Art Journaling Journey is underway...!

Hello kind readers,

I totally forgot to mention that I have a really fun art journaling ecourse going right now called Art Journaling Journey. It's a four week course, but you can partake at any time. I have been busy making a lot of art journal spreads lately, some of them really weird...  It is a wild mix of motifs. Sometimes I wonder where my head is at.

 

How is your art coming along? If you want to check out my ecourse click on this link:

ART JOURNALING JOURNEY

Let your creativity soar! 

xo

Maria

Mixed media affirmation cards using playing cards.

Hi gorgeous,

I made some mixed media affirmation cards using an old deck of playing cards. It was so much fun. I shot some videos of each, which you can find on my YouTube channel HERE.

They are easy to make and lots of fun. I only used decorative papers, pictures from magazines, Mod-Podge, and permanent markers. 

Check out the pictures: 

 

Oops, a spelling mistake here...

 

 

 

 

You can always try to make some. Make a whole bunch! :)

If you want to share your creations, please join my art Facebook group HERE.

Hope to see you there!!

Enjoy your creativity.

xo

Maria

P.S. My e-course is available (I have a couple up, one is free.) Check out the link and see if anything attracts you. CLICK HERE.

 

Guest post by LisaDiana Delaney, No More Working 9-5...

There is more to life than working 9-5. I came to this realization when I was very unhappy and terribly exhausted. I had spent many years striving, working, and achieving a lot in my chosen career only to collapse on the couch at the end of the day and sleep all weekend. I was too tired for joy. 

“Find your passion,” everyone said. I had no idea how. I tried everything to remember what made me happy. I came up with nothing. Why? I had lost myself in the daily ins-and-outs of living. I had given to everyone else and lost ME. 

I had no idea how to unblock my memories of what made me happy. And, oh how I despised the people who said, “Live your passion and you’ll never work a day in your life.” So, I spent a lot of time and money spinning my wheels trying to make a life that was fulfilling. I couldn't because I was blocked. 

But, my choices were clear: stay miserable or get unstuck/unblocked! So, I read, surfed the Internet, cried, slept and wasted money trying to get unstuck. Since, I’m a problem solver, I kept looking for an answer. I tried: self help books, journaling, yoga, Reiki, EFT, jewelry making, dog grooming, vet tech school, make-up school, another masters degree, one on one counseling, gratitude journaling, spiritual counseling, direct sales, health counseling and career counseling. 

NOTHING made me happy. Finally, it hit. Something inside said, “Search all you want, but if you are blocked from remembering your joyful childhood moments or from experiencing joy in the present you’re going to stay tired, fat and broke.” 

I needed to get away and figure things out. I used my last dollar and took a trip to Puerto Rico. I stood in the warm water, buoyant in the waves and gazed at the majestic horizon. The final façade of inauthenticity fell away and dissolved in the baptizing Caribbean water.“There is so much more!” rang in my head. 

That vacation, I sat on the beach, floated in the water, zip lined, ate on the balcony and sat under a waterfall in the rain forest. “Why can’t life be like this?” I wondered. “Because, this is vacation and not real life!” I told myself. I shook my head and refused to accept that life was only meant to be enjoyed on vacation. We have it wrong! 

We are not  meant to live to work. Our precious time in this realm is finite. Why am I accepting fat, tired and broke? Because I was blocked from remembering what made me happy. 

I came back to NY and work wearing the fedora I had purchased in PR, a reminder to not lose what I had figured out, what had been my epiphany. It was a piece of armor against being sucked back into the inauthenticity of 9-5 or for me, 4-4. 

I surfed the Internet again and found people who use planners to stay organized. Oh, I used to do that! Then, I found others who decorated their planners. What fun! I started to remember. I sat in the backyard and gazed at nature’s colors. Oh! Those bold colors were beautiful! And, slowly, I remembered little by little what I used to enjoy. My grandfather’s very small art studio! I was always inspired by the space and just as dejected when my art never matched what was in my head. 

I looked at school supplies for work and remembered how inspired I was by a blank notebook. And, then how dejected I was when I had no “Othello” to write. Planners, decorating pages, art, bold colors and the blank page. How did any of this fit together? Then I found it---women who took the blank pages of their planners and used bold delicious colors to decorate the pages with art. ART JOURNALING!!! 

What have I learned? So many of us are stuck in the day-to-day details of life, job and family. We have forgotten we are creative beings who need to express ourselves. “There’s no time.” “I can’t even draw a stick figure!” “I have 4 kids.” I know. I worked until I collapsed. 

