Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a safe, warm and love filled holiday!

Be Gentle to Your Creative Soul

As an artist our souls are restless because what stirs within is a constant desire to create. Images and ideas are in motion 95% of the time. Translation from soul to paper however, can sometimes be a challenge. Our souls envision such beautiful things, filled with our imagination and flooded by our heart. Then the brain steps in and tries to control the process.

It starts with negative feedback, criticizing the process from start to finish. Then it urges us to seek approval outside ourselves. Educationally and logically this makes sense. We live in a world of needed approval and constant guidance and rules governing the every day processes. This is not good for the artful soul. Critiques, negative comments, even loving guidance mucks up the free flow of spirit. It only involves more of the brain, shutting down the heart and belittling your soul the next time you go to create.

Art is just between you, your soul and the piece you are creating. Be loving, gentle and encouraging to your creative self. What you put on paper, canvas etc...is your soul telling your story. It's the essence of self speaking out loud. Don't allow your brain take over the process and others opinions defeat your creative flow. I mean this with all my heart. Even if all you can draw is a stick figure. If you poured your soul into it, allow yourself to love it. Someone else liking it is the ego seeking approval. Tell ego to "shut up". Free yourself and be gentle to your creative soul. It is a God given gift, treasure it and not the opinion of others.

Have a beautifully creative day!!!

God's Perfect Blessings

Prayerful thought of the day:

Lately I have been trying to focus on gratitude versus my physical pain. It is by no means easy because pain demands to be recognized. But blessings, they don't. They are silent beautiful gifts of grace from God. Never demanding to be noticed. Just faithfully present. It requires stillness to notice and appreciate them. I have found when I focus on these beautiful things God gives me....my pain gets quieter (does not go away...but I cope better). Allow for some quiet time to reflect on Gods perfect grace. If your heart is so heavy that it is hard to see them...go for a walk and intentionally look at nature, listen to the birds, look to the sky and allow that child like wonderment to enter your heart.

I pray today that you find some personal time to notice and give thanks for the beautiful things God gives to us. Today make your prayer about thanks and leave it at that. Set your hardship, pain, sadness, worries, financial burdens etc at his feet unspoken...He knows the burden on your heart, surrender it gladly unto him and let His perfect love fill your heart and give you strength <3  -AMEN

Why Be an Artist?

Being an artist is not an easy thing. It kind of makes you different when you are really committed to it. It can be under appreciated, misunderstood and mistaken as a misguided childhood dream. So knowing all that why would I still want to be an artist?

For me it has saved my soul. I suffer from depression and anxiety. Art has become an outlet and an escape from consuming thoughts. It has allowed me to function and be apart of something again. The past few years my family has walked through some very difficult times, experiencing loss and grief more times than is normal in a given year. My heart was consumed with grief. Art allowed me to safely explore my emotions. It kept me from getting lost in those deep dark feelings. It stopped my anxious constant pacing and allowed me to still my brain and my heart. It did not judge me and created real pictures of the hurt and pain I had inside. It released me from it. But what was even more amazing was when my pictures began to be positive and filled with light. When they changed from depicting me as an injured soul to a free spirit. It is amazing to see my art change as it changed me.

So why be an artist, well because it is just in me to do so. I can't change that nor would I want to. Now I have begun to encourage others in their walk. I love seeing their art display real human emotion that starts out showing the hurt and pain in their life...and seeing the change to real artistic expression of their spirit. I also love seeing them go from not sharing their pieces to showing them with pride. Going from 'I need your acceptance of my work' to 'here is my art, love it or leave it...cause I love it!' It is a huge moment when you no longer need approval of others!

 Art is who I am, and not for all the money in the world would I be willing to change that. I believe in my heart that God brought art into my life to heal the hurts, and set me on the path of helping others explore art in their life. It's an amazing gift, and I honor and treasure it.

So why did you become an artist? I would love to hear your story too!

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Coloring Outside the Lines

Please Note: Before I move forward, I feel the need to express that I am no expert in the field of child psychology or child development. However I am a mother and an artist, and what I say here is my opinion based on my experience. 

Microsoft Word Stock Clip Art

One of the milestones a child reaches is learning how to color, inside the lines. We are taught that coloring inside those lines makes the page beautiful and correct. That our personal creative time is structured and has rules. That in order to gain praise in that moment, we must stay within those solid line boundaries. What we don't realize is that this teaches a child that they must think within the boundaries. That outside, creative thinking has a time and place...and this is not that moment, and yes this is true. When instruction is being given, there are rules and it is best to follow those rules. However I think we need to add to this lesson. Teach that it is OK to "think" outside the lines and create something new.

