Watercolor: Caricaturist and Creative Clarity links

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Finding – as opposed to Losing – Your Art Time

How is your art journey moving along?  Did you paint some watercolors, scribble some sketches, or doodle on a post-it pad during your fourth of July holiday?  If not, remind yourself that it’s Monday, and with the launch of a new week, we get to Start Again. On everything; art-making and intentional thinking to direct our day along a planned course, rather than a willy-nilly slippery-skid, random path. I get more lost than found at the helm of my artistic ship, but I try – super hard – to stay the course. Perpetual distraction from other life-tasks will steal all my time if I don’t wrestle those art-making slots to the floor, and nail them in place on my schedule. And then I have to follow through and show up for work. How does your process work?

 

One Pebble at a Time

You know that Stephen Covey analogy of big rocks and smaller pebbles filling a jar?  I was determined to give my full attention to one pebble in the jar this week. I wanted to finish this Caricature watercolor  – inspired by photos snapped on our trip to San Francisco – before the July 4th festivities started. I worked on it in the kitchen while baking cookies, banana bread and stuffing jalapeños poppers. I finished just before family started to arrive. Finishing – anything – is just the sort of acknowledgement you need when you’re trying to nudge an art practice forward. A stack of failures to get hands on your art supplies, let alone finish something will squash your enthusiasm to Create. We need to finish here and there – even if we do it badly – to feel a sense of momentum.  The simple fact that we had hands on our supplies, and art was made, is a sweet little bunny hop forward. Plan your time. Work small. Pre-Draw your Work. You can do this.

Let’s Hold Hands & Jump In

Here are some inspiring links to help jump-start your creative week:

• Your Creative Push is a podcast of interviews focused exclusively on creativity and artists. Youngman Brown interviews painters, sculptors, illustrators, musicians and a whole posse of people just like us. Pick one and have a listen. You’ll be amazed at how much you have in common with the creative guests interviewed on the show. (You can also follow the show for some great quotes on Instagram)
• If you’ve ever wondered why some pigments are opaque while others are transparent, this little cookie of a video explanation from the good folks at Winsor & Newton both demonstrates and explains the what and why of transparent pigments beautifully.

It can be tough for an artist to accept that clarity is empowering. Words like ‘open’, ‘free’, ‘eclectic’ have become synonymous with creativity. ~TextileArtist.org

• Here is another spot-on essay from the smart minds over at TextileArtist.org about the simple-but-powerful exercise of clarity in creative work. Without clarity, your creative confidence gets undermined, and its too easy to bury your art-making time under the laundry pile of life. Read this, and then act accordingly. I’m high-fiving you as you click on that link.

 

Cha-Cha-Chah into your Studio

Here’s a hip-bump and another high-five to send you on your way to making something this week. Keep it small, schedule it on the calendar, ask a friend to join you, and be sure to fire your critic & show up. We’re all in this together.

Thanks for your visit and I’ll see you in the next post –

Belinda

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Art Quote

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.
~Stephen Covey

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