AEDM: Day Twenty-Two!

It's been twenty-two days since this adventure began and I've made something new for each on of those days.  But, tonight, I head off out-of-state for the Thanksgiving Holiday and will not have access to the internet.  So, while I'll keep creating, I won't be able to post until I get back.

Until then, here's today's card.

I wanted to experiment with imprinting designs in thick gesso.  So, I layered the card and then let it dry a big before I pressed circles into it.  I decided to highlight the texture with a simple coat of iridescent lime green paint, trimmed the card in dark brown, and added an embellishment with the word "Imagine" on it.

It's a reminder to me of all the wonderful art I've seen this month, all coming from imaginative minds like yours!

Happy Creating!

AEDM: Day Nineteen

Today was a long day for me, and the last thing I wanted to do was something creative.

So, I did an ATC that was fairly easy, but I'm pleased with it.

I painted the card black, add an image of Notre Dame, and then sanded it down to make it feel more like a treasured memento.

I added silver embellishments and the word "I" in French.

Simple, but elegant.

I've never been to France, but I can dream...

Happy Creating!

The Artist's Way: Week Seven, Post Three

A lot of the exercises for Week Seven are what I’d call “self-care” exercises.


Here are a few examples to see what I mean:

1) create a wonderful smell in your home (through candles, cooking, etc.)

2) wear your favorite item of clothing for no special occasion

3) buy a pair of wonderful socks or gloves

It’s been nice to consciously make myself feel special!

But, there was one exercise that really hit me in the heart, and that’s what I want to talk about.

It’s called the Jealousy Map Exercise.

What you do is take a piece of paper and make three vertical columns. At the top of the first column you write “WHO”, the second “WHY”, and the third “ACTION ANTIDOTE”

Here’s an example that Julia gives:

WHO                             WHY                           ACTION ANTIDOTE

Anne Sexton                Famous Poet                   Publish my long-hoarded poems



So, I went ahead and made my list. And though I’ve been fairly transparent through this whole process (and have shared a few embarrassing/soul bearing things), I just can’t share my list.

It wasn’t very long; only five people on it. But, it was very exposing, and it made me realize how petty I can be and how afraid I live my life in some areas.

I have to say, the Artist’s Way has taught me more about myself than anything else I have ever done. EVER! Some things have been very painful and have shown me parts of myself that I wish I didn’t have.

But, you can’t change what you can’t accept about yourself, and you can’t accept what you can’t see.

So, you have to bring out all the nitty gritty and hold it up to the light!


This has been another week doing just that.



UP NEXT: Artist’s Date!

AEDM: Day Eighteen!

So, for yesterday’s card I had printed out a page of my NaNoWriMo novel to use as part of the basket weave. And I decided for today’s card to use some more of that text.

First, I painted the playing card a deep midnight blue. Then I cut out ovals from my novel page. I wasn’t sure if I was going to use them as heads and paint faces on them, or just as organic shapes, but in the end I decided to make them into flowers.

I attached them, added paint for the stems and yellow ascent, and then used a Sharpie to give them definition. Lastly, I “tied” them all together with a bow and Modge Podge’d the whole thing.

I think it turned out lovely!

It’s been such a challenge for me to come up with a new and different design each day. Some days are better than others, but I’m hanging in there.

I hope you are, too!  Happy creating!!

The Artist's Way: Week Seven, Post Two

Hi, my name is Liz, and I am a perfectionist.


I have always been a perfectionist.

In fact, if I feel that I can’t do something perfectly, I will not try it (or I will pretend I don’t care enough to try it).

I have always known that perfectionism was one of my flaws, but I thought it was a noble one. After all, why do something if you can’t do it well?

Here’s what Julia has to say about it:

“Perfectionism is a refusal to let yourself move ahead” (p. 119).

“For the perfectionist, there are no first drafts, rough sketches, warm-up exercises. Every draft is meant to be final, perfect, set in stone” (p. 120).

Now, here’s the clincher:

“To the perfectionist, there is always room for improvement. The perfectionist calls this humility. In reality, it is egotism. It is pride that makes us want to write a perfect script, paint a perfect painting, perform a perfect audition monologue.

Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough—that we should try again.

No. We should not” (p. 120).

Perfectionism = Pride

Wow, right? This blew my mind!

