In Honor of September 11th

We are
ONE NATION
No matter where we came from
UNDER GOD
No matter what name we give Him
With 
LIBERTY 
And 
JUSTICE 
For 
ALL

For the full story of the creation of this piece - visit my website here.

Creative Wisdom: Baby Steps

The weather has turned - from hot and sweaty to crisp and blue and... it's just my FAVORITE!!!!

So there is no way I'm staying inside today. I might even do some long neglected weeding.

So today my creative prompt needs to take me outside. You? Stay in or go out at your pleasure.

Right now - pick up a pencil. Draw something.

I just had to be outside so I found a bloom. And a really cool radial pattern of leaves. Nature has amazing patterns to look at, be inspired by, draw.

Draw a weed. Draw a rubber band. Draw a sock or a shoe piled on the floor.

Just do it.

Creative Wisdom: Baby Steps

Welcome back - did you have a lovely weekend? I did. I played Dominoes with the family, spent three hours shopping an annual closet sale at my very favorite clothing boutique*, successfully fought off the flu, and had a nap. I really like having a little time off every now and then.

So now it's time to get back into the studio.

Here is a little baby step kind of push to help you (and mostly ME) to get there.

Go find one tool or gadget or supply that you haven't used yet and do something with it.

(I know you have it.)

I've had this set of Tombo Dual Brush Pens for several months, have carried it along on two trips - and still haven't used it. 

 So I opened them up and worked on played around with a sketchbook page. 

I got them to play with the blendable aspect - and haven't done that yet.

If you are following along I'd love to hear about it.

Are you finding that once you start you keep going for a little bit? Is it only me that has the little character flaw that makes it so hard for me to just START something - especially when I have a deadline.

* If you live anywhere near Cary, NC and like funky clothes Possibilities is worth the drive. I hate shopping. I save up my whole budget and use it up all at once here. The sale is amazing with several thousand pieces of new or gently used clothing and a crowd of women sharing racks and mirrors. You freely give and receive opinions, you hand over the piece you just tried on but aren't going to get to the person next to you and you make a lot of new friends. (Hi Brie!) I might have to go back today.

Creative Wisdom: Baby Steps

There is no such thing as a long piece of work, except one that you dare not start. ~Charles Baudelaire~

Today's baby step

paint a background (or several) in a sketchbook

Drip some watercolors or splash on some acrylics.

You don't have to do anything else with it now but it might just spark something. 

Just being in the room or that certain creative space in your head might be enough to make you pick up another paintbrush or a needle and floss or turn on your sewing machine.

I got into it just enough to pick up a sharpie and scribble out some words on the page. Who knows what it will become? Not me. Most of the time it is creativity for the fun of it when I'm working in a sketchbook. Work. Play. Same thing.

What have your baby steps been this week?

What have they led to?

After a crash and burn summer I'm getting to the space in my head where I can start some real projects again. Baby steps work.

Creative Wisdom: Baby Steps

"Those who will not start, will never finish." Jack Adams

Take a baby step into your creative place - 

Right now - MAKE A LIST

It can be a big list - your goals for this week, this year, the next ten.

Or it can be small - one thing you want to get do and all the steps to do it.

Now turn off the computer and go do the first thing. (yes, I'm talking to myself here.)

Creative Wisdom: Baby Steps

Take a baby step - into your creative place.

Right now - 

switch over to your photo files and choose one image that inspires you.

by Lainey's Repertoire

I found this vintage letter at Flickr Creative Commons, a great place for copyright free images. I think I'll punch it up a bit and make a new thermofax screen for my shop. I have a tutorial for working with photos to prepare them for thermofax images here.

If your files are anything like mine they are a mess. I can never find the photo I want because I end up just dumping the whole card to make space on my camera. I don't often take the time to sort. So if you gain a little momentum once you've taken that first step, go ahead and organize a file or two.

For Your Inspiration: Seagrove Pottery

Turn and Burn Pottery

Seagrove is a beautiful rural town, right in the middle of North Carolina. It's half way between Charlotte and Raleigh, out of everybody's way but well worth a trip. Because of it's abundant and diverse clay deposits it has been a center of pottery since before europeans arrived on the continent. 

Eck McCannles Pottery

My mother was a potter and I remember playing around on the kick-wheel in the basement. One of us would sit on the kick-wheel underneath while another would spin the wheel on top. She also made beautiful work and will be again as soon as her shed is finished. I love pottery.

When you visit Seagrove you can stop by the NC Pottery Center and see samples of potters' work and pick up a map and plan your studio visits. Or you can drive around and stop at whichever place captures your fancy. It feels like every other building is a pottery studio. After the first hour we could go in a place and know in a few seconds if we wanted to spend any more time there.

And then... we happened on Eck McCannles' gallery.

Eck McCanless Pottery

I think I fell in love. He layers four different colors of clay then throws the pot, lets it mostly harden, then carves to reveal the most amazing patterns. I only came home with a few little mugs. As much as I wanted the vases and plates I don't have anywhere kid-safe to keep them yet.

 Works by Eck McCanless

I couldn't help buying these tea mugs either. Even though the artist is not from NC they just sang to my heart.

John Bandurchin

John Bandurchin