Art Journaling Hiatus

I haven't done any art journaling in a long time. At first, I was just busy, but then, after a while, I started the "what if they aren't perfect?" talk and I haven't let myself just play. I'm working on figuring out some time off from work and I think I will bring my art journal with me wherever I decide to go (beach, I think).  I am missing the tangible making of something.

Hopefully, I will get back into the swing of it. I think I need to watch Teesha Moore's tutorial videos for some inspiration.  And then there are the classes I was in the middle of...they will have some inspiration, too.

Just writing about it here makes me feel excited!

Missing Art

I haven't been doing any art (physical art, anyway) and I am missing it. I suspect I won't be doing any tomorrow as I am exhausted from the week. Maybe I will bound out of bed with a bunch of energy, but I'm kind of doubting it. I've had a lot of adrenaline in my system for the last couple of days and that usually takes a lot out of me at least for a day or two.

I'm itching to use the liquid watercolors I bought for my LetterLove 101 class (which I still haven't finished).

**Also!! Apparently, I haven't been paying attention because in October, Art Media, my local art supply store closed and became a Dick Blick Art Supply store. I was shocked and hovering between excitement for the Blick store and sadness that our local company went away.

What I did Today...

It was a long week, so this is what I did to relax today.

Love the quote. 

Letter Loving It Already!

I am taking a class called Letter Love 101 from Joanne Sharpe online.  I know - like I don't already have enough to do! The class started today.  I think it is going to be a great balancer between the introspection of the How to Build a Blog You Truly Love class and exploring lettering and doing things in an art journal.  I have not been active in my art journaling for a little while and I really crave the tangible nature of making something.

Tonight, I prepped my journal and watched the videos for class. I am stoked and ready for the practice sessions that start tomorrow.

To visitors from the BBTL group and everyone else who stops by - Thank you!   Your comments and your visits mean a lot.  It is good to have my voice out there - scary as it is sometimes, I am so glad to be part of the blogosphere.

Some New Art Journal Fodder

I was reminded that today is the beginning of Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon.  May this year bring you much joy and laughter.

Change is Hard, Not Impossible

A lot of people get impatient with the pace of change. - James Levine



I always have these imaginings that when I decide to do something or change something, it happens quickly and smoothly.  I'm usually (almost always) wrong. This time is no exception, but I'm not feeling down about it. Just trying to figure it out.

I think that is a sign of maturity (I hope).  Usually, if I lose patience or get frustrated, I use it as an excuse to give up or change my mind (read: back away in fear).  This time, as I realize that I have things to do for myself and things that I have committed to others, instead of letting others trump self, I'm figuring out what I need to do for both.

I want/imainge myself to be a person who isn't governed by structure and rules. I had a boss who said, "You should work on the handbook because you are a black and white person."  I was really offended and kind of hurt, but later I realized that there is truth to that. I see the shades of gray, but only because I know where the black and white are.  I do believe in rules although I'm not adverse to bending or breaking them for the right reasons. I guess I thought that if I need structure and rules and boundaries it meant that I wasn't fun or funny or friendly or flexible.  My head believes that none of those things are true. My heart still doesn't buy that it is okay to have both.  (I think this is a little bit of Roby legacy.)

I don't really like surprises anymore - I've had enough unpleasant ones to last me a lifetime, so I guess it makes sense that I like to have some predictability in my life. I think that some level of predictability is underrated.  If you have a base of predictable behavior, predictable outcomes, it is easier to roll with the punches that you CAN'T control.  Does that make sense?

Anyway, I have a lot going on with all the classes and work and the blog and art journaling and my book group and a play I'm working on, and and and...  But I'm feeling good. I'm a little behind everywhere, but I haven't given up.  I'm structuring in time to work on each thing and will continue to do that as I move forward.

I can't wait to see where this leads!

Lazy Day, Project Day

I spent the day online - I checked my work email, facebook, watched videos from an art journaling course I'm taking, organized some photos, did some pinning on Pinterest.  It was a good day.  I also started working on my art journal from the course I watched.  My biggest problem is waiting for the paint to dry all the way. I hate waiting.

It was a rare, lazy, guilt-free day of looking forward, planning for the next couple of months. I have more shows coming up so I have to clear spots to work on them, plus I have several online courses I signed up for coming up and 2 that I delayed starting until the show was done. I also need to start reading my book for the 37Days Book Group - I have it on my Kindle, but I wasn't ready to start it today. I will do it tomorrow.

Tomorrow I have plans to see some old friends for an evening of fun and games. Seems an odd juxtaposition in light of the anniversary I will observe on Sunday. Life is funny, sometimes. But I know Roby would be happy to know that I was still having fun with my friends and remembering him every step of the way.

Shopping Interrupted

So, I left work a little early today. I thought I would hit a couple of stores (very specific stores) on the way home. That was before the accident on I-5 south and the bad drivers and the back ups all over town, even on exits where there were not malls.  It took an hour and a half to drive home and then when I tried to stop at one of the stores I wanted to go to, there was no place to park and I had to go to the bathroom. I drove home with the intention of using the restroom and going right back out again. But I didn't. I got home and changed my clothes and didn't go anywhere.