I’ve been struggling with my perfectionism all month. Between the Art Every Day challenge and NaNoWriMo, I’ve had to face my fear of imperfection head on, and with occasional tears.

Some of the stuff I’ve written in my novel is horrible!

Some of the ATC’s I’ve created are, well, ugly/plain/weird!

But, I’ve kept at it. I’ve posted the picture no matter how I felt about the ATC. And I’ve kept every stupid, boring, and trite word I’ve written.

Is perfectionism behind me? Hardly. But, this month, I’ve been able to push it a little farther away from me. And that’s a start.

Now, two questions for you: Is perfectionism blocking the way to your creativity? And if so, will you let it go?



UP NEXT: Week Seven Exercises and why one made me cry…

The Artist's Way: Week Seven, Post One

This week is about “Recovering a Sense of Connection” and it has various layers of meaning (as does every chapter).


Julia talks about connecting to the Creator, to ourselves, and to others. And each connection requires a slightly different skill set.

Today, I want to highlight what she says about connecting to God/Creator, and, connecting to others.

First, God.

According to Julia, the key to connecting to our Creator, and therefore, creativity, is simply to listen. We are being spoken to, guided and directed constantly. But, usually, we’re too busy and keep our environment too loud, to hear anything. In a very real way, we avoid listening. (Think of how much silence you had today. 30 minutes? 10 minutes? 5 minutes?)

And if we listen, we realize that as artists we shouldn’t be trying to “think something up” but “get something down.” We are really the conduit for creativity, not the source. And if we really understand this, it’s a freeing and less stressful way to create!

Here’s an analogy that Julia uses that I love:

“Art is the act of tuning in and dropping down the well. It is as though all the stories, painting, music, performances in the world live just under the surface of our normal consciousness. Like an underground river, they flow through us as a stream of ideas that we can tap down into. As artists, we drop down the well into the stream. We hear what’s down there and we act on it—more like taking dictation than anything fancy having to do with art” (p. 118).

Think about this for a moment. It’s a powerful idea that all we have to do is take the time to listen, then drop our buckets down into the creative stream, bring up what we gather, and share it with the world. (Nothing says it has to be a perfect offering, just an offering. But, perfection is the topic for tomorrow.)

However, there is something that can stand in the way with the gathering and sharing, and that leads to the second type of connection I wanted to talk about: connecting with others.

The one thing that Julia discusses this week that can get in the way of connecting with others is jealousy.

Are you jealous of anyone? Come on, be honest. Because identifying where you are jealous is the key to your freedom!

“Jealousy is a map” (p. 123). It lets us know what we really want. For example, if I’m jealous of my sister because she has really great hair, what does that mean? It means I want great hair! See what I mean? Jealousy is a guide to show you your heart’s desire. And this can be a frightening, yet freeing thing if you can identify it and then let it go.

“Jealousy is always a mask for fear: fear that we aren’t able to get what we want; frustration that somebody else seems to be getting what is rightfully ours even if we are too frightened to reach for it” (p. 124). If I’m jealous of a friend because she has written a novel, this tells me what I really want (i.e. write a novel) and it shows me what I’ve been afraid to do (i.e. write a novel).

Julia continues with this powerful understanding, “At its root, jealousy is a stingy emotion. It doesn’t allow for the abundance and multiplicity of the universe. Jealousy tells us there is room for only one—one poet, one painter, one whatever you dream of being” (p. 124, emphasis added).

Wow, right?



On a personal note, this is a very timely chapter for me.

I’ve been dealing with jealousy as I have gotten farther and farther behind on my NaNoWriMo novel, and as I’ve been visiting other artists who are participating in the Art Every Day challenge and are creating art that is breathtakingly beautiful.

But, I have to remind myself that like on NaNo, where there is no limit to how many people can cross the 50,000 word finish line, and on AEDM , where there is no rule that what I paint has to be better than everyone else’s, the same can be said for every creative endeavor.

There really are no winners and losers. There are only those who listen and create, or those who watch and criticize.

There can be thousands of poets, thousands of painters, thousands of novelists, thousands of photographers, thousands of actors, thousands of playwrights, thousands and thousands and thousands of creative souls.

And you are one of them!

AEDM: Day Fourteen!

I started with a weathered handwritten background on cream paper.

I added a rich red ribbon all around it.  Then I cut out three butterflies and added those.

