Tag Archives: art

art, creativity, inspirational

Do you feel inspired?

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Do you feel inspired today?  I can’t say it’s a day I’m raring to go in my studio this afternoon. Sometimes it feels as if I’ll never be inspired again, but that is never the case. 🙂

It usually means I got stuck in my habits and forgot to look at the world with wonder.  Habits are inspiration killers. It’s so easy to get stuck in the mundane.

Here are a few ways I get out of my own  lack of inspiration.

  • I like to go to the library and look at those big art books.  For one thing, the silence and the people reading and sitting at the computers feel like companionship, and just mingling with others can spark inspiration. Besides, I LOVE those beautiful pictures of famous art.
  • I go out in nature. The shapes and the colors are always new and if I pay attention I always see something I didn’t notice before.
  • Hang out on Facebook for a while looking at art in all the art groups I belong to.  Such wondrous variety!  There is the danger of getting stuck on FB though.
  • I do a lot of research on the Internet. I find that the Internet is a great source for how-tos. I really like it, but it’s easy to get stuck there too. There is always an upside and a downside to everything, right?  Say you want to know how an ocean wave really looks before you paint it. You search the term and gazillion pictures come up. That is genius at our fingertips.
  • Friends to cheer me on! Especially other artists.
inspiration
Inspiration
  • Visit some local art gallery.
  • Give yourself a challenge to paint something different, using a different color palette.
  • Go shopping for art supplies. Yeah!
  • And, last but not least, just ignore any feelings of lack and paint anyway. Ugly is okay.  Art journaling really helps too, or plain ole journaling to get that focus back.
  • You can talk with some naysayer in the family and get inspired to prove them wrong! Anger and disgust are good action propellers. 🙂

I would love to hear what you do when your inspiration is flagging.

Have a wondrous creative weekend!

xo

Maria

P.S. I could use an art sale about now, and I have many pieces to choose from in my etsy shop. HERE.

 

art, creativity, motivational

Art as expression of the intangible

I have touched on art as an expression of the intangible before when I wrote about the masters and what they left behind that touches us so deeply.  Not just artists, but the musicians too. There were composers like Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach.  They are still popular today, and what about all the more modern music that blasts over the internet and the radio?

Those people composed because they had such a strong urge to bring it out to the world. Not that they thought about fame and fortune, but something inside urged them to bring the gift out.

When we make something special to us, we also grace the world with that special something, the intangible energy that is pure genius. We can’t all be Beethoven or Rembrandt, but we have the gift of genius as well.  Just touching ONE person’s heart is enough.

I was thinking about that when I went grocery shopping yesterday.  Sometimes the energy is drab and low in the stores, but just one smile can change the energy to something better.  One smile can change a person’s day.  So, I go to the stores with the intention of bringing a good vibe, like magic dust, spread it around and touch someone with a bit of cheer.

Everything we do, if we do it with care and with a cheerful spirit, is genius. It’s that intangible something that comes from within. The trick is to live in the moment, not in memories or worries for the future.

In other words, to become a genius and be who you were meant to be from the get go is to practice staying in the moment of now and create. A whole new world opens up.

Yesterday, I was driving down this busy highway that everyone hates around here and cars hurtled by at breakneck speeds. Usually, I feel a bit anxious about being in the middle of the traffic “soup,” but yesterday it was like being in a vision of joy propelling the cars forward. Somehow I had tapped into the universal power that drives everything, and all I could see was joyous movement.  So strange.

The moment deepens into a whole new view of the world, and when I bring that to my art, everyone loves it.  I need to be there more often. 🙂

Have you let your genius out? If not, it’s about time to allow the bigger you to play. Slap some paint around and see what happens.  Sometimes we have to break all the rules to get out of the box.

I’m not getting back in that box!  Once out, you can’t really go back in. If you do, you feel like a fool.

Going to my studio now…

xo

Maria

P.S. I have three self-study e-courses available to get that art mojo going! CLICK HERE.

art, creativity, ecourse, free, process, self help

Andrea Schroeder on self love.

