the artist's way

i have started reading the artist way's by julia cameron, again. i have to admit the first time i started the book, which is really a 12 week course, i didn't give it i fighting chance, at all. i skimmed through the first few chapters, thinking, that's not me, or that's sort of dumb, i'm not doing that, etc. i put up a ton of obstacles. but lately, i have been caught in these waves of artist's blocks and divine inspiration. and when i am inspired i have not been able to act upon the spark. i am in need of a way out of this cycle. something to help me get my creative process on track.

so, when cameron's book, which was buried in my reading pile at my bedside, had some how made it to the top during one of my cleaning, purging moments i started to think i might give it another chance. it sat there begging me to open the cover and try again. so with nothing to lose i decided to give it another chance.
last night, i read chapter one again, and commitment myself to start the daily journal writing process, she calls the morning pages. my notebook sits open beside the computer and the cup of coffee patiently waiting for me to stop blogging and get down to the unblocking. the sun is shining and my day is full of potential (and things to do) so i need to get moving on this, before the motivation is gone.
during the next few weeks, i will keep you posted on the progress, for good or naught, the book may bring. i would love to hear what other people had done, are doing to kick start their creative self, to nurture the artist within, to unveil the potential. or if you have read ms cameron's book, liked it, hated it, what have you. wishing you a creative, joyful day!

(re)focus

"One day seven years ago I found myself saying to myself — I can't live where I want to — I can't go where I want to go — I can't do what I want to — I can't even say what I want to … I decided I was a very stupid fool not to at least paint as I wanted to." Georgia O'Keefe, 1923

A friend and fellow artist recently posted this on her blog. She is going to a very rough time in her life, and had been inspired by the quote. She realized she had to get back to the things that filled her life with joy. Taking some time for herself and making art was something she could control. It is the thing realized she had the most power over, in what surely feels like a chaotic and difficult existence.

I found the O'Keefe quote resounded with me as well. Just yesterday, it occurred to me that I had not worked on a "real" piece of art in almost a month. My life has been so jammed packed with the stresses of raising two children, taking care of our home, and going to work everyday at my very demanding job. I had started to forget what gave me joy. I had started to become an angry, stressed out human who lacked any connection to her true self.

Last night, I took the dog for a walk up Sunset Hill. The moon was rising above the clouds, the air was cold on my face, but invigorating. I had Kate Bush, Aerial, pumping from my ipod as we reached the top of the hill turned and looked down on the city of Burlington, the lake and the mountain beyond. It was so breath-takingly still in the darkness. I felt so overcome with possibility and verve.

I knew then, (what I still am holding tightly now,) that no matter what the future brings, I will survive. I will make it through all the trials and tribulations. The stress and the pressure of the mundane melted away, and in the end, only I remained. I walked back down to our house feeling a renewed sense of focus and determination. I started working on some new art pieces and found I felt better.

This is not to say that I have erased all my negative thoughts and anxieties. Those things are hard to wipe out of your mind when they are deeply etched there. But I feel lighter and more present. So that's a start, and there's a beauty in that, that no one can touch or take away from me.

what remains- WIP

it's beautiful here, today in the green mountain state. i am shuffling between chores in the house, art making and things that need to happen outside in the yard before it gets too cold. i've been very inspired and very motivated to make art this past week. so as the dishwasher is spinning, and the laundry is drying on the line, i've been painting away, outside on the deck.

i finally got the guts to paint on top of these two canvases. they were giving me such issues, the collages seemed off balance, lacking focus and just "not me." so i took a leap this morning and started in on it again. both canvases need more layers of color- but it's a start.

the best thing is- it's cleared my head as to where it's going- so now i can move forward without fear.

love when that happens.

New WIP- Sky Castle

Started this new piece on Monday- Strange, that I didn't quite know where I was going through it, till I started digging through my bin of stuff. The bin of stuff- I have three of them going right now- They are just filled with old photos, paper, epherma, scraps and do-dad's. I'm not an organized artist. My process is sort of an organic, connect the dots, discovered through treasure hunting and digging through piles of images.

Some times, I do know where I am going. The light bulb comes on. I have an a-ha moment. I visualize in my head the finished piece and the images I need to use in it. Somehow I know exactly which "bin of stuff" the image is. I do a little digging and pesto- there it is. Along with a bunch of other things that I didn't expect to find, but will inevitably use.But this weekend, I was not that way. I was sort of instant inspiration in the digging bins. I sat out on the screen porch, the sunlight working it's way in- the wind blowing as it does up here on the hill. And piece by piece, I put this spread together in a new altered book, Sky Castle.
The story is revealing itself to me, as one of two brothers. There is still more to the story for me to gleam from the process....

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW

in⋅spi⋅ra⋅tion

   /ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃən/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [in-spuh-rey-shuhn]

–noun

1.	an inspiring or animating action or influence: I cannot write poetry without inspiration.

2.	something inspired, as an idea.

3.	a result of inspired activity.

4.	a thing or person that inspires.

5.	Theology. a. a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul. b. the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.

6.	the drawing of air into the lungs; inhalation.

7.	the act of inspiring; quality or state of being inspired.

