Entries Tagged as: Books
Playful Stretching
January 13th, 2009, Comments (18)
I dream about my own cats quite a bit, often in the context of anxiety dreams where I'm trying to travel with one in my suitcase or saving them from a burning building or something like that. Dreams are often the source of great art images for me. This piece on the left didn't come from a dream, it just felt dreamy. But other images I've created have come directly from images I saw oh, so clearly in a dream. Another great reason to keep a journal or sketchbook by your bed!
In this piece, I was simply playing, making marks, mushing color around. Kathryn mentioned in a comment today that play can be intense stuff sometimes. It's true! I think because play is so much fun, it can be a fabulous way to stretch ourselves beyond what we'd normally do. It's a neat way to "trick" ourselves into experimenting, exploring, and diving deeper.
In the service of play we may go just that much further with a bit of inspiration, an idea, a possibility. Playing with children, for example, is always a great way to stretch your imagination muscles. Kids are fabulous at play and possibility, silliness, and fun. An empty box is a bed for a doll, a hat, a house, a turtle shell, or a time travel machine. Try using play as a means of stretching yourself and see what comes up for you.
I'm reading The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin, as part of Jamie's book group. I've read it a few times already as it's chock full of inspiration! The first chapter is called, "Acknowledging Your Creative Self" and it begins with a quote that I think works so well with our theme of Play this month:
Your creativity is waiting for you like a dancing partner. -Barbara Sher
My hope is that those of you participating in the Creative Every Day Challenge this year will fully acknowledge and embrace your creative selves. You are all so wildly creative, it makes my heart sing!
Playful Resources
January 7th, 2009, Comments (19)
Rowena mentioned struggling with the theme because she really wanted to take her creativity seriously this year. And I totally loved that image because I've been there myself oh so many times. Imagine me pounding my fists on the table and shouting,
"It's time to get serious! I'm going to be creative now and it's going to be amazing! Seriously! No smiling!"
Sounds inspiring, right? No? I know for me, when I get too serious or when I feel restricted in some way around what I'm creating, I tend to get all stiff and what I create tends to lack a certain flow. When I create from this place of "have to" and "should", the creation tends to have an energy that you may not be able to name, but you can see something is not quite right. It looks a bit, well, uptight.
Play helps me return to the good stuff, the inspiration, the sheer joy of creating. So, if you're feeling any resistance to playing, I want to whisper in your ear,
"Go play! See what happens!"
I watched the movie Chocolat this weekend. What a gorgeous movie! (And not just because Johnny Depp is in it. Ahem.) The movie is full of magic, gorgeous color, and a wonderful story. It definitely made me feel more playful just watching it. Are there movies, books, music, or other resources that make you feel especially playful?
Here are some of my favorite playful resources, some meant to inspire you to play and others to make you laugh (because laughter often leads to playfulness!) I'd love to hear some of your resources for play too!!
Movies: Chocolat, Amelie, The Never Ending Story, The Princess Bride, The Goonies,
Books: Eat Mangoes Naked by SARK, the Harry Potter series, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life by Nina Wise,
Music: Weird Al, Bjork, They Might Be Giants
Silliness: Lazy Sunday, Laughing Baby, Ninja Cat
Other ideas: Crayons, coloring books, doodling, dancing in your pajamas, making a fort in your living room (or from a large box like I did with my Grammy in the picture above)...have fun!
Link Love
December 9th, 2008, Comments (12)
My creativity over the past few days has centered on preparing calendars and some prints to ship off. You can see two of the large framed prints above. I've had fun personalizing the calendars with birthday art! I'm nearly out of calendars, so if you want one, now would be the time to scoop it up!
I'm feeling loads better than a couple days ago. Still feeling wiped out and moving a little slowwwwwly, but then again, I always feel like I move a little slowly, so maybe I'm just extra slow. Ahem...Yesterday, I tried out a new commenting system that Typepad (Typepad Connect) is offering and then promptly took it down. It's a cool idea that allows you to have threads (comment responses) in your comment section, but the email notification system they have at the moment doesn't work for me. I like receiving comments by email that allow me to respond to the commenter directly and this new system doesn't allow that. Phooey. Oh well. Perhaps in a future version that will be an option.
