Dear 2014,

If I could make out with you, I totally would. You were really, really good. In fact, you were very close to the most exciting year of my entire life, second only to the year that my son was born.

You were filled with art that was awe-inspiring, delicate, intriguing, fun, beautifully bizarre, joyous, and oh, so meticulous.

You were there when my first book hit shelves in February, and when my second book was released in September {and you just saw me sign the deal to write my third book!? Gah!}

You took me to all sorts of amazing places like San Francisco, LA, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Vancouver again, Dublin… and New York for the very first time in my life! {What? Yep, true story.}  There were camping trips, road trips, and small town adventures with my amazing husband and ridiculously sweet son. I met so many new friends, and spent time with dear old friends – all of whom I plan on seeing again as soon as I possibly can!

You gave me the chance to : guest write “Real Art for a Fictitious World” on sfgirlbybay; to open my own online gallery; to speak at PIXAR; to be interviewed by the lovely folks at oprah.com {yep, that was insane}, and to curate the biggest art exhibition of my career so far!

I tried realllllly hard to slow down and enjoy every milestone along the way, although I’m not sure if I did a very good job – it seems like a bit of a blur to be honest – a wonderful, exciting, pinch-me because I feel beyond blessed, kind of a blur. 

So, with that I’ll say thanks for everything, 2014. You were truly mind-blowing. 

~ danielle xo

Happy New Year, everyone. Thank you so much for being part of this craziness! I cannot believe how lucky I am to have all of you in my world. Ok… now go make more art so I have something to write about in 2015!

{Fabulous, kissy, sparkly collages by California based artist Eugenia Loli}