Creative Input Detox: An Idea Has Started

     Leave a Comment

I am inundated with thoughts.

It’s as if the voices of all I have been reading, watching and learning are in my head chattering away about everything. They have lots of opinions. I have conjured up lots of pretend scenarios that go with them and as a result they offer a never ending, running commentary on all I do (or don’t do) throughout the day.

I think it’s time for another detox.

I do not mean a detox of the physical variety such as a juice cleanse but rather a detox of consumption.
I have done this before, back when I was first re-starting my blog and I found it to be very liberating.

Over the past few weeks I have been losing my focus. I am easily distracted with new ideas and as a result I am starting and stopping a lot. Normally I love having lots of creative ideas but when they interfere with the goals I have and result in my bouncing around from one thing to the next, I think it’s time to simplify.

To offer some examples, over the past week or so I have come up with lots of things I want to create. Paths I want to go down and while they are fun prospects I haven’t completed any of the projects I already started. Instead of seeing through my “in progress” works, I am being distracted by the next shiny thing.

I do embrace change and I can easily move on from projects that are no longer working. This is different though. I am so flooded with the “new and shiny” I almost can’t remember what I was working on. It’s similar to walking into a room with the intention of dusting and instead you end up sorting clothing-half way though leaving it still spread all over the floor because you went downstairs for garbage bags and are now cleaning the garbage can but you left that outside because the leaves needed raking….

You get the idea.

As a creative the new ideas are exciting and tempting. Sometimes, they point out what we want to add to our existing projects or what we need to let go of. Other times they do nothing more than keep us from completing anything.

So I am planning a detox and here is what I mean.

Last time I think I called it “No input.” Not a very catchy title but I was trying to share the essence of what I was going through. Basically for the designated time I didn’t read anything (no books, blog posts, newsletters, emails etc.). I didn’t listen to anything so no audiobooks or podcasts. I didn’t watch anything-no TV, videos etc.

I think I still listened to music and I went online for the purposes of paying bills and such but that was pretty much it. I focused instead on output. I used the time I would have spent consuming more information to sharing what it was I already had. Instead of learning a new mixed media technique I played around with the ones I already know.

Instead of reading a new book I worked on writing my own.

Instead of reading blog posts, I worked on writing my own.

Instead of listening to podcasts, I worked on making my own.

It was pretty wonderful.

Once in a while I allowed myself a video here and there when I just really wasn’t into doing anything and I think that’s grace. It’s also the difference between resistance and self-care so I was very aware of every time I did this.

I love having lots of projects but I also want to start finishing some. I want to feel I am gaining traction on my creative business and I want to start seeing some tangible results. So I think a bit of a detox is in order.

I haven’t worked out the when and the how and the how long. Part of me thought it might be good to have set days where I don’t have any input and then other days where I can. I think it might support me better to have some disconnected time through out the week rather than just not having any for a month and going back.

So maybe that looks something like only reading, watching and listening 3 days a week and the other days I focus on creating. I do like this idea because it becomes a regular practice of being intentional with each day rather than just pushing through a month of no content only to return right back to where I was.

Like giving up all snack foods for a month versus limiting what you eat through out the week.

What about you? Do you feel overwhelmed sometimes with ideas? When you sit down for your creative time do you not know where to start? I would love to hear any ideas you have. It might be a fun journey to take together.

I’ll be talking more about this in this week’s podcast and I will let you know next week what I’ve decided.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Finding a Groove

     Leave a Comment

Is it really just a few days until Halloween?

Halloween is a favorite around our house and we have been watching our Halloween videos. Tonight the kids and I watched “Nightmare Before Christmas” which we all love. Our drives usually involve at least one go of “This is Halloween” played over the radio. Tomorrow we are thinking “The Haunted Mansion” and then wrap it all up with “Hocus Pocus” over the weekend.

I have been busy creating a really fun Halloween project for what is my soon-to-be launched Patreon Page. I don’t have a deadline yet, I have just been wanting to make content and upload it so there is something already there when people sign up. I have some really fun ideas and am enjoying creating content.

I also plan to return to YouTube and maybe even work out a regular schedule. I think I just need to get over myself and stop taking it so seriously and just enjoy making videos. It’s so easy to make something a lot more than it is and I’m trying to just relax and enjoy doing what I love to do.

One of the projects I am working on right now is a miniature kit for Halloween. It’s a shoe box scene of a Magic Emporium. I have been construction a few pieces each night at the studio and filming it as a challenge to share with Patrons. It’s been so much fun especially since I haven’t really created anything like this. I started a kit last year but didn’t really get far and when I was a kid I made a piece of dollhouse furniture from a kit. I talked a bit about that in this week’s podcast.