Creative thinking and exploring leads to new ideas, that lead to new techniques, new technology, new solutions. Allowing the mind to express itself in new ways expands a persons horizons. It breaks those bonds of being like everyone else. It grows the mind and sets a person free.

It is absolutely OK to teach a child to color in the lines....but after they have done that lesson with you...turn that page over and then say..."good job, learning how to follow directions is important. Your reward now is to create whatever you want...no rules...feel free to color outside the lines" Not only have you taught the important lesson of following rules, but you also taught the importance of self expression and acceptance of their need to be an individual. Self expression is the mother of all inventions. It really is. Thinking inside the box (coloring inside the lines) does not lead to new inventions or solutions. Creative thinking does. This is an important life skill.

Have a Great Weekend

Weekends I will post a scenic picture and well wishes. Weekends are my time with family and a time for rest. I pray you will find time to create, time with loved ones and time for rest this weekend. Enjoy!!

This picture is from a local park we love to go to and enjoy. It is nestled on the river with a lovely boardwalk.

Structure or Stricture?

At some point in your life you have taken a required art class. It is my experience that in those classes you study the history and evolution of art and complete some techniques. You also take on assigned projects that are structured and have rules. They often do not allow for freedom of expression. Rules and techniques definitely have there place in a classroom setting. But my experience is that it can make students feel as if they are lacking in creativity when they can not meet certain expectations. It stunts their artful growth as an individual and that goes with them into adulthood.

So the question is, is this structure or stricture? That school art class is not going to change. Rules are rules and the teacher has to meet curriculum requirements. Seeing this to be the case, we personally have art time at home. My only rule, clean up your mess when you are done. My statement is, if you didn't make a mess we didn't have enough fun.

I give my daughter and her cousin access to all my supplies and I encourage their adventuring. I just ask that they are used properly and returned in good shape. (Yup I know that is a rule...LOL) Go ahead and fling that paint, go ahead and color outside the lines, go ahead and break that art rule! Explore, let your spirit guide your work, and love what you did. No don't compare each others and don't judge the others work. It's OK if their work is not your taste, but realize that their work is a piece of their heart on paper. This should also be done by adults...go ahead and draw that stick figure...do it with passion...fling some paint, draw some oddly shaped things...enjoy it and then take pride in it.

Breaking the "rules" and allowing true artistic freedom builds and encourages a persons spirit. I do hope in the future art class will build in self expression lessons. It would go along way to nurturing the love of art for that child's future. Let me show you an example of what we do in my home:

  

This is my daughter, she loves doing abstract art. This was completely done in acrylics as a finger painting. She calls it "The Resurrection" As in Jesus' Resurrection. It might not be art to you, you might not get what she is expressing. That's OK. The only person who needs to understand the art piece is the artist. In watching her create this, she was lost in the process, completely expressing a moment from her soul . It was not random or without care. It was planned, methodical and executed as her spirit guided her through the process. That's the beauty of art, and the lesson too. Art is self expression and self acceptance. This type of art (no rules) builds pride and self worth. That is priceless. 

Pet & Family Friendly Studio

Mufasa sleeping in front of my storage area

I waited a very longtime to have my very own creative space in my house. For the longest time I did not create anything. Than God opened the flood gates and I have not stopped. My husband saw how much this filled me with joy and decided he would give me that space, and he has.

My home is "lived in" it is not a showcase. On weekends we kind of just "let it go". No worries about being neat and tidy (I will clean it all up Monday morning). We just focus on time together. We are a family of 3 with 6 furbabies and a fish.

Keeping this in mind...many would not want their fuzzy friends or even their children invading their creative space. As for me...I love it! I love having my daughter at the table creating away. I love having my dog by my side and my cats crawling all over my things. It keeps me grounded and connected with my family. It makes me laugh and reminds me of what is important...staying connected with family.

My space is pet & family friendly. It is filled with love, and the loved ones who inspire what I create. What about you, do you invite the outside world into your creative space?

The Mistake

This butterfly is imperfect....but no less beautiful

You're just plugging along, art brush a flowing....pastels a going, creativity pouring out...and then it happens. A blob of paint falls off your brush, an ink stain in the wrong place, a smudge you just cant fix. Yup a glaring mistake on your masterpiece.