I love the 3-D aspect of the card, and overall, it reminds me of a Victorian butterfly collection (even though I'm not a big fan of pinning actual butterflies to a board).

I'm really liking the cream and red color combo and I think I'm going to experiment some more with it!

AEDM: Day Twelve!

In a complete departure from yesterday's ATC which was whimsical and colorful, in today's ATC I stuck with a more monotone color scheme of black, white, and grey.  The only additional color is the gold trim around the cameo.

I started with newspaper and circled words I liked and blacked-out words I didn't.

Then I used white paint for the diagonal lines, trimmed the card with black paint, and added the word "SOON."

It's very different from anything else I've made and I like the simplicity of it.

I love the feel of this card in my hands.  Very tactile!

AEDM: Day Ten!

Boy, after an long and exhausting day at work, I totally did not want to be creative!

But, despite that, I pressed forward, sat down and made something.

I started with striped paper.  Then used an empty toilet paper roll and white paint to make the circles.

I had two decorative stamps that I added some paint to, and then embellished with a silver sticker and a fabric flower.

I like it!  Simple, colorful, graphic.

And now, a brief letter to the inspiration fairies:

Dear Inspiration Fairies,

Please don't abandon me!  I'm struggling to come up with new ideas, and I need your help.  I think you are really awesome, and I promise to heed your advice.  Just whisper it in my ear.  I'm listening...

Yours,
Liz

AEDM: Day Nine!

Well, I waited for inspiration to strike and got bupkis.

But, I decided to press forward and just put one image on top of another.

Music background paper + flowers + bird painted with shimmery paint + bronze "Journey" = Art?

The bird was a black and white print that I colored in.

Maybe tomorrow something a little more interesting...

AEDM: Day Six!

Okay, so I gave the Asian theme another go and I like this one better.

I started with tissue paper that had an Asian design.  Then I added a light orangy/red paint in a rectangle (you can't really see it). And then I applied a gold leaf square.

Once that dried, I dabble again with painting with silver leaf--this time a dragon.  I think it turned out pretty good for my first dragon (though his back foot is a little stumpy).

Overall, not that bad!

In the picture, you can't really see the Asian tissue paper design.  It's an elephant.

AEDM: Day Five!

So, full confession, I'm not a fan of this ATC.

I really struggled with it and was almost not going to post it at all.

But, I had promised myself that I would create something from start to finish every day this month.

They all can't be winners, right?

I decided to take an Asian theme with this one.  I started with gold paper, and then painted a Samuri-esque man on it with silver leaf paint. (It was my first time using that kind of paint.) I added a Chinese sticker I had, wrote a Haiku* poem on it, trimmed it with black paint, and then splattered it with red paint.

Again, not my favorite.  But a good learning experience!  I think I might give this another go tomorrow and see if I like it better.

* If you can't read the poem, it says:

I swim through lotus

waters slip against my skin

nestled in, I shine

The Artist's Way: Week Six, Post Four

Like the past five weeks, here’s my weekly check-in.

1) I did the morning pages 5 days this week.  I think they’ve become much more focused.  In earlier weeks, I’d just ramble on about anything that popped into my head.  But, lately, I’ve written about specific things: my NaNoWriMo novel, my AEDM ATC’s, my fear of being a creative failure, my concepts of God, etc.  It’s been an interesting evolution.  Now that I’m half way through the program, I’m looking forward to seeing what I’ll be writing during week 12.

2) Artist’s Date: This was my stay-in artist’s date, and I was able to travel around the world!  I decided to spend an hour going to some of my favorite creative blogs and seeing what everyone is up to.

Here’s a list of just a few of them, so you can experience it for yourself:

Crescendoh

Decor8

Danita Art

The Kathryn Wheel

Christy Tomlinson

Isn’t it amazing?  So many creative people around the world. It makes me feel hopeful and that things won’t ever get as bad as some think, because there is so much beauty being birthed every day through so many different avenues!  Maybe I’m just being a romantic, but that’s how it makes me feel!

What do you think?

3) This week, I consciously looked for synchronicity and nothing happened (at least, nothing I was aware of).  Maybe next week?

4) No issues.  Am I supposed to be having some?  Does that mean I’m doing something wrong? Who knows? Oh, well.

And now, here’s the next stage in my Artist’s Way painting.

I have no idea where to go from here...

UP NEXT: Week Seven!

