My Collaboration with Big Raven Yoga
A Dream Collaboration
This collaboration was truly a dream come true. I reached out to Joleen, the owner of Big Raven Yoga, with an idea to create a nature-inspired design for one of their yoga mats. I was thrilled when she said yes—and the creative journey began!
The Inspiration:
Purple flowers have always been among my favorites, and monarch butterflies hold a special place in my life. Years ago, my kids and I raised monarchs at our old home. With milkweed growing in abundance, we spent summers searching for tiny eggs and caterpillars, carefully raising them in a terrarium as we watched their magical transformation into butterflies. That experience left a lasting impact—I even have a monarch butterfly tattoo!
The Creative Process:
Over three weeks, I played with ideas in my sketchbook and developed a lush, garden-inspired painting featuring green foliage, purple blooms, bold monarch butterflies, and of course, sparkles! I knew I wanted to add purple flowers, but I am also really in love with the color ultramarine blue (a timeless, beautiful color- Michelangelo favored this color!) as of late, so I wanted to add both of those colors to my palette! Of course, to balance things out I used the complementary colors of yellows and oranges and I also added those to the blue to create the olive green hues!
I began with an acrylic gouache background and loosely mapped out where I wanted the main elements to go. As I painted, I let intuition guide me, making small changes until everything found its place naturally.
To prepare the piece for print, I scanned it in five sections and stitched them together in Photoshop, carefully editing out tiny imperfections like fuzzies and paint blobs. I added the sparkles and white splashes digitally in Procreate to enhance the magical, enchanted garden feel. I’m still in awe of how it all came together—it truly feels like a little world of its own!
My Health Journey & Why Yoga Matters:
In 2014, I had a mass removed and was diagnosed with endometriosis. Even after surgery, the daily pain and physically demanding work as a dog groomer continued to wear me down. Life felt like a constant struggle until I embraced a more healing lifestyle.
Over the years, art became my refuge, and in 2023, a hysterectomy brought relief, and as I continued to heal and grow, I turned to books to help reframe my mindset. Now adding a daily routine of yoga, it has been a gift to my mind and body!
Yoga has been incredibly transformative, supporting my physical and mental recovery. It’s become a meditative, grounding practice that I now look forward to every morning! As someone with ongoing health challenges, particularly related to reproductive health and abdominal trauma, yoga has helped me reconnect with my body most compassionately.
For the first time in a long time, I feel strong, centered, and truly alive.
The Mat Itself:
When my mat arrived, I was over the moon. It was beautifully packaged and eco-friendly, and the quality blew me away. Velvety soft, vibrant, and supportive, it quickly became a daily part of my routine. It’s easy to clean (even machine washable!) and adds such joy to my practice.
If you’re looking for a meaningful, luxurious piece to elevate your daily rituals, I can’t recommend this mat enough. It’s not just functional, it’s full of heart and story.
