Creative Every Day

Imaginary Monsters

April 13th, 2008, 14 Comments

My last class at Artfest was with Theo Ellsworth and it was so much fun! Ellsworth had such a wonderfully weird way about him. He told us about some of the things he does to pass the time using his imagination, such as having a third arm which can reach out to the horizon and pet the sun or the mountains, or could reach around the world and put its hand on your own back. My favorite imagination tip that he shared was one he used in places like a boring party or a long line. In these situations he would imagine the room filling with water (the humans become amphibians) and schools of fish would be swimming between people. He said that this would somehow make him feel more connected to every one there. I totally loved his ideas and I wished I'd had them at the beginning of Artfest just to try out in such an unusual environment.

The class was about communicating with your inner critic and involved one of my favorite activities...doodling. We were given sheets of paper shaped like a head to work on. On the first page we drew with our eyes closed to a long song thinking about our inner critic. And then we opened our eyes, looked at our doodles, and pulled out the images we saw there. The hubster particularly loved this page. He said it showed the crazy inner-workings of the mind and he could understand it. The big blue areas were made with a Chartpak marker. I had thought they were Copic markers (I had a couple of those too), but later I looked back and saw that they were Chartpak. I loved the way the ink flowed out with these markers. It was paint-like and luscious.

This next page was about taking your inner child out to play and we were to draw with our non-dominant hand only to help us get in touch with that part of ourselves. It was definitely interesting to draw with my left hand. All attempts at control were pointless, but I enjoyed it. I ended up creating all sorts of creatures in the tree and the girl reminds me a bit of a Red Riding Hood or Alice type of figure.

On the third page we drew in a way I never had before....we drew with both hands at the same time! I thought it would be a lot harder than it was. We were making a mirror image with each hand. Sometimes my left hand would lag a little behind, but it all worked out. One of the shapes on both sides looked like a bird. Again, we'd find images to work with in this drawing with the focus being on your inner voice.

On this page we were given free reign to draw intuitively with the focus being on the inner monster within and how it turns our "garbage" into beautiful things. I was thinking a bit about my experiences with depression and anxiety and how I've used those experiences to help me create my art. Through making art out of my sadness, I often feel better. Through making art, I can create a sense of hope.

In the last page we were told to integrate all these pages/parts of ourselves into a self-portrait that combines our inner and outer worlds. I did this one intuitively as well, letting the pen move. The swirly lines around the eyes turned into birds without my even realizing it! There were all sorts of little ties between these pieces, the birds (which I was later visited by after class and led to the beach), and red yarn which first made an appearance in a visualization which inspired "Bring Love." The red yarn in these drawings wound around tree branches, in and out of bird nests and carried in bird beaks. Mermaids and whales were also in many of the drawings. All in all, it was a very interesting, relaxing, and illuminating class for me. I especially liked learning some new ways to play with my imagination and hearing from another quirky artist who wasn't afraid to share the way his mind worked. I loved this quote that he shared at the beginning of class:

"For every imaginary problem, there is an imaginary solution." -Theo Ellsworth

Feeling Loopy

April 11th, 2008, 7 Comments

Still recovering from the travel...feeling a bit zombie-ish the past few days. I spent today working on my art website newsletter and trying to catch up on some emails. Here's a drawing that I did on the plane ride home. I let my pen make some loopy swirls and curls and then I looked at the doodle to find images in it and brought them out. I saw a sea horse creature first and then the mermaid and then some seashells. It was a fun and relaxing way to pass the time on the plane. I actually really enjoy plane rides as they allow this certain enforced period of sitting still and doing quiet activities like reading, journaling, and drawing. The food could be better, but other than that I don't mind it one bit.

I have my second art lesson with a family tomorrow afternoon. We'll be doing some more mixed media work and I'm going to show them the basics of drawing faces. Should be fun. I need to summon up some more energy. The longer days and warmer weather of spring are helping. In the meantime, I hope your weekend is a wonderfully creative one!

Pre-Process

April 8th, 2008, 19 Comments

Oh, I'm tired! But I wanted to quickly check in to say I'm still alive and just haven't been at the computer that much with all the traveling and exploring I've been doing. I'm heading back home early in the morning and I'm ready. I miss the hubster and my snuggly meowzers.