It's heartbreaking to say the least. All that work made a perfect piece of art ugly. You are heart broken and angry all in one breath. Don't throw it away! Step back a moment and allow the initial feelings to pass. This is a teachable moment for the artist in you.

Art comes from your soul. It is a God given gift to be able to express it in any form. Mistakes are apart of life. Don't let it break your spirit. Instead overcome it. Work around it, create using it...or bolder yet leave it there and tell others it's true artistic expression. This moment teaches you adversity, to overcome, love yourself through it and continue on with out being defeated. Mistakes do not define you or your work unless you allow it to. A mistake in your art will only become ugly if you define it as such. You have to tell someone it is a mistake, that it is ugly, in order for them to know it is so. If you tell them it is art, then you set the scene. That's the beauty of art. You create it, mistake and all.

I am part of an art group and I often tell them, be gentle with your artful soul. Nurture it, love it, and accept what ever it produces. It is your soul speaking out loud, expressing itself in a very real way. Mistakes are part of that process, because life is not perfect...but the song of your soul is, because it is the most beautiful part of your being. Allow imperfection to become a perfect moment of overcoming life.

Have a wonderful and creative day and don't forget to embrace those mistakes.

Messy Can Be Fun!!

Shaving Cream Backgrounds

My lovely daughter was more than happy to help me demonstrate this technique...in fact as you can see in image 1 she is having a great deal of fun.

1. Spread shaving cream on a flat nonporous surface.
2. Place acrylic paints on top of the cream.
3 &4. Swirl until you reach desired pattern.
5. Place paper on top of shaving cream and lightly smooth.
6. Peel of gently and let set about a minute. Don’t be discouraged if it looks messy. The magic happens after you scrap off the shaving cream.
7. Scrap off shaving cream. I used a plastic putty knife.
8. An example of a final print.

I saw this all over Pinterest but don’t know the original origin. This is simply how we do it. 

Beautiful You

I wonder if YOU know just how special YOUR talent really is? YOU see beauty in places others miss. YOU see opportunity in places others dismiss. YOU bring life to everyday things that others don't understand. YOU have a talent and a fire that others ADMIRE! Embrace this beautiful side of YOU, believe it or not the others see it to!

I have the wonderful honor of working with some really talented artists. To others they may be unknown everyday people. But to me they are beautiful spirits showing me a world I may not have ever seen had I not been apart of this particular group. What an honor God has given me. 

What have they taught me you might ask? Well they have taught me that artists are gentle souls, living out loud through each unique piece of work We (Yup I claim to be an artist too) do. However we are also very vulnerable. We just took something from deep within our souls and poured it into our most recent creation. Sharing it with others is scary, because what if someone else does not see that hurt, or what if they do and they judge me? This is the struggle we face. 

My hope here is that you learn to love your work, love where you are in your artful spirit and learn not to worry about what others think of that beautiful spirit filled piece you just created. Art is a unique signature filled with passion, heart and emotion. Love what you did, be gentle with yourself and know that what you create is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! The fact that you can allow your soul to express itself is a God given gift, embrace it and don't let anyone else take that away from you. 

Happy Sunday folks. I hope your heart is filled with grace, your spirit is free to express itself and that today brings you rest. Have a great day!!

Hello World

I was not sure if I was going to start this new adventure. But with the encouragement of others I thought I would give this blogging thing a try. Truly what is the worst thing that could happen. No one comes...well conversations by myself are not an uncommon thing (you're only crazy if you answer yourself right...uh oh...LOL). With that being said welcome to my page and thank you for stopping by!

So what is this blog about and how is it different than the others? This blog is about being artful. When I say that I mean feeling your art, allowing your soul to spill onto paper, canvas or whatever platform you choose. It's not about perfection, because art is about making them, working through them and creating a personal signature piece because of that mistake. Art to me is therapeutic and has brought me through depression and anxiety. It allows me to step away from the moment and be who my spirit calls me to be. I'm an artist. You might not like my work, you might not see it as a masterpiece...that's OK cause I like it and that's all that matters. If you are making your signature pieces to please others you loose something special in the journey.

On this blog you can expect positive affirmations about art (faith based because that is part of my spirit) creative ideas and projects, random ramblings, art journaling on a budget, some of my artistic photos and much more. I hope you will join me on this journey. Thank you for visiting, I hope you come back to see what's next.