Daily Paintings: Memories of Walks
Uncovering patterns in your creative work
Many of my mornings over the past few months have been spent in the studio, painting. I’ve been going back to the basics – making work for myself – because I feel more alive, balanced, and grounded when I am creating images. I am keeping things simple: a few brushes, smaller loose-leaf pages, my favourite tubes of colour... and painting what interests me, for me. This has helped me to remember why I began painting in the first place and reconnect with the process of making.
Avoiding Cliffs: What to do When Fears Are Holding You Back
Focussing your attention on the manageable next steps
We tend to get way ahead of ourselves—thinking many, many steps ahead or of worst-case scenarios. We attempt to protect ourselves by imagining all that can go wrong or of all the difficulties that can come our way. We stare at the biggest cliff we can find and then recoil back from it, justifying why we shouldn’t take action toward what we want if it will lead to that. So what to do?
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.
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