It's been such a busy time, that I really need some time to process everything before I reflect on it too much. It was a wonderful trip, a creative adventure, and it was great fun while also being difficult at times.

Ok, so I want to share more pics from Artfest before too much time passes. Here's the stamp that I mentioned that I carved in a class with Anne Bagby. The class was supposed to be more about printing with paper, but she had a relaxed attitude towards how we approached it, so I spent the entire day on this stamp that I'd fallen in love with. Above is a pic of the stamp itself (it's about 6"x8", I believe). And below, I did my first proof back in my hotel room. I've since cleaned the stamp up some more, but I haven't re-printed it yet. I'll try again when I get home. I'm digging the design which was inspired by an Art Nouveau print. I'd love to have a pillow printed in fabric with this design or a bag maybe or a chair or a skirt. Heh.

My last class on Saturday was so much fun! It was a class with Theo Ellsworth that was all about imaginative and intuitive doodling and drawing. I'll share pics and some more info about what I did in that class soon. Needless to say, this class was right up my alley and was such a relaxing way to end my experience at Artfest. This class was held in a small building by the water. Here's the lovely view where I parked my car in the morning.

So purty! All those clouds sort of mirrored my head state this last week. A lot on my mind. My dreams were full of scary nightmares. Eek! But the lovely thing about the clouds is that they'd always part and the sun would come out.

After drawing all day, I came out of class and by my car there was a crow cawing at me from the tip top of a tree. I laughed because I'd just been drawing black birds in class (I've had loads of synchronicity going on this week!!) I pulled out my camera to take a picture, but just as I got the camera out, he flew down to the beach. So, I followed his lead.

My crow friend was soon joined by his partner and they had a fine time picking at seaweed. I stuck around and snapped some pics of them. They didn't seem to mind. They looked so stunning on the sandy beach with the waves crashing behind them. I think this has inspired a future painting.

Now I've got to finish packing up all my stuff! See you on the opposite coast!

Creative Everyday Day 2008: April 7th – April 13th

April 7th, 2008, 9 Comments

More ArtFesty Adventures

April 4th, 2008, 17 Comments

I snapped a picture of this car in the parking lot. Hehe.

Artfest is a whirlwind. I'm trying to take it all in and enjoy it. It is pretty exhausting though. After the first class yesterday I was so tired that I went back to my room right afterwards and collapsed.

My first class on Thursday was about making mandalas with Anahata Katkin. I was so excited about it. It was a lot of fun, but it was so fast and furious. Normally, I like to work quickly, but this was a bit too fast for me. It was a lot to pack into one day and by the end of the day I was rushing to finish and then I wasn't too happy with the end product. However, I thought the work that people did was fabulous! Everyone had such a different take on the mandala theme and they looked so cool up against the wall at the end of the day. I think if I hadn't gotten myself all tied into a knot trying to finish the piece, I would have felt better about it. At the end of the class, here's how it looked:

This is on a 24"x24" canvas with paper collage, acrylic paint and gold leaf. After class, I headed back to the hotel, rested for a bit, and then I started working on the mandala again. I got it to a place that I'm more satisfied with (below), but I'm still not crazy about it. I wouldn't mind trying another one though, something with different colors. All the pink in this one makes me feel a little ill. Weird eh? I don't know what it is. It's pretty. It just doesn't feel like me. Ah well. Can't win em all!

Today was much more relaxed. I was in a printed paper class with Anne Bagby. She was kind of all over the place, but she was a real character, very funny, and she shared loads of techniques and tips that were fabulous. Plus, I appreciated her loose running of the class today because I had decided to do what felt best and not worry about it. So, I spent the entire class carving this intricate stamp which is I love and I saw the demos for all these really cool ways to print with stamps and stencils and I'll do those later on absolutely. It was nice to just focus on something and take my time. I'd never cut on the soft rubber mats and oh, it was lovely. As my classmate said, "like butta!" I'll share pics of that later on. I had some really sweet table-mates in class and I saw them all at the vendor night (which was nutty and I was in and out of there pretty quick.)

