Definitely All Kitty’d Out

I am such a huge Hello Kitty fan and addictive collector of this adorable feline character! For over 20 years, I have been amassing her items through eBay, webshops in EU, suppliers both in Asia and the U.S., and of course whenever I am travelling to Japan! This of course comes at a price when you’re so overwhelmed that it almost takes over your life. On top of all the shopping I did when I was last back in Japan, I also have to contend with all the constant inflow of packages arriving on our doorstep. And now it is a matter of finding room at home to display and even store them! So here I am illustrating how I feel in my journal…

The Emotions

On a blank two page spread of Strathmore’s journal, I firstly scrawled in black pen: “All… Hello Kitty’d Out!” This was then followed by a pencil sketch of my varying emotions: overwhelmed, helplessness, panic, frustration, chill and calm then of course happiness. It’s because I am indeed happy with what I have already and though overwhelmed, look forward to sorting my stuff out and getting it all organized. The sketches were then colored in with a variety of water-soluble mediums like Caran d’Ache’s Neocolor II and Kuretake Gansai Tanbi Watercolors, followed by colored pencils.

Hello Kitty Craze

And now some fun with all the Hello Kitty stuff I have been accumulating in my “to be saved for artwork” boxes! These include stickers, washi tapes, rubber stamps and of course those labels and tags I save all the time when buying Hello Kitty items. That’s right, even my art supplies include Hello Kitty, how could I not? Although it took me some time to decide which would go where, I had so much fun! It certainly made me realize how much I have and to enjoy them rather than stash in the box forever without them seeing the light of the day. And here is the result:

I ought to use my Hello Kitty art supplies more often! And after creating this piece, “All Kitty’d Out,” I realized I have already have another artwork from sometime ago with the same title haha! As such, I added “definitely” before it as it is very true. Definitely and most obsessively all Kitty’d Out. Not sure if I’ll ever want to (or even can) stop collecting altogether though. Perhaps I best slow down the very least. Be more selective. Realize what I already have and not used. Clear out the ones that “don’t spark joy” , give away to give space for new ones… and now the tidy up begins.