Entries from: July 2014

Creative Every Day Theme for August: The Unknown

July 31st, 2014, Comments (5)


At the end of each month I will announce the totally optional theme for the following month. For the month of June 2014, the theme will be The Uknown. It came to mind because my second child is due this month and I know from my experience with my first that I am about to enter a period of unknowns and finding my footing again! 

As always, this month's theme for the Creative Every Day Challenge is totally optional. Use it if it inspires you, continue being creative every day in your own way if it doesn't, or do something in between. You can sign up for the 2014 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime. More info can be found here and the sign-up page is here.

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:

  • *What do you fear about facing the unknown? Write free form about that.   
  • *Work on a piece not knowing where it's going to go. Let your intuition guide you.  
  • *Search through imagery you have on hand for collage material that speaks to you in the moment.      
  • *Choose a color to work with by closing your eyes and choosing at random.
  • *Take a walk or drive somewhere new. Get lost, explore, get inspired.    

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 piece above is titled The Unknown and is available here

Guest Post by Tangerine Meg

July 29th, 2014, Comments (5)

5 Interview Qs from Leah for Tangerine Meg

Thanks for having me Leah! I'm delighted to be hosting you and your answers over at my blog today too.

What is it about cats that you love most?

I love so much about cats - the happy vibration when they purr, their warm spiral sleeping poses and the way they push their noses against everything! My favourite is when, with self-placement on backgrounds, they awaken me to new vibrant colour schemes; this compels me to make artwork to record the wonder, be it painting, lino print or phone photo! I have 2 Orange Cats and I love when they plonk themselves down on blue (stripey) chairs or on the woolen blanket knitted by my husband's grandmother, like in this lino print!

Have you always loved bright, bold color?

I already loved delicious bright colour as a child. Being trained by my mentor Ruth Tuck and her teachers I came to comprehend more of the power and nuance of colour. Now, seeing great colour (and patterns) still transports me to that inner child place of heart nourishment, lighting me up heart and mind!

 What do you do when you feel stuck creatively?

Sometimes, a break is required to refill my well – in which case, take a break (see question 5). If tackling the art is my strategy, the first thing is to Show Up. Once I'm there at the table - aware that today maybe I'm not 'in the flow' - I change track and take steps on a different aspect of my artwork. Most pieces don't spring to life fully formed, they take stages and days and sessions of work - so there's plenty to be done! For example, if I have some lino prints printed and ready to paint, colour scheme already decided, I can continue painting those. Or I might be able to make some progress on an already begun painting (depending on where it's at). Another lovely, differently physical task is to make progress with some lino carving.

 How does yoga impact your artwork?

Yoga impacts my artwork in intangible as well as visible ways. It helps me feel general appreciation, grounded and uplifted, and alignment between life and body - and keeps my back free of pain! In this lino print, “Thriving”, the abundant woman's hands are posed similar to a yoga receiving/gratitude hand position.

How do you care for your creative self?

If I care for my physical self, heart and soul, then my creative self blooms too.

Ideally each day:

·      get lots of lovely rest,

·      eat foods that suit my body,

·      keep active (walk or jog each day; aerial yoga and HitBall each week),

·      remember to stay a bit weird (be myself), and

·      consciously focus on the positive.

I find it nurturing to fill both my heart and my creative cup by

·      going for walks and enjoying the gardens, at this time of year (in the Southern Hemisphere) this may include looking closely at autumn leaves, noticing birds nests in winter branches, or getting geekily joyful seeing the texture of a rusting mailbox,

·      visiting an op shop (thrift shop), feeling a variety of different fabrics and seeing the patterns, or

·      going to a art exhibition, artisan market or Fringe festival show.

I'm a late bloomer in calling myself an Artist or creative and have come to understand that life and creativity are intertwined! What a delicious, curious journey!

Bio

Hi! I’m Tangerine Meg: quirky artist, upside down yogini, wild gardener and more.

My Bold Art invites your Bold Soul to savour the vibrancy and pure delight of every day moments – and to share the joy with your family and friends. Let’s play!

If you’d like a little keepsake, feel welcome to grab my downloadable bookmarks! :)

Creative Every Day Check-In: July 28 – August 3

July 28th, 2014, Comments (0)

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 2014 Challenge here!

Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widåget below to link to a blog post(s) or flickr image of your creative activities during the days of 7/28/14 - 8/3/14. 

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.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments. There is sometimes a slight delay in your link/image showing up in the Mr. Linky widget, so if you don't see it immediately, check back in a little bit.

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 or Instagram you can use the hashtag #CED2014!

Theme: July's totally optional theme is Fireworks! August's theme coming soon!

Happy Creating!

 

Creative Every Day Check-In: July 21 – 27

July 20th, 2014, Comments (1)

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 2014 Challenge here!

Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widåget below to link to a blog post(s) or flickr image of your creative activities during the days of 7/21/14 - 7/27/14. 

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.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments. There is sometimes a slight delay in your link/image showing up in the Mr. Linky widget, so if you don't see it immediately, check back in a little bit.

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 or Instagram you can use the hashtag #CED2014!

Theme: July's totally optional theme is Fireworks!

Happy Creating!

 

Creative Every Day Check-In: July 14 – 20

July 14th, 2014, Comments (0)

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 2014 Challenge here!

Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widåget below to link to a blog post(s) or flickr image of your creative activities during the days of 7/14/14 - 7/20/14. 

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.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments. There is sometimes a slight delay in your link/image showing up in the Mr. Linky widget, so if you don't see it immediately, check back in a little bit.

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 or Instagram you can use the hashtag #CED2014!

Theme: July's totally optional theme is Fireworks!

Happy Creating!

 

Creative Every Day Theme for July 2014: Fireworks

July 7th, 2014, Comments (1)

 

At the end of each month I will announce the totally optional theme for the following month. For the month of June 2014, the theme will be Fireworks! It seemed like a good month for it, especially after I saw my 3 year old firework experience her first fireworks at a Fourth of July celebration. I was thinking not only of actual fireworks, but also of the Katy Perry song in which she encourages you to be your own firework, letting your colors show. Ever seen the video?

As always, this month's theme for the Creative Every Day Challenge is totally optional. Use it if it inspires you, continue being creative every day in your own way if it doesn't, or do something in between. You can sign up for the 2014 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime. More info can be found here and the sign-up page is here.

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:

  • *What colors would you be if you were a firework? Use those colors to paint with.  
  • *Start with a black surface, like the night sky and work with bright color on top of it. 
  • *Write about how you let your true colors show.     
  • *Plan a celebration, big or small. Just for you or for loved ones.   

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!

Creative Every Day Check-In: July 7 – 13

July 7th, 2014, Comments (2)

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 2014 Challenge here!

Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widåget below to link to a blog post(s) or flickr image of your creative activities during the days of 7/7/14 - 7/13/14. 

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.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments. There is sometimes a slight delay in your link/image showing up in the Mr. Linky widget, so if you don't see it immediately, check back in a little bit.

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 or Instagram you can use the hashtag #CED2014!

Theme: July's theme will be posted tonight! 

Happy Creating!