My Maternity Leave Canada EI

How I am spending my maternity leave Canada EI. In April after Easter, I will be going on maternity leave in Canada with EI for my first child with my due date on May 5. I am taking a month off early because this is my first child and I don’t know what to expect. In Canada the maternity can be 18 months or 12 months. Learn more about my maternity leave Canada EI plans below!

During this time I want to prepare for the new baby and get the nursery ready and make sure that I am relaxed and fully comfortable. My husband and I are also moving 3 and half hours away, so we need to get the new house ready too! I have decided to take a maternity leave for 12 months. While on maternity leave, I will also be working on my art business. I hope to make new art education resources that I can sell in my teachers pay teachers shop and some new YouTube videos for my YouTube channel.

I also plan on applying to different art exhibitions and art grants. I know that these are probably ambitious goals but even if I’m working on my art business just 30 minutes a day I think that will really help progress my business. In the future, I would like to be a full-time artist working from home. I want to use this maternity leave to really propel my business forward.

Before taking my maternity leave, I want to have some pre-planning done in advance. I plan on having my blogs drafted and scheduled on both of my websites all the way until September. I also want to have YouTube videos scheduled all the way until September or October. I would like to have at least three weeks to four weeks of Pinterest pins scheduled in advance as well. This will allow me to have more time to focus on healing and spending precious time with my new baby .

In the first few months, I know that I won’t have a lot of time to work on my art, however, working on my art is a form of self-care and it’s really important to me. I want to make sure that I have my art supplies set up in my new studio, ready to go so I know that even if I only have a 20 minute break I have things already set up and ready. I am going to try to make sure that my studio stays clean and tidy so that I feel comfortable working in there and using the space more often. I’m going to make sure that I’m communicating with my husband and planning some time during the week, so I at least have one hour every week where I can be making art. My husband is really supportive and does a great job in helping with household chores and cooking which will give me more time to work on my artwork.

The maternity leave Canada EI is a nice option to be able to stay and bond with your baby while healing and adjusting to being a mom. Since this is my first time being a mom, I know it will be a big adjustment. I am grateful for the maternity leave Canada EI.

Follow me on social media to stay connected during this busy time! Click on one of the icons below!

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Canada Artist Grant

I received a Canada artist grant with th Ontario Arts Council last year and worked on a project that Canada artist grant. I was awarded a grant of $2000 for emerging artists to learn a new skill or for professional development including the purchase of new art supplies. You can learn more about this Canada artist grant in this post!

Canada artist grant/OAC artist grant proposal

For my Canada artist grant I chose to focus on papermaking in my application. I proposed learning how to make paper out of plants and learning how to use the letterpress machine. I wanted to letterpress some of my Patched poems on handmade pieces of map paper I made. I also proposed to purchase some mould and deckles to help me with papermaking some abaca and cotton pulp, a vat and other paper making supplies. 

Canada artist grant/OAC artist grant 

I chose to work with a local paper making company the Papertrail to be able to learn about paper making easier. The Papertrail is based out of New Dundee, Ontario. That’s also where I attended workshops, completed my letterpress poetry project and ordered my papermaking supplies. 

I attended 5 paper making workshops in total with the grant money. A basic beginner paper making workshop, two workshops on making paper with plants and two on using the letterpress. 

About the Paper making Workshops 

The Beginner Papermaking Workshop 

This workshop took place in August of 2022 and in this workshop I learned basic skills and refined my paper making skills. We also learned how to use pigments in paper and got to experiment with the sheets of paper we made. 

Letterpress Workshop #1 

I did this workshop in November, during this workshop I learned how to use the letterpress and the history of the letterpress. I also did some test prints of some text with the letterpress. 

Paper Making with Plants Workshop

This workshop was a two day back to back workshop in December. In these workshops I learned how to make paper from plants. I made paper from the stems and pods of milkweed as well as from flax. I got to use their hollander beater and beat the pulp by hand. 

Letterpress Workshop #2 

This workshop happened in December. I got to complete my Patched poem project and letterpress 5 different poems I wrote onto handmade map paper. 

All of these workshops were full day workshops. I am grateful for the Canada artist grant with OAC and being able to develop my paper making skills as an artist as well as being able to complete a project and purchase new paper making supplies.  

You can purchase my book Patched that has more poems here!

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Goals for 2023

I always like to make goals for myself each year. Here are my goals for 2023! I have divided my goals for 2023 into different categories. When I am making goals I try to be as specific as possible to help make the goals attainable. I want to be realistic with my goals so I know I can achieve them but I think there needs to be a stretch or a reach goal so you have to work for it. If a goal is too easy you won’t work for it and put the effort in. Below are my goals for 2023!

