Entries Tagged as: creative every day 2012

Creative Every Day Check-In: December 31 – January 6

December 31st, 2012, Comments (16)

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 2013 Challenge here!

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 12/31/12 - 1/6/13.

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.

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 #CED2013!

Theme: The (totally optional) theme for December is Celebrate. You can read more about the optional theme here. January's totally optional theme is Dark, which you read more about here.

Happy Creating!

Creative Every Day Check-In: December 17 – 23

December 17th, 2012, Comments (11)

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 now sign-up for the 2013 Challenge here!

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 12/17/12 - 12/23/12.

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.

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 #CED2012!

Theme: The (totally optional) theme for December is Celebrate. You can read more about the optional theme here.

Happy Creating!

Celebrating the Body, Your 2012, and 2013!

December 12th, 2012, Comments (2)

Leonie Dawson is spectacular. Really. Love her.

Back in 2010, I did this video interview with her about her yearly workbook and planner and we also talked about the body because that was the Creative Every Day monthly theme at the time. It's a silly interview with lots of laughs and some cat bombs from two of my kitties. The sound doesn't match our mouths in the beginning for some reason, but it gets better. I think it's worth listening to because I know body issues come up a lot around this time of year!

One thing I like about Leonie's planner is that she has pages for celebrating all you've accomplished in the previous year (and sometimes it's easy to forget all you've accomplished in the last 12 months) and then lots of room to celebrate all you want to accomplish in the next year. It's important to do both!

Before you move on to 2013, take a moment to go through your year. If you have a blog, that can be a good way to look back, or look back through your digital photos. Look back at the risks you took, the people you met, the places you traveled to, the things (big and small) that you created, the people you touched, and the laughs you had. Make a list of some or all of these things and take a moment (or longer) to acknowledge and celebrate your year.

And if you'd like some extra help with the celebrations and planning, check out Leonie's beautiful planner and have a blast filling it out!

Celebrating the Holidays

December 11th, 2012, Comments (3)

I'd like to get into the holiday spirit with Annabelle and do some crafty stuff this year. Trying to contain the mess is a challenge! I do like how these ornaments came out though. A friend saw the idea on pinterest (I think) and I copied her, so I don't know where the idea originated from, but it's cute and simple and a nice craft to do with little ones.

I bought some plain red ornaments (some matte, some shiny) and then painted Annabelle's hand with white tempera paint (non-toxic). I pressed her hand on the bottom of the ornament, then repainted and did a few few more ornaments. (Be sure to have some extra ornaments, they won't all come out great.)

After cleaning up Annabelle and letting the ornaments dry, I used permanent markers to draw in the snowmen details and write Annabelle's name and the year. Sorry for the spoiler, grandparents! :-)

Now when Annabelle sees them, she says, "hand!" and puts her hand up against them. It'll be a nice memory of how small her little hands once were!

Creative Every Day Check-In: December 10 – 16

December 10th, 2012, Comments (7)

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 now sign-up for the 2013 Challenge here!

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 12/10/12 - 12/16/12.

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.

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 #CED2012!

Theme: The (totally optional) theme for December is Celebrate. You can read more about the optional theme here.

Happy Creating!

Celebrating a Small Works Show and Traveling Waves

December 8th, 2012, Comments (2)


Tonight from 6 - 10 pm at The Whole 9 Gallery in Culver City, is an opening for a Small Works show, which will feature several pieces of my art. If you're in the area, check it out! My piece, Storyteller, is in the bottom right corner of the invite above.

Another thing to celebrate, my painting, Whale Dreams on the cover of a cd of meditative music, which you can purchase a hard copy of here or find on iTunes or cdbaby.

Creative Every Day Check-In: December 1 – 9

December 3rd, 2012, Comments (13)

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 now sign-up for the 2012 Challenge here!

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 12/1/12 - 12/9/12.

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.

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 #CED2012!

Theme: The (totally optional) theme for December is Celebrate. You can read more about the optional theme here.

Happy Creating!

