Creativity is Exploration

This year I decided to try out Tamara LaPorte's LifeBook 2017!  Although I know how to do many of the techniques and things that are taught, my personal choice and reasoning is because I want to do more exploration in my art.  I also thought that it might be a bit of an impetus for me to get back to doing art every day like I used to do. 2016 was not exactly what I would call the "Year of the Artist" for me although I did accomplish the creation of several beautiful pieces of artwork that went to very happy homes--which makes me happy and thrilled to know I am fulfilling my purpose by imparting beauty to others.

Anywhoo--the lessons in LifeBook are well organized and thought out (after her many years of doing this I would say that Tam has it down to a science!). The price is not outrageous for an entire year of classes and I love that the videos are downloadable so I can watch them whenever I want--like last night at 12:30 a.m. when my sweetie was asleep and I couldn't sleep.

I enjoy seeing the materials that other artists are using and I have vowed to try a couple of new ones (for me) out this year.  For those that know me, you know I have an ABUNDANCE of art supplies and in 2016 I tried very hard not to purchase any new ones since I had so many already--and for the most part, I did not buy anything new supply wise, although I replaced a few worn out items that I use regularly.

The art medium that I am exploring this next couple of weeks (and will probably use throughout the year) are liquid watercolors.  I have used them in several classes but I do not own any except for three small bottles which are mostly used up now. As I do love watercolor painting anyway and making washes--this seems like almost a "cheat" to me, but I absolutely adore how vibrant the hues are and the deep saturation of color that is possible with liquid watercolor.

I have not decided which set to get yet.  There are several to choose from including Ecoline and Dr. Ph. Martin's on the higher end, and Sargent and Color Splash which are more geared toward the student than the artist (my guess would be they are less pigment than the higher end ones although for the money you get quite a bit more product than the higher end options.)  I believe Ecoline is a British product but can be purchased on Amazon in sets--what I wish is that they said which colors come in that set--they have all these amazing color swatches but don't say on the product itself what colors are included in the grouping. I may purchase Dr. Ph. Martin's at a local art supply shop to give them a try.  So I am excited to give these new art supplies a whirl and see how they up my art.

I was going to try to do a price and quality comparison but as you can see from the photographs, it really wouldn't be a possibility of comparing apples to apples as some of the bottles are larger than others and some sets have more in a set among other variables.  I guess as an artist, the rule of thumb would be "buy the best quality you have the means to purchase."  The other option is to buy one of each brand and see how you like each one after a test run or two and then purchase whichever brand you actually prefer.   I am interested in the Ecoline mainly because it has a nice wide neck for getting to the paint and the Dr. Martin's feels a little smallish in size for the money.  Dick Blick by the way, also has their own line of liquid watercolors and I am sure there are many other possible options. These were the ones that I found most easily.

With that said, I'm off to go work on my LifeBook.  I'm already two weeks behind and it's only three weeks into the program!

(c) 2017 SZing, Bohemian Art Cafe. All Rights Reserved. Photographs from Tamara LaPorte's LifeBook 2017 and from product photographs.

What these say...

ENOUGH SAID!

Creative sayings by Bohemian Art Cafe. (c)SZing 2015.

#InspiredArtProject2015 #doartdaily

What You Know...

When you think you have dried up all your resources for creative ideas, for paintings or artworks, for poems, stories or dreams I highly suggest returning to What You Know.  

First step:  Quiet yourself--sit down, breathe deeply and just "Listen Inwardly."  This is also sometimes called meditation.  Don't TRY to think of anything, just be present with yourself. (We get so busy we forget to do this--and yes, I know it kind of sounds stupid since we are always with ourselves--but we really crave our own attention--and I do mean attention.

Second step:  Remember where you came from.  We all have roots, history, a past, experiences...we don't have to judge them as good or bad because let's be honest, it's a mixed bag.  From that past, pull out something that really resonates strongly with you.  Maybe you resonate with the memory of a colorful sunset or sunrise.  Perhaps the resonance is attached to a specific place you visited.  Maybe you recall a story or a person who caught and held your attention for a time.  Whatever it is, start there--with What You Know.  Because what I know is that we are all amazing, powerful creators and we know so much more than we usually cop to knowing.  We are brilliant.  We are geniuses (I don't care what IQ tests, stats, or negative-minded people have told you in the past.)  We have infinite creativity.  We just have to get back to What We Know.

In my case, I drew upon the feeling I used to get when I would drive out to El Malpais or Acoma on the West Mesa of New Mexico.  Especially powerful for me were the striking colors and light when there were storm clouds present or as the day drew nearer to dusk.  If you've ever been to the Land of Enchantment, you know what I mean.  This is What I Know today in my #InspiredArtProject2015 #doartdaily.