Goals for 2023

Below are the different categories of goals for 2023! 

Business Goals for 2023

I want to have 500 email subscribers on my email list.

I want to try running ads on social media to help me grow my list.

I want to create 150 products on my TPT store - Jackie Partridge Art. 

I want to create 10 new designs on Society6 - Jackie Partridge.

Art Goals for 2023

I want to have 2-5 new art grants this year to fund my artwork. 

I want to have 5-10 art exhibitions this year. 

I want to set up a new studio in my new house.

I want to make cyanotypes and paper this year. 

Social Media Goals for 2023

I want to have over 1000 followers on Instagram on both of my accounts - @jackiepartridge_ and @jackiepartridgeart

I want to have over 500 subscribers on YouTube - Jackie Partridge Art 

Revenue Goals for 2023

I want to have consistent 3-4 figure months of sales on TPT.

I want to be able to make my salary through my art business this year. 

I want to do 2 art markets.

I want to get my artwork into a local shop. 

Personal Goals for 2023

I want to make healthy food choices. 

I want to go for a walk daily. 

Family Goals for 2023

I want to go on a hike monthly and enjoy time in nature with my family a couple of times a month. I want to visit with family or friends once a month. I want to plan a family vacation or a couple of small getaways. I want to have a date night once a month when the baby is old enough. 

I hope you enjoyed my goals for 2023. I would love to know your goals for 2023! Let me know in the comments!

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2022 Year in Review

2022 is coming to end and it is time to look back and reflect on the year. Here is my 2022 year in review for my art! A lot has happened this year and I want to share it with you. This is a great time for you to reflect on your favourite memories of 2022 too! 

My Art Goals for 2022

Post consistently to social media (5x a week to instagram, 3-4x to facebook, every day to Pinterest, twice a month to my email list, blog post 3-4x a month, YouTube 2x a month), TikTok weekly 

Social media takes time. I recently started a tiktok - Jackie Partridge Art.  I would like to try paid ads this year.

I decided to switch to posting to YouTube once a month this year as it is a ton of work and I am working full time as a teacher. I am still starting with tiktok -you can find me on -Jackie Partridge Art. I would like to do more next year.

Update: I did pretty well with this. Lots of life changes prevented me from posting as consistent as I would have liked to.

Excited to announce we are expecting our first child in May 2023!

Apply to art calls twice a month - I want to have more exhibitions this year!

I have been getting more exhibitions and artist grants since I have been consistently applying to art application calls.

I did well at applying to exhibitions and art calls and usually applied to 4 or so per month. As a result I had a lot more exhibitions this year! 

I had a few big exhibitions this year and a couple of grants from Pat the Dog Theatre Company and Ontario Arts Council.

Spend time in nature for inspiration- I find this really helps with my art practice.

Once a month Gordie and I made it a habit of hiking, campinging or walking outside. I’ve taken lots of photos that I have shared on Instagram

We didn’t go outside hiking or camping as much as I wanted to but when we did we had a lot of fun. 

Make consistent art sales- I would love my art to be my main source of income. I would like to match my current teaching income before the end of 2022. These are my current streams of revenue:

• Art grants/awards and artist fees

• Art workshops and coaching 

• Selling art teaching resources on Teachers Pay Teachers

• Selling my original art 

I did a lot better at making consistent sales with my art. I still have a ways to go but I am getting there and enjoying the journey! 

My sales on my Teachers Pay Teachers have really improved. I did two holiday art markets that were successful and sold more art online this year!

Set boundaries for teaching for more work life balance- no work on Friday nights and Saturdays, no emails past 5pm, no marking on the weekend. No working camps.

This past summer I worked the month of July at a day camp at my school. I was very intentional not to start working on school stuff until the end of August so that I could have a break from school. Make art during school breaks- I plan on not working at camps this year so that I have more time to focus on my art and business. 

I did well not working at camps this year which gave me more time to work on my art and I’m so happy with the progress I have made! I also did well not working on school stuff outside of school hours.

Make art each month- I want to get back to making art each month. It is something that I put off like exercising. I want to be able to prioritize both.  - I have done better at this!

2022 Goals 

• Exercise 2x a week - rough in the winter but got better in the spring and for the rest of the year 

• Match my teaching salary in my art income

• Purchase a Home 

• ✅Have 5 exhibitions or publications - Kitchener Public Library two person exhibition, Cambridge Art Gallery Show.21, Art Comp in London, ON, Forest Spaces- Contact Photo Festival in Toronto, Moving Forward, Three Sisters Cultural Centre, St. Jacob’s, ON, INPRINT Exhibition, Button Factory Arts, Waterloo, ON.

