I honor all the amazing intuitive artists out there. They create without a plan, they let their hands and heart guide them. They honor the joy in creating, unabashed and unleashed, they play. They are inspiring beyond words and ooooh how I wish I could be like them! But I'm not. I'm a planner...always have been, always will be. When I create I see the end result and take a step by step approach.But I always crave and wish I was more like the former.
Then I started art journaling in hopes of freeing some of my creative process....I would sit, create a page from start to finish and as soon as I done I would feel unhappy with the results, I would end up ripping out the pages from my book, because in my mind, ...they just didn't make any sense. So what was I to do? How could I get out of my own way?
I decided to leave my art journal open on my desk. I left everything out I thought I would need.. Paint, brushes, water cup,
stencils,
stamps...anything and everything...and then...I walked away.
I went on with my days and worked on other projects. Sometimes, I would walk by my desk, look down at my journal and instinctively pick up my brush and add a little bit of paint. Hours, sometimes days later, the journal page would call me again. Every time I stopped to work on it, I did so, for about five minutes at a time. I would create a new layer and then walk away. For the first time, I found myself enjoying the process even though I had no idea where I was going with it.
Eventually the page stopped calling. I realized, I don't have to be one or the other. I can be structured and intuitive. I just needed to find my own way of letting go and not "thinking" about the process. By not working on the journal page, in one sitting, I was free to look at it from a distance...free from having any predetermined ideas...free to simply, play.
The end result was still messy and all over the place, but for the first time I didn't seem to mind. Creating for 5 minutes at a time, doing only what caught my eye as I walked by, was liberating. Ultimately, we all create and express ourselves differently. It's hard,as artists, as humans, not to compare yourself to so many other amazing creative souls. But no matter how much we want to be/create like them, we are perfectly imperfect just the way we are....and it's quite wonderful when you think about it!!
Now in the Shop!
Here's the journal I spoke of above. It's been so long since I've used neutral colors and I love the way it came out! I also used some of my "Seek" and "Organized Chaos" Stencils as well as some of the stamps I designed. You can now find my
stencils and
stamps in my shop as well as many other items I used on this cover like
-and so much more!
Stay tuned as I am slowly adding more and more of my favorite art supplies to the shop! Check out my shop
here!!
"Long ago God drew a circle in the sand exactly around the spot where you are standing right now. You were never not coming here. This was never not going to happen.”
— Elizabeth Gilbert
Here's to making every minute count,
