My 9th Bloggiversary!

I think blogging for 9 years is a pretty amazing achievement💖 At my first bloggiversary I had done 120 posts and had 34 followers.

My Original Blog Header

This is post 1110 and I now get many more visits per post than that number of followers. I know many people have given up blogging for Facebook and Instagram which are a much quicker hit of art (and you can find me there too if you click on those links), but I've kept up my blog because it's more than just sharing a finished piece of art for me.

Blog Header 2016

I want to tell my story in the hope that I inspire others to be creative and find time for art in their lives; I want to share the inspiration I find in the form of excellent teachers, special workshops, and FREE online offerings; I want to help you discover fun new supplies and then where to purchase them; I want to engage with you via comments or emails; I want to share my love of all sorts of different kinds of creativity in my life.

I also want to capture my process so that I can look back and remember how I did something; to celebrate completing projects; 

to set myself challenges; to capture my journey both artistically and for self-growth; 

to be able to set goals and see how I'm making progress; to have a record of achievement when I feel like I'm not doing anything....

I've learned that we all have seasons of creativity, and sometimes you need a break, but sometimes what's needed is a look at what was happening last year to recognise how far you've come, or that this feeling of not wanting to do much is a regular response to this time of year. In short (which this isn't!) I am grateful to be here, in full colour, sharing my process and my thoughts about my creative life, and I'm especially grateful for your presence here as well. 

I am currently coming out of a time of low creativity for a variety of reasons. I love my monthly reviews as a chance to reflect and to plan ahead. I am now in the middle of school holidays and have been very grateful for the time to recover properly, and to have a chance to have a bit of tidy up as we look forward to the second half of the year. Here's a before and after photo from the beginning of the week

I am so lucky to have the space. Mine is very practical - I would rather art and organise my supplies than make it all really pretty. So while I do have pretty things around

my main focus this last few days has been to organise a few things. I've been very interested and inspired by Laly Mille's free 5-day email workshop of videos covering her favourite supplies. Find out more and sign up HERE.

Of course there was lots in there that I already knew, but she has such a lovely way of explaining things and as a result of watching her I've re-sorted all my pens/ pencils/ markers

as well as organised all my brushes by size and shape for paints

vs gesso and glues

and I feel like I can put my hands on things more practically than before

Today I've basted the quilt that's on my list for completion for the coming week 

and I'm planning my next move on this art journal page....

and after that - you just never know! For now, I am happy to be here, sharing my creativity with you and looking forward to seeing what the rest of July looks like. I hope you are inspired to continue on with me. I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the next 12 months.

 Talk soon 😊

Creative space clearing and preparation for 2018

I'm on holiday this week. My Christmas shopping is done and I'm all ready except for the groceries and cooking preparation for the day when my family descends. Today I had an afternoon free and decided to spend it in my studio. I am so very lucky to have a room where I can store supplies, create, and enjoy my art. I share the space with my husband's musical instruments, but I seem to now have about 3/4 of the room! .... I use it more than 3/4 of the time though. I call it "My Studio" ♥

As part of our preparation for my online Moonshine class with Effy Wild, we were encouraged to clear space for the new year, and to find a spot for a studio altar. My studio was a bomb site before I started - lots of things dumped without having time to find the right place to store them properly

As well as that, the shelves and sills above my work tables were functional rather than inspiring....

I've never had a studio altar - I wasn't really sure what it meant. In our first handout it just talked about finding a spot where you can keep "a few sacred objects". Still a bit unsure, I did a big of googling and came across a nice explanation from Adele Wayman HERE - My intent is to show that an artist’s altar is a place to make explicit that which is often implicit in an artist’s work – that making art is a sacred practice. This fits well with what the Moonshine class is about I think.
I really like what Bridget Conn has to say HERE - We make altars without realizing it. It starts by simply organizing a space. Perhaps the objects placed there have something in common – although this may be only through an intuitive response at first. Then perhaps, given time, we start to make some conscious connections between items, and begin to unravel their significance...To sum up a bit easier, this work is about the sacredness of objects...I like objects that hold stories, objects that people hold dear. 
And with all that in mind, whether you call it an alter or not, I've always liked to gather things that inspire me, and to hold special people/objects close. As I cleared my space, I consiously moved the functional away from a couple of areas, and created some places where objects of significance and joy to me are visible and make me feel both happy and inspired.