But, I believe in you. I believe you deserve to be happy and to do that you need to get back to your authentic creative self. Ten minutes a week. That’s all. We will start with that even if it’s in the car waiting for the kids’soccer practice to end. Give me ten minutes and I will help you art journal your way out of being stuck! You deserve to be happy.
Check out my website for more information:  www.lisadianadelaney.com 

Thank you Lisa Diana!  I loved the post and resonate with it completely. :)  I LOVE art journaling!

A matter of taste?

How do you become a better artist/writer/musician?  That's a question I've been asking myself lately.  Is it by tapping into a deeper source, or just by keeping applying oneself to one's chosen art? Or is it a matter of taste?  I could ask how did Leonardo Da Vinci become a better artist?  I'm sure he didn't plan to become what he became, a true Renaissance man, and that word wasn't even invented in those days.  And what about Vincent Van Gogh's art?  He didn't make a dime off of his art, and now it sells for millions.  He lived frugally and was often starving, but he "saw" his world in such a compelling way that when we look at his art, you can FEEL what it was like on a hot summer day in Provence.  I admire him because he left all contemporary art "rules" behind and painted what he saw and felt, in a simple, yet wholly sophisticated way.  I would dare to suggest art was his calling, and despite his problematic life, he pursued that with his whole being.

Maybe that's what it takes to be GREAT, even if the supposed skills are not there. What I mean by that is the contemporary consensus belief of what "good" art is.  I would say that practicing one's craft/skills is important, but genius happens when all is lost and something can emerge and manifest out of the wreckage of what "should be."

Some would call that a spiritual experience, and maybe it is.  Also, all the cumulative experimentation will lead somewhere.  Persistence pays, but the ultimate expression is hidden until the moment it appears.

I can't really speak for musicians, but if you're good at your instrument, maybe inspiration strikes because you don't have to think about chords, or the instrument that is your voice.  I was stunned when reading Mick Jagger's biography by Norman Philip to learn that The Stones' manager in the early days used to lock Jagger and Richards in a room and not let them out until they had come up with songs for their next album.  They winged something that became some of the most loved songs over the last fifty years.  I don't know if this is a true portrayal of what happened; I'm only mentioning what I read in the biography.

What is true about all artists of any kind is that we put ourselves out there.  We might not be in the league with The Rolling Stones, but they started out as young men being truly passionate about the American blues music.  I watched a video about a new song from Playing for Change (which is a movement I love,) that has a recent song by Keith Richards.  He is his most authentic; he is just himself. After sooo many years, you can still feel his passion for the music.  I admire that, and I'm grateful to be able to hear the song.  It inspires me.  Music is alive all over the planet, and I'm GRATEFUL that music is tying us together.  Music touches the soul more than anything.

So, coming back to art, and writing, how to become better at it?  Since I do both, I'm always up against what is going on.  I've learned to let it flow.  No one has ever said anything bad about my art, and you know how much people liked it by the traffic to any particular art piece, and how fast it sold. All I can do is strive to be authentic in all that goes on the canvas.

Writing is more vulnerable to negative criticism, but again, all you can do is your best, and let it all hang out.  Writing is an instrument, a craft, that can be mastered, but then the artistry comes in and makes something special, or not so special.  We all know what we like, but why do we like it? It's not the writer's style so much as their heartfelt need to put their idea on paper.  Good style helps of course...  And we all know the books we put down because we could not finish them. Writing has to touch a particular chord in us as we read it.  Some books touch a lot of people, and some are forgotten on deep dusty shelves.  Is it taste?

It is a very subjective business, and we artists can only be where we are at the time of our evolution and just stick to our passion to create.  That is the spiritual part, to create because you must, and it consumes you more than any other occupation on earth.  That is what makes mastery.  The masters never doubted their own need to create.  They probably questioned the quality just as I'm doing right now, but they held true to their calling.

Are there levels of mastery?  Not everyone can be a Da Vinci or a Michelangelo, or a mega rock band, but does taste form what is mastery of artistic expression today?  Media seems to think so, but I tend to differ.  I like what speaks to my soul. Children's art always does, but going beyond that... What is your take on creativity and success?

Committing to creativity....

Sometimes it's difficult to keep on track.  I have so many interests and that is detrimental to real progress in any area.  I love art, always have, and I made a commitment to keep up with my desire to make more art in 2003, and yes, I have to say I made a new "habit" that stuck.  It's more of an inner need than forcing myself into some regimen that ultimately fails because it's forced.  My art has certainly progressed and becoming more and more "me," through following my intuition as I paint.