Creative Every Day Theme for December: Celebrate

December 1st, 2012, Comments (7)


At the end of each month I will announce the totally optional theme for the following month. For the month of December 2012, the theme will be Celebrate

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 2012 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:

  • *Find ways to celebrate your accomplishments this month, big and small.
  • *Enjoy creating decorations for the holiday season.
  • *Create mini celebrations each day: a tiny tea party, gold stars, a work of art for someone you love.
  • *Celebrate your life through gratitude. Keep a list of something your grateful for each day.
  • *Celebrate your body through movement. Put on some music and move, get out in nature and take a walk, put on a yoga dvd and stretch.
  • *Celebrate your favorite medium with joyous creating. What color is your happiness, what medium speaks celebration to you?
  • Write a piece celebrating who you've become as an artist this year.

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!

People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active state, an act of expressing reverence or appreciation. To be entertained is a passive state--it is to receive pleasure afforded by an amusing act or a spectacle.... Celebration is a confrontation, giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one's actions. ~Abraham Joshua Heschel

p.s. The art above is adapted from "Releasing Fears" available here.

Day 30: Shedding Gold

November 30th, 2012, Comments (8)

Another magical year of Art Every Day Month has come to a close today. As I mentioned in the check-in, it was one of my favorites. Things just seemed to be flowing and that always feels good. I hope that things were flowing for you as well. If you want to keep the energy going, sign up for the Creative Every Day Challenge. The check-ins are weekly (every Monday) and continue throughout the year. Stay tuned for December's (totally optional) theme and the sign-up page for 2013!

Today's art is another intuitive piece I'm calling "Shedding Gold." And now, time for bed.

Art Every Day Month Check-In: Day 30

November 30th, 2012, Comments (22)

aedmlogored

Welcome to day 30 of Art Every Day Month! As I seem to each year, I'm feeling a mixture of sad that the month is over and ready for a little break to take care of some things I put on the back-burner during this month of intense creating. I really loved this year's AEDM though. I think it may have been my favorite yet. And it surprised me how much I thrived on having so little time. It was a mixture of being in a place where I was feeling good (not completely exhausted like I was last year), knowing where I'm at as an artist, and making things doable with the time I was allotted each day.

Again, I want to thank each and every one of you, those who participate and those who witness, for being a part of this journey along with me. I'm endlessly inspired by all that you create (from the food, to the photos, to the crafts with your children, to the paintings, jewelry, patterns, knitting, and so on. You are all amazingly creative. Keep on creating, folks!

I'll have information about December's (totally optional) theme for the Creative Every Day Challenge shortly. And the sign-up page for the 2013 Creative Every Day Challenge will be up next week!

The box below is a widget that I provide each day as an optional place to share a direct link (blog post or flickr image) to that day's creation. If you don't have something to share today, don't worry about it! Share when you can. In the meantime, be sure to check out what other participants are creating! Check out the links from today's post and the links on the participant page for instant inspiration. You can also see lots of great work in the AEDM flickr group. Feel free to share your work there too!

If you use the widget, please link to a specific blog post, not your main blog page or website (or you can link to a specific image if you're linking to a flickr page.) For example, last year for day one I linked to my first post: http://creativeeveryday.com/creativeeveryday/2010/11/the-owl-and-the-pussycat.html instead of my main blog page: http://www.creativeeveryday.com. This makes it easier for people to find your work.  If you want to share, but don't have a specific page to link to, feel free to use the comments section of this post to share what you're working on. If you're posting less than once a day, no problem! Simply use the latest one of these posts to share a link to your creation. For some, it's too much to keep up with posting every day, but don't let that get you down. Do it if you can and if you can't, just keep on creating, that's the most important part. If you get off track and miss a few days of creating, don't let that freeze you up either. Just pick up where you left off and keep moving forward. One foot in front of the other. You are making your life a more creative one with each step.

How to participate in Art Every Day Month: Check out the AEDM info page for all the details, instructions on how to get involved, and then visit the participant sign up page before you use the link widget to share your creations. The Information page also has instructions about how to use the widget below, if you're having any trouble with it.

Survival Guide: If you feel like you could use some more support, prompts, and motivation to keep going throughout the month, check out the Art Every Day Month Survival Guide.

Twitter: If you're on Twitter (I'm on there as @leah_art), I'll be using the hashtag #aedm2012 to mark Art Every Day Month tweets. It helps to find others who are tweeting about AEDM!

Instagram: You can use the same #aedm2012 hashtag if you're playing along on Instagram.

Creative Every Day Challenge participants: If you're not doing Art Every Day Month, you can still use any of the daily Art Every Day Month check-in posts to leave your weekly link.