Making Creativity a Priority

Relaxing Color with Me

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Today I am sharing a short video with you. I recently purchased a very simple coloring book and some new crayons so I could take a few minutes to relax and de-stress without worrying about what I would create or do.

I wanted to share this with you in the hope that you would be inspired to take a few minutes with your creativity today. To not worry about doing anything challenging or worrying about results but to just relax, have fun and be creative.

Wishing you a beautiful day!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Staying on Path

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A beautiful desk-but not mine 🙂

I am sitting in the studio, in my cozy chair with a cup of decaf french vanilla. Dinner was delicious-albeit a bit decadent with all it’s cheesy yumminess-and I am taking time to just sit and visit with you all a bit.

The ideas have been swirling and for what feels like the first time I am able to keep up with them. In the past I have had ideas flood in that often took me in various different directions. Lately however, I feel more grounded, my plans and ideas have a direction and I am able to move along at what feels like a grounded steady pace. Sometimes I just don’t have the energy or if I am being honest, the inclination or dedication to stick to the plans I set out. If I were to offer a guess, it’s because in the past I let anything that peaked my interest take center stage rather than vetting it for cohesiveness and longevity.

So often I was lead off of my path to be taken down one that, while interesting, isn’t for me.  My husband and I will joke that we get distracted by “something shiny” and off we go. I am working very diligently at appreciating the shiny but letting it float on its merry way to it’s real home.

My focus lately has been on my first in-person art journaling class. Launching my new digikits as well as my dollhouse channel. I want creativity to be my focus and I want to focus on sharing it in an inspiring way to others but I also want to be spending time each day living my creativity not just creating content. I was guided today to take a good look at my creative corner at home. If you aren’t familiar it’s a little corner in our bedroom where I have a desk and lots of creative goodies to play with. The desk was covered with laundry and bags and various things that needed putting away. Most days if I am working at home I am at the kitchen table with my laptop but it was being suggested that maybe, I need to clear off my creative space so I can practice what I preach a bit more.

It’s hard to do little bits of creativity through the day when you need to dig through laundry to find your journal. And while I love creating content my creative practice is first and foremost what sustains me through the day to day of life. It’s what supports me when I am feeling frazzled-giving me an outlet for the struggles-and it’s also what grounds me in the good days-helping to savor the little moments.

So today I cleared the desk, I uncovered the 10 journals I have started prepping and made a plan to sit there each day-if only for 5 minutes-and have a play.

Our world makes distractions so easy and focus-especially on the truth of what matters to us-hard to come by. I want to be deliberate with my time and how I spend my energy and paint covered hands and collage pages always bring me joy.

Thursdays are also the days where I give my book club update. This week I am still working on the same 3 books I mentioned last week. I have been listening to the audiobook during studio time and have been trying to read my Scottish Bookshop book during the day but haven’t been very successful. With any luck come next Thursday I will have completed these 3 books and have some new ones to share with you.

I hope this post finds you well. Are you reading anything good? I would love to hear!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

Video: Let’s Make Some Unfinished Art Journaling Pages

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Hello everyone I hope your week is off to a great start.

I’ve been struggling with some anxiety lately and time in the studio today really helped re-focus my attention. I worked in my Creative Business Journal doing my first 4 page spread. I shared this journal in a previous video that you can watch in this blog post.

Today I decided to a play with my ink sprays that have been collecting dust. It was a lot of fun-even with some jammed nozzles. Initially I thought I was just going to make some backgrounds but then I decided to add a little collage as well. Combined with some quick stenciling, tissue paper and some acryllic paints and I had a really fun time.

The key for me was to just have fun. I had to let go of wanting to make a perfect page or even create a unique video to share on my channel. While I want to make interesting content what I really want to do is to share my process in the hopes of inspiring you to make some art each day. Even if you feel you can’t do a lot or you aren’t an artist it’s really worth giving yourself a few minutes each day to play with paper and color.

