Celebrating our 6th anniversary = unblocking your creativity!

Pikaland turns 6!

Pikaland turns 6 this month, and all I could think of was how amazing you guys are.

Forgive me for the bit of a soppy post, but I thought I should get stuff of my chest instead of holding it all in (I think I’m allowed to do so since I do this here blog!) So here it is: I wanted to thank you for following me on this personal, enlightening journey on Pikaland – and I hope that it has helped you in some ways too. When I first started this blog back in 2008, it was to serve as a personal “scrapbook” of sorts. Not knowing much about illustration, I decided to start a blog where I collected the artists and pieces that I love where I could access it in one place – a place where I could learn and hopefully to reveal what is it about illustrations that makes my heart beat a little faster, and my eyes a lot more sensitive to what’s being said. I learned so much through self-discovery, by putting it into practice, and by teaching others about what I’ve learned: how important it is to see beyond just images.

One of the most fulfilling projects I’ve started is the Good to Know project. It’s a series of zines that shares advice among creatives – artists, designers and illustrators on various subjects on creativity, business and life. It was started in 2009, and our first ever issue on creativity is one of my favorites. I’d like to share this with you as a free downloadable PDF (and viewable online too right below via Scribd!) I’m looking to expand on this project this year, and I’ll be making these older copies available to mailing list subscribers free of charge along the way (p/s: if you haven’t signed up yet, it’s never too late – you can do that by clicking here!!)

I’ve started projects, and said goodbye to some. But the one thing that has stayed the same is that you aren’t alone in figuring all of this out. I’m still doing that too. And I’m glad that we’re going to do that together.

Without further ado, here’s the first zine that launched it all – the very first issue of the Good to Know zine series; one that documents the musings of over 40 artists on how they’ve unblocked their creativity.

I hope you enjoy the read, and I look forward to our journey together along this amazing road ahead. Let’s enjoy the ride, shall we?

38 Replies to “Celebrating our 6th anniversary = unblocking your creativity!”

  1. Lauren Minco says:

    Congratulations, Amy! Pikaland has grown and evolved into such a beautiful thing. I’m glad you brought it to the world and enjoy seeing what comes next!

    1. amy says:

      Thank you so much for your support and encouragement Lauren! 6 years counting and I’m still surprising myself with what’s next, LOL!

  2. Denny says:

    Wow! Way to go! And thanks for the freebie!

    1. amy says:

      High five Denny!

  3. Char says:

    THANK you! And a very happy 6th Birthday Amy, I have been following you since 2008. You have been MY go to for new artists … I have this Zine as it was one of the first ones I bought when you just released the series. I absolutely love them still and I still open them up to guide me every now and then πŸ™‚
    You are an inspiration of strength and I love so much how you have honoured all those incredible artists over the years…
    Big hugs
    Xx
    Char

    1. amy says:

      Thank you so much Char!!! I’m just overwhelmed with the amazing outpouring of love and support – thank you, thank you, thank you. Big hugs! xoxo

  4. Elizabeth says:

    Congrats, Amy!!! way to go! πŸ™‚

    I knew you in 2009, when I participated in Good to Know issue about plagiarism, and I’ve read your blog since then. I enjoy so much your posts and love the way your blog has evolved!

    Hugs! πŸ˜‰

    1. amy says:

      Elizabeth, thank you so much for your support all these years – it’s been an incredible journey; made more special because of the friends I’ve made over the years. xoxo

  5. cotey bucket says:

    Amy you are amazing!
    Thanks so much for sharing your world and knowledge with us and for serving as a constant source of inspiration.
    Here’s to six more years of following your heart and doing what you love.
    πŸ˜€

    1. amy says:

      Thank you so much Cotey!! Here’s to shining even brighter in the years to come!!

  6. This is great news, Amy! Pikaland is definitely my favorite blog and the one I have continued to follow and read most consistently over the years because of your genuine passion for art and creators’ issues. Congrats on the 6 year anniversary and I know more greatness is to come!