The shelf above my computer - fabric banner (made with my Grandmother's serviettes - a fav mixed media piece), my inspiration project jars, Celebrate Angel by Kelly Rae Roberts (gifted for my 50th by special friends), see the Garden Accordian book HERE. 
I cleared space in my wire basket stack by tossing some stuff and moving more books and magazines on my shelves

and used the basket stack instead for my stash of pretty papers that used to be stored on the shelves above my sewing desk, with the top basket for waiting projects and mending 

And then I was able to extend my lovely gatherings on my shelves

and the desk only has my current "She Blooms" gatherings and large art journal on it ♥

I love the clear space - all ready to create more busy creative mess ;-) And this was my window desk view before

and after

I've moved my more functional things to each side, and used the middle window space (framed with hearts ♥) for gathering together favourite objects. I've used Effy's suggestion of including a candle, shell, feather and stone to represent the elements. These were all on my sill before, but now they are placed where I can give them more appreciation and attention.

I also added some affirmation glass squares, and special gifted objects resting on some of my great grandmother's lace 

I'm not sure that I've made altars, but I've cleared space, and gathered special objects and my studio space inspires me again. Views from my desk as I type here : 

I hope you're managing to find some time for creativity and space clearing. It's such a great feeling.
You can enrol for Moonshine HERE - special discounted pricing at present, and even cheaper if you buy the bundle of this and Book of Days 2018.

Birthday cards

A few more cards to share. The first started as a piece of gelli-printed cardstock. 

I glued on some pieces of serviettes, some found words, and then machine stitched that to the card base. 

The next was for a friend who loves red. I like to use serviettes and thought a flower would be nice so this one fit the bill 

The yellow stencil design in the background was chosen for a bit of sunshine on a very wet day, and because that stencil was still out from my last project...Sometimes decisions simply arise from what's easily to hand :-)
Favourite additions of sari ribbon, machine stitching and a butterfly stamp and this one was complete

Don't feel despair if you make a stitching mistake.....I decided I needed another line of stitching on the sari ribbon, but on the second go forgot to open the card! Redeemed by unpicking, restitching, and then disguising the holes inside the card with some other decorative stitch so that will be a feature when she opens the card and reads the message. If you click on the photo you'll see the holes still there from the mistaken stitching, but I don't think she'll notice.

While my machine and supplies were out, I decided to add to my stash of cards. Now that my new machine is up in pride of place on the big table in the middle of my studio to use every day, I do my journal work on the narrower table in the window. 

My old machine rests underneath on the floor, and is portable enough to just pop up when I need to add stitching. I love that I don't need to worry about whether I am stitching through paper, or if the glue is quite dry....it never lets me down.

When I use serviettes in my art, I pull off the bottom 2 layers. When I made the red card above,  I noticed that the middle layer had quite a definite, though softer, print from the top layer, so thought I might be able to use that too :

I liked it so much that I used both layers of a flower on a 3rd card :

and here they are now :

Just need to finish that left one. Once I know what the occasion will be, I will add some nice found words.

Please tell me you don't work full time!....

I had a comment the other day on my blog : "Please tell me you don't work full time so I can let go some of the inferiority complex!". It got me thinking - I am very lucky to be able to say that I don't work full-time, and my job as school librarian also means I only work school terms. On the other hand, I don't sit and "do art" all day! I have the normal washing, school lunches, meals, cleaning the house, gardening etc to do around my library job; I go to the gym to keep fit and healthy; I have 2 active boys that need driving places,to be watched at their games, and supported with homework etc, and I spend time socialising with friends and family - I have a busy, and sometimes too-busy, life :-) 
But there are some things that I do and don't do that help me be as productive as I am, so thought I would share those things here in the hope they might help you.

Decide what you will create : Focus on only 1 or 2 projects. Easy for me to say - a friend commented on my list of creative projects - to her it was a large list. In my head, I am focusing on one art journal, one mixed media class, and making quilts (one at a time!) Currently I'm not feeling overwhelmed or torn between projects. If you are having trouble making a choice of what to do, write your options on pieces of paper, put them in a bowl and draw one out....if you are disappointed when "that project in your head" didn't come out - then you know that's the project you should be doing!