The Artist's Way: Week Six, Post Three

As you know this week was about money and abundance, so most of the exercises focused on that topic.


I thought for this week’s exercises, I’d just show you one EXACTLY the way I completed it (instead of a summary). It was eye-opening (aren’t they all) and I hope you won’t judge me too harshly by my answers. Just being honest here, folks.


Money Madness, An Exercise


Complete the following phrases.

1. People with money are lucky.

2. Money makes people free.

3. I’d have more money if I wrote a successful novel.

4. My dad thought money was something you worked hard for.

5. My mom always thought money would solve our problems.

6. In my family, money caused stress.

7. Money equals power.

8. If I had money, I’d travel around the world.

9. If I could afford it, I’d buy a house.

10. If I had some money, I’d pay off my student loans.

11. I’m afraid that if I had money I would lose it.

12. Money is awesome!

13. Money causes worry.

14. Having money is not the most important thing in life.

15. In order to have more money, I’d need to find another source of income.

16. When I have money, I usually save some and spend some.

17. I think money is a gift.

18. If I weren’t so cheap I’d book a First Class flight to England.

19. People think money is the way to happiness.

20. Being broke tells me that I need to work harder.


Reviewing my answers, I feel I'm a little schizo when it comes to money.

How would you complete these statements?


Oh, and before you go, I wanted to mention another exercise I did that might include YOU (if I know where you live)!

Exercise 5: Send postcards to five friends! You might have been one of them, so keep an eye out in the mail!



UP NEXT: Artist’s Date! (Simple, but rewarding—and something you can do, too, from where you are RIGHT NOW!)

November: A Month of Creativity and Possible Nervous Breakdown

NaNoWriMo begins tomorrow (see Sidebar), and I am feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension. I’ve done it before, so I know that it’s possible, but it’s still hard.

It’s hard on my imagination. (Coming up with scene after scene is a lot to ask a brain, especially one as lazy as mine.)

It’s hard on my time. (Now, all free time will be spent on writing (which reminds me of homework) (which makes me sad.))

It’s hard on my sensitive creative heart. (Nothing challenges the vision of yourself as a creative person like writing 50,000 words and realizing you’re a talentless hack—at least according to your inner critic.)

But, I’m doing it anyway!

And I’ll keep you posted with a weekly word count, which you can see on my handy dandy sidebar. That way, you can help hold me accountable. (Especially during week two, when I’ll want to pretend like I never had the idea to participate, and have no idea what you’re talking about.)

The good thing is that I’m actually excited about my book idea.

I’ve done a lot (and I mean A LOT) on my character development and plot. So, I know where I want to end up and how I want my main protagonist to transform. I don’t have it all figured out (as in scene by scene), but I’ve done more prep-work for this than any other thing I have ever attempted to write.

I won’t be posting excerpts because that would just freak me out and probably paralyze me. But, I may write about specific aspects of my characters. I’m starting to like them, and hear them speak to me. (Not in a creepy “I hear voices” kind of way, but in a writer-ly “I’ve developed three-dimensional characters and they’re taking on a life of their own” kind of way.)

Please send me a creative well-wishing thought every now and again. I could use the support!

Now, as if NaNoWriMo wasn’t enough, you’ll also recall that I’m doing the ArtEveryDay challenge (See Sidebar).

This is also making me incredibly nervous. I don’t feel as prepared, (mostly because I don’t like to pre-plan my artwork), and I still have to find a few more supplies, but I diving in anyway.

For this challenge, I WILL be posting every night in November, so, you’ll be able to see what I created.

Because I’m also doing NaNo, I decided that I would make a small piece of art each day, and that it would be an ATC (Artist Trading Cards).

I’ve done them in the past and have had a blast. I think they’ll be the right size to provide me with a challenge, and yet, not overwhelm me like something on canvas would (especially since I’m still working on my Artist’s Way painting and another project).

If you’d like to make an ATC, and then trade it with me, let me know! They can be made on actual playing cards, or anything that is playing-card sized (like fabric, wood, metal, etc.).



So, for November, this blog may have a multiple posts a day (since I’m still posting on The Artist’s Way).

And then I expect that in December, (after my nervous breakdown), it might take a brief hiatus to pick myself up off the floor.

It’s going to be a wild ride!

I hope you’ll join me!

