Me likey

I love this! There, I said it. I made it and I love it. Totally, unashamedly love it!

And what's even better is ... now, how can I explain it? It came from a lesson I wrote for my course. I inspired myself how to do it!

It started out like this...

 then evolved into into this

Before becoming this (with a little digital blending)

(detail)

and I even love the back where the paint soaked through! (I intensified the colour a bit using PhotoShop)

I love ART!

Sharing this for Paint Party Friday. Too excited to wait until Friday to post it.

The inner critic is trying to grab my attention. She's not too sure that I should be quite so pleased with myself. After all, it's not really done to like your own work is it? We're not supposed to think we're any good.

Hey girl, got news for you ... I'm not listening tonight!

She had many faces

Models do have many faces don't they, though I suspect they probably suffer from the stereotyping brush as much as the air one.

Playing with a different type of media this week. I haven't collaged for a while. This is my output for one of my course lessons that we've been working on this week. (Don't worry, not all the lessons involve dismembered body parts... though we will be taking ourselves off-kilter quite a bit.

I hope it's as much fun taking the course as it is writing it. It feels such a pleasure to be sharing within our group

I've just noticed that the neon pink paint I used as eyeshadow and blush hasn't been picked up by the scanner! Clearly I'm just not used to the bright lights of the catwalk and needed to adjust accordingly. I'm a bit too tired to try again - you'll just have to use your imagination. It's bright and it's pink - honest!

How many eyes can you count in the picture?

Sharing with the gang at Paint Party Friday.

Unfurling

Once upon a time, there was a creative soul who sat day after day, night after night pouring her soul forth into her art and writing. She believed in the power of creativity and took trips with her Muse into the deepest secrets of her imagination. It was such a wonderful place that she wanted to share it with others, so she began to write the words that would map out a journey into the creative soul via the right side of the brain - where the magic happens. Today the first of her students are rising to flex their creative muscles, load up their joy in experimentation and most certainly leave behind any self-doubt.

What to expect

This course is not an instructional 'copy what I do' course. I won't show you how to paint or write like me. What I will do is guide you through a series of exercises and teach you techniques to find your own creativity. I want to you to be surprised by what you find.

I'm giving all my students top marks from the start - because they all deserve it. They are here to open up their hearts to possibility. We will banish the 'can't do that demons' to the abyss where they belong. We will draw, paint, write, photograph - whatever our creative Muse wants to do; but at the same time if you just want to paint or write, then that's fine.

We are looking a different ways to find inspiration, to see what's before you and to express yourself.

It's not always going to be easy. At times students may find all they have created is a mess, but that's where the learning really starts - where's the fun in getting it right first time? We will also be working through these exercises collectively and sharing (if we wish) through our group. We will support each other on this creative journey as we find our own Muse and develops different styles. We will start to realise that the mess was just the starting point!
This course is for anybody that wants to try something new and challenging, who dares to be different and who wants creativity bursting into bloom from every pore!

The guarantee

Why not try it and see if you like it. I will offer full refund to anyone who doesn't believe it is helping them dig deep into their creativity by the end of week 4 - can't say fairer than that!

More information available on my website - including the all important sign me up button. What's stopping you?

Take the leap with me (don't worry, I'm holding your hand very tightly and will be with you all the way!).

It's not often I go a week without blogging and I am sorely missing the opportunity to scribble and share. However, with just a few days to go until my eCourse starts and plenty of other work and commitments then something had to give.

I've come up with some great posts while in the car, but the witty gems just didn't want to come back to me once I was in front of a keyboard. I've also been hitting the gym!

One of my 'other commitments' has been the Messy Book Group where we continue to experiment and push the boundaries of what the uninitiated might call chaos, but we call art. This week has seen car tyres painted brightly and then driven over the book, a snake persuaded to make mud paintings and some mysteries involving unknown substances.

I'm in the unknown substance camp. What on earth do think I used to make these interesting textures and patterns?

Anyone that guesses correctly goes in the draw to win a free place on my creativity course which starts on Monday. There are five 'components' to guess! I'll pick tomorrow morning (UK time 9am-ish... it's Saturday.... I might sleep late...).

If you don't win, fear not. For just £42 (that's around US$67), you could join us on an 8 week playful journey to the island of Inspiration, on the trail of Technique with the excitement of Experimentation! We will be making art, writing magical prose and generally having a picnic of a time.

(Forgive the shameless plug... I'm just excited to be doing this at last and am a gregarious soul, so would love lots more people to join those already signed up!

Hmm.... What can they be?

Sharing for Paint Party Friday.