To remain creative, sometimes an artist needs to step away from the project they are working on and do something completely different. That is what I did in December.
Felt, embroidery floss, needle and thread, trim, beads, ribbon and stuffing. What fun! I’m already wondering what to try next on these cold wintery nights.
Every year I get a word for the New Year. I happily bounce into the next year with wings on my feet. This year is different. I am patiently waiting. I think it’s going to be a very important word so I have to search it out. God does not leave me wordless! I will find it!
Did you get a word?
How many times can a person start over? Every day if you are human. As an artist, I find that every day there is fresh inspiration right in front of me. Color combinations, characters I meet on my walks, weather that surrounds me, friends I visit with, books I read, movies I watch and on and on.
The world is a fascinating place to live in. Even in our seclusion we can find joy. I am not about to stop singing or dancing out in the great outdoors. The fresh air fills my soul and I can go back to the studio and begin again.
In my seclusion I am finding new purpose. I am reaching out to people with encouraging cards I create just for the recipients. My imagination is taking off and heading in new directions.
Just like my little character named, “Peepsqueak” always says when we sign books, “All things are possible!!”
Artists of the world, I appreciate you! What a job we have. We create from our passionate hearts and then our creations are rejected. Still we continue to create.. It’s in our blood. It’s in our DNA. If we don’t do it, we get cranky and frustrated.
We may take a vacation, but creativity goes with us. Colors sing to us. Lines, shapes, ideas..they follow us…sometimes they holler at us to take notice.
One time I was riding home in the car from a trip to the mountains. My husband was driving. I had my sketchbook on my lap and a magazine on top of that. Ideas began flowing as I flipped through the pages of the magazine and made notes in my sketchbook. From there, more ideas came. Without a word spoken in the quiet car, my mind was ablaze with activity.
I stopped. I looked over at my husband. I asked him what he was thinking about. He said, “Nothing, I’m driving”. I chuckled and told him he would be freaked out if he could get in my brain at that moment in time. Hahaha!
It’s a gift to hold the creative gene. To see ideas flow from the viewing of a sunset or a passing snail. To be inspired by looking at an old piece of barn wood, a bolt of fabric, a skein of soft yarn, a tube of red paint, a song on the radio …etc. oh what a life we lead.
My dream for all artists is that we find our way and create what we were meant to create to make the world a brighter and happier place. Will your art speak? Will it have a voice in the life of someone who needs encouragement, will it make a baby smile or a grandparent shed a tear as it touches their heart? Will it boost a spirit? Will it change a life? I hope so. Keep going! Keep creating. You are amazing! Sing your song! Have fun!!!
Oh What fun!!! The Art Licensing Show website is up and running today!! You may ask, what is it? Here is the explanation by founder Cherish Flieder.
ArtLicensingShow.com is a permission based, virtual portal where artwork can be reviewed privately by Art Directors who are looking to commercially license artwork. Authorized Art Directors may request to see art from a wide assortment of participating Artists and Licensors and highlight favorite art pieces, all with a single login.
It is an online directory where art licensing companies and professionals in supporting roles can be be listed and found with a simple search by name, keywords, subject and genre.
Lastly, it’s a a social gathering where industry professionals can network and connect with one another in groups, site updates, and via direct messaging to advance their goals.
All of us on the site have been working hard to get our art up and loaded. Today is our big day!
Am I finished? Is an artist ever really finished? There are always more things to do! More drawing, more coloring,
more ideas, more more more!
Each day is filled with work. My work is fun, but there are still decisions to make and a path to stay on. There are meetings to schedule and deadlines to meet. It can be a constant process of thought and movement.
I have stopped for the day. I stopped to look over my idea book and enjoy the summer breeze. The are ideas everywhere and sometimes you cannot find the ones that are in the calm of the day if you don’t stop to look and listen.
