Don’t follow anything. Break the rules and do your own thing.
With my art I have discovered that every day is different. Some days I feel inspired to paint, others I craft, and then again, the crafts change as I see an opportunity.
I suck down a lot of Altoids due to allergies, so I end up with a lot of empty tins. They are too cool to throw away. Sometimes I recycle them, but lately I have had the idea to make travel shrines out of them.
This is an example of one. I used scrapbook papers, borders, polymer clay mosaic tiles, words, and a picture of Mary. I’m not even Catholic, but I like the classical pictures of her and what she stands for. This shrine is for sale in my etsy shop. (Link in sidebar.)
I love it when creativity takes me on detours. I often have the notion I should paint, or work on my art journal, but I see something and I see possibilities with the items around my house.
I go where inspiration leads me. I made a video about how to make these Altoids mini shrines. You can check it out HERE.
They are very easy to make. Basically all you need is paper and glue. If you have any stray ribbons or mini silk flowers, they would work too.
It doesn’t have to be a religious shrine. It could be a nature shrine, an inspirational shrine with a picture of someone who inspires you. It could be used as a small gift box. The sky is as wide as your imagination!
I have a 50% off sale on one of my e-courses: ART AS ORACLE. It’s a way to tap into your intuitive answers through art. It’s a lot of fun also. You can read all about it HERE.
The sale ends on November 3, so only two days left.
I also have lots of things for sale in my two etsy shops. Christmas is coming. Are you looking forward to it? I enjoy all the lights the most.
Have a creative rest of the week.
xo
Maria
I have reached Day 30, and it feels good to have accomplished the blog challenge I set for myself in a mastermind group.
Some days were hard and others flowed, ideas coming left and right and prompts wanting to be explored.
What I learned:
I could go on, but these are the main points. Never give up on those dreams. They get accomplished when you stick to the steps every day.
I will continue to blog of course, but maybe not every single day. 🙂
Awesome artists, I have noticed the trend of adult coloring books and planners sky-rocketing. I was wondering why that is, and thought about people’s search for something fun and gentle to add to their life. In this stressful world we look for something that has meaning and a calming influence. It brings us back to our childhood when the world was full of wonder and color.
I remember when I was a kid I was into paper dolls and beautiful bookmarks, Victorian roses and kids in vintage clothing mostly. I loved them for their intricate detail and elegance.
I also loved coloring books and would not color outside the lines. 🙂
My best friend and I used to take a composition book and fold the pages in half. In some of the folds we put bookmarks we wanted to trade. We would each take a turn to pick one of the folded pages. It was always an adventure to see what bookmark I would get. This was an ongoing thing. I treasured my folded paper book and would look inside often and change out the bookmarks.
That was the old style “planner” for me. I recognize the same wonder and excitement in ladies who buy their planners and all the accessories to create their very own version of planner. There are stickers, embossed labels, special pens, lists, pockets, sayings, and pictures to add. It is guided creativity.
I think we have forgotten how to create on our own, so we turn to kits and guided painting classes. Nothing wrong with that, and it may spark the individual to explore and continue with their creativity. In other words, unleash their inner greatness!! 🙂
Mandalas are big too. Many of the coloring books are nothing but mandalas.
Mandalas are like snowflakes, each unique. Some are so beautiful they take my breath away.
I think planners and art play books help us to heal and explore our own creativity. The time has come to be more of who you are. I think there is a strong inner urge for creativity as a unique expression and method for growth.
We grow through creativity and it is a GREAT thing!
I have a planner, but it’s not the artsy kind. I have to write everything down to remember stuff, but there is space to journal if I feel so inclined. I have at least three journals going right now. One is for business, one for personal stuff, and one for communication with my guides.
The journals all have their place, and I start every morning journaling while having my tea. I sit outside in my backyard, partially to keep an eye on my kitty who gets to go outside one hour in the morning.
I find so many things to be grateful for, and I write those down. I write down my intentions and needs. Ideas sometimes find their way onto the page. It’s a great way to start the day.
How do you start yours?
Much creativity to you this weekend. 🙂
Maria xo
P.S. I have some handmade low-cost art journals for sale in my etsy shop. CLICK HERE.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
I have no doubt that doubt holds us back from achieving our dreams.
Dreams can be elusive, and you might have a vague idea of what your dream is about. If you have an inkling that is GOOD! So many people don’t have any idea of what their dream or passion is.
Achieving a dream can be fraught with doubt and other pitfalls, but the easy part is to JUST START where you are now. Say you want to be an accomplished painter and you know you feel great when you paint, but something holds you back.
