Gentle, Creative De-cluttering with Jennifer Hofmann
February 9th, 2010, No Comments
I'm so excited to share this chat with the absolutely fabulous Jennifer Hofmann, of Inspired Home Office. Jen is what you might call a professional organizer, but she's so much more than that. She's got the sweetest soul and she immediately came to mind when I knew I was going to be doing the theme of home for the Creative Every Day Challenge this month. You can listen to our chat by clicking on the link below or right-click (ctrl-click on a Mac) to download to your computer. Enjoy!
I've taken a few of Jen's Office Spa Day classes (you can read about my experience here.) It's a wonderful process that I've turned to when I felt stuck (or in major avoidance) around a cluttered-up area. The group energy is always great and Jen's questions are super helpful in making the work go smoothly.
In our chat Jen generously offered to take a question by email, so feel free to contact her. You can also find Jen on her blog and on Twitter. Thanks so much, Jen!!
Creative Every Day Check-In: February 8 – 14
February 8th, 2010, 23 Comments
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 2/8/10 - 2/14/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.)
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for February is Home. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with it here.
Happy Creating!
Update: Mr. Linky has been going in and out today, so if you don't see it, you can leave a link in the comments or check back a little later. Thanks!
Life is like getting dropped off in the middle of the woods, and then year by year, gradually walking home. - April Foiles
Winter Roots
February 5th, 2010, 36 Comments
Some home related art. I started with a very vague image in my mind with layers, red, and houses, and then, following my intuition, it went in a completely different direction with lots of trees and roots. I'm calling it "Winter Roots."
Making Icky, Sticky Tasks Creative
February 3rd, 2010, 22 Comments
I've started the home theme with some internal cleaning. Yesterday was spent working hard on bookkeeping. And today, well, I'm starting with cleaning out my purse...my portable home. And oh yikes, it's kind of scary in there!
Ever since I moved in September, my files have not been in order. And as a result, there's been a back up of paper everywhere. I've been procrastinating about it, not knowing exactly where things are going to go, but I know I'll feel better and more clear-headed once I deal with this stuff.
But I've gotta do it step-by-step. The build-up didn't happen in one day and I don't expect it to be cleared up in one day. Which is why today, my baby step is to dump out my purse and sort through it all. I know it will feel great to have it cleaned up!
So, how do you make these icky, sticky, un-fun tasks creative?
Creatively break down your tasks. Get creative with how you tackle your to-do's. Break them into smaller chunks, set a timer, mix it up with more fun tasks (like circuit training!)
Draw your to-do's: I like to doodle my to-do list, drawing a little picture next to each item. My visual-self loves the images. It's an easy reminder of what's on my list without even having to read it. Plus, it's fun and makes the to-do list look pretty nifty!
Get creative with your rewards. I like to make un-fun tasks more enjoyable by adding treats. For example, when I go to the grocery store, a task I do not enjoy, I often bring along my ipod and listen to an audiobook while I shop. It gets me out the door, I get my shopping done, and I don't dread it as much. I also use audiobooks to help motivate me to change the litter, do the dishes, and fold my laundry. Hey, whatever works!
Make your organizing attractive: Using purple pens and pretty folders makes filing more enjoyable for me. I also love colored paper clips. Go figure.
Play rockin' tunes: Great music can be incredibly motivating when you're cleaning or organizing. Dancing while cleaning or organizing is highly encouraged. 
What are some ways you get creative while cleaning up your space?
Creative Every Day Check-In: February 1-7
February 1st, 2010, 27 Comments
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 2/1/10 - 2/7/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.)
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for February is Home. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with it here.
Happy Creating!
Update: If the Mr. Linky widget is missing it means their service is temporarily down. You can always leave your link in the comments or check back later. Thanks!
Art is the only way to run away without leaving home. ~Twyla Tharp
Let Others In
January 30th, 2010, 32 Comments
Yesterday I finished this art for a project that's due shortly, but I thought it made a fitting image for the end of the body theme and beginning of the home theme. The theme for this piece is: "Let others in."
I think in many cases we use our body, either through body language or weight or attitude to keep others out. It's a safety mechanism meant to protect us from getting hurt. But these same safety mechanisms can also hurt us by not allowing us to get close to or get support from others. Have you ever experienced that? I know I have.
Doing this image has had me musing on the idea of letting others in, whether through an open embrace, sharing what's in our hearts, or welcoming others into our homes.
What are some of the ways you practice letting others in?