I have never met Andrea Schroeder in “real” life but maybe I have met her in my dreams.  She is the creator of the Creative Dream Incubator and the Creative Dream Circle.  A Canadian with a vision that goes beyond the usual “fluff” we so often see on social media.

She’s an artist but also someone who delves deeply into the problems of being human.  She helps you expand the possibilities of being a life artist. I was intrigued by her unique take on common problems / solutions so I promptly joined her Creative Dream Circle.

And I have had fun with it ever since! It’s full of creative courses and other awesome offerings. The yearly  membership will not be enough to go through all the material, but I look forward to a long exploration on her site.

I will offer you links to her offerings at the end of this post.  This excerpt is from her free guided journal + free coloring book.

What it is: 15 pages of journal prompts and hand-drawn mandala coloring pages to explore and color.

She writes:

It’s a beam of creativity & love, from my heart to yours.

This book is designed for people who want to lead creatively abundant lives — and do ‘impossible’ things, with ease & joy, every day.

Filled with journaling prompts, unique energy alchemy processes and hand-drawn healing mandala coloring pages, this book will lead you through the process of learning more about your (amazing!) self.

There is magic in this book.

You activate that magic by playing with it.

Play in whatever way you want to play. Use whatever art supplies are fun for you: glitter pens, crayons, collage, etc.  There are no rules here.

The journaling prompts are tiny little diving boards, for you to dive off of into your own adventure – go off on tangents and explore whatever thoughts come up in the process.  They will lead you to amazing places.

The healing power of the mandala coloring pages is activated when you color them in, lighting them up with your unique creative expression and ideas.  (If you want to explore mandalas further and draw your own, I’ve got an easy-peasy anyone-can-do.

My hope is that this book helps you to fall more deeply in love with your amazing self.

mandala coloring pagesmandala coloring pagesmandala coloring pages

To download this free inspirational how-to go HERE.

You don’t have to be an artist to create these mandalas.

To find a full length course of painting mandalas or to find out about the Creative Dream Circle go HERE.

All artists and LIFE artists need a shot of inspiration so I have added the link below.  It’s really worth looking into.

To give Your Dream Wings, check out this full length e-course that is FREE!!!  Click HERE.

You can also find Andrea on Facebook HERE.

andrea1
Andrea Schroeder

We all need inspiration sometimes, and she’s great at offering new views and possibilities, and I like her laid back style.

I wish you a happy, creative weekend!

xo

Maria

P.S. If you’re looking for a unique gift please check my etsy shop HERE.

 

art, craft, creativity, creator, mixed media, polymer clay mosaic

Art versus craft

Art versus craft, what is the difference?

What part of us needs to know?

I was making some polymer clay mosaic picture frames today and was struck by the thought that I feel the same when I’m doing crafts as I feel when painting.

In the past I have labeled painting as “art” and anything else that I enjoy to do with my hands as “craft.”  Craft ought to be more lowly than art, but there is NO difference since I’m the same creator.

Doesn’t it all come from the same inner source?  Yes, of course it does. Craft may be more mechanical in that you make more of the same items, but not one is exactly the same.  With my mosaics it’s hard to even make two that look alike, but if you put them all side by side, there is a definite similarity of style and a preferred choice of colors.

When I paint I also prefer certain colors to others. I don’t prefer a particular motif, but if I did, I might find painting easier than facing a blank canvas to start something completely new. I can’t seem to focus on a particular subject.  My color choices do carry “my” signature.  The mosaics all look similar because I have only so many tools in my toolbox for imprints and only so many rubber stamps. No matter. It won’t stop me from creating.

The me sitting in my studio is the one who creates, not necessarily the ego me who likes to think I’m The Great Artist. It doesn’t change what appears on the canvas or on my mosaic frames. If I’m having a good time, that’s good enough for me.

Feeling alive is what I enjoy, no matter what I do.  In other words, doing what I love.

It is a choice and sometimes a compulsion to create, but no matter how things transpire in the studio, I spent the day in a good way.

DSCN2161
polymer clay mosaic frame.

This one will end up with an altered Christmas ornament in the shape of a heart in the middle. I adhere some text to the surface and glue inspirational words on it. Then I attach it to the background that I alter with awesome paper.