Fear create doubts. “I’m not good enough.” “I can’t paint well enough.” “I never went to art school so I can’t be a painter.” “People don’t approve.”
Sounds familiar? But who cares? When you start something, you might not have any idea of where you’re going, but buy some art supplies that appeal to you. (Most likely, you already have some dusty stuff hidden in the closet.) Dust that stuff off and bring it back out.
Once you have started and made a commitment to pursue your desire to become a painter, you will find that the next step on the journey will reveal itself. It’s as if starting sets off some kind of unseen magic.
You will make some ugly art and you will make some great art, and the PROCESS is what makes things interesting. Everything you do will teach you to take the next step. Art, by the way, is an endless exploration so even if you are a painter for 60 years, you still have more to explore. That is a great thing!
Other passions might not have that longevity factor.
You will be working on yourself as you follow your passion. Everything we dare to do helps us to discover new depths and gifts within ourselves. That is another gift that happens when we dare to step out of our comfort zone and try something new.
By all means, take some painting courses to learn technique, but know that the true creativity is inside of you. Don’t become a copy cat. Be brave enough to forge your own path even if there is lots of resistance. That might never go away, but you can make friends with it and DO IT ANYWAY.
Resistance meets me every morning in the studio, but what the heck is new with that? Nada. Old record of fear keeps playing in my mind, but action takes me beyond that and into the space where magic happens, or not. I still gain experience that is valuable.
How to find your passion if you don’t know what it is.
Think back to when you were a kid. What did you do then that you enjoyed? I enjoyed crafts (paperdolls,) reading, and the outdoors. Art making has traveled like a red thread through my life.
Think of some job you liked or had a knack for. It might have been a summer job when you were young.
What do you have a knack for? Writing? Numbers? Decorating? What do your friends ask you to help them with if anything? Do they often say, “You’re so good at this.”
If you like more internal things like reading, maybe you can try writing a book. What if you like intuition and meditation, all internal experiences? Maybe you can teach that to people. What if you love to cook? Maybe you can specialize in some type of cooking and write a cook book?
The possibilities are endless.
Maybe you like to speak, to lead, to teach. The online world is filled with endless possibility to make your mark and help many people.
Find your passion, START doing it. Take one step at a time, and when hurdles show up (as they will,) deal with them one at a time. You may have to do some internal work to get past feelings to inadequacy but in the long run, you will stand VICTORIOUS, and who knows, your paintings might be worth millions (once you’re dead, haha.) It’s all in the process, baby.
Kick the doubt to the curb and tell it stay the hell away!
xo
Maria
P.S. I have an art and intuition ecourse coming up. Art as Oracle 2 starts on June 7. You can read all about it HERE.
Creativity on fire, do you feel it, or do you feel stuck most of the time?
Creativity has become a big deal these days. The word is thrown around all over Facebook and other social media. What is creativity? I like how Wiki defines creativity:
Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and somehow valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention a literary work or a painting).
In other words, it’s not just artsy stuff. I’m into artsy stuff and self development. Creative ideas can be very helpful in both.
The problem with art is that we tend to copy each other, or paint in the style that is popular now. The artists we admire have forged their own path of creativity and that’s why they are leaders.
Forging your own path can be quite difficult and challenging, especially if you’re prone to criticize yourself and your work. It is always easier to copy others.
However, all the art looks the same, and part of us approve that we follow the trend, but another part says “wait a minute” that painting is not ME.
The only way to keep creativity on fire is to explore your inner landscape, to discover more and more of who you are and how you express. That means to listen to your intuition and step lightly and slowly in a world that runs at warp speed. Are you willing to truly go deep an explore or are you just having fun copying others or the teacher of the moment?
Every moment that feels authentic has another moment following, and to keep authentic we have to listen for that moment and what it presents. It might not present anything, and then we get frustrated.
I do this all the time. I override my better deeper judgment and paint something I already know, usually something cute. As you know, cute is IN, so you can’t go wrong with cute and whimsical.
However, the practice makes me frustrated and I get stopped in my tracks. That’s no way to feel around creativity. I want to feel fresh and inspired, “on fire.”
Maybe the hardest thing is to stay present and listening, and not bulling through to the finished product.
I have a FREE mini ecourse where art-ing in the moment can be explored. Check this out: Ugly Is Ok!
Join my Facebook group and share your work if you like. HERE.
Cheerio, and happy creating. Find the fire within!
xo
Maria