The Artist’s Way: Week Five, Post Two

I used to think that I was a weirdo because I needed so much alone time. (I think my family thought I was a weirdo, too.)

Being in silence while puttering around is very relaxing to me. You will never find me cooking/painting/writing/reading/working/etc. with the TV on. I get noise assaulted very easily, and coming home to a house full of noise (even happy ones) makes my skin crawl.

I thought I was the only one who felt this way, and that it was a sign that I was anti-social (which I think I am to a certain extent—meeting new people is an AWKWARD experience for me). But, when I read this chapter, I realized that there are a bunch of us out there! Comrades!

“An artist must have downtime, time to do nothing… For an artist, withdrawal is necessary… An artist requires the upkeep of creative solitude. An artist requires the healing of time alone” (pgs. 96-97).

These sentences leaped off the page and hit me between the eyes. That’s me!

Creative solitude should be my middle name!

Now, this doesn’t give me the excuse to drop all my responsibilities, draw the blinds, and never speak to another soul. (I wouldn’t want to do that, anyway.) But, it does make me realize that I need solitude weekly, and to accept that about myself.

If I ignore this need, then I am ignoring who I am. (And that’s when I find myself miserable.)

Julia asks a question in this chapter that I’d like to pose to you: “Are you destructive of your true nature?”

Dismissing my need for creative solitude was a way I was destructive to my true nature. (And even when I had moments of solitude, I would be guilt-ridden and beat myself up about it. Not a fun way to live!)


So, can you think of any way you are destructive of your true nature?



UP NEXT: Week Five Exercises!



P. S. Here’s a creative exercise that wasn’t in the book, but that I’ve been playing with the last few days.

It’s a way to jump-start your creativity.

What you do is take your full name (I also included “miss” for some extra letters) and write each individual letter on a little square piece of paper (They should all be the same size.). Now, mix up all the letters, and spend 10 minutes coming up with as many words you can. (In 10 minutes, I came up with 76 words.) Then take the word(s) that interest(s) you and write about it (them).

I decided to use only the words I came up with to write a few poems. Here’s one of them:

I sit on

Sallow sill.

White air,

Still.

Between billow

Or boom,

I float

Within.

It’s a really fun way to break through a creative block. Give it a try!

The Artist’s Way: Week Four, Post Three

As you know, this week I have been on a reading moratorium or as Julia calls it Reading Deprivation week. And it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve done in my whole life (including the time I chose to get certified as a “Camping Expert ” (This had some technical title I can no longer remember.) and had to rough it for three days with limited supplies (which I remember as being my version of hell)).


It’s been hard, folks. Real hard.

I had to resort to keeping all the books I’m in the middle of reading (or wanting to read) in my car so I’m not tempted to crack one open just to read the acknowledgements page, of course, and maybe the introduction, but nothing else. Pinky swear promise!

Now, I’m not saying that it hasn’t been worth it, because it has. I know I've had flashes of inspiration.  But, still, it’s not been easy. And there have been a few evenings where I’ve sat on my bed in sadness, pining for my books. {Insert mournful sigh.}

What have I been doing instead of reading, you ask?


Well, here’s a list of 20:


1. Sat in sadness

2. Complained to my roomies, aka sisters

3. Sat down to write and stared at the blank screen instead

4. Searched for new music to put on my iPod

5. Listened to the new artists I put on my iPod

6. Listened to a free writing podcast that I put on my iPod (and all backlogged episodes)

7. Re-started a daily Zen garden at my work desk

I feel calm and relaxed already...

8. Sketched three new painting ideas

9. Started a new painting

10. Wrote a plot outline for my NaNoWriMo book

11. Learned how to tune my harp

12. Tuned my harp

13. Played my harp

14. Starting writing a harp version of Silent Night since I couldn’t find one for my 12-string

15. Learned origami

16. Started writing my daily affirmations on a sheet of colored paper that I fold into an origami lotus flower

These flowers say really nice things about me!

17. Made of list of books I want to read

18. Wrote a few haiku, such as:

Aching emptiness,

What are my books whispering?

Nothing. They are shut.

19. Watched a movie (which borders on breaking the rules)

20. Cut out things from magazines for future art use.




See, for the most part, I’ve been productive. So, yay! But, it can’t wait for Sunday when I can start reading again. Only three more days to go… and I have my list ready!



UP NEXT: Some of my favorite Week Four exercises!