I've got some fun links for you, so let's get to the sharing:
- We had our first snowfall over the weekend. It didn't last, but I'm sure we'll have more soon enough. If you're feeling like bringing a little snow into your life, how about making some snowflakes? Tammy sent me a link to a virtual snowflake making site. So fun! Karen has made some amazing paper snowflakes (I love the one with bees!) and over at MayaMade, there is a great newspaper snowflake garland tutuorial.
- This Creative Goddess E-course with Leonie sounds like so much fun. I love her sparkly energy!
- Melissa's adorable kittens are getting bigger and cuter every day. I just want to cuddle em' up.
- Jennlui is doing a great new weekly challenge called Mantra Mondays. I love the mantra cards she makes!
- In January, Jamie is leading another online book group, this time with Gail McMeekin's book, The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women. I have read this book a few times already, but I'm planning to read along with Jamie's group too!
- I've been loving Martha Beck's recent blog posts. They start here. Something about her writing just rings true for me in a deep, authentic way. I can see that she might not be for everyone, but who is? Me? I love her.
- I had the pleasure of meeting Susan Tuttle a couple summers ago at a little art party in Maine. She's such a sweetheart and so creative! She recently authored a book, Exhibition 36: Mixed Media Demonstrations + Explorations that looks fabulous and she's giving away a copy of the book on her blog, here!
O.k., that's it from me for the moment. I recently got called out for being a bit of a night owl. It's true! But I'm trying to get to bed a decent hour, so that I'll hopefully get back to full health quicker. Hope you're all staying warm and healthy!
Bird 17
November 26th, 2008, Comments (14)
I had fun with this one. I decided to do something a little different today, simply playing with layers. I put down collage first (although it is completely painted over now, it started a nice base for me. And then I layered and let dry many layers of paint, building until I had this image. I started another small one (because I sometimes would get impatient waiting for things to dry before I pulled out a hot air gun to speed things along), but that one isn't done yet. This one, which I'm calling "Bird 17" is 6"x6" on wood panel.
So, I apologize for not posting about the calendars today. I was totally bummed out about them. The proof was o.k., but not up to the standards I would want to sell (the colors were good, but the paper was too thin for my taste), so I'm working on another and I'll let you know when it's ready to go!
I've been off in art land all day, sending out some artwork at the post office, but other than that, I've mainly been arting away while listening to the final Harry Potter audio book. I'm going to go do the level one exercise in Soul Coaching and visualize myself in nature for 15 minutes. I think it'll be relaxing.
Cat Stackers
November 25th, 2008, Comments (19)
It was so dark and gloomy all day, so I felt the need for my art to be fun and light. I ran a bunch of errands in the rain and it was pleasant to be in the cozy car, listening to an audiobook on cd, warming my bum on the butt-warmer seats, feeling cozy and dry while stuck in traffic. I didn't mind going slow or waiting. Running from car to store with packages and umbrella and purse was a little less fun and little more comical, especially when a big box I bought to ship art in, nearly flew away from me in the wind.
Today in Soul Coaching, the focus was partly on how you carry yourself. I know that making a decision to carry yourself a certain way can make a huge difference. There was also an exercise about taking some time to truly relax and even though I didn't do it multiple times during the day, I did take a nice long rest after a yoga session with a purring cat on my chest, just breathing and melting into the floor. And that felt fabulous.
Some of the AEDM-ers are eager to continue with the project. And although I can't commit to posting art every day beyond this month, I will still have the Creative Every Day 2008 project going. And I think I'll start using the linking widget for the weekly CED posts too. I'm loving that widget. Widget is also a fun word to say. Widget, widget, widget. O.k., I'm tuckered out. Sweet dreams, you creative geniuses!
Lantern
November 23rd, 2008, Comments (22)
Here's the Lantern painting finished. Much of the collaged background has been covered, but bits of it still show through. This is a picture, taken in the evening, so the colors are a bit more rich in person. I'll scan it later to make prints from.