And I'm not sad about it. I will finish shopping on Thursday or Friday. I don't have much left to do. And I have a plan. That's always good.

Plus - good news!  My new Kelly Kilmer art journal class is up and running a couple of days early! Yay!

Another Art Class!!

I'm so excited - I had found a blogger/artist on Tumblr (I think) who I admire so much, then I found her blog. She incorporates lettering in most of her work and it is BEAUTIFUL!!

Today, as I was bopping around my usual web-haunts, I found out that she is offering a class in 2012!  A lettering class!  That's what I need!

So, for anyone who is interested:  "Letter Love 101: Art Journaling" starts on February 1, 2012 for $35.  The class is taught by Joanne Sharpe and her Etsy store is here.  I know I'm probably biting off more than I can chew this year, but I'm excited to work on lettering - it is the area I am most interested in and where I don't really have much working knowledge or skill.

If you are interested in this class or want to see her art work, go to Joanne Sharpe's Letter Love 101: Art Journaling class. 

I'm so excited! :)

P.S. I know this is a little link-crazy, but I want to be sure that I give all credit where it is due.  I don't know Ms. Sharpe and I am not being paid or rewarded to advertise her class - I'm just excited to take it and I love her art.

Back Into the Fray

Well, back to work I go tomorrow. I feel pretty rested at this point, but I would love another day off to ENJOY and maybe go and do something. Today, I had some rating to do for a job and that took up a big chunk of the afternoon. I should have gone to the movies or something, but I didn't.

Just changing the routine from the day-to-day is a pleasure on the weekends. Not having to wake to an alarm, even when I wake up almost as early, sometimes earlier.  Not having to hurry to get ready and leave the house for the better part of the day is good, too.

Tomorrow, I have to go to Michael's to pick up Gesso.  I know I haven't been posting much art journaling here, but I have been prepping a new journal.  I found a journal project I really liked using a composition notebook and I have been working on getting that ready.  I had to make the pages thicker - two pages glued together and then something glued on to thicken it up.  I used National Geographic pages. Now, gesso (my first venture with gesso) so that I can move forward. I'm very excited about this journal - really different than anything I have done before. I will post pictures.

I'm also going to try this little trick...

Headache Free Day 1

Well, I woke up this morning headache free, so that was really a relief. 5 days of headache is too much.  I have had times today when it threatened to come back, but I think the fact that I don't have the detergent smell on me anywhere is making the difference.

The NaBloPoMo prompt from yesterday asks about our passion projects and whether we are working on ours.  I am not.  I did not carve out enough time and energy for my passions this year, for the most part. I haven't been working in my art journal and I think that I have been pushing it aside for time, but the real issue is perfectionism. I hate that. I have to conquer it and I'm working on it.  I really love just the process and I refuse to let my worries and perfectionism stop me from doing it.  Just have to dive back in.

NaBloPoMo Prompt #10: My Passion

From NaBloPoMo Prompts:  What is your secret (or not-so-secret) passion? (Guest Post by Jean Kwok, author of Girl in Translation)

I have a couple of passions - I don't always indulge in them, but they are there, certainly.

Passion #1:  Musical theatre - in whatever form. I love musical theatre - live, on film, on DVD, documentary, the whole show, the CDs, everything about it. It makes my heart beat faster and it makes me sit on the edge of my seat.  I remember seeing "Les Miserables" in the Broadway theatre in NYC and I literally thought I would just die right there, a happy woman.

Passion #2:  reading.  I miss losing myself in a book. I'm not sure what happened or why I'm not in a space where I'm reading much. I think it definitely impacts me - reading has always been a place for me to escape and to use my imagination. I guess I have just been tired and I haven't made the time to read. I need to do that. Reading Renaissance again. Maybe third time's a charm?

I think both of these are my long-term passions - they have been with me for years and years.  I have other passions, but some of them are quite new - mostly, art journaling.  I could probably name a bunch, but I think these things are the ones that are most impactful and keep me sane.

Sunday Down Day

Glee Jukebox, some Variety Puzzles, "Rent" on Broadway, some art journal stuff. It was a nice, quiet day with little online interaction. Not the beach, but it's a start.

Sunday Session - Art Journal

I did some more on my art journals.  I collaged the back of the composition book, thickened some more pages. I built a new J.O.Y. journal and decorated the cover with scraps from building the journal. I had painted pages a couple of months ago (on Labor Day, I think) and hadn't used them, so I used them to make the cover. It is different than what I normally do, so I like it a lot - just something new...

This is the back of the Composition Journal - the front says, "Never Hide" but the cover isn't done yet.

Made from painted strips of scrap from making the journal iteself.

I liked the phrase that was on the cardstock I was using for the cover of this journal, so I decided to keep it and play around a little bit to see what I would get.

The First Step

I started gluing pages together for my composition book journal - I had painted the front a long time ago and then I never did anything with it.  I think it will be a halloween-ish journal.  I also started making my DIY deco tape and added a little wordage to the cover. Nothing exciting, just the painting. It's a first step. From nothing to a lot of activity for my journal, this is definitely the right way to go.

