How to create, observe and transform art / life
Why do I have an open studio each year?
organize and work regularly
Ooh boy! I wondered if I would get the place cleaned up in time for you. Sometimes I do too much at once, or I don’t put things back where they belong! Recognizing this reminds me to save time and find tools and paints faster. A habit of maintaining a system of organizing and working allows me to share it with you!
observe and reflect
Seeing the work up and surrounding me, allows a chance for both of us to observe and reflect on what I have done. Many times, the simplest thing takes on much more status when I see it in the context of all of my recent work! I wonder if that happens to you also?
assess & choose
The act of choosing what to leave in and what to withdraw is informative in itself. Making choices is part of creating. So pay attention to each piece; view it on its unique terms. Assess if you feel it adds to the overall strength of the whole exhibit.
ask for & accept help
Ask for and accept help from others. It takes a community to build a body of work.
invite & share
Invite people who care to see and talk about what you have done. Be inspired and informed by their insights. Share delicious bites of food, something refreshing to drink and great conversations.
feel & express gratefulness
Feel grateful for the privilege of having the ability to create work, show and sell it. Share your gratefulness with all who come or wish to come.
view from a new perspective
Take a step back to view the trajectory of where you are now and where you would like to go.
rest
Rest.
begin work again, with new insights
Keep going in the direction of your freshly gained insights.
I’m on to something! This list of how I transform my art by creating, then observing, could also be applied to the art of living! Thoughts?
4 Ways to Transform Your Vision on Life’s Journey
beth vendryes williams
I am awestruck that life has surprised me yet again!
The remarkable thing is that
I knew in high school that the marks I created on paper revealed the invisible parts of me.
Through college and then graduate school at the University of Iowa, I honed my
skills, pursuing the vocation of making art the rest of my life.
And I have!
Amid caring for three little rapscallion sons, changing diapers, and
working at Ikea and teaching, I painted and drew my children and even painted freshly
washed laundry. I was awed by the beauty in the haphazardness, shadows,
and light that bright little faces and just washed laundry. And now after not being
able to exhibit for a shone from few years, I am having an Open Studio this weekend.
Was it in the way I expected? No, not at all!
What about your life?
Do you remember your initial vision of your life? Has it grown and transformed as you have?
Can you continue to find inspiration in the spaces and moments between the daily demands of life?
A few things I’ve learned about living my vision and what you can do to transform yours:
Define your vision and then let it grow with you
When difficulties throw you off course, explore the new path and reset your route, but be sure to retain your vision's essence
Remember that the way your vision plays out will always be different from what you imagined
Life, art, and work are a process, not a destination
This weekend, as I observe the results of my latest work, I am grateful to have this chance to reflect and to share my work through my Open Studio.
I will be posting online the work exhibiting at my
, so you can all see where I am in my journey!
Where are you in your journey? Where would you like to be?
Seize the day….transform your life!
beth vendryes williams
It is so good to be back! I have transitioned to working full time as an artist! It is with glee (and trepidation), that I begin this journey. I am SO excited to have all of my time devoted to drawing, painting and putting my work out there!!
You are invited to come with me on this journey and in the process learn more about supporting the creative habit in your own life! I find that small or large creative action in ANY media has the capacity to transform!
If you don’t think you are creative, think again.
Observe, ask questions, share your thoughts and/or make your own creations, stick with me as I reveal my process and motivations during the process of creating my own body of work myself subscribe now! If you are a practicing artist; painter, sculptor, writer and would like to hear and share about the creative process, subscribe now! It's free! And I would love you to be a part of the conversation! If you are an art collector and just want to see what's here, search the rest of the site and subscribe to keep up with the latest! You can always contact me if you are interested in a piece to purchase
I will be sharing images of my work and my process! If you would like to see more of my work, explore this website in full and contact me if you need to know more!
“With your senses (not so much your mind), focus on one single object until you stop fighting it or resisting it with other concerns. The concrete is the doorway to the universal.”Richard Rohr Adapted from The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See,pp. 170-171
Through that process of creating my work, my intention is to listen, be open, and to respond using available materials and visual and intellectual inspirations. My goal here is to be transparent and share this process of creating a body of work. You can apply what you learn about the creative process and about interpreting the universal language of the visual to your own every day journey.
In the movie Dead Poets Society, the English teacher John Keating, played by Robin Williams says:"Carpe Diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”
Please DO let me know here what you do to live a creative life. It is SO inspiring to hear from you!