Update: A bit last minute, but this morning at 10am CST I'm going to be on Liv Lane's radio program, Get Real, in St. Paul/Minneapolis for about 15 minutes. The station is 107.1
*You can now listen to the podcast of the radio show here! I'm at the very beginning of hour 2. Enjoy!
Other places to find my art
January 28th, 2010, 12 Comments
Over at Liv Lane's blog, Choosing Beauty, Liv is having a giveaway for a print of my mixed-media piece, Lantern. You can enter to win by leaving a comment on her blog by Friday 1/29 at midnight!
I also love the question Liv asks with the giveaway, "What lights your way on your darkest days?" I answered the question in the comments and have been enjoying reading the answers from others! Liv is a fellow Creative Every Day Challenge participant, who also co-hosts a fabulous weekly radio show in Minnesota called Get Real, which I got to be a guest on last month!
You can also be entered to win one of my prints every month by subscribing to my Blue Tree Art Gallery newsletter. The sign-up form for that is in the lower left corner of the site, where I offer original art, prints, greeting cards, and calendars featuring my work.
This month and next, you can also see my work on the beautiful online zine, All Things Girl. The theme this month is Through the Looking Glass and my pieces, Leap and Listening are featured.
A big, heartfelt thank you to everyone here for supporting my growth as an artist. It means the world to me!
Creative Every Day Theme for February: Home
January 26th, 2010, 34 Comments
At the end of each month I will announce the totally optional theme for the following month. February 2010's theme will be: Home.
As always, the themes for the Creative Every Day Challenge are totally optional. Use it if it sparks you, continue being creative every day in your own way if it doesn't, or do something in between.
I think this theme may be less emotionally charged than the theme of body, but I also think it's an excellent transition from January's theme, as the body is our home too. I'm also thinking of this theme in terms of clearing clutter, creating in a space that inspires you, making art about the home, making art to decorate your home, and exploring what the concept of home means to you. There are endless ways you can play with the theme and I'm open to any interpretation.
I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month on the blog to help keep you inspired. You can use the posts here for jumping off points or interpret the theme in your own creative way. If you need some suggestions, here are a few ideas to get you started. You could:
- *Write freely about what the idea of home means to you.
- *Make a vision board of your ideal home.
- *Focus on clearing a little bit of clutter each day.
- *Shift things in your space and see how it impacts your creativity.
- *Make art about the homes you've lived in.
- *Find your favorite nook in your home and draw it.
- *Sculpt houses out of clay, play-dough, or paper pulp.
- *Create a sacred space in your home.
How to use the CED themes:
If you're feeling creatively stuck or blocked at any point during the month, use the theme as a source of inspiration to get you moving. Feel free to focus on the theme in your creative activities for the entire month or as much as you'd like.
Using the theme is entirely optional for CED participants. Use it if it inspires you, ignore it if it doesn't. I'll be sharing posts throughout the month around the theme (among other things) to get you thinking about how to incorporate it into your life. I'd love to hear how you use the theme in your creative world.
And have fun with it!
p.s. The art I adapted for this post is from my mixed-media piece titled, A Crowd of Sorrows, which is available as a print here.
Home is the nicest word there is. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder
Creative Every Day Check-In: January 25 – 31
January 25th, 2010, 31 Comments
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 1/25/10 - 1/31/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.)
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for January is Body. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with it here.
Happy Creating!
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. -line from Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese."
Update: It's Thursday evening and the Mr. Linky widget is down. In the meantime, you can leave links in the comments section. I'm sure it will be up and running again soon!
Tree Bodies
January 23rd, 2010, 30 Comments
Trees always strike me as figure-like, especially in winter when they're stripped of their leaves. Perhaps that's why I love drawing and painting them so much!
I've been super sick over the past few days. I felt it coming on early in the week and tried my best to listen to my body and take it easy, but this cold/flu-thing still hit me like a ton of bricks and knocked me out for a few days. I'm still in recovery mode, living in pajamas and surviving on soup and tissues, but I started to get itchy to draw something this afternoon (a good sign!) and drew this tree image I've had in my head for awhile. I kept it simple, playing with watercolor pencils in my sketchbook. I like it though. Perhaps I'll do something else with the idea when I'm feeling better. Or this may be enough.
Being sick is so boring sometimes. I have no energy, but I'm restless from being still for so long. But I appreciate being doted on by the hubster who made me yummy soup and picked up medicine for me at the pharmacy. What a guy.
I hope you're all staying healthy! Stay tuned, early this week, I'll be announcing February's totally optional theme for the Creative Every Day Challenge!
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