West Mesa Nostalgia, (c)SZing 2015
Watercolor on watercolor paper

Progress Leads To…?

We do not sit still in time and space.  We are always progressing toward something—this is a paraphrase of one of my favorite quotes from the movie “Phenomenon” with John Travolta.  We cannot not make progress.  It may SEEM that we are going nowhere fast, but the fact of the matter, the Truth, is that we are in fact, always progressing. 

I am thrilled that I am progressing toward the completion of the art studio renovation!  Worked almost the entire weekend and came a long way—only a few things left to do before I’ll be able to actually use the space again for myself and for my classes! #artclasses #artjournaling #fusedglassclass  #bohemianartcafe #studiorenovation

Upcoming classes: 

January 31/Feb 1 = Art Journaling Extravaganza

February 4 – April 22 = Creating the Life You Want Mastermind Group

February 28 – March 1 = Glass Synergy Workshop

The Bohemian Art Cafe—feeding your creative self—where we serve art, not food.

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All photos © SZing, 2015. 

Inspired by Tapas

One of my very favorite types of restaurants is a tapas restaurant.  What I love about this type of restaurant is being able to savor the flavors of multiple types and tastes of food--little morsels of delight--without becoming "stuffed" or over-full.  Yet my mouth does a happy dance of joy with each new sample.  With practice, I'm allowing my inspiration to be the visual equivalent of a tapas menu.  I'll try a little of this pattern here, test out that pattern there, see what sizzles and what is too dry for me.  #InspiredArtProject2015 #artsampler

"A Sampler" (c)SZing 2015. Ink on bristol paper.

Thoughts are Like Seeds

We all receive inspiration and from that inspiration come ideas and thoughts.  All thoughts are seeds.  Some seeds we want to nurture carefully and help germinate.  Often, like a baby in a womb, a seed is cocooned and protected during the germination phase.  Our ideas, our inspirations are like that--we should cocoon and protect them so that they can grow strong and bloom.  It's far too easy for our tender shoots of ideas to be trampled by our selves or others.  Be careful choosing what seeds you plant and then protect those you dearly want to see come to fruition. #InspiredArtProject2015. #inspiration

"Seeds Germinate" (c)SZing 2015.  Watercolor, ink, on watercolor paper.

Try Somthing New...

Trying something new, practicing, and not allowing the inner critic (or the outer one!) take over. This is a two handed drawing I was inspired to make for today's #InspiredArtProject2015.  There is something primitive about it that I really like--it reminds me a bit of Willem de Kooning.  Perhaps I'll try a two handed drawing of a person next time I attempt this method.   For now, I call this a study for painting.

"A Study for Painting" (c)SZing 2015. Ink on bristol paper.

Inspired Art Project Daily Practice

I am inspired by meditation and art.  Therefore, I am doubly inspired by Zentangling--art and meditation combined.  I love this as a daily practice.  Helps me unwind, helps me get clarity, helps me just allow myself to play.  Nope, not a "perfect" zendoodle, but then I am a firm believe in the idea that all art creations have flaws, thus we know that we are human and that they are hand crafted. #InspiredArtProject 2015 #doartdaily

"Meditation"  Ink on bristol paper (c) SZing 2015

Hooked on Angels

I've always been fascinated by angels and have regular conversations with mine (really, I do).  I heard what may be an urban myth but it was on the Internet so it must be true (hah!)...that 8 of every 10 Americans believe in angels.  Of course, there are other studies that show that 55% of Americans believe in angels versus 34% who believe in global warming.  Yet another study (which very well may just be one man's opinion) showed that 6% of Americans believe in Unicorns (how did they get in touch with so many rennies and under-6-year-old subjects?), 18% believe that the sun revolves around the earth and he says 46% of Americans believe in angels.  Well, I'm one of the 8 in 10/ 55%/ 46%...and here's proof that I'm Hooked on Angels. #InspiredArtProject2015 #angelart

Hooked on Angels, Day 3 #InspiredArtProject2015 (c)SZing 2015
Mixed media--watercolor, pastels on watercolor paper

Day 2 Inspired Art Project 2015

Inspired by angels and practicing drawing and allowing myself to just let whatever comes to come...is a Delicate Balancing Act...and so this sweet angel, who looks a teensy bit distressed came into being...Day 2 Inspired Art Project.  #InspiredArtProject2015 #DelicateBalancingActAngel

Delicate Balancing Act Angel, January 2, 2015 (c) 2015 SZing

A Year of Inspiration!

Happy New Year!  2015 is going to be a wonderful year with wonderful experiences!

I am a highly spiritual person.  I love having a daily spiritual practice.