My doggie stands guard to protect me from squirrels, my other doggie wanted the cool of the air in the house. I listen to the wind kicking up. I hear cars from a nearby street. I feel sure that the birds are discussing what’s for dinner. My feel are hot in my sneakers that are still on since my morning walk. My daisies look like they are reaching for the sky. The weeds are tall on the north side of my house. My thoughts travel to what to make for dinner. (I resist that thought for now). My daughter turned 35 today! That makes me smile as I remember her entrance into this world and her loud voice!
All of these are but fleeting thoughts. Sometimes a fleeting thought will make into a story, but you must take the time to stop, look and listen.
Now I dive into my idea book!
December and January… my favorite time of year!
How funny! I found this unpublished blog post while looking through my WordPress site. It was fun to read it now that we are midway till Christmas! I suppose it’s a bit of a mile marker for me to measure up what I’ve accomplished so far. It’s also fun to read where my head was at during that time of year .
*********************************tàke a peek* and Merry Christmas! HA!****************************
I love the holiday bustle, I love the atmosphere of giving. The giving of time tops it all. Why? because it is setting down your busy life to pour yourself into someone else. People are precious! From the tiniest soul to the well worn senior. That is why we cry when they die. Our hearts can be wrapped around complete strangers when we hear they have died. It is a fascinating thing to be human being.
When the holidays end, it is time to move into the new year. I imagine it this way. I am about to board a train that will take me through 2013. I have a destination in mind. I begin to pack what I need. I look back at my 2012 journey to determine how I will pack for this year and where I will be headed. I can only take what I need. Why lug about unnecessary items? Do I really need this and that? My gaze shoots around my house. I think.. “I have been taking this item on my trip for 30 years and I never use it! It’s time to get rid of it.”
What did you accomplish in the year 2012? Did you fulfill a dream? Did you start on a new dream? Did you fail miserably? ha! The answer, “yes” to the last question need not discourage you. Life is a journey. We often have our “falling on face” moments. They prepare us for success. They hone us. They often times show us what NOT to do. They may actually set our course to success if we do not give up.
*******************6more months to go! How are you doing in the advancement of your goals?*******
There is so much involved in designing. One must be up on the trends for color and pattern and more. I always have my eyes open to finding things I love to look at!
Here are the Pantone color trends for 2013.
http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr.aspx?pg=21005&ca=4
I had to take a close look at them. . . some of them bore me unless they are paired with an “eye-catching” color. Color is so amazing! It can make your day! It can bring a smile to your face, and warm your heart. It can also bring you down. Why else do people get depressed when they experience too many gray rainy days? All that because of color? Yes! Think of the feeling you get when you take a walk and come upon a beautiful scene. Do you ever “OOOOoooh and Aaaaaahhhh?” Do colors grab you?
Colors can calm the soul. One of my favorite movies is Miss Potter. I like her spunk, I LOVE that she talks to her cartoons, and I also love the scenes of her beautiful English countryside. The colors speak peace and tranquility.
One might want calm and peaceful and serene colors for the baby nursery. So why did I decorate my first child’s nursery in bright sunshine yellow with brown and Kelly Green accents? ha! Because I crave bold colors! All I could think of was that my baby would wake up and want to be inspired by what she saw. The room had to be warm and happy and that it was!!
As the room progressed to fit two more daughters into it, we moved to pinks and browns. I loved it, but the girls were not really drawn to it. Interesting.
In my house, you will find that colors change often. If I could, I would paint my house every year! My husband jokes about our bathroom being smaller because of the many times I have painted it! I am thinking of a new color as I type!!! I am leaning towards a beautiful blue with just the right amount of purple in it! Baby blue is okay, but I always want something with a little PUNCH in it! I like to walk into a room and hear my heart sing! La la! Wall colors can be muted but if that is the case, in my house, the paintings must sing! Oh how I love a noisy house filled with color.
So what am I to do? Follow the trends? Or start my own trends? Am I brave? These are the questions every designer must face. I always lean towards being a renegade trend setter! ha!
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