---

Origin:
1275–1325; ME inspiracio(u)n < class="ital-inline">inspīrātiōn- (s. of inspīrātiō). See inspire, -ation

Synonyms:
1. stimulus, incitement.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Someone, who is quite inspiring to me, reminded me today of the temples I have visited in the far east. Every time I travel to Asia, I always make time to see a temple (or two, or three.) It helps me to refocus on the things that are important and break away from the stress involved in 9-5 job. Which when I travel to Asia is no longer a 9-5 job, it's somewhat all consuming, but you know what I mean.

Buddhist temples are filled with the most awe inspiring works of art. Devotions to the many aspects of Buddha in bounty of colors and imagery. So, as I am seeking inspiration, I find myself going back through old photos. I am finding it in "many hands." It leads me back to the citation #5 above. Where do you find inspiration. Do you pull from your memory? From song? What inspires you? Some times the simplest things can have the most power.

Box full o' honey WIP

I finally was able to start this new piece "box full of honey" last night. I've been wanted to start it for a while and things just seem to get in the way- things like, no having the right materials, having a heavy work load at my day job, doing laundry, unpacking the studio, thanksgiving dinner oven issues, Christmas shopping, dog walking. I could make a bunch of excuses, of all the things that have kept me from working on a real piece, a piece with teeth, all of them are just really were ways to stall. But, in this case, stalling was OK. In this case, I will call it INCUBATING.

Incubating... My favorite part of the design process. Way back when I was a theatre student, we learned about the design process. For me making art is all about the process. How you get from point A to point B. I learn so much about myself when I am engaged in a project. It helps me move forward, in my life and in my head.
So this thing called the design process, what is it? It's really a problem solving model.

The problem: I have a piece of art that I am inspired to make. How do I do it?
The solution can be found through the process:

1- Commitment- you commit to the project- are you going to do it or not. Once you commit, you can't go back you have to move forward. Can can put things on hold, but have to see it through. You have to focus your intentions on the thing. set your focus on the challenge.
2- Analysis and research- gather information and figure out what you need to know more about. for me this gathering is often with images and music. I get hooked on to the thing that is inspiring me and either fill my bulletin boards with tons and tons of tear sheets or play the same music over and over again. I look in every nook and cranny for clues, for more intellectual and emotional information that will help me put together the piece.

3- INCUBATION- this is when you do nothing... you just let the idea GROW ( or fester) inside you.

4-Selection-pick the materials you are going to work with- get a good STRONG idea of what you want the thing to look like in the end.
5-Implementation- DO IT. Sit down and just get you hands dirty and do it!
6-Evaluation- when you think your done, or your deadline says your done. Stand back, look at what you did an make some HONEST judgements of what you like and dislike about your piece. What you would change, what you'd never change, what you could never recreate if you ever had the chance again.

That's the Design Process. It's not really all that linear either. You can jump around and be in two different places at once (a feat of metaphysics!!) but that's it in a nut shell. Can't believe, I remembered the whole thing. Angela Brande, design professor, would be proud of me now!

So, this is the beginnings of my latest project. Part of me really wanted to finish this before 12/10, because it is inspired by a DD song. I wanted to bring it to Montreal with me. Why? Because I'm a nutter. Actually, because, unlike some crazy screaming fan, their music inspires my life beyond the "normal" bounds. It's like Van Gogh or Frida is for some painters. Like the way a certain book might inspire someone else to create. I'm not talking about the "Hungry like the Wolf" or "Is there something I should know" songs. I'm referring to a wider breath of material that is a little more obscure, lesser know, but packs a stronger punch for me.

So back to my WIP and the photos-This is my "box full of honey." With many thanks to SLB for the lyrics as inspiration and my dear cyber artist friend, Laurie Blau-Marshall for the lovely honey comb, that was ABSOLUTELY perfect for this project. I washed the comb with a little Uzzzzhhhh (thank you Michael De Meng) and now it has a beautiful deep honey color. I used one of my newest ladies, Helen (she is so beautiful.) I bought her from a great Etsy seller, The Art Garage. And of course, there's my sad WWI, vet on the top of the box. My haunting ghost man, who shares the same birthday that I do. Only he was born in 1896 and I was born in 1969.
And this is in no way anywhere near being finished. But we are getting there- and I do have a STRONG vision of what I want this to be when it is done.
I've written much too much tonight, some of which is probably too revealing about how I work. But, that's ok. One of my H.A.G.s is to open my heart more. So sharing how I get from point A to point B is a good thing.

Box full o' honey
At the sharp end of the view
The edge of me and you
And all good sense dare tread no further
And as the ghost will shiver trees
How I'm trembling on my knees
But I'm still drawn on by the murmur

Are you laughing at me now
In my circumstance
When still I wear I your crown
My life's penitence
And for what
What's so funny
A box full o honey

What I thought a pretty tune
Was howling at the moon
To keep me company this evening
It's so lonely in the dirt
A scratching at the hurt
But I so generously did leave you

Are you laughing at me now
In my circumstance
When still I wear I your crown
Some cruel penitence
For what
What's so funny
Box full o honey

Is she flirting with me now
Is she dallying with me now
Are you flirting with me now
You'll always be my queen of tumble down
Miss melancholy

Are you laughing at me now
In my circumstance
When still I wear I your crown
And my life's a penitence
And for what
What's so funny
Ain't it funny
A box full o honey