I am a creative, artistic person.  I love having a daily artistic practice.

Because I want to cultivate my daily practices and become more conscious of my efforts as I do so, I am opting to create a Year's Worth of Inspirational Artworks.  Starting today.  

I decided to combine the two and focus on making art that feels uplifting to me.

I am going to try not to limit myself on my mediums, techniques or  what I am doing.  I want to enjoy the process and not worry about whether it is going to "sell".  I want to enjoy creating and be as open as possible to the inspirational energy that comes from immersing myself in the process.

I want to try to detach myself from pre-concieved notions about about is spiritual or uplifting.  I will strive to come to the page, the canvas, the glass…whatever…without any predetermined outcomes in mind.

I will finish each project I start.

Today is a new day.   Here is my art offering for the day...

The Angel of Floral Tornadoes, Mixed Media (watercolor, pastels on watercolor paper)
(c) SZing 2015

"Just give me this: 

A rinsing out, a cleansing free of all my smaller

Strivings

So I can be the class act God intended,

True to my purpose,

All my energy aligned behind my deepest intention.

And just this:

A quieting down, a clearing away of internal ruckus,

So I can hear the huge stillness in my heart

And feel

How I pulse with all creation,

Part and parcel of Your great singing ocean.

And this, too:

A willingness to notice and forgive the myriad times

I fall short,

Forgetting who I really am,

What I really belong to.

So I can start over,

Fresh and clean

Like sweet sheets billowing in the summer sun,

My heart pierced with gratitude."

~Belleruth Nparstek from Prayers for Healing--Summer--August 15, p. 188.

A-Musing ~ a book review

Every now and then I come across a creative book that I just fall in love with.  The Muse is In: An Owner’s Manual to Your Creativity by Jill Badonsky is my current creative love affair. 

Let’s start with it’s look and feel.  It has a slick cover that just feels good on the hand—a little different than most books.  It is a soft-cover but not flimsy.  It’s an unusual size at just under 7” x 9” that packs a punch.

The whimsical cover features a lime green and purple background showing the top of a head with what appears to be a hat made of clouds, a castle, a ladder to the moon and a sparkly, flowery, spiral-doodled fairy.  What a wonderful way to attract a dreamer-artist like myself.  Just seeing and feeling it made me want to pick it up and open it.  In this case, you could judge a book by its cover!

Isn't this a lovely cover? (copyright Jill Badonsky)

Then the magic really began.  The slick, often full color pages just invite jumping in and puddling about.  Nearly every page is dripping with delightful ideas and inspiration to get creativity flowing.  Badonsky’s writing style is intimate and friendly, without being gushy.  It is informative and instructive, without being pushy.

There is something reminiscent in this book of SARK’s many creative books—which were some of the first full color (though in a different way) creative inspiration books I came across more than 25 years ago.

I have to admit that not since SARK, Orbiting the Giant Hairball, The War of Art or A Whack on the Side of the Head have I gotten this excited about a creative book.  I don’t want to be a spoiler, but suffice it to say that this book feeds the hungry soul and is a dip into cool water for the thirsty creative.   It is in no way intimidating in its suggestions or ideas for expanding creativity.  And though the book has been out on the market since January 2013, I believe it will hold relevance for artists of all types, including writers, for many years to come.

Having a project management background in a former incarnation myself, I truly appreciate her Kaisen-Muse small step approach to projects.  Take baby steps.  And yes, I already subscribed to this idea before her (in project management terms we call this chunking) and others, including SARK, who talk about taking baby steps.  Still, I believe additional reminders to be kind and take small steps toward the completion of any goal or project is certainly in order for most creative types who tend to push-push-push in a labor of love without regard to the consequences—which often include flopping into bed for weeks at a time without being able to pull the covers off of one’s face.

If there is a drawback to this book, it might be that the font and font size used for the majority of the text feels small (although I am sure that it is at least 12 point).  I wish the font had serifs. Though it looks “cleaner,” it certainly is not easier to read.  For those of us crafters whose eyes now require assistance, I had to pull out my cheaters so that the lines of text didn’t swim together.

Beyond that one concern (which of course, is personal to me but might be of no consequence to other readers with better eyesight), this is a true gem of a book which I highly recommend to those who 1) sometimes want a gentle push into a new direction 2) need a kick in the pants to get creatively moving or 3) just don’t believe they have any creativity inside themselves.

I also recommend Badonsky’s website.  Personally, I’m off to purchase her first book, The Awe-Manac.

Adult Coloring Renaissance

One of the greatest creative joys that children get to partake of in their daily activities or as a result of a parental make-busy plan is coloring.  As an adult, coloring, like nap-time, has been sorely lacking.  Isn’t it time to have an Adult Coloring Renaissance?

