I try to uphold to a morning routine by carving out time for myself before the hectic throws of the day. My commitment to writing three long hand pages (morning pages) began many years ago when I read the book, The Artist Way, by Julia Cameron. The routine of writing everyday clears the mind, relieves stress and allows you to tap into your well of creativity on a regular basis. My writing this morning inspired this doodle.
My sketch book, pencil, pen on paper.
When the artwork was created, I let the brush and paint guide me. The pattern and color took shape on the canvas and I intuitively let the image come forth. As I viewed the painting today for the first time in months, I understand the message. Today the image spoke to me.
Step out of the shadows, be light, take flight. You never know what you can achieve until you try!
Detail, Acrylic on canvas
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Live it, create it, draw it, paint it, perform it, design it, write it out
and stay true to self.
Pen, color pencil, nail polish on paper
What do books, artwork and a gnome with a broken foot have in common? Nothing! I am in search of inspiration in any form. I have been caught in a dust storm of sorts, a creative dry spell. I am finding ways to replenish thy soul, by doing the things I enjoy, like reading books from my favorite authors. It helps to know that this will pass, to be patient and to do the things that will fill my well of inspiration.
I would love your feedback. How do you cope with a creative dry spell?
Other books I enjoy reading when in need of inspiration:
Julia Cameron, The Artist Way
Henriette Anne Klauser, Write It Down Make It Happen
David Usher, Let The Elephants Run
Inspiration was lost to me for a few days, gone was the desire to create for my 100 artworks challenge. This weekend a change of scenery is what I needed, and it came knocking. A hike in nature with a friend, a visit to an artists studio space and viewing art was very uplifting. It was exactly what I needed to keep going.
16/100 My interpretation of the Blessed Mother, this is a gift for my mother-in-law. Mixed media, decorative paper, watercolor, pen on wood panel.
Inspiring words seem to arrive when you least expect it. Explaining my frustrations of the day, friends gave me great advice.
“Don’t always have to wait on others to accomplish what you want, just find your own way to create your ideas, your dreams.”
#aedm2014
I have all good intentions to create, to draw out the ideas swimming in my mind. Over the course of the day life happens and I slowly dismiss all my creative nudges. At the end of the day when I didn’t make the time to do what I love, I am grumpy and irritable. And this brings me to the dreaded blank canvas, the one I stare at on a daily basis. My goal is to allow myself one minute, one stroke of the brush one line of the pencil at a time to make my art. Some days a few minutes is all I have, and by allowing myself to enjoy the process of beginning maybe that is all I need.
-where the white blank canvas lives…..
Inspiration comes in many forms, the following is a list of recent books I found helpful and thought provoking:
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
The Sound of Paper, by Julia Cameron
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -H. Jackson Brown Jr.
A weekend spent wandering around Lancaster, Pennsylvania. My husband and I spent time driving around Pennsylvania Dutch Country with a map in hand and no particular place to go. I was inspired by the historic towns, unique shops and sprawling farm land. Along the way I captured some images that caught my eye.
Hope you enjoy the ride….
Lancaster has many covered bridges, 25 to be exact unfortunately we only found one.
Driving through Terre Hill, the delicate iron work at this cemetery caught my eye, had to stop and take a picture – the clouds rolled in, in time for a dramatic shot.
A stop in Litiz. Chocolate! Enough said…….
Fancy teapot display at Wilbur Chocolate Factory. 
Couldn’t pass this up, had to check out the store. 
More information on Lancaster PA:
Trying to accomplish my work, I was eager to complete sketches for a project. As my day progressed my focus seemed a little scattered I felt a jolt of inspiration and this is what happened:
I decided to finally paint over a new shirt that had dirt I couldn’t wash out. I came up with a simple design and using gold fabric craft paint, I painted over the trouble spots.
After a trip to the supermarket to buy only one item, I came across a bottle of vitamin E & coconut oil for $1. Bought it with the bright idea to make my own body lotion. So of course I mixed some up when I got home. Utilizing an empty lotion container, I mixed together, in equal parts, the oils, vaseline and left over sample of vanilla scented lotion. The result.
Needless to say I am still working on my sketches!
jennifer barrile 