Creativity is a hamster’s wheel

You know, sometimes life can be tough. It can be tough for long periods. It's easy to lose track of what makes us happy, especially when 90 per cent of our time goes to a day job that helps pay the rent and those never-ending bills. It can leave us feeling a bit overwhelmed and frustrated. When we finally get home, we want a little distraction to unwind. So we tell ourselves: Just thirty minutes of resting, and then I’ll do something productive. But before we know it, three hours have flown by, and we’re still in the same spot, scrolling mindlessly on our phones. When bedtime comes, we promise ourselves that tomorrow will be different. But guess what? Tomorrow often ends up looking the same. Then another day passes, and another, and so a month goes by. Before we know it, it’s been nine months! Nine months is the same time it takes to create a baby, from the first cell to a complete human being. And we’ve spent that time just getting by, lost in our screens. I’m talking about myself, but I know I’m not alone in this experience. My creativity got stuck. As I’ve shared before, ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of living…

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Spay, neuter, love.

Days are beginning to get longer, which means spring is close! I'm a summer girl. I need long sunny days and afternoons spent in the garden or at the beach. I wait all winter for signs of spring. I have a countdown app on my phone that indicates how many days are left until the end of winter. That end never comes soon enough. At the same time, spring is also the season I fear the most. Spring is kitten season! Every year around May or June I get the 'gift' of a new unwanted and very pregnant mama cat, or unwanted kittens. I always search for new families for them, but it is becoming more difficult as time goes by. If you follow me on social media, you may have seen pictures of this kitten. Her name is Margherita and she was dumped here a few months ago. She has a cleft lip and a few balance issues which are improving with time. Due to her cleft lip, her nose has a funny flower shape and she snores a lot. She was quite shy and scared but now she's a force of nature: she plays continuously, eats like a cow and loooovvves to cuddle. Her coat was matted and…

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A 10-minute sketch

This is my cat, Margherita, the last addition to the family here at Cat Cottage. Well, this is her portrait of course, the first 10-minute sketch I made in a long time. I currently have a so-called day job and very little time to draw. I plan to leave this job as soon as possible because it is slowly killing me and my creativity. It's so bad when you don't have the time to do what you feel like you were born to do only because you have to survive, pay the bills and fit into modern slavery (because this is what we're talking about). Anyways, there is absolutely no freaking way I'm going to give up doing what I want to do and live the life I want to live. For how things are now, finding the time to do things you like is a rebellious act. So, last night I was planning how to find the time to draw every day no matter what and remembered what I used to do when I had a career in interior design and as much free time as I have now (almost none). I did this simple but efficient and fun exercise: I'd set a timer for the time I could…

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Happy 2025!

Welcome 2025! Here's to new beginnings! advice from Yogi Tea Lately, I’ve found it a bit tough to stay positive about the future. With wars, environmental disasters, and some pretty wild billionaires in power, it feels like things are a bit out of whack. Sometimes, it seems like humanity isn’t evolving as quickly or positively as it could be, and that can be really frustrating! 2024, has been quite a ride for me personally. I lost a job that I truly loved, which made me almost give up my website. This led to some financial struggles, and now I’m in a new job that feels like a significant step back. To top it off, my health—both physical and mental—hasn’t been the best either. There were months when I didn’t draw at all, and I felt lost, exhausted, and completely uninspired. The current state of the world hasn’t made things any easier. However, when times are tough, it doesn’t mean all hope is lost. It simply indicates that more color and light are needed. As a creative person, I think that's something I can contribute. While I don’t expect my drawings to change the world, I know I can bring a little brightness to my corner of it, and that’s my…

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Welcome at Cat Cottage!

Hey there, this is Bobbi! I'm an illustrator and designer living at Cat Cottage. Yes, Cat Cottage is a real place! It’s a cosy little house in the countryside, not far from Lake Garda. Here, I draw, run my small business and rescue cats. I've been an animal lover since I was born. My mom always told me my first proper word was "Micio," which means "kitty" in Italian. This alone should have indicated something about my future, but everyone overlooked those early signs of what would become a lifelong passion for cats. I began rescuing pets in elementary school. During my childhood, I spent my time either with animals or drawing. I could sit for hours with pencils and paper, illustrating the stories in my head. My mom worked at a publishing company and brought home beautifully illustrated books, which opened my eyes to the works of Beatrix Potter and Tasha Tudor. I realized it was possible to earn a living by drawing stories! Illustrated books and comics ignited a passion for words, and I began reading novels at a very young age. The titles I read were clear hints of my inclinations: "Born Free," "Life with Bears," all of Jack London's works, "Anne of Green Gables," and not…

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