Now there is a solution for Adult Coloring.  Not only are the Crayolas named with adult names like “My Goodness I Seem to Have Developed Some Sort of Infection Chartreuse” (and who doesn’t love chartreuse anyway?!) or “My Underwear Matches my Bra Rose,” or “This is What my Face Looks Like When I’m Angry Fuchsia".  

You could, perhaps, create your own crayola names…if you are a creative person, imagine the fun a 64-color box will provide….

Remember when you would take your stress out on your coloring book and grab the darkest red you had and grind the scribble out of the coloring book page?  What in the Adult World harmlessly gives such instant satisfaction while at the same time releasing so much pent up emotion? NUTHIN’.

For me, Crayolas marked the beginning of my creative dreams.  I had aspirations of being Hallmark’s greatest greeting card designer ever (and boy did my family get a hoot out of my hand-crafted celebration cards). Those mini wax wonders also stoked the fires of my writer/illustrator passions in Ms. Kelly’s third grade class where we made numerous “books” on a variety of subjects from pets (I chose cats even though all I had was a turtle and a gold fish) to Native American History of the Southwest--I think I did the Pueblo and Hopi Indians—seeing as how I was surrounded in a state with about 22 different reservations (New Mexico).

So I’m excited to think that I could bring this art form to life again, add to my pitifully stocked “stress releaser” activities and perhaps, have a resurgence of happy childhood memories.  Just the smell of the wax and some pulpy paper might be enough to send me into a dizzying whirlwind of regression.

There are plenty of places online to download or purchase Adult Coloring Pages.  This collection is one of my favorites.  One of my favorite magazines, Mental Floss has a lovely feature on the top 10 Adult Coloring Books.  Check out the “Coloring for Grownups” coloring book.  Be sure you use it in the privacy of your own space after the kids have gone to sleep or school because the title really should come with the “contains some Adult Content” warning label.Here is a site that has adult coloring contests and shows some of the works--I'm not sure which colors they used but the pages are fun and you can buy the coloring book.

With all of the covert (and not so covert) interest in all things Adult, I see an unlimited potential for XXX coloring product lines—colors and coloring books.  Wheeeeee!  What a great way to introduce art and creativity to someone who otherwise might never get the, um, exposure.  And the R-rated coloring pages are just plum FUN! Perhaps even some Adult Coloring Games to spice up the ol’ sex life.  You know, you color in the area where you’d like to have your partner….okay, you get the picture….

All I can say is…isn’t it time that we find some Adult Artistic Endeavors that don’t require you to plug into a gadget. Any gadget.  Even the adult kind.

Sensible Ways to Inspiration

One of the fastest ways to get reconnected with your inspiration is through the use of the five senses—see, hear, touch, taste, smell.  If you are stuck in your creative flow and cannot seem to move forward to start or complete a project, take 10 or 20 minutes out to really pay attention in an eyes-open moving meditation.
 
Look around you.  What do you see.  Allow your eyes to focus on an object.  Probably, if your eyes stopped there, it arrested your attention.  So really look at the object.  Look at the outline of its shape.  Look at the colors of it.  See if you can discern the variety of shapes that makes up a single object.  Really examine it.  Close your eyes and see if you can describe it in detail.  Then open your eyes and try to really see another object.

Now close your eyes and listen.  What do you hear?  Perhaps you hear the sounds of nature—wind in the trees, birds singing, or cats meowing.  Maybe you hear the sounds of mankind—an air conditioner or heater, the hum of lights, the motors of cars as they pass by your location.  Pay attention to the quality, quantity and levels of the sounds you hear.

Take a deep breath.  Smell the air around you.  Are you aware of any scents where you are?  Maybe you smell your own soap, lotion or perfume.  Maybe you smell the aromas from a previously cooked meal?  Maybe there are smells that are less pleasant. Whatever they are, consider allowing yourself to continue to smell the nuances of the scent.  Really pay attention to how you would describe it—whether visually or with language.  What language descriptors would help you describe what you experience?

Take your hand and allow it to touch your other arm.  Feel the temperature of your body, feel what the skin and hair of your arm feel like.  Pay attention to the pressure you feel on your fingertips.  How would you describe it?  Can you paint that feeling?

Eat or drink something.  Allow it to sit on your tongue.  If it is liquid, swich it around your mouth.  What temperature is it?  Is it sweet, sour, bitter?  If you had to ascribe a color to the taste, what color would you give it?  Can you visually describe the taste?

Our senses are powerful.  When we pay attention to each or all of the senses, it can expand our creative thinking.  If we attempt to use what we experience in a creative way, to describe it or expand upon it, we have a never ending source of creative inspiration.