Daily Painting & the Power of Routine
Using the power of routine to get back on track
The beginning of the summer marked a low point for me, and over the past few months, I have edged my way back to creating by making a routine for my weeks. It’s not an understatement to say the simple act of painting each morning and knowing how I planned to spend the rest of my day helped me to get back on solid ground.
Finding Mental Clarity in a Bustling World
Using word maps to help clear your mind and move past overwhelm
I came about these naturally, through necessity. They are simply diagrams where I write an area of concern, put a circle around it, and then begin adding everything I am thinking of related to that topic.
Creating a Daily Gratitude Practice
How to feel more grateful with just a one-minute commitment each day
Keep it simple and easy – Nearly three years ago, I began a daily gratitude practice and have been doing it ever since. I have found that the trick to sticking to it, is to create a very low barrier to actually doing it. Keep it super quick and easy to do – we’re talking one minute of your day.
Affordable Ways to Refill Your Creative Well
20+ low-cost ideas to fuel your creativity and feel inspired
After many times pushing past the point of creative health and finding myself burnt out or with no ideas/inspiration, I have learned to listen better to the warning signs. These are things that can help you to slow down, restore your energy and focus, and find new inspiration.
Maker Interview: Fine Art Photographer Morgane CG
A conversation with professional photographer, Morgane CG
We talk about the need to create, making sense of uncommon life paths, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the meditation of creative flow
Playing with Paper: Exploring Chine-Collé
Paper collage made with a printing press and Japanese papers
It can be easy to forget to share the behind-the-scenes of what we are working on. These things can give a glimpse into the artistic process and into other ways of working that can be very enlightening and inspiring to others. So, I thought I'd share with you here a few recent explorations I made in chine-collé as well pictures of the shared studio space in which I often work
Free Ways to Refill Your Creative Well
20+ ways to get inspired in your creative life and work, without spending or buying a thing
After countless times of pushing past the point of creative health and finding myself burnt out or with no ideas/inspiration, I have learned to listen better to the warning signs. These are things that can help you to slow down, restore your energy and focus, and find new inspiration.
Finding Wisdom and Strength in Your Mistakes
Life lessons from something that seemed like a good idea, but wasn’t
I recently made a decision to do something that I later regretted. In hindsight, I can see that my intuition was warning me (quietly) that it was not the right move. All the outward aspects seemed to line up. It seemed to come together quickly and easily. I had to ask myself afterward why this had happened, what I’d learned from it, and how I might avoid it happening again.
Maker Interview: Sound & Textile Artist Emma Aurelia
A conversation about staying engaged with your materials, putting yourself out there, and believing in the work that you do
The rewards of following your own path to a meaningful creative life are so rich but often seem small and far between. We each need encouragement, support, and a sense of community – of being a valued part of something, in order to move forward. This is part of a series of conversations with makers who I feel are living with courage, from the heart.
Where Do Your Creative Ideas Come From?
How the concept of a ‘Creative Well’ can be a useful tool
In my experience, it’s not only where your ideas come from that matters, but whether you are able to tap into them, make connections between them, and take action on them. In other words, you must have space, attention, AND ideas to draw from. To help navigate this, I’d like to look at the idea of a creative well. I have found this to be such a powerful and helpful visualization because it’s so tangible.
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