Time Passing

So we're at the last day of October already - time has passed so fast this year - and it's Halloween too!

 

Being Adventurous

Today I tried a new technique for my drawing/painting, having no idea what would emerge - but on the whole I'm quite pleased by the result - an encouragement to be adventurous!

Cornish Sunset


A little later I did 'Autumn'

Relaxation, Recuperation and Enjoyment

That has been the theme of my experience of today from singing gorgeous music at a choir rehearsal to a beautiful walk to the coast and back in the afternoon. This picture is based on a pond I saw on my walk.

Looking into a Pond

Balloons in Soft Focus

An idea of a moment . . .

Tax and General Busyness

Most of the afternoon was taken up with preparing my tax information for my accountant. It felt really good to do something liberating and creative!

Feeling Proud of my Efforts

I have been doing some art each day for many days and though sometimes I like the results rather more than on others, I'm still proud of myself for keeping going and persisting in my creativity. I want to celebrate that!

Unlikely Sources of Inspiration

I saw the street lamp outside my house. Because the air was damp and it was also getting dark, there was a beautiful misty aura around it. It gave me inspiration for the following:

Change of tactic?

I've written a few posts about my journey of creativity and am considering a change of tactic or even subject. I will still continue with the art and when anything feels juicy I'll share it here.

Stone Circle energy

From a thought that I had on my walk today (not surprisingly to the Stone Circle but to the sea),

Phases in Creativity

As I explore my creative journey more fully I find that I have various phases which can last for one day or many. Often it is plants, or geometry but now it might be going to be architectural!

Rest, restoration and Creativity

I find it really important to give myself to unwind and to feel into new concepts around creativity.

A small walled garden

Using materials at hand for Creativity

Sometimes I know that I would love new and better tools or resources but there is a simplicity and creativity which comes with using what we can find to hand to produce art.

Autumn leaves against a Sunset Sky

Creativity and finding support

Often when we start on something new, it can feel very vulnerable to share it with others. That's why it's so important to have a group of people who understands what we're doing and who are willing to support us in our creative efforts. I have a number of creative friends and it's so wonderful to be able to talk freely and openly about where we all are and to receive honest, loving feedback from each other as well as support to continue moving forward.

It's OK to go blank

There are times when I want to create and I have absolutely no idea what to do. The tendency then is to flounder around looking for ideas rather than allowing the blankness to be and seeing what will come forth in time . . .

Spontaneity and Creativity

Sometimes I find it hard to know what to do next when I'm creating. But often if I'm prepared to sit there and pause for a moment a germ of an idea will come and then all I need to do is to follow this . . .
This piece is called Autumn Migration

Nature and Creativity

I frequently find that nature is a strong inspiration in my creativity. Here is a drawing of a Physallis (Cape Gooseberry) fruit skeleton and leaf that I drew today

Creativity and knowing when to stop

I can find that it's easy to become engrossed in a piece of work, experimenting with this and that and wanting subtly to improve what's there in front of me. But there comes a time when a piece of work has to stand as it is and even the smallest alteration can ruin the whole thing. It's a delicate balance between improvising on the spot and knowing when something is complete.

Creativity and Learning New Skills

I find that the ability to be open to learning new skills allows me to adapt what I know and experience to different forms of creativity - trying new projects and seeing what works. Then adding to that skill set and so on so we have many ways to express what we want to share in the world with others.

Humility and Creativity

I find myself inspired a lot by what I see around me, particularly in nature, but also from other sources. This came from a shop window display I saw earlier today. I acknowledge my need to be open to what's occurring around me and humble enough to attribute where I get my inspiration from! Thank you Stones, in St Just!

Direction and Creativity

Sometimes I can become stimulated at the idea of a project which can last for a month or two. Other times there's just a sense of waiting  . . . for something to emerge.

Creativity and Going Round in Circles

Sometimes I feel I'm going nowhere with my art. But the question then arises - is there a destination or is it a continuous process of unfolding  . . .?

Allowing Creativity to Emerge

We are all inherently creative. It's part of our divine nature but often the feedback we've had from our environment hasn't always been positive! So often we can close down from that creative part of ourselves and tell ourselves that we're not creative.

We're all creative and we can all learn to move away from the conditioning that we've received and to explore our creativity with joy, innocence and excitement.

Creativity and Joy

For me there's a real push to be creative. And a sense of tension as the work is being done but often joy as well; and nothing can beat the experience of joy at a successfully completed project! There's a huge sense of self-fulfillment that's present then!

Experimentation and Creativity

Sometimes I've found that when I start out with a fixed idea as to how something looks, it just doesn't work out. This happens sometimes when I'm writing as well as drawing. This afternoon I felt convinced that I wanted to do some flowers - but it just wouldn't flow or work out right. Once I let go of the idea that the drawing had to have flowers, the process flowed completely freely and enjoyably.

Creativity and building up Elements.

Sometimes we have to build up ideas from small elements, the idea of light creating shadows, a particular form or part of it - a shape. And then we can build up from there to something more complete. Similarly, in music, a note or collection of them or a particular rhythm can be the basis of forming a tune.

This picture was built on the basis of a heart shape.

Creativity and repetition

Repetition of our creative skills otherwise known as practice is such an important part of exploring our capacity and potential. Little by little we build that creative muscle as we learn to perceive our environment and lives from a different perspective and practice utilising our creativity in the service of whatever art/craft we wish to pursue.

Trusting the flow of Creativity

Sometimes it's obvious what the next piece of the process will be. It can sometimes feel almost tangible - and those, in some ways, are the easiest times. Less easy are those occasions when I have actually no idea what will emerge. There can be small hints, often for me it's a shape, and so I start with that and see what follows, what inspiration will bring.

Playing and Creativity

How wonderful to play. To just let go of all the preconceptions and rules and to play with what's available and to see what arises.

This is partially inspired by a cushion cover and a spider's web.

Gentleness and Creativity

Creativity can be a very gentle art/skill as we allow ourselves to open up gradually to our own longing and inspiration. We also need to be gentle with ourselves when the inner critic raises its head. as we explore what is possible in our creativity, moving forward with curiosity.

Courage and Creativity

It takes a lot of courage to be creative. To decide that, whatever medium we use, we want to put something out there. Something that we've dreamed up which is totally unique in it's design, application, or both. It takes courage to get past the inner critic. It takes courage to stand up and say I'm going to do this even if it's not the most perfect piece of work in existence, because it's important to me. It takes courage to be seen in our imperfection by both ourselves and others and be totally OK with that!

New month, new direction?

I'm moving away from working from my photographs. I'm still sharing words for 'September Pebbles' or whatever it becomes for this month. I may use the photos I take as a basis to explore not only the words I may use but also as a springboard to alternative possibilities artistically. At the moment I don't know what it will look like for this month. There maybe photographs, there may not be, perhaps sometimes there will be and not at others. I just knew that it was time to move on to something different.

This morning  I went to a quilting exhibition and this is my tribute, on paper, to that exhibition. I'm totally awed by the technical expertise, persistence and the beauty of art that was available there.