April 2023 – Six by Tiny

Hello Followers of Old! It’s been a while… almost a year and a half! I hope you have all been well! I’m popping in to announce my new little website called ‘Friend of Note’. This is a hobby project I started back in March when I took some time off between jobs to have a good old think about how I wanted to spend the last few months of my twenties. Yep, I can’t quite believe I will be turning 30 in July! Dissatisfied with my job in finance, I could feel in bones that it was time for a change, so I threw caution to the wind and handed in my notice without a solid back up plan.

By the time my months notice was up, I decided to embark on a short course in web development, with my eye on a future bootcamp studying UI/UX. I imagined supporting this period of study with a casual job, maybe as a waitress, or a shelf stacker. However, I also had a great desire to draw.

Last year, I spent many hours casually doodling on my iPad using Procreate, snatching time on train rides, or late evenings. Now, as I perused and applied to job openings, I found myself with a lot more time on my hand and began to draw illustration after illustration. After the fourth or so completed drawing, I struck upon an idea. I had been watching a lot of illustration vloggers on YouTube and many of them created prints, stickers or other stationary items, so completely inspired, I decided I was going to launch an Etsy sticker shop. Purely with the intent of having a bit of fun. So, I spent a whole chunk of March building my website, designing my branding and hand-making stickers. I invested in a Silhouette Cameo 4, and thankfully, already had a decent printer, so could create quality stickers at home. Last Tuesday I launched my website and today I’ve found the time to share it with you! (Not because I’ve been inundated with orders, but rather have been learning the ropes of a new job.)

Did I end up having my shot in hospitality? Kinda! Thanks to some incredibly lucky timing, an advert for a gallery assistant popped up in my Seek search. I applied, somewhat dubious I’d hear back considering my lack of experience in such areas, but astonishingly I landed an interview! Though when I rocked up, I realised I had somewhat underestimated the space. I’d been imagining a room or two, but clearly I hadn’t thought too much about the fact the gallery was homed in the Old Castlemaine Gaol. To be fair, I’d never been there, but damn was it a whole lot bigger than I anticipated.

This is the point where I should probably mention the Gaol had been purchased by artist David Bromley, and the gallery, well it wasn’t your typical gallery space. It was incredible! Especially for a town like Castlemaine. Fast forward a few days and, again much to my surprise, I had landed a job. It’s part-time, predominately weekend work but I feel so fortunate to be working in such an inspiring space. So between that, my sticker shop and a lot of learning, I have been feeling a new zest for creativity! The Bromley & Co Old Castlemaine Gaol opened yesterday, so if any readers happen to be travelling though/live in Victoria – it’s definitely worth checking out! (Tiny sneak peek below.)