I'm hoping to get the calendar proof tomorrow and then if all goes well, I'll be able to start taking orders on Tuesday. I'll let you know as soon as they're ready to go.
The Soul Coaching exercises today were about your physical being. I noticed I felt resistant to doing the exercises. I don't feel like I've been taking the best care of myself lately. I could give reasons, but it doesn't matter much. The simple fact is that I need to do a better job of taking care of myself. A couple people have asked about this book group and whether it would be happening again. I believe Jamie is planning to run another group through this book in January, which is right around the corner!
I'm feeling totally blah this evening. Working on the painting was good, but my energy is low. So, I'm off to spend the remainder of the evening on some soothing self care: relaxing, reading, and drinking something warm...perhaps tea with honey! I hope your weekend was a lovely one!
Soul Coaching Art
November 22nd, 2008, Comments (9)
Today's Soul Coaching exercises were so up my alley! I only had time to do the first level of exercises, which involved doing 3 drawings. For the first drawing, author, Denise Linn asks that you close your eyes, get a sense of the what you are feeling in that moment, reach for the color or colors that express that emotion, and then draw it out. I used caran d'ache, water soluble crayons to do these drawings. And the drawing above is what came out. I was feeling mainly soft blue mellowness with bits of a light green anxiety. The images developed as I drew. For the second drawing, we were asked to close our eyes, imagine the way we'd like to be feeling, and then draw that. What came from that is below. I was wishing for a bit more fire as perhaps you can gather. I'd like a bit more energy that's rooted in that blues I have much of already. But perhaps the it's like that expression, the grass is always greener. I just don't seem to be the high energy type and I am o.k. with that. I think I'm capable of more energy though and I'd like to work on that.
Then in the last drawing, we closed our eyes again, asked if our soul had a message for us, and then drew that. For this image, I saw in my mind a purple lotus flower and what I drew is below. I got the sense that my soul was saying, be still, be at peace. Everything is o.k. And it is!
It was fun to do these drawings and just play intuitively. I think I'll do the other exercises another time. I've done something very similar to the other exercises Denise Linn shares, such as drawing with the non-dominant hand and drawing with both hands at once, last year during a class at Artfest. I loved the drawings that came from those experiences and highly recommend trying it out. You can read more about my experiences in that class and see what I drew here.
I went to a craft fair with my bff today and got totally wiped out. It was fun and inspirational (so much color! so many ideas!), but I tend to get overwhelmed in spaces like that and didn't buy anything. My bff bought the cutest hat for her lil girl and a couple other gifts.
I hope you're all enjoying the weekend and staying warm (it's freezing cold here in New England!)
Lollipop Trees
November 19th, 2008, Comments (18)
Oh weird, the new typepad upgrade (not visible on my site, the upgrade is an update to the post editor) finally made it to my blog. It'll take a little getting used to I suspect, but so far I'm liking it!
Above is a quick playful piece with ink and acrylic on 9"x12" watercolor paper that I'm calling, "Lollipop Trees." It was inspired in part by receiving a book of The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss in the mail today. His private paintings are so amazing!
I'm posting late again today. I spent the afternoon doing some babysitting for my bff's little girl, who calls me Lala (ack, the cuteness!) I totally admire all you moms (and dads!) who can take care of your little ones and do creative things for yourself too!
For Soul Coaching today, I really loved the focus on saying yes to everything in your life...the traffic, the sniffles, the chilly weather...a big, holy yes! I don't know what it was exactly, but it totally gave me an extra boost today to say an enthusiastic yes to everything. There was also an exercise that encouraged returning and re-returning to the present moment throughout the day. I'm loving listening to author Denise Linn's recordings that go along with each day's exercises, especially the meditation that she includes at the start of each day's entry.
The hubster just returned from a business event, so I'm off to relax with him. Happy creating everyone!
Mandalas and Shadows
November 18th, 2008, Comments (15)
Posting a little late tonight. I went to take pictures of my art of the day, only to realize that my camera's battery was out of juice. It worked out well though, because while it was charging, I got motivated to bring to life a second piece of artwork that had been in my head all day.