• Grow my mailing list by 500 people 

• Grow my YouTube to 500 subscribers 

• Have 200 products in my TPT store  - this was a hard goal - I later changed it to 100 because that was more realistic - haha ✅

2022 Year in Review 

Overall, 2022 was a great year. I worked as a teacher teaching my grade 5s who I had in Grade 4 and then I had some of them in my grade 4,5,6 class. I learned a lot about Montessori education from work. I took business courses and read a lot of business books.

Thank you so much for following on this journey. I appreciate you being here and supporting me along the way.

Here Are Some FREE Ways To Support Me (If You Aren’t Doing Them Already)

• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

• Follow me on Pintrest 

• Like my Facebook Page

• Follow me on my instagram

• Follow my TPT store if you are a teacher

• Join my mailing list

Lastly, I would appreciate it if you like something I post to like, comment or share to help me to reach more people! 

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Art Goals for 2022

Pink Star

CA$90.00

Holiday Gift Guide 2022

Here is your Holiday Gift Guide 2022 to help you do your shopping for loved ones this holiday season. Scroll down to find ideas for the person you are shopping for. These are all items I sell. Some of the links are affiliate links meaning I get a small percentage of the sale but the price is the same regardless of whether or not you use my link. 

Holiday Gift Guide 2022

Holiday Gift Guide 2022 - for Mom

• An art commission - you can read more about commissions here -please email me if you are interested in getting a commission done. My deadline for Christmas is November 5th 2022 for local people in the Waterloo Region. 

• Daisy wooden wall art 

• Original cyanotype artwork

Holiday Gift Guide - for Dad

• Cedar card

Holiday Gift Ideas - for Grandma 

• Daisy cyanotype set of cards 

Holiday Shopping Ideas - for Your Best Friend

• Original cyanotype artwork - mini size 

Holiday Gift Guide  - for a Friend 

• Daisy print sticker 

Holiday Gift Ideas - for Your Sister 

• Original cyanotype artwork - mini size 

• Original handmade paper artwork  

Peach Daisies

CA$90.00

Holiday Gift Ideas - for Your Co-worker or Boss 

• Cedar card

• Daisy cyanotype card 

Holiday Gift Guide  - for a Teacher or Daycare Provider 

• Daisy cyanotype card 

• Daisy print sticker 

When in doubt you can buy a gift card! :) Click the button if you would like a gift card for my original artwork

Here are some ideas in my Holiday Gift Guide for 2022! Please note the last day for shipping guaranteed by December 25th 2022 is December 14th. 

Giving art is a great gift idea to show you care and help to bring some joy and personalization this holiday season! 

Learn about new art collections here!

Please check out the links in the section below about framing and art hanging resources. 

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OAC Grants

Early this year, I was given one of the OAC grants for emerging artists. This OAC grant is a $2000 grant that gives funding to purchase art supplies and to participate in educational skill development. 

I started applying for OAC grants this past fall and I was excited to have received one. OAC stands for Ontario Arts Council. The OAC grants are a lengthy process to set up an account and submit your application online but they are worth it. 

By receiving OAC grants or other grants, artists can receive funding to make projects possible. $2000 is a lot of money and I am grateful to have received this grant as this project would not be financially possible without it. 

There are many different OAC grants available. You can learn more by clicking here!

It’s important to note that OAC grants are only for residents in Ontario. However, depending on where you live, the province or state, try Googling grants with your location to find other grants to apply to. 

OAC Grants- the OAC Grant Proposal

I will be using the money from the OAC grant to purchase paper making supplies including different types of pulp, mould and deckles and other paper making supplies. I will also be registering for some paper making and letterpress classes to be able to enhance my skills as a paper maker. Lastly, I will use some of the money to rent out a paper making studio place near where I live. I have until 2023 to complete this project. I started purchasing supplies and signing up for workshops this summer of 2022. 

I plan on making sheets of map paper using recycled maps and using the letter press to write some of my poems on the paper. I also want to make more large sheets of the map paper to be able to do large installations of my work Patched. You can read more about the Patched project here! 

Jackie Partridge, Patched Project

If you are interested in applying to OAC grants you can click here to check their deadlines. 

I appreciate the financial support of OAC grants for funding my art practice! 

To find out more about the project check out my instagram @jackiepartridge_    and search the #patchedproject

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