What I have found the hardest so far is to let the art unfold at its own pace.  I'm good at discipline and forcing myself to perform in whatever medium that has my attention at the moment.  For me it's between writing and visual arts, mostly painting.  Then there is a third interest, essential oils, in which I've been working to make a new career. I'm really tired of working for other people, so I've been feeling it's "do or die," with this business, to be self-sufficient.  But, it doesn't quite work that way either.  All the old forms of "making things happen," just don't work anymore.

Maybe we have entered a new paradigm.  All I know is that all the passion I felt for any one of these expressions has been seriously subdued, and I haven't been able to get myself out of the slump.  So, which one should I focus on?  I feel at a loss making a decision what is best for me.  I have been a writer for many years and it's not that difficult to sit down and write a chapter on my current book.  No block there, but is that where my deepest passion lies??  Thing is, I don't FEEL much passion in any of these areas.  I love it when a painting reveals itself, but can I live without making art?  Yes, I can; at least I think I can.  I can live without writing and selling essential oils.

Maybe there is something new to be passionate about?  I don't know.  Haven't come across it yet.  The new paradigm might be to inspire and help others, but I don't feel I have gotten where I need to be in my own life. I guess I haven't gone all the way with any of them, exploring to the fullest.  Closest to that is my writing due to many years of experience and experimentation, but my passion was ruined by the publishers' need for conformity, and it killed my creativity at the time.  I don't blame anyone.  I went along with their guidelines to keep making money, but then I burned out.  It took me a long time to get some kind of joy out of my writing again. I enjoy my current writing project, and the ideas are coming.  However...

Is it possible to feed three interests, or do I need to stick with one to succeed, and which one would it be?  I've been struggling with that decision for a while. Meanwhile, all three are moving forward, but I'm thinking I'm diluting my energy. Any opinions, folks?  I need help here...  Thanks.  

Even clumsy birds fly free....

I was thinking the other day that "freedom" means a lot to me.  Besides "love" it's up there on the scale of importance.  My business partner bought my part in the furniture store so I'm free to ponder at the crossroads, breathe free for a while.  I love spending the day without schedule or obligations.  Get up in my jammies and sit down at the computer or in my studio and do all the things I love to do.  Creativity of all kinds flow freely in an relaxed body and mind.  That's how we're meant to live--Free!

I'm the queen of my own domain so to speak, not some CEO or other boss, or a friend telling me what they think I should be doing.  When I don't have to be some place at a certain time, I can listen to my intuition and go with the flow.  People's intuition has been clouded for centuries due to schedules and obligations.  I'm not against those per se, but they only work if we love what we do.  I have given way too many years to jobs and careers that I didn't love, but I've also worked for years with things I do love, and I intend to stay that way now. Let my God-given gifts rule!  Be my own boss, create income where I can be my own boss, and continue with my two greatest passions, art and writing!

We have made it so difficult for ourselves as we struggle in this world of unceasing toil.  Do you think that was the purpose for coming here when we were given that first breath at birth?  I think we were meant to be free and follow that guidance inside.  That part was never acknowledged though.  Sadly, it gets completely covered up as we go through school.

I have been writing a lot, but I snuck in some art last week.  I made a mini book for the Cloth Paper Scissors' challenge.  The front and back covers are cardboard with lots of collage and paint. The inside covers are hand-painted fabric.  I sewed some brown paper bag pages inside, and it became an artistic goal setting journal for 2011.  I have a friend who is a fantastic artist, but she always shortchanges herself with her art.  Making money is more important than her creative expression.  I can understand the necessity of a regular paycheck, but the choice to always put that first comes from fear.  It may be an excuse not to create.  There's no real security in a regular paycheck, just as the job could be gone tomorrow.  I have friends who work regular jobs and still manage to create every day, but they are the exception.  She's getting the book for Christmas!  :)
 
What's your most cherished word?

Got a bit of creativity in this last week...

Ye friends,

I'm happy to announce that I finally got some creativity going again. Made some of my mosaic boxes, and these ones are small, about 3" x 3." They are cute that size. I've been doing a lot of other stuff-- painting furniture for one, but I consider that more of a job than a creative outlet. I'm also into art journaling but I don't like any of my entries... But it's fun to start without a plan and see where it leads. Will post some pictures of those soon.

xoxo

Maria