The first piece I created is above. Last night I had gessoed over an old record, so I knew that I wanted to paint on it today. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to paint, but I thought maybe I'd do a mandala. I ended up squirting red paint directly onto the record and then going from there. Around the edges, I put little blue elephants that I think are pretty darn cute. I put it up on the wall with a clear pushpin and I'm loving how bright it is.
So even though I'd done my art for the day when I finished the mandala, I had a strong urge to follow through on an idea I'd had in the morning when I read the entry in Soul Coaching. There were some intense exercises in the book today and yet it really resonated with me. I even had a feeling as I read, that the art I'd submitted to Jamie for the group blog would be up there today (and it was). Also, today was day 17 in the book, and 17 is my lucky number (I say lucky, but I really mean it's the number that I see everywhere and consider to be a wink from the universe.) So with all these little synchronicities, I felt like I had to honor my idea-spark from this morning and bring it to life. And I'm so glad I did!
The idea came as I was reading Denise Linn's discussion of the shadow, the darker side to our psyche. She asks the reader to look out for places where we might be projecting our shadows onto others. I don't know where I read about this originally, but it's a great practice. Basically, the idea is to notice when you're annoyed with or judging someone or something. And when you notice, you stop to think about whether this someone or something is reflecting a part of you that you are annoyed with or judgmental of (whether that part of you is part of your past, present, or perhaps your future.)
I'm calling this piece "Shadow Self" and it's done with acrylic on 12"x16" watercolor paper. I was imagining this sort of vivid and active shadow self down below, while the real self is somewhat subdued because it is trying so hard to ignore the shadow. (I'm really liking this size right now!)
Other bits of today's exercises from the book included turning your "shoulds" into "coulds" (something I like to do and was glad to be reminded of), looking at our sexual history, getting our skeletons out of the closet, and then dancing out our dark and light aspects. It was all a cathartic experience, especially the dancing piece which I surprised myself by really digging into. So, all in all, today was a super expressive day, one of those days it was just pouring out of me. And with that, I'm off so that I can get this posted!
p.s. Thanks for the interest in the calendar I'm creating! I'm waiting for a sample copy to arrive, so I know that the quality is excellent before I start to sell them. As soon as they're ready to go, I'll let you know!
Red Balloon
November 17th, 2008, Comments (23)
I've been busy, busy all day, putting together a 2009 calendar of my artwork (I'll let you know as soon as it's ready!) In the process, I've also prepped some more artwork for prints which I hope to have up on my art website soon. These things always take longer than I expect them to, but I feel good about the progress I've made nonetheless.
Taking a break from the computer this afternoon, I set to painting in a completely intuitive fashion, upon a 12"x16" piece of watercolor paper. I wet the paper, letting some paint flow into the water, creating shapes and lines in a fluid way. Things were flowing again, unlike yesterday, which was a relief. When I stepped back, I saw what was the woman's hair and started bringing that out, eventually seeing that she was wearing a grand red dress and holding a red balloon which is why I'm calling "Red Balloon." I used some ink in the end to draw in her face and give some highlights to the dress and the feather headpiece in her hair. It was fun to play with paint, with no particular end in mind.
This playful method fit right in with one of the focuses of Soul Coaching today, which was to find ways to experience more fun and joy. I plan on having a lovely, fun night to myself this evening while the hubster is out. Heck, it's fun just thinking about the variety of things I can do to make it a fun evening!
In need of a laugh? It's perhaps my love of all things cat, but I find this incredibly funny. It makes me laugh out loud every time. So, if you need a giggle, be sure to check out Guster's a cappella "Carol of the Meows."
Thanks to Wendy for pointing out that AEDM got mentioned on the Liz Massey's blog, Creative Liberty. Liz also mentioned the amazingly talented, Tammy Vitale in the same post. And I have to mention that Tammy created a drawing named after me, called Leah Dancing as part of AEDM, that I just totally love. I've never had a piece of art named for me before. What an honor! It made me all giddy.