DIY Deco tape with acrylic paint and masking tape. No designs yet.

Paint was from a while ago - it didn't cover as well as I was hoping, so I decided to do something else.

Waiting and Waiting

I spent a good portion of the day waiting and wondering about a potential change in the industry that I work in. The news never came in any meaningful way, so I just waited and waited. I had a strange day - new people coming in, meetings outside of the office.  It has really been a strange week - everyone is feeling it.  I hope next week is more on an even keel.

I am looking forward to doing some art this weekend, something that is not about work. I have missed my art journal and my glue and scissors and thinking about making things. It has been a while since I have been able to do any of that.

Escaping - KITB

Where Do You Go When It's Time For Escape?
"When I was small and easily wounded, books were my carapace. If I were recalled to my hurts in the middle of a book, they somehow mattered less. My corporeal life was slight; the dazzling one in my head was what really mattered." ~ Lauren Groff The Monsters of Templeton
Books have always been my means of escape. When life gets to be too much to swallow I either slip on my sneakers and go for a run or I grab a book and fly away. For hours I dive into another person's life and live vicariously through them. When I emerge I feel a bit more able to deal with my own life.


How do you escape your reality? What gives you reprieve from your life when it gets to be too much?

I think this is my biggest problem right now - I haven't been doing much to escape my reality, so I don't always feel like I'm getting a reprieve from my life.  I don't always feel it, but sometimes it creeps up on me.

I guess if I had to choose something, I would say that I use the internet for escaping now more than books. I really want to stop doing that, though. I know that the escape I find in books is much more satisfying and REAL. The other way that I sort of escape reality is through working in my art journals. I love doing it, but I often get to a stuck place because I don't always know how to do certain techniques and I'm not very artful sometimes. I find that having to take things out and set up and take it down again is often a deterrent, so I am planning to work on making my extra closet a mini-office space where I can keep my art stuff out sometimes.

I'm frustrated with myself about the reading situation, though. I don't really understand how my reading habits changed so radically. I think it might have something to do with staring at a computer all day long...my eyes definitely feel it. At the same time, I long for a good story to spirit me away.



The information in italics is from Kick In the Blog: Kickintheblog.com is the brainchild of Jessica Rosenberg ~ It's my life...
Come back often for new prompts to kick you out of your blogging rut!

No Tangible Art

It is interesting to go from "30 Days of Get Your Art On" to zero tangible art.  It wasn't purposeful, but just the nature of rehearsing for a show and having a full time job and other commitments.  I managed to waste time in other ways, but I haven't produced any art journal pages or written in my journal or ANYTHING tangible.  I'm not upset about it, but it is strange. I feel a little like I forgot to do something and then I realize that it is just that I'm used to getting a little glue on my hands every day.

Tomorrow is the show, so wish me luck or "break a leg" or "break a finger", as it were. I'm excited to interpret and nervous - shows that I love are always a blessing and a curse - blessing to do a show I know and love, but a curse because I'm always extra nervous.  It will be a good show - I just want our audience to have a good time and understand the story.

Anyway, back to rehearse some more.

A Little Fail, but I'm All Right

Okay, so I have fallen down on the "30 Days of Get Your Art On". I was worried about it when I knew I had a show next week. It is hard to fit art (physical art) in when I work, go to rehearsal and get home at 9:30pm, cook and eat dinner...something had to give.  I've been ready to beat myself up over it for a couple of days, but then I realized that is silly. I'm just doing it for me. It feels good to commit to something, but it is also good to take care of myself and my schedule. Sleep is a good thing and that has been the option for the past few days.

The other part of this that makes it easier is that the missed days are all in the name of art. It is certainly a different kind - being involved in theatre feels like making art sometimes or being near art or party to art. :)  Especially "Les Miserables".  It always uplifts me. I can't wait to see it again next week.

So, a fail in some ways, but a WIN in others. Not beating myself up about stuff does not come easily to me, so I'm happy that I have felt like I could give myself a break. I'm hoping to do some art journal stuff over the weekend, so I know I will be able to finish up the 30 days, even if I did miss a few days.

KITB: What Do You Love To Do?

Prompt from Kick in the Blog:
"What Do You Love to Do?"

At the last blog conference I attended the delightful Patti Digh challenged us to change things up when we're out and about. "Instead of asking people what they do, ask them what they love to do."
So, I'm asking you.
My response:
I don't think that any of my answers will be a surprise to anyone who spends any time here, but I think it is a good exercise to think about all the goodness we have in our lives - even when we aren't necessarily DOING those things actively.
I love going to see musical theatre. I love listening to music and particularly musical theatre. I love doing my art journal and I love playing Pictionary. I love going to the beach and I love the water. I love going to the movies. I love reading. I love snuggling down in a warm bed to read an old favorite. I love laughing with my friends. I love when we all get together and tell the same old stories we have told a million times and laugh until our sides and cheeks ache. I love interpreting. I love interpreting shows - but mostly the part where we get to play around with language and meaning and try to figure out how to make it all come together. I love blogging and I love the people I have met and the things I am loving doing BECAUSE of blogging.
I think I could go on for a long time about things I love - I'm basically pretty happy. I love having FUN.