    1. amy says:

      Thank you so much Nancy!! I’m going to toast to that! πŸ™‚ xo

  7. Suzy Hepburn says:

    Congratulations, Amy! Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights – so many topics you’ve touched on have been so inspiring to me. Looking forward to more!!

    1. amy says:

      Thank you so much for the encouragement Suzy!!

  8. maria says:

    Yay!
    6 years!
    now THAT’s an achievement!
    Congrats!

    1. amy says:

      Thanks Maria!! Check in again next year and let’s have cake in front of the computer to celebrate!! πŸ™‚

  9. Sofia says:

    Congratulations πŸ™‚
    My story with pikaland:
    You posted “Whats your reason for not begin”
    My reason was that I had ten weeks left until my final exam and thought it would make no sense to start. You and others pushed me in the comments and I went to work.
    I’m going to get my diploma tomorrow.
    THANK YOU

    1. amy says:

      Sofia, I’m so proud of you!! Congratulations and big hugs!! x

  10. Annemarie says:

    No YOU are amazing! *cheezy sideways pointy fingers*

    1. amy says:

      HAHA!! xoxox

  11. Bethany says:

    Happy Blog Birthday Amy!!! I’ve really liked your “Good to Know” series and whenever I visit, I learn something from you! Thank you for all the inspiration over the years!!

    1. amy says:

      Thank you so much for hanging out with me all these years Bethany!!

  12. Aijung says:

    Happy 6th Birthday to Pikaland! This is the only blog that I follow on a regular basis. It is fun and inspiring – thank you so much for your hard work!

    1. amy says:

      Aijung, thank you so much for your support – I’m forever grateful! xoxo

  13. Nicky Ovitt says:

    HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Amy!

    1. amy says:

      Thank you sweet Nicky!! And for all your support <3!

  14. Silvia says:

    Congratulations for these 6 years!!! πŸ™‚

    1. amy says:

      Thank you so much Silvia!!

  15. Ana says:

    Congratulations! I’m new in the illustration business and here in Pikaland,I haven’t explore the whole site but until now I have found a lot of helpful information and encouragement to keep it up. Thanks for the hard work! πŸ™‚

    1. amy says:

      Thanks so much Ana! I hope you like what you see here – there’s quite a bit of info lurking around the website, one day I’m going to pull it together in a much easier to navigate format!

  16. Jess says:

    Aha! I remember being a part of this – and looking back at it now, many of the illustrators involved I have discovered since – a smaller world than we thought! Thanks for bringing us together, what you do best Amy πŸ™‚

    1. amy says:

      Jess, thank you for being a part of Pikaland – I’m so grateful to have your support!

  17. Yvonne says:

    Happy anniversary Amy! I always enjoy reading your posts.
    Thank you for the gift, really looking forward to reading Issue 1!

    1. amy says:

      You’re most welcome Yvonne, and thank you so much for the warm wishes!

  18. rebecca says:

    Oh wow, I can’t believe it has been 6 years!! I was just starting out in the world of blogging – and starting to promote my illustration online – in 2008 too and I remember how fantastic it was to have your support along the way! Thank you so much for bringing so much inspiration to the creative online community and thank you for inspiring me and urging me to keep going! Happy Anniversary Amy!! …and here’s to many more years of Pikaland!! Xx

    1. amy says:

      Thank you so much Rebecca – oh I do remember how things were back in the day!! I’m so thrilled that you popped over to say hello, and I’ll be stalking your website for years to come! πŸ™‚

  19. Adding to the love train! Amy, I have loved your blog for years, and incidentally it was also because of your blog that my career was launched (yes, I mean it!). I ended up leaving art school after a year and a 1/2 because I was all outta dough, and I came home not knowing how to get my foot in the door of an industry I didn’t feel fully qualified for. I read your blog religiously and then I took one of your illustration courses, posted my work to my blog, and very fortunately for me, my first client stumbled upon it and from being hired by them ALL of my other design gigs have stemmed from it – to this day! You gave me the push I needed to get started and I’m so happy I happened to stumbled upon your site back in the day! Keep on keeping on xoxo

  20. Santiago says:

    Thanks for your generosity Amy

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