Fresh Raspberry Jam

(and a chat on consistency)

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU RASPBERRIES, MAKE SOME JAM.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my strategy for growing my creative practice. I think it’s because deep down, I keep hoping that if I stay consistent, the results and engagement will eventually snowball. But after a year of posting regularly online, I haven’t grown as much as I’d hoped. I don’t have thousands of followers, I haven’t really gone viral, and I haven’t landed a long list of clients.

I MUST BE FAILING.

I MUST BE DOING SOMETHING WRONG.

WHY CAN’T I MAKE THIS HAPPEN?!

These are the thoughts doing donuts in my head — and man, sometimes they make me rethink everything. They make me want to toss any progress I’ve made and just restart fresh, hoping the results will be different.

But as I was planning out this jam recipe, I realized something: when I doubt myself and go down that same anxious spiral, I’m actually just stopping myself from finding the consistency I was chasing in the first place.

HENCE, MAKING JAM!

There’s the classic “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” saying — but the jammy variation at the top of this entry is a little different. In the lemon example, the idea is that lemons = something sour or negative, and you’re encouraged to take that bitterness and turn it into something sweet and refreshing: lemonade.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I LOVE fresh raspberries just as they are. Straight from the carton-box-thingy — no need to change their form. They’re already a win.

BUT they also make amazing jam. When you turn raspberries into jam, you still get that sweet, bright flavor, but suddenly you can spread them on an English muffin or scoop them into a thumbprint cookie (one of my favs!).

You’re taking something you already love and giving it a new use — and that’s the part I want to hold onto. Because when it comes to my creative work and illustration practice, that’s a shift I want to try to make.

In moments when I’m feeling down about my work, the goal is to resist the urge to scrap everything and start over. Instead, I want to try seeing what I’ve already made in a new, jammy (maybe even seedless) light. If my illustrations are the raspberries… how can I turn them into jam? Instead of chucking the whole carton in the trash and buying a mango.

So let’s talk practicality. How am I actually planning to implement this?

1. Make art in the format that feels good — even if it’s not the algorithm’s favorite.

   1. Lately I’ve felt pressure to turn all of my illustrations into Reels or TikToks, since they tend to reach a bigger audience. That often leads me to sacrifice other parts of the project just to carve out more time for filming and editing. While video definitely has a place in my feed, I want to be better about sharing my work in ways that actually make the most sense for the art itself — even if it’s not a Reel.

2. Don’t get bored in my own style… it’s OKAY to do other things.

   1. This is something I REALLY struggle with. Like a lot of artists trying to break through, I’ve been way too focused on having a style — and it’s kind of bitten me in the butt. I second-guess myself constantly, and I box in new ideas to fit whatever I think my style is in that moment. Which means… I might be saying no to the very thing that could’ve become my style. Ugh.

3. Try new things just because.

   1. This ties into #2. Make things just to make them. Let it flow. Don’t be afraid if it turns out a little differently. Maybe it’s just using a new brush in Procreate, or swapping sharp corners for rounded ones. That still counts.

Based on all of this, it’s no surprise that as I work to “break into” the world of professional illustration, I’ve realized how hard it is for me to create freely. I’m constantly worrying about keeping my portfolio consistent or making sure the “look” matches — instead of staying close to the moments that spark something in the first place.

Long story short? It’s a bunch of raspberries from the same carton.

I’M ONLY DRISCOLL!!!

Needless to say, I could benefit from making some jam. So here’s my recipe for Fresh Raspberry Jam.

INGREDIENTS

• 500 g (17.5 oz) raspberries

• 450 g (2 cups) vegan granulated sugar

• 2 tablespoon (40 ml) lemon juice - freshly squeezed

  

Also, side note, the cat featured this week is named Reg. He has a fun fact…

DID YOU KNOW

The Peacock Mantis Shrimp can punch with the speed of a .22 caliber bullet—strong enough to break the shells of its prey, as well as aquarium glass.
(American Museum of Natural History)

Peacock Mantis Shrimp are by far one of the coolest animals. Besides their crazy strength and speed, they also have RIDICULOUS color vision… they have 16 photoreceptors, compared to humans who only have 3.

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