I am extremely emotional. This year has been the toughest that I’ve ever experienced and yet, after a really long time, I feel more authentically myself.

 

 

The lows

 

Business was extremely challenging and along with that, finances. And when you’re responsible for the finances of 10 other people, it’s a whole other level of pressure. I started to doubt my competencies, skills and vision. At some point, I even lost sight of the joy that I derive, working to help passionate people express and present the magic they bring to the world. 

 

Add to this, the health condition which, my body miraculously manages by itself, took a turn for the worse. After 8 years of not having this condition interfere with my day-to-day life, this was an immense wake-up call. I took it as a sign that I seriously had to review my life and start doing things differently.

Free Download: Colouring Sheets

 

In less than 2 days, many of us will be enjoying a public holiday (whether we celebrate Christmas or not) and we'll hopefully have some downtime.

If you find yourself at a loss for ideas of how to entertain the younger ones (and those young at heart), I've got just the thing for you! I've created 3 different colouring sheets for you to download and print.

There's a garden scene, aka Bustani (see above); a fishy scene and; a composition made up of landmarks and landscapes from various African cities (bonus points if you can name any of them – let me know in the comments below).

 

 

To get a hold of your downloads, all you have to do is sign up to the Afri-love mailing list here. 

Once you've signed up, you will receive an email with links to download the sheets. Simply print and enjoy. If you're already subscribed, the links are in the latest email, sent today.

Fellow Instagrammers, please share a picture and mention me @lulukitololo – I'd love to see how you and your loved ones improve on my creations!

 

All drawings copyright Lulu Kitololo. Please note that the colouring sheets are for your personal use and may be used for any commercial purpose whatsoever.