DSCN2162
small frame with polymer clay mosaic tiles.

A 5×5″ picture frame.  Fun and fast to make since it’s so small.

What are you working on today?  I wish you all kinds of creativity.

This concludes day 10 of the blogging challenge …

xo

Maria

P.S. Check out some of my stuff for sale in my etsy shop HERE.

art, creativity, inspirational, painting

Art as energy work.

Have you noticed how art can be energy work?  It brings healing, contemplation, and speaks to our inner self. Sometimes it comes across as something repulsive, but maybe that is because it triggers something repulsive within.  Art is a mirror of our own state and that shifts all the time.

Great art is timeless. It speaks to the universal truth of self and has a much larger scope than, say, a whimsical picture of a cat. Not that I have anything against cute cats, but to feel the greatness of my own life, I can go to any art museum and immerse myself in the great art of the world.

I remember when I went to the Met in New You and saw the Impressionists. I have never seen a “real” painting by Renoir before and the light that he had captured with paint took my breath away.

Renoir_-_The_Two_Sisters,_On_the_Terrace
The two sisters on the terrace. Renoir.

How do you paint light?  It’s not all in the technique obviously. Somehow he pulled it out of himself and the vision of light and shadow he had was superior.

I admire different aspects of different painters, but they all have one thing in common; they never strayed far from their original style (except Picasso maybe, haha.)

My favorites are the painters of the Impressionistic style. There is an innocence and joy about the art. They captured an era when people took pleasure in the simpler things.  Much of the modern art has such hard edges that speak of our harsher more stressful times.

I like to go up to art at a museum and feel entranced, not disturbed. Yet, honest art speaks the truth about the times we live in and it’s not all milk and roses.  Far from it.

One time when I was an art student a friend and I got a wild hair and spread open an umbrella at a museum of modern art. We stuck it on the floor with a tag that said “Umbrella.”  People stopped and looked at it, walked all around it, pondering.  We thought we were very clever.

Then a guard discovered the abnormality and the game ended abruptly.  It was fun though. That brings up the question: what is art? That is a discussion that can go on forever.

Personally, I like to be blown away when I go to view art.

I can only aspire to have people like my own art, and some really do. I guess my mission is accomplished if one person likes my art. All is good!

This concludes Day 8 of the 30 day blog challenge.

What are you working on today? What beauty are you bringing out to the world?

xo

Maria

P.S. I have some beautiful art for sale in my etsy shop. 😉  HERE.

art, art journaling, creativity, mixed media, tutorial

Art Journaling stuff.

Day 6. I have been doing some art journaling lately, experimenting with a lot of background techniques, which is fun. It’s an adventure since you don’t know how it will turn out. Art is very forgiving so usually everything turns out okay in the end.

In the two pictures below, I wet my heavy duty journal paper thoroughly with water. Then I used very diluted acrylic paints and dripped them on the water-logged paper. The paints spread in a nice, sometimes subtle way. You can use any craft paints or finer art paints as long as they can be diluted with water. Watercolor paints would work well if you want a more soft and subtle background.

Star angel

This is another version on my freebie art tutorial Star Angel. You can get that video tutorial HERE.

Splatter background detail

In the picture above, you can really see the background variations. Lots of fun. 🙂

Leather effect with tissue paper.

The one above is a faux crinkled leather background. I used medium spread liberally across the paper, and then I glued tissue paper over it. It’s important to crinkle the tissue paper into a ball in your hand, and then spread out the wrinkled paper on the medium. Let dry thoroughly, and paint whatever colors you like. I used some raw umber on my fingertip to brush over the ridges as a last coat to make the creasing more dramatic.

Art journal page with glued paper background.

Fantasy flowers painted on top of decorative paper, which was glued down in my journal.

art journal page

Just for fun!  Grow wild and free. Hell yeah!!!

What are you working on today?

Please share in the comments.

…because Life happens NOW!

xo

Maria

PS. If you’re interested in a fun self-study art journaling ecourse, please check out my e-course site HERE.