As I continue with my Studio Morning sessions aka “art practice” I have been making lots of small pieces, but of course none of them are finished! Which is pretty typical for me. I have been using this time to just play and experiment. I also have been finding that it's something I look forward to - and feeding that creative soul is so important for everything else in life!
When Renee Mueller first starting chatting about creating these Studio Mornings I was determined to do it every day! But then there's life stuff and work stuff that can completely derail your best-laid plans so after a month of continued practice I am happy to say I have been able to carve out 4 days a week.
As I am still trying to form a habit out of these practice sessions I am better off making art mid-morning. The afternoons are always a bit wonky once I'm off track with my to-do list. Lots of business stuff comes up, and then of course with teenage boys, I'm in the kitchen A LOT!
If you are interested in the psychology behind keeping a habit here's a good blog post to read by James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. Read here.
When I don't have a specific painting or idea I want to work on then I pull out some old journals, add on some more color or mark-making (I usually always have a few blank pages in them!). I will also just paint backgrounds on multiple pages in new handmade journals that will be ready for when I want to sketch and play.
Art practice doesn't mean you need to actually make a finished piece, or even have an idea of what you want to do. Just using your hands and art supplies is all you need to get started. The magic of creating will do the rest!
This past week I have been concentrating on creating floral studies - which I am LOVING. I have been switching off between watercolors and acrylics, as well as mixing them both together.
The other thing I have been doing is that once I am finished with my session, usually 1-1/2 hours I will just look at what I did and use a cropping tool to find some gems in the work! This trick is always satisfying.
I have been posting timelapse videos on most of these sessions over on my IG account if you want to see more of the process. Hope you will join me in finding that creative spark - I really do believe it's our superpower!
xo,
Andrea
Small movements and pieces always do the massage .... get all the kinks and jinks out of our bleary minds ... There’s too much happening ‘ Slow down, You move too fast “ .. I’ve had to shut my computer and friend down... SORRY ... I need a space to “ REFULE ... It sounds like you need to enjoy the flowers ..Love you dearly ... Roslind xoxoxo