And now I'm back in my cozy room relaxing and recharging for tomorrow's class which I think will be fantastic. I had such a great chat with the hubster last night. He was so excited for me and the adventure I'm on. He knew it would give me a boost. Travel is such a fabulous thing. All of the sudden all your senses are turned on high alert. Everything is new and different and more alive. Of course, you can do this at home with a little awareness, but it's fun and exciting to explore new places. I've always enjoyed going places alone too. Fortunately the hubster understand this and we can both do this from time to time. Hooray for getaways!

Traveling Adventures

April 2nd, 2008, 17 Comments

Whew! Yesterday was a long day! Long, pleasant flight. From the airport I rented a car, drove into Seattle, found the ferry, rode a ferry to Bainbridge Island (that's the view from my car on the ferry above and a shot from the ferry below), and drove another hour from there to Port Townsend. The drive is totally breathtaking coming into town along the water and the main drag is jam-packed with adorable little shops of all kinds.

I didn't get an on campus room at Artfest (they were sold out), so I found a cute little place in town. It wasn't expensive, they gave a discount to Artfest folks, and it was within walking distance to town. The downside was I had to lug my suitcase up the stairs. And this was no small suitcase. I can literally fit myself into this thing and it was heavy with art supplies, but I dragged it up there and found my adorable room. I'm sitting in it now after having some lunch. I pulled a wicker chair up to the window where you can see the water. So pretty!!

Yesterday I walked all over town. I was already exhausted and kind of zombie-like, but it was a nice day and I wanted to enjoy it. There were so many cute stores to check out. I just browsed, only picking up some food and toothpaste. I didn't want to go spending too much on my first day!

Seems like this town was made for me. I saw numerous bookstores and three art supply stores! Three! This morning I got to sleep in, but with the time change I could sleep late and it was still so early when I woke up! Hee! I love that. I had pre-ordered a canvas for a class (that was just not going to fit in my suitcase) at the Akamai art supply store that offered a discount (and a free bag) to Artfest attendees. What a gorgeous store this place was. I felt all teary for a moment when I walked in and saw the gorgeous (and plentiful) art goodies and the store's cat, Winny. The store had a cat! Be still my heart. It's always good to get a kitty fix when I'm away from my own fuzzes.

The place was hopping with Artfest folks who seemed to be traveling in groups. I introduced myself to a couple people at the counter, but I didn't meet anyone that I knew from the online world or anyone taking the same classes as I am. I'm sure I'll meet a lot of people tonight because I'll be at the Fort for dinner and then the kick-off meeting. I made this cute "Night Owl" painting (above) before I left and I've been playing with more atc's. And now, I'm off to wander about some more. Toodaloo!

Leavin’ On a Jet Plane

April 1st, 2008, 8 Comments

I'm sitting in the airport this morning all sleepy-eyed and ready for a day of traveling adventure. I'm on my way to Seattle and then I'll be headed out to Port Townsend for Artfest!! Eek, I'm excited and nervous and looking forward to this fun and creative getaway.

I'll have my laptop and be in touch by email, but I won't be on the computer as much until I get home in a week. I hope that your week is a creative one!!

Creative Every Day: March 31st – April 6th

March 31st, 2008, 17 Comments

More Art, Synchronicity, and Block Busting Fun

March 30th, 2008, 16 Comments

As promised...some more art! First, some atc's on the backs of playing cards that I worked on yesterday. I just want to say "ooshie booshie!" when I look at them. They're so little and cute! It seems that I like everything miniature. Yesterday morning the hubster and I were in Dunkin' Donuts and there was a display of bags of coffee beans. I picked up the mini bag of ground beans and said, "I like this one!" To which the hubster replied, "You like everything that's small!" Busted!

Yesterday was super fun and busy with loads of errands and then creative time for the hubster and I. He was working on some music in his office while I painted in mine. I popped out this miniature canvas (4"x4") of a cat in a box which I'm calling "This End Up." It's dedicated to my orange cat, Tabbers who has never met a box he didn't like.