Want to join me? This video is just about 5 minutes long. Why not get out some supplies, your favorite cuppa and let’s create together. If you do-please comment below and tell me what you made-or better yet link to your blog so I can hop over and see!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Video: Warm Up Art Journal Process “It’s Your Road”

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Happy Monday!

I am sitting in the studio-a fresh cuppa has just brewed and I have another art journaling process to share with you all.

At the time I am writing this I haven’t quite finished the page. I needed to let things dry a bit so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to have another cup, sit in the cozy chair, and write to all of you.

How is your week starting off? I hope it’s going well, that it’s gentle but fulfilling for you. And if your day is less than how you would like it then I hope sitting here with me for a bit, over a cup of your favorite, offers you a respite. A little oasis for you to come to, relax, take care of yourself and recharge.

My week is starting off well-if not exactly how I planned. Schedules have been moved a bit at home and it seems I will get some early morning studio time each week. It’s a really nice addition and a dream I have been having for years now. I am meeting a friend for breakfast a little later but having the early morning to be a time for me to get my work done is really exciting for me. I had hoped to wake early and go to the gym alas I didn’t drag myself out of bed in time. There is always next week to try again.

My hope is to get up, gym, studio and then back home for homeschool and all things family. The really exciting part is that I can, starting next week, offer my creative coaching sessions during the day-something I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to manage. So if you have been looking to schedule a day session you can visit the scheduling page today and see the new available hours.

So now, in the midst of journal pages drying I thought it would be fun to tell you a bit about what I was doing in my warm up journal.

First I should say I have never had a warm up journal before. I created this journal last year and the idea of having a place where I could start off my studio sessions was appealing to me. I wanted something that would give me a place to lay down some color or journal a few words and not feel pressured to make anything. If I am honest, most of my art journals are becoming a space where I have freed myself from the need to make anything in particular. Where I can just create in a free way that feels like me.

Even though I have given myself permission to not make amazing art-I do like a theme for my journals. I love a container that holds the plans, dreams, fears and intentions I have around a certain project or area of my life.

(This concept is something I have learned mainly from Andrea Schroeder at The Creative Dream Incubator-if you would like to learn more you can click here to see her work-tell her Michele says “hi!’ 🙂

Right now I have a home journal, a business journal, my word of the year journal and my warm up journal. Each one is a place where I come to dream, plant seeds and work out what may be holding me back from taking next steps. I am a believer that these sessions don’t need to take long and I often plop down at my desk at home for 2 or 3 minutes to add color or collage to a page before going back to whatever I was doing. Letting the ideas mull over in the back of my mind as I go about the day.

My warm-up journal is where I start when I come to the studio. Today I got to the studio and realized I forgot my planner-then realized I left all my memory cards at home-so back off I went. I was trying to not add to the frustration with the thoughts of, “and you didn’t do the gym like you planned….” and realized I was feeling rushed and as if I was falling behind-and it wasn’t even 9am yet!

So I made my coffee (the first thing I do when I get to the studio) and decided to play in my warm up journal as today’s video.

I had no plan. I was going to start off with my tempura paint sticks (have I ever told you how much I love these?) but then I saw some colors in my Neo Color II that I wanted to play with so I just started scribbling.

My first scribble started to look like a heart so I decided to just go with it and make it a heart. This brought me back to being a kid where I would doodle hearts and stars all over my notebooks so I decided to add a star.

From there I was pulling colors I liked. I did grab my tempura paint sticks and use the peachy color-one of my favorites-to start tying things together. I added some tissue paper as collage and just kept going. I was looking for some neat paper to draw on thinking I wanted to cut it out and add it to the page but found a quote I decided to add instead. Then I noticed the scribbles at the bottom left looked a bit like a river going through a field so I played with some loose scribbles to enhance what I was seeing.

I took a break to start this blog post and then I went back and it’s always fun to see how differently things appear when you come back to a page. I decided to use one of my small rough brushes to add a pathway representing my own road. Then I added lots of trees to either side because if it’s my road-it needs to be lined with trees.Surrounded by them I would say.

