photo-a-week and the artist's way check-in

HI everyone!

yes, i'm still here...

it's been so crazy this past week! appointments, celebrations, distractions - good and bad. plus i was barely at the computer all week due to being knocked back to almost dial-up speeds on the internet for four whole days!!! this was all due to my darling sons going a little crazy this past month with downloads thereby putting us over our monthly download limit. i was not a happy girl being without my daily blog fixes. it was sheer torture for me but now i'm looking forward to catching up with everyone's blogs over the coming days.

the timing worked out well though because i received a custom order last week and, with no internet to tempt me away from the studio, i was able to devote some precious time to working on the order which is almost finished. i have yet to paint the writing on the scroll but, when finished, this wooden plaque will be gifted to a dear, sweet lady for her 80th birthday.

work in progress
click on any image to enlarge

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MONDAY PHOTO-A-WEEK (late again, sorry)

my mum and dad celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary on august 20th so bradley and i decided to take them out to lunch. michelle and alex, plus my brother and his wife, were also able to come along and we all enjoyed a lovely lunch and afternoon together!

here is a pic i took of the family group


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THE ARTIST'S WAY - WEEK ONE



RECOVERING A SENSE OF SAFETY

this week, julia cameron asked us to explore some of the monsters from our past. monsters who have effected the way we view ourselves as creative beings. a hurtful or tactless statement from someone, whether it be a stranger, teacher, family member, or even a friend, can seriously wound our inner artist to the point where we can feel crippled creatively.

i can still remember one example in my own life quite vividly. i had proudly shown a friend my very first art piece that i had painted in a class and she responded with fits of laughter. she smugly stated that i had wasted $10 on learning how to colour-in. of course, there was so much more i had learned in my first lesson.....working with acrylic paint and brush control being two of the main things. this friend continued to laugh and make fun of me and her words made me feel so small. i bravely held back the tears and told her that i didn't need that type of friendship in my life. while that incident stayed with me, i chose to focus on the enjoyment i felt when i was painting and, over time, art has become a huge part of my life. have you recognised similar patterns in your own creative journey?

then, julia asked that we remember the champions of our creative self-worth. another school mum, also a friend, was the champion who taught me the basic folk art techniques all those years ago. raya, if you're reading this - THANK YOU! your encouragement and praise meant so much to me and you helped me to believe in my creative abilities to the point where i was able to continue painting and learning from art books when you left the area.

my family have also been champions of my artistic adventures and i'm so grateful for their support.

i discovered the world of blogs over the past couple of years and i have since been blessed with even more champions and i am deeply grateful to each and every one of you. yes, you know who you are. THANK YOU!

THE ARTIST'S WAY - week one check-in

yes, i did write in my morning pages each morning for the past week.

but, no, i didn't get a chance to schedule in my artist's date with having so much on my plate. it was a VERY busy week!

were there any issues that may be significant to my recovery? YES! as mentioned above, i received a custom order a week ago but the client needed it finished and ready within two weeks. as i'm generally so busy in my life outside of art, i normally require at least four weeks to allow myself time to create the design, paint the design, varnish the finished piece, and then allow some time for the piece to cure before wrapping. as the client is a friend of the family i told her i would try to finish it in time. anyways, i had nothing but drama from the get-go....the painting process just wasn't working out and i was panicking big-time! i started from scratch at least three times until i was finally comfortable enough with how it was looking. during the whole process, i was very derogatory to myself and my capabilities as an artist, so i'm wondering if my own name should be added to the list of monsters who diminish my creativity?

feel free to read what other artist's way participants have to share at this link.


love, light and peace