It’s a bit of a lofty ambition but I am hoping to have the piece done by Halloween. We will see how I get on. In the meantime here is a sneak peak of some of the pieces I have created.

I changed a few things up in the studio. Moving my desks around to make way for my new printer and my Cricut machine. I have been working hard on my sticker creations and hope to launch my new sticker shop soon. Mastering the Cricut is part of that plan but I would really love to have it up and going in time for holiday shopping. I won’t rush it though, things happen in time and I am determined to enjoy the process and to make products I am excited about. I have come up with my shop name and just need to purchase the domain and set up my shop. If you want to stay in the loop on that you can subscribe to my newsletter here. I’ll be sending out a newsletter with shop updates and coupons but only once a week. I hate receiving daily emails so I won’t be sending them out 🙂

I am also going to be launching my digital download shop. I thought of having everything in one spot and I’ll probably do that here on the site but with my Etsy shop it seemed best to keep everything cohesive and theme based. I have been having lots of fun creating planner downloads and inspirational signs. It would be great to launch both shops at the same time but again, trying to keep the fun in everything but also taking advantage and harnessing the creative energy when it’s here 🙂 If you like digital downloads and want to sign up for updates about that you can do that here.

I know it may sound like a thousand projects but I am really learning how to make everything work in manageable chunks and making the most out of my studio time. I am excited to share more content with you here on the blog as this is my home base to connect with my fellow creatives. I would love to hear about the projects you are working on so please do reach out.

In the meantime I wish you a lovely weekend and a very Happy Halloween if you celebrate. I will be back with you again next week. Much love.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Just ‘Cause

     2 Comments

Fall has arrived.

The air is crisp and I’m finding myself reaching for a sweater through out the day.
I love it.

I have fallen out of the routine of coming to my studio. This past week I was hibernating and it seemed harder to stretch back out into the world-even to the studio I love. It felt as if I had just broken the habit of going and needed to get that started again. I see now though it was a bit more.

My mind had fallen back into production mode. I was silently thinking of what should be accomplished when I get to the studio. I made some really awesome digital artwork last week that I’m really proud of. I am imagining it to be the first collection I share and I was so caught up in what it was supposed to be that I couldn’t get myself back into the practice of making art again.

Digital art feels different to me somehow.
It feels ready made for production and profit.
The art I make with paper, paints and by hand feels more intimate, personal. Like it’s created to reach people, inspire them.

I don’t say this as a statement of fact. It is simply how the process feels to me and how this perception of mine colors my creative process.

I have to realign again with making art simply to enjoy making art.
To paint for no other reason than to enjoy playing with color.
To write because I enjoy telling a story and to share that writing because others might enjoy reading it.

So this week I am focusing on some time to re-connect with my art. To enjoy her once again and to play, once again, without worrying where it will lead but rather to trust the process. One tangible product I am working on is setting up my podcasts onto a new site. I’ll still host them here but the new site will offer some editing software along with the chance to be found on another platform. It will also allow for you to listen on your favorite streaming service so if that’s something you have been looking for I hope to have it up and running soon.

My birthday is this Friday and I am making more time this week for the creative practices I love most. I am hoping to play in my, “Year of Me Journal,” maybe do some writing. I am also doing a bit of a birthday “advent calendar” where each day from Monday-Friday I am going to do something special to mark the lead up to my birthday. Tonight, while making some art in my chilly studio (need to bring a space heater I think) I plan to watch “Hocus Pocus” one of my favorite movies ever. I am less excited for the second one now that I know they didn’t bring back the 3 kids from the original movie. I’m sure I’ll still watch it. Have you seen it? Please let me know if you liked it or not below.

That’s it for me. Wishing you a lovely, creative week!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

The Routine of Distraction

     Leave a Comment

I have been a bit quiet lately.

Introspection is a very natural state for me. Sitting, pondering, pen in hand, notebook, a cup of tea, something sweet. That is a state of being I can exist in quite possibly forever.

During moments of quiet I am communing with something larger than myself. Sometimes praying, sometimes listening, most times just talking, everything makes sense in these moments. It often feels as if I am gifted a set of coordinates and my path is made clear.

Then I step out of contemplation and into the world of doing and things get muddy. Suddenly there is opposition, opinions, obstacles. I find myself shrinking, changing, complying-becoming ever too aware of other people and their role in what I am creating and doing.

I envy people who seem to be undeterred. The people who can seemingly march through life unaffected by anything as they continue on their set course undeterred.
I wonder if it’s as easy for them as it seems. So few things are. I wonder if they worked hard to be this way or if it was part of their identity from birth.

I am often detoured off my set path.
I change course because of an obstacle rather than charging over, through or removing what is blocking my way.
I prefer to journey two-days off course rather than deal with an obstacle-especially if that obstacle appears in the form of another person.

Sometimes this is a lovely way to be. I can float through, discover scenery and places I hadn’t planned and still land at my destination point.

Lately however it has felt that the more detours I take, the more obstacles that show up. I fatigue easily when challenged and it usually leads to my wanting to be at a table in a quiet kitchen with a cup of tea, a journal, a pen and my quiet introspection. The tangible of this world never really lures me the same as the deeper meanings do.

And recently I have been wanting to change this just a bit.

I am tired of forever detouring.
I am tired of letting my plans slide.

During my quiet time this week I realized that being flexible, enjoying a detour are beautiful gifts. It is not something I need to change. Rather I need to add a little discipline.

I need to train my mind to focus on what is important. To block out distractions and all the noise of a world that would forever have me bouncing around from one detour to another all the while stuck in traffic.

It is my easily distracted mind that needs tending.
My passions, my purpose that need my focus.
So I have retreated to strengthen myself.
To make sure that the work I am doing is what I am meaning to do and not just part of the routine of distraction.

I desire real connection with others.
I desire joy, peace, art-making and a thriving creative business that supports all of this.

So I am going back to what I love-writing and making art.
I am pulling away from YouTube (again) since it really doesn’t bring me joy.
I am making my art, finding my style and focusing on doing my thing and sharing it in a way that also feels like me.

I wonder what detours are showing up in your own life.
I would love to hear, please feel free to reply to this email so we can support each other.

In the meantime I am going to keep sharing my podcasts, blog posts, Letters to Creatives and Dilettante TV (and planning to add some more vlog style videos). And soon, I hope to be sharing some more of my art with you.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

You can also follow me on Substack here.

Video: Playing with Watercolors-Create with Me!

     Leave a Comment

You can watch the video by scrolling to the bottom of the blog post.

Today I wanted to play with my watercolors.

I thought it would be fun to create some images on smaller sheets of paper but really just play with the supplies and see what came about.

Over the weekend I was sketching outside by my marigolds. I was inspired by Anne Butera’s sketchbook class where she showed a snippet of her creating in her garden. The whole family was outside playing over the weekend so I set up a picnic style blanket and plopped on the ground beside my marigolds (dogs clamoring for snuggles).

Initially I started out swatching colors while thinking about the marigolds. Then I tried to create some similar to how I had done in my sketchbook. I learned quickly that my tendency to overwork things lead to more of a circle rather than a flower shape.

Still, I had fun. I was a little bummed that the marigolds lost their shape so I popped over to my favorite color while thinking for flowers. Not any flower in particular I just held the idea in my head and moved my brush around to see what happened.

I used this same technique for some lavender and purple shapes as well.

Lastly I decided to swatch some fall colors and then I made some marks while thinking about leaves-and stopping myself before I could overwork them too much!

Then it seemed fitting to try a pile of fallen leaves. It wasn’t looking like what I imagined but when I let go and just started playing again the colors started to blend and I was very happy with my abstract pile of fallen leaves.

And the tree they fell off of.

I hope you will give your favorite media a try. Perhaps without trying to create anything you just let your media and movements dance and see what they create.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Video: Making Our Popcorn Journals: No Sew/No Special Tools

     Leave a Comment

Happy Monday!

As you read that we are officially back to home school. Right now I am probably picking up pencils off the floor and trying to keep my now 4 year-old occupied without going through all the special homeschool items I purchased for this purpose. With any luck I was able to get some nice photos of the first day and the kids are excited about some new surprise goodies that the moaning and groaning is at a minimum.

The Michele who writes this is full of hope 🙂

If you remember a few weeks back I shared the idea of a “popcorn journal.” (If not you can read and watch the video here).

The idea was that on those nights when we want to crash on the couch and binge watch our favorite show that we could make a tiny bit of art in the 2 minutes it takes to pop our popcorn.

At the time I had planned to use an actual popcorn box for this purpose but I seemed to misplace it when it came to make the video.

I also realized that I had brought all my book binding tools back home to the Creative Corner and had very limited items here at the studio.

My first instinct was to just do it another time but I had no idea what to film for today. So I took a moment and was guided to just make what I could make with what I had on hand