I tried to apply this last layer in a way that would allow the previous textures and colors to come through but I always get heavy handed when I start to feel like I am coloring. Learning restraint in art making is still a skill I am developing.

Or maybe not.

I added some sky and enhanced the look of the river and embankment I saw earlier. I loved the sketchy look it had where you just had the illusion of it being there but it didn’t go with the other page so I added some paint. I think I will be exploring some sketchy type scenery in the future though.

So that is my video share for you this week. I hope you are able to take a few minutes today to do something fun for yourself. Regardless of your creative medium just 5 minutes can really help improve your mood or give you a new look on things. If you would like to take some time now-why not join me? You can see my process emerge on screen by watching the video below and play along. If you do create along with me-comment below and share what you made-I would love to hear!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Music by Saint Stephen – 50’s Milkshake – https://thmatc.co/?l=352EAE2D

Music by You ME and the Piano – Merry-Go-Round – https://thmatc.co/?l=4B20EFD1

Video: Studio Art Journaling Session

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How is your midweek going? Mine feels productive but if I were to be honest I am itching for some people time. I feel as if I am working up towards some real shifts in my life-good shifts-but I am getting a bit impatient.

It can be hard to move towards something new while still sitting with the old on a daily basis and it is in the times of feeling uncomfortable or anxious or worried that I do two things: pray and art journal.

Of course that may look different for everyone but when I create in my art journal it allows me to connect sometimes in a more meaningful way. It clears out the noisy thoughts and reminds me to be a bit more aware of what is. And I don’t know about you but it’s much easier for me to focus on what is when there are colorful paints and collage materials around me.

Would you like to have a little midweek creative time with me? You don’t have to work in your journal but maybe 5 minutes with your favorite creative outlet will help you through your day or to unwind from it. I created a little video for you to watch below. If you do join me please comment I would love to hear what you created during our time together!

 

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Music by You ME and the Piano – Merry-Go-Round – https://thmatc.co/?l=4B20EFD1

Music by Julia Pauletti – Yesterday – https://thmatc.co/?l=06E3D048

Video: Early Morning Art Journaling: Let’s Make Time

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Good morning!

I hope that whenever you are reading this (morning or not) that you are having a beautiful day.

I wanted to share with you my art journaling session from this morning. Recently I have been trying to get up earlier (if you have been around for a bit you know mornings are not my default happy place) and to make time for a few things that really support me through my day. They are:

Journal Writing: I sit down with my writing journal and just write it all out. Julia Cameron called these “morning pages” in her book “The Artist Way” (this is an affiliate link and you make a purchase using this link I earn a small commission but it doesn’t cost you any more) and it’s one of my favorite practices. When I sit and just let all the words out-let my feelings out, my worries, fears, anxieties, excitements, hopes, wishes-when I make time to let that all out I always feel so much better. I don’t set a number of pages I have to write (Julia recommends in her book 3 pages each morning first thing) but instead I write until I feel better or feel I have come to a stop.

Prayer: I make time for prayer. This past year I have become more and more reliant on my relationship with God and as I am dreaming and seeing things I long to shift and change, I find that dedicated prayer time in the mornings helps remind me to make talking to God a part of the whole day.

Art Journaling: I also spend a little time with paints and paper and my art journal. I mainly work in the mornings in my special focus journal where I just work on capturing not only the energy I’m trying to be but also how I currently am. Yes, I am trying to bring something amazing into my life but that can feel scary at times. In my art journal I can be real with where I am and use the words and paint and glued images to help me let go of fear and embrace trust.

Would you like to join me?

Regardless of the time day can you spend 7 minutes making a little in your journal? If you don’t have an art journal what about a piece of paper and some colored pencils or crayons? Yesterday I just drew on some pages in my writing journal (I had inadvertently skipped 2 pages when writing so I decided to doodle on them instead). There are no supplies needed to just get some creative time in. You can join me by watching the video below.

I would love to hear what you create-please comment below and share your blog if you have one so we can all come see what you are making.

 

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante