Where do you find your refuge?
Robert H. Truman State Park
I am SO looking so forward to my open studio this weekend!
The studio is scrubbed clean and with a fresh coat of primer, courtesy of Ross and Allen.
I am asking for your help in expanding my perspective for “seeking refuge” project. My research, defining refuge and where and why we seek it, has allowed me to explore my own need for safety and freedom. You could help me by sharing your succinct thoughts and related images/photos:
What, who or where you go to to feel safe? A place, person object or some combination?
Is there a cup of tea that you always sit down with or a place in your garden? Or is it a person who always seems to know how to listen?
I will collect all of your responses and choose some to explore further in my work. I plan on having an exhibit on the topic.
Please respond tagged with #findingmyrefuge in the comment section, instagram, twitter, facebook or my email using the #findingmyrefuge tag so I can collect them all to reflect on and share. You can certainly post comments on the wall at my open house!
Thank you for your help! I hope to see you this weekend!
finding refuge
finding refuge #0925 watercolor © beth vendryes williams 1500.
Listening to my inner voice during the process of art making
begins with wondering about how to deal with my heart, my art and what is happening around me. The daily patterns of life that I inevitably engage in a call to me for exploration. I find they provide moments rich for reflection. The hours of the day progressively transform my bedroom, and the effect of light and shadow change me, too. Holding a cup of steaming café or tea stirs the senses with warmth, aroma and sharing thoughts. Taking a walk can allow me space to carefully observe in an open, non-dualistic way. Simple objects contain the history of the souls who touched, created and used them; the insistent patter of raindrops creates a cadence, inviting a meditative state. These are just some of the experiences I plumb to investigate the unopened treasures that we have strewn before us, every day!
refugees
I am strongly affected by the plight of the refugees in the world right now. My heart goes out to the souls who risk their lives as they leave a place that is unsafe for them. I wonder, can we even truly understand the depth of their fear, the sorrow of leaving a home, the pain of being hungry, the danger of running away? If they are lucky enough to make it out, many are turned away by a country or segmented in tents living in temporary camps for years!
Can I ever understand? It certainly is easier to say they were “turned away by a country” rather than" I turned them away." Maybe, I could help by holding them in my heart and thoughts as I learn more about what it means to be in need of refuge.
I do need to make art. Is that where I seek refuge?
Is that also where I can offer a place of refuge?
“I do need to make art. Is that where I seek refuge?
Is that also where I can offer a place of refuge?”
— beth vendryes williams
It appears so because I am compelled to return to my practice day after day. There is a source inside me where I go to create imagery that resonates with my soul. Now, I imagine the experience of finding “refuge” in my life. What would I do if I couldn’t create time and space to paint and draw? For me, creating is a “basic” need.
Without the opportunity to paint, I would feel bereft. I need a place to shout with joy, to feel empathy with others and express it, admire beauty, recognize pain and sorrow, search for evidence of meaning in this life, far beyond manmade laws. I cannot hide this or pretend it is not there. It is my work, and I need to share it.
My art is saying “Look here, what you thought was nothing important, like sleeping, opens up worlds to you!". Deprived of sleep, you cannot concentrate. Taking time to assimilate your day and to allow your spiritual and physical body to rest, is essential for your sanity. The idea of restoring yourself, letting go, being quiet, recording dreams, creating patterns to invite sleep, deepens you to nurture a contemplative life.
My practice involves observing such a simple habitual act, as if for the first time! I paint to discover, then honor, the dignity in an ordinary moment.
“My art is saying ‘Look here, what you thought was nothing important, like sleeping, opens up worlds to you!”
— beth vendryes williams
My dear readers, has something ordinary ever suddenly taken on a surprising beauty that you never noticed before? I look forward to your thoughts!
Awesome! Procrastination nurtures creative thinking?
swaddling # 0918 interior refuge beth vendryes williams
I got so excited when I read this headline and even mOre so while watching this TED video! Oh my gosh, this is a natural for me! My husband is a precrastinator, and yes, that is a word that means “the tendency to complete, or at least begin, tasks as soon as possible” from [science of us magazine]!
There is one caveat, though, that you ned to be careful of. Too much of it and the creative advantage disappears. Watch this to find out how and why being “late to the party” can allow you to be more creative. Why allowing yourself to doubt and feel fear can fuel your creative juices. How to increase your creative ideas even more!
So stop apologizing and start allowing yourself the privilege of putting decisions “on the back burner”.
Oh, and let me know if and how this works for you in comments or on social media!
One thing to do to learn more about being more creative is to sign up for my monthly newsletter which also includes links to my blog posts written weekly. Don’t miss another one!
How spring resonates
petite garden windows watercolor 4" x 6" landscape bvw 499.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. —Harper Lee (1926-2016), To Kill a Mockingbird”
A new beginning!
Aah, the daffodils are up, and there is a delicate fragrance hovering. Spring is in the air. It brings hope, inspires me, and now I am in the studio beginning a new project! So I start by drawing. My drawings will lead me through my next body of work.
Sometimes I look for the logic in that… why I am in the studio.
Intuitively, I just feel like it is my “work” to be witness to what I see. I like the challenge of defining the spaces between objects, the interactions between positive and negative spaces and how the “point of view” is only that of the person drawing. It changes every time I change…my physical position by sitting or standing, and even how I look by using my left eye or my right. How I feel emotionally and spiritually affects how I interpret what I observe.
So drawing helps me to understand the effect of all of these things. It makes me more aware that life is very different for each person because we each look through a different prism.
> You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. --Harper Lee (1926-2016), To Kill a Mockingbird
So I guess I draw to keep myself honest and to check and recheck my perspective. For both my art…and my life.
Ultimately, he actual object, “the drawing”, is like a map describing my vision, and it will undoubtedly be interpreted very differently by each one of you as you view it. How intriguing is that!
So I will get myself in the studio to work on my project, "finding refuge" .Now if you could share with mw what makes you feel safe and embraced in the world amidst its uncertainties that would be incredible! I would love to understand what's important from your point of view. Comment, emaill, fb, tweet, instagram, etc.
Art & books, discover two of my favorite things!
happy gathering, pastel 11" x17" beth vendryes williams
Come see my art inspired by spring at Dolphin Bookshop in PortWashington. It is a rare opportunity to see refreshing work while enjoying a cup of green tea or a latté. You also have a diverse selection of books and toys at your fingertips in case you need to purchase either. You are right near the park that borders on Manhasset Bay, and you can walk outside by the seawater! Imagine, ALL of this in one short trip! The exhibit will be up until the end of March.
Perhaps I will even be there at one of those sunlit tables. If not, I will be in my studio beginning my next project and reviewing my 120 journals which I have created over the years! But more about those two things in my next post.
I am beginning to get work ready for my Open Studio in June. The date will be announced and listed on the Events page. Or you can sign up for my once a month newsletter, right at the bottom of the page!
I do love to hear your thoughts about my work, the exhibit or a specific piece here in comments or on my contact page. Looking so forward to hearing from you! Oh yes, and to keep up with what I am making and showing, please, subscribe, below!
A sneak peak of my new exhibit!
big old tree watercolor 2016 beth vendryes williams
Come see my exhibit
"landscape, up close/ personal"
at
The Dolphin Bookshop Café
299 Main St., Port Washington, NY 11050
opening reception is Sunday, March 6th from 2 - 4 pm
on exhibit from March 1 thru March 31, 2016
I look so forward to you coming by to the reception. If you can't make it then, absolutely stop by anytime the bookshop is open , by the end of March.
The work reflects the kind of intimate and expansive views of the natural surroundings you see on Long Island's North Shore. A lot of my observations are from Oyster Bay , sometimes even in my backyard! I hope it inspires you to see the beauty right in your own backyard!
Shhh...click here to see some of the work on display....
beth
how the habit of sketching makes a scaffolding for life
luminous snow shadows landscape, charcoal, 6"x 6" , 2016
beth vendryes williams
This fresh new year is taking us by storm! I am in the studio every day working on a new project! My art is evolving as I explore one hundred and five journals created over my lifetime!
We are preparing for some construction, and my former art room will be dismantled soon. I have begun to move my journals to my working studio so they would be safe. I ventured to turn the pages of journals I haven’t looked at in 20 years! Threads of similar themes are revealing themselves. I see gardens, the hours of varying degrees of light, darkness, time of day. There are newspaper photos of people leaving, suffering, going to and coming from war. These images are all threads,rebuilding a scaffold for my art and thoughts over time!
Suddenly I can see what a treasure trove I have. They chart a map of my concerns and investigations over the years, leaving sketches, like blueprints over time. I have documentation of my development as a person/artist.I can see who was an integral part of my life and who was someone I just saw in the street. Mostly I see everyday interactions and places. What a gift to research through. It deepens my work as I observe.
As the exploration accelerates, I am documenting my process and thoughts in my posts as well as in social media. You will see AND have a part in how it unfolds! Add your input, which will help to shape my work!
I hope you have also begun to venture onto your creative path in your life. Never underestimate the importance of that.
Share your explorations and discoveries with me in the comments. You would be surprised how it might help someone who is struggling to make room for creative thinking! Receive update of the process and latest art by subscribing here!
How to find light in the darkness
0910_waiting_char_fig_15©bvw.jpg
“Then I begin to draw with an eraser to reveal the sparkling white shining through. From then on it is a dance, engaging black, gray and white, interacting with each other! Every mark I make changes the whole.”
— beth vendryes williams
01.01.15 I am collecting my thoughts, reflecting on my incredible journey this year. Painting is my language, and now I am interpreting and responding to the world with visible gestural marks and colors. Now I see much darkness. Yes, physically, because it is near to the solstice, yet also spiritually because of the enormous suffering in our world. And emerging from this inkiness, I see beams of light. When I hear the beautiful music of Arvo Pärt when I see thoughtfulness in the subway, or encounter a very patient person, online or walking down the street, I am reminded that each person is a light. We are all in this world together.
So I thank you for shining your light! The darkness only makes your light more precious and visible.
When I create this charcoal drawing, I tone the paper deep gray and then draw into it with rich black charcoal, defining the darkest dense areas and joining small areas to create a connected form. Then I begin to draw with an eraser to reveal the sparkling white shining through. From then on it is a dance, engaging black, gray and white, interacting with each other! Every mark I make changes the whole.
So too, it is, with the darkness of night, when the moon and lights guide our way. Every change of light and shadow reveals another path of possibility and hope.
I just now found a very motivating and practical post that reframes “making a resolution” as if “creating a story”! Sara also includes precise steps to create the story that becomes a recipe for your desired resolution, and it sounds like fun!
Therefore, I will be in my studio creating a story for the next hour today! Want to join me in spirit?
If you are not signed up for my newsletter, oh please do so now, as I will be painting and exhibiting a lot this year. I am letting my heart light the way, and I want you to be to be a part of it! I also am working on a new and transformed website! Exhilarating! Coming soon!
explore ripples of time, impressed in rocks... by water
Last week my family and I an hiked an extremely steep the 2.5 mile trail through the gorge at Watkins Glen near Ithaca, New York and followed it up two days later with a very rocky 5 mile hike through the Robert H. Tremain State Park. While hiking I found some time to draw, but not nearly enough to satisfy me, since I spent most of my time trying to keep up with my sons & friends and move faster than the thunderstorms. Apparently I need to upgrade my exercise routines!
Has this ever happened to you? No time to bask in the beauty of the environment because you were too busy beating traffic, avoiding bad weather, performing everyday survival tasks, meeting everyday needs?
My experience while hiking in Ithaca, may give you some ideas about how to savor a unique and profound moment and then build on that memory. You can notice it, wonder, allow it to motivate you to deepen your understanding beyond the surface.
While on both hikes, I observed the patterns of ripples in the water that were duplicated in the sand and again, replicated in the rocks. It made me wonder how long it took for the ripples in the water to transpose themselves into the sand and rock. After doing some reading,I discovered that the water created patterns in the sand that were eventually transformed into rocks of alternating shale and sandstone. This began to occur in the Devonian period, 360 million years ago. Really? I am having trouble imagining that long ago! Glaciers cut through this layered rock. The splits in the rock or ‘gorge” are caused by streams that were cut off and needed to find new ways through the rock!
This makes me think about the power of time, and how, with enough time, water can slowly transform rock and even an entire landscape. I make this analogy. If the persistence of water can be so strong to shape and cut through rocks, then by applying this principle of consistent intent in just living we can break through and transform relationships, habits and creative blocks will create a path towards your goal.And so I focus on my goal to visually represent the process of the patterns created over time.
Paying close attention to how transformation that occurs in nature can help you to transform paths in your life! When traveling through everyday life:
OBSERVE your environment carefully.
NOTICE patterns.
Allow yourself to IMAGINE
MAKE AN ANALOGY between this physical beauty and your everyday life.
SYNTHESIZE by asking questions and make connections.
Oh yes, and please let me know about a time you gently persisted in your chosen path and then transformed your day, week or life, as the water has. I absolutely love sharing this and even more, I look forward to your thoughts and ideas!
“This makes me think about the power of time, and how, with enough time, water can slowly transform rock and even an entire landscape. I make this analogy. If the persistence of water can be so strong to shape and cut through rocks, then by applying this principle of consistent intent in just living we can break through and transform relationships, habits and creative blocks will create a path towards your goal.And so I focus on my goal to visually represent the process of the patterns created over time.”
— beth vendryes williams
Don't worry. Be happy. Free to create on vacation!!
oyster bay beach 09 oil beth vendryes williams
Pulling into the long driveway of the refurbished farmhouse in Ithaca New York, my husband and I eagerly look forward to the week to come. Our sons and friends will meet us here to relax together. We put aside our work to make time for Scrabble games with Grandma, volleyball, croquet, hiking, and sharing stories with each other.
I am so happy to be together with everyone and I am also focused on continuing my daily creative habits throughout vacation. Vacations relieve stress and reenergize. They rejuvenate physical, spiritual, and mental health. However, they can often be perceived as an interruption in the progress of creative development.
Using the approach below, I have found a way for the “vacation state of mind” to actually jumpstart creative thinking.
I write a little each day in-between family activities to reflect on my passion and why I create.
I sketch or write down my observations of my new environment, imagining how perception is transformed by actively seeing.
I delight in the creative understanding nurtured by a change of scenery and new conversations.
Using these habits, your vacation can also be used as a platform to further enrich your creative development and relationships as you share your fresh insights.
Qh yes, I absolutely want to hear of any other creative ideas you use to expand your own creative thinking while on vacation!
How to leap into your next awesome big idea
editing in the afternoon 0791 watercolor & beeswax 20" x 30" beth vendryes williams
I will plan a structure for the day, so I have dedicated time to allow my imagination to follow its course, eat, exercise, nurture relationships, take care of my home environment and read.
The structure is not carved in stone, but is a flexible net which can catch me if I start to get distracted.
Then I will take action...drawing and painting as a way of discovering my next direction, allowing the action of creating to discover where I am heading.
If you try this, l would love to hear how it works for you! If you have other ways of jumpstarting yourself after a period of great exertion, p;ease share that! I would love to try different approaches!
The party is over, so what do I do next?
If you have ever had that ungrounded feeling, you know it encompasses both a sense of freedom and inertia. Try this next time you get into this tetherless situation. Below is my breakdown of what I try to do
I am up early sitting quietly and yet distracted by the lists of things I feel I have to accomplish and would like to experience, I feel lured by the call of the internet and the sight of little tumbleweeds of dog fur scooting under furniture in my house.
I meditate, accessing my deepest spirit self, asking for help from within, at the core of who I am.
Next I take care of my body, making sure I am getting the right food, sleep and exercise.
“The structure is not carved in stone, but is a flexible net which can catch me if I start to get distracted.”
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!
Can teaching be a "work of art"?
8" x 8" oil beth vendryes williams
What makes teaching a collaborative work of art?...I recently taught art for many years at a school with outstanding professionals who are passionate about teaching and children!
We worked side by side, dedicated to giving the children the tools of literacy in all fields and a deep desire to learn to the best of their ability. I honor and thank these teachers for being artists using the tools and skills of education to create classrooms that are bursting with creative thinkers !
Each year my students worked within the outdoor courtyard. It was surrounded by the huge windows of the building. The courtyard experience gave us all the opportunity to use our creative thinking skills. Defined by Michelle and Robert Root-Bernstein, who are scientists, creative thinking involves the skills used by scientists, artists and those who have new ideas and explore them. They are defined below, so read on to discovery how creative thinking occurs when closing to make art. In our school they are organically integrated into this school's curriculum.
Art is a way of looking at or doing things,
no matter which medium or substance you choose to use.
When you observe the world (like the courtyard,) with fresh eyes, it triggers within you a sense of wonderment...
as when you see the trees reaching into the sky while lying on your back or watch a bird fly by,effortlessly.
If you can choose your tools of art from the places, people and moments each day,
then you can exercise your imagination. You are able to find the essence of what you see and abstract or edit the essential parts of it. You start to recognize patternsaround you which helps you to see that all things are connected. Patterns abound in the flowers, birds, tree branches , leaves and even blades of grass!
Which brings me to the skill of making analogies.
How freeing it is to think of the courtyard as a microcosm of the world, and how we all need to work together to keep bunnies alive, make sure the birds get enough food and share our own earth responsibly. When you sit to draw, your body can sense when someone is behind you.This ability to body think allows you to place yourself in the best position for drawing, moving, playing and understanding instinctively how other people and objects exist in relation to you.
You feel empathy and offer help
when you see others who are struggling with problems and you rejoice with them when they are happy. Thinking in dimensions, or choosing the perspective from which you personally see the courtyard, is an important way to honor and accept your own point of view. You can model by making things larger or smaller than they really are so you can understand them better.
By playing
with your pencil and paints, you will be more carefree, taking chances and, no doubt,
transform mistakes into opportunities!
Finally by combining or synthesizing your different ways of seeing, sensing, remembering, moving, knowing and making connections, you will understand more deeply how we all are connected. I learned to articulate this way of looking, from teaching in a school culture with teachers who consistently teach encouraging these skills.
Thank you to all who shared your art of teaching with me and the students at Searingtown School!
Do you think creativity is important in education? I'd love to hear what you have to say .. just add your comment below!
Thoughts to ponder...uncertainty
Uncertainty is where things happen.
It is where the
opportunities
for success, for happiness, for really living
— are waiting.
What do you find happens to your perception when you are uncertain? I begin to get nervous and stop believing in my ability to create. BUT, if I am able to let go of trying to control the results, I am suddenly free to imagine and discover new ways to accomplish something. So, what about YOU?
thoughts to ponder
“My own behavior baffles me.
For I find myself doing
what I really hate,
and not doing
what I really want to
do!."
-
St. Paul, Romans 7:15-16
Inspired by a goldfinch, Fabritius & Tartt
Its been a long time since I sat down in my favorite chair and got cozy with a 771 page book! I meet with some lovely ladies who have lively discussions about a chosen book. This month it was "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt. I decided to see if I still enjoyed being totally ensconced in a long story, but was concerned that it would take time away from painting. Little did i know that it would prove to astonish and inspire me to paint MORE!Yes, it did take a week of reading 1-2 hours a day. I turned the pages without conscious noticing .The story, descriptions, characters and philosophy carried me along so that I continued the daily habit of setting reading time aside.
This book is a story about a painting, a boy with a tragic event, and the synchronicity of life.
I was reintroduced to the impact of a painting...about how it tells a story. , The author herself states:
“I wrote books in this way, around images,” Ms. Tartt said, something that didn’t occur to her until “The Goldfinch” — a book that surrounds an image of a luminous yellow-tinged bird — was complete."
Reading little jewels like....
" There's a doubleness. You see the mark, you see the paint for the paint, and also the living bird." p. 579
"...connections missed, things lost and never found, and my painting swept away on that powerful current and drifting out there somewhere: a tiny fragment of spirit , faint spark bobbing on a dark sea."p.603
Reminded me of the how complex and full of grays life is.
Maybe sometimes-the wrong way is the right way? You can take the wrong path and it still comes out where you want it to be?"p. 745
A reminder that living a good and loving life does not guarantee that no bad things ever happen. And bad things can also be transformative , bringing us to a good place. Keep on striving.
"And isn't that the whole point of things--beautiful things--that they connect you to some larger beauty? p. 757
On the question of why it is so important to make art.
"--if a painting really works down in your heart and changes the way you see and think and feel, you don't think . 'oh I love this picture because its universal. ...."
You feel that way because it speaks directly to you and where you are.
And that is why I, myself... choose to paint.
If this resonates with you, be sure to explore other posts here and read this book. It is well worth your time..... Why do you create? How important is creating to your life? Have you seen a painting that has changed your life?
Read the NY Times interview with Donna Tartt here.
What if you try but fall short of the goal?
Ah yes!
Early this morning, a very thoughtful friend inquired about my 30 day challenge... the 30 paintings in 30 days that wrote about a few posts ago.
"Did you actually finish 30 paintings?", she asked? I realized I never addressed the final outcome on this blog! So thank you my dear friend, for asking.
So for those of you who were rooting for me.....NO, although I did finish 7 paintings.
I am disappointed that I didn't get them all done and am happy with the series of 7 that I created.
I am also invigorated by the experience of carving out the time on a regular basis to paint in oil in a limited format.
It was a challenge that I don't regret because learned a lot from the experience. Pushing myself to produce the work has yielded a fresh and deep look at the ever-changing garden in our backyard. To see them all, take a look at my latest post fresh art post at my portfolio site and at the 30 in 30 post listed under fresh new art blog!
Now 3 of them are for sale at the Oyster Bay Frame Shop right in time for the holidays.
I'd love to hear what you think.
How do you handle changing goals when you have not met them?
why I draw...and how it can transform your life
Putting a pencil to a pure white piece of paper has always been exciting and challenging at the same time.I can start and end anywhere. There is no one right way to make a mark.
Drawing makes who I am inside, visible on a surface.
I take time to reflect, to observe my interior, to connect with my surroundings.
It is centering for me.
You can do this too!
How to start drawing..
Get a blank journal. A Moleskine is well crafted and a nice surface. If you prefer a wire binding, just get a substantial feeling paper surface and sturdy wire. Thai way, when you carry it in your back pack, briefcase or hand bag, it will stay together. Size is totally what feels practical and comfortable to you!
In fact,you can even use a tablet or iPad with a program such as Penultimate or Paper 54. For these you may use your finger or a stylus.
Have your favorite pen or pencil at hand.
Draw what you see or remember in your mind's eye.
Or draw lines tat interest you. Or shapes
Perhaps write words to describe them...
Or not.
As with any healthy good habit, the practice of drawing, every day
allows you to observe and reflect on the world around and within you,
bringing inspiring connections
and quiet energy and joy at just being.
It is in this 30 minutes of active reflection that you will find your life transforming into the best of who you are. Interested in trying this simple habit?
Then subscribe to my blog and draw along with meI I will be posting once a week.....and I can't wait to share my passion for mark making with YOU! Oh and please post your questions and thoughts in comments! I will be sharing my drawings.
Create like a marathon runner!
New York City was bursting with cheering, support and goodwill today. All of us in the crowds were rooting for each runner to finish. Determination was evident in each runner’s stride and face. I knew they would make it. Oh how inspiring it was to see so much camaraderie and strength of spirit! Participating in this amazing achievement requires not just physical strength but balance in other areas of life as well. Surely you need to have good form and running shoes. You also need to care for your body and get plenty of sleep. Months of regular discipline and practice culminate in the marathon. Eating the right foods is key and of course, drinking plenty of water. Most importantly, working with supportive partners who listen and inspire can help to keep you on track. And so it goes, also, with sustained creative work. Producing a series of art pieces that result in a strong body of work requires a similar practice to preparation for a marathon. It is a balance of physical strength and health, strong spirit, determination, knowledge of your best working practice and a good support network.
So if you ran a marathon today, congratulations!!
If you are not a runner but would like to create more and better work, a "creative marathon" - don’t ignore the impulse! Follow the routines that help to make a runner strong. Make a goal of creating something each day. Keep a life balance. Keep in touch with friends that support your efforts!
Take the first step and subscribe to this blog.
Click here or on Kathy's photo above to discover her motivation that keeps her running running....
And I would love to hear how you motivate yourself to accomplish your creative goals!