A fun synchronicity occurred yesterday when Cris emailed to say hello and made a comment about the little postcards I had made for my 200th post giveaway. Cris was the first commenter on that post and I sent an art card to the first five commenters on that post. It just so happens that later that day that her card arrived and I'd sent her the card that she had wanted (without mentioning which one she liked.) I felt like I made a cool connection with each person I sent a card to and sent the right card for them. It's so cool when I can tune in with another person like that.

K commented on the last post, "do you know what i could do to unblock myself? i feel that my school work has killed my creativity. sad and frustrating..." I figured I'd address this question here since I think this happens to many of us at some time or another, where we've had some job or class or other obligation that seems to suck the energy and creativity right out of us. There are a variety of ways to deal with a block, but here's one of my favorites: doodle. I'm an out of control doodler. I will doodle on anything and everything including school notes. If you're in class and taking notes, you might try doodling in the margins for fun. I often get ideas for art pieces from my doodling. You could try drawing designs on the cover of your notebook. Try bringing a pocketbook sized sketchbook with you and whenever you get a moment, pull out your sketchbook and draw whatever is in front of you, make notes of inspiration you've noticed during the day and things you'd like to explore further. So that's one way to get started. Hope that helps! If you've got other suggestions for K, leave a comment!

Creative Every Day 2008

March 30th, 2008, 3 Comments

I regularly add new blogs to the list of Creative Every Day 2008 participants and we've just crossed over to over 200 participants! Wow! Such an amazing community has built up around this idea of being creative every day. One of our newest participants, Jay, mentioned in an email that it seems odd how we sometimes need encouragement, when being creative can be such a therapeutic thing. I wrote back that it is a strange, but true phenomenon. It seems to happen with many things that are therapeutic or feel great once we get started. I wrote, "Perhaps we think that our creativity isn't important enough or we're afraid of making something "bad", but deep down we know that it is important and that we don't want to let fear hold us back, so we find ways to keep going, including finding encouragement and support. That's my theory anyway! " So that's why I think the Creative Every Day idea has taken off. It's been nearly 3 months since we got started and I want this community to continue being helpful and inspiring, so I'm going to list off a few reminders about the challenge in case you're new to the blog or could just use a refresher. And then I'd also be open to any suggestions you have for the challenge, what you'd like to be different if anything or what's working for you. I like how the challenge is low key and open to anyone and everyone no matter how they choose to post about it and/or how they choose to express their creativity. And I've loved being introduced to so many new and wonderful creative bloggers out in the world!

Ok, so for the reminders...

• You can still join in! This is a year-long challenge, but if any one finds the blog later in the year or changes their mind and wants to join in, just leave me a comment or send an email and I'll add your blog to the list in the sidebar.
• All the details about the challenge along with tips about posting the badge on your blog can be found on this page (which you can also get to by clicking on the Creative Every Day 2008 badge in the sidebar on the right.)
• Every week (on Monday) I put up a post where you can leave a comment with links to your blog posts about what you've been up to creatively or you can just write what you've been up to in the comments. It's not required that you comment on this post. It's up to you!
• There's also a Flickr group where you can post pictures of the creative activities you've done. Again, this isn't required, but it's a great option. Signing up with Flickr is free and even if you don't use the group to post your pictures, definitely take a peek and see what people have been posting! There is a great variety and loads of inspiration to see!
• There's no need to beat yourself up (or apologize) about anything to do with this challenge. No matter how much  you've been creative or how much you've posted, it's no matter. Guilt is unnecessary here! Do what you can, what feels right. The idea behind the challenge is to inspire more creativity in our every day lives. And when we are more aware of the creativity we put into so many things we do, we can see how all these creative moments add up to a wonderfully creative life!
• There are loads of ways to be creative. Get creative about your creativity!

And one somewhat unrelated reminder. I will be out of town for a week starting Tuesday the 1st. I'll have my laptop, so I'll be reachable, but I won't be on the computer quite as much.

And p.s., if your name should be on the participant list and isn't there yet or if you haven't heard back from me with a question, pop me a reminder email as I can sometimes be a little scattered!

Some fun art pics later on, in the meantime, have a wonderful Sunday!

 

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