Unsure yet about your artistic voice? Create a pinboard to define what is "you". Gather at least 10 images of your work and, if you like, an artist you admire. What themes do you see? What colours show up regularly? What are your/the artist's signature techniques? Put up photos of your work that you love as well as a few other creative projects. What's your favourite project from last year? If you gather together a record of what you love, you'll see commonalities. An example for me is to always add stitch. You may remember that was the perfect finish for my affirmation feather. Try not to do too much of this gathering on pinterest.... see the next point! Also say "no" when invited to participate in projects that are not your love. Do what makes YOU happy. Be joyful in creating : this was a  take-home lesson from my classes with Karen Stone - we spend enough time doing things we "should". 

Get off screens - I think most of us are conscious of what we should do, but we need to act! BEFORE YOU PLOP DOWN IN FRONT OF THE TV OR COMPUTER - GO TO YOUR {PLACE WHERE YOU STORE YOUR CREATIVE STUFF} AND REMIND YOURSELF WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO BE DOING. I now hardly watch TV unless it's something with my family, and I even created a fabric banner that hangs above our computer to remind me to get off and create  

"Into the studio arty girl"

If you are looking for inspiration online, you would be better served by exploring Alisa Burke's free Finding your muse class that will get you off the computer and into your world to fill your creative inspiration well.

CREATE DAILY The key thing to the way I work is Micro-movements. I shared about that in this blogpost in January 2012. I've been told it is worth reading...You don't need an hour or more at a time to create. The effect of micro-movements is 2-fold. Finding 5 minutes here and there in your day can quickly build up to 1/2 - 1 hour in a day, which is 7 hours in a week...secondly, if I feel in a bit of a creative slump, I can trick myself by saying "I'll just do 5 minutes" - often that is enough to get me going :-) 

Find a project that makes you want to show up – the best thing about my year so far has been committing to Life Book and the FREE Documented Life projects – they help to get me to “show up” at my art desk because I don't want to get behind – and that leads to creative joy once I start, often with a simple step of my first background layer and no idea of where it will lead me.

Keep all your supplies together and find a way to leave your project out - this totally supports micro-movements. I am very lucky to have studio space, but previously I fitted into a small office. Even if you can't manage that, can you have a space/a table/a tray for creating mixed media? 

When I created my 14 layers on my last journal spread, I did one layer, and then went away and did something else. When I came back, that was dry, and I could do the next step.
Can you leave your sewing machine out all threaded up and ready to go? I am very keen to make this quilt - it's only going to happen one seam at a time!

Can you have a basket with supplies always ready for hand-stitching? I always have a book with me in case I have to wait in the car unexpectedly. Can you have a small journal or stitch project you can carry everywhere with you?
Be kind to yourself. Don't compare - unless it's with yourself! what were you doing last year? what have you learned? what are you able to do now? have your circumstances changed so you need to celebrate what you can still manage now you have less time? are you moving forward on your creative journey?
Celebrate your achievements - keep a record of your completed projects in photographs and display them on a board, or put them in an album. Keep a notebook of projects where you learned something or just had a good time, even if you didn't "finish" something. Keep a record of what's been inspiring you - books, movies, music, places. 
Productivity and creativity breed productivity and creativity. When I wasn't productive, I found it hard to be - now I am, it seems easier to find time and to keep doing projects - I think it's a head space thing as much as anything else.
I know I am VERY lucky in my situation - I am supported by my husband to be able to take some classes, and I have some disposable time in my days. But I have choices about how I spend my time, and so do you. I could have a perfect weed-free garden and a spotless house...but I don't choose that. And sometimes I just choose to lie on the couch and read a good novel

My latest favourite read - was sorry it had to end

or go for a walk and have coffee, and I don't get out to my studio all day. And that's all good too, as long as you don't stay away from your art every day!
What choices are you willing to make so you can create more art? Or how can you better recognise what you ARE doing, and feel good about what you are doing in the time you have?  I hope this post doesn't sound preachy. I did it to inspire you. Talk to you again soon.