💚Making time to reflect in the studio

Once a ramshackle garage, I am grateful for its transformation a few years ago into a haven for painting!

In process piece from “imprint “series ink on acetate. bvw

Since the last time I spoke with you, life, as we have experienced it, has changed. I offer solace, hope, and prayers for you. I am finding a lot to think about as I work in my little studio.

It is also the result of “sheltering in place,” I believe. Repeatedly walking in the same footsteps each day can be challenging, as it is a bit repetitive. Yet, it can also offer a chance for my vision to see beauty and truth in things that I had previously taken for granted. And so I persevere, waking up at 5 am, meditating, sometimes yoga, a little breakfast, and then into the studio! Like anything else, this takes daily practice! I have yet to get entirely consistent, but it takes about 40 days to make a change of habit.

I did have trouble focusing when the COVID-19 emergencies were at their height in the NYC/Long Island area. The pain in the air was palpable. To answer your question, “Yes, I am creating in my studio, now !”

The series, called ”imprints,” has been very much about light and dark inky shadows. It is a commission piece for music soon to be released by Justin Morgan Williams called “vendryes imprints.” when finished, they will be hand-printed Dan Welden in the environmentally-conscious process of Solarplate printing. I also continue my work on “seeking refuge series” in mixed media of watercolor and collage. Being in the studio regularly has infused my work with serenity and focus. In the future, there is also a solo show on the books for this fall and a soon to be announced online workshop class.

But I will fill you in on that and more next time! I would love to hear what your are finding helpful during this liminal, unpredictable time! Text, email me from my site or leave a message on Instagram!

I wish you sunny skies and wellness, peace, and hope!

We are all in this together!

Warmly,

beth

Soar with the unexpected challenge of living creatively

waterscape            journal sketch                         beth vendryes williams

Being creative is defined as having the power to bring something into existence.

 Creative thinking is a skill that you learn as you grow and try to make sense of the world. It benefits both of us to understand different ways of exploring and visualizing. Specializing in one way of thinking can impede us from understanding the relationships that do exist within a diverse world.  Math, science, language, and history. For instance are all ways of understanding the same thing through different prisms or perspectives..

I remember first experiencing this when I was 14.

I loved taking art, enjoyed French, although with some difficulty and disliked the facts and figures of world history. Then one day, I learned about the same historical period in each of these three different classes. Suddenly it dawned on me that I was learning about the politics, the culture and the art of the same period! Then I began to understand the importance of each and how valuable it was to see from all three perspectives with a holistic view.

That one experience opened my mind to  see many commonalities in life. 

 I now regularly see how seemingly divergent ideas can flow together. This causes me to view of the world.in a  holistic  way.According to research done by Michele and Robert Root-Bernstein in [Sparks of Genius: there are many mathematicians, like Blaise Pascal and scientists like, Einstein, who used intuition and imaging to find solutions to theoretical problems. 

“Since then, I have approached my life creatively as if I were making a piece of art. All people, opportunities, books, places, new studies, and experiences constitute the materials that shape my daily life. ”

— beth vendryes williams

I consider making a meal as a work of art in how it is prepared, served and shared. That part was undoubtedly from my mom! Sewing or buying clothes, I look for beautiful, long-lasting organic alternatives. Cleaning supplies usually involve no preservatives or scents and baking soda and vinegar, so that they are sustainably able to tread lightly on our environment.

And in my professional vocation as an artist,

I  carry a journal and packet of watercolor crayons, pencils ink pens and water brushes in my pocketbook. At any time I can access my "portable studio" to work wherever I am. Waiting becomes an opportunity to see more. I now  look at my life as a work of art-in-process. 

Now, as in creating a piece of art, there are mistakes and hard times. But I learn from working on my art that errors can change my perception to discover opportunities and incentive to make something new. And when I experience tragedies and difficulties in both art and life, they can be transformative, so I end up doing things I never imagined.

I have a few tools that I utilize to keep me on track.

Keep watching for the next few posts as I begin to share them with you!

What is creativity and where do you find it?

It is important to create with  (or without) the crayons...I’ve been struggling with this very experience over the summer.  Creativity seems to seep out of me when I am going through an ordinary day. Free roaming creativity can interfere with my painting and drawing.

Wait just one minute...What is creativity, anyway?

There are many definitions...

To create is to “bring something into existence” or “to produce with imaginative skill” as defined in Merriam -Webster Dictionary. Mihaly Csikszentmihaly defines creativity as "any act, idea or product that changes an existing domain, or that transforms an existing domain into a new one" (p.27). Creativity can be described as" thinking outside the box". You effectively exhibit creativity  when you manage to transform a mistake into an opportunity!

So let me ask you , shave you ever created something that never existed before?" Do you imagine things before you make them?

I can just hear your answer now...a child, a party, a dinner, an experience, a cookie, a vacation, an outfit,  a hairdo  all have the capacity to be be the result of a creative imagination.

I have spent the summer, dear friends, struggling to refocus on building and then digging into my daily images. Weaving in time to nurture my relationships with friends and family, I was able to find numerous opportunities to create and view art and my surroundings.

And so, I sketched and painted, with- and also without, my art supplies! Creating meals with fabulous fresh summer vegetables from the garden, mending clothes that I love, changing plans and having an even better time because I was open to the change, venturing to visit places off the beaten path are just a few of the  ways of inviting creativity into your life.

Ways to transform life are unlimited.

When you transform and think outside the box you are utilizing your creative skills.

That is so important.

It is why I keep writing this blog.

A life altering thought...

Oh yes, you can be an artist in whatever material or subject matter that you work with.

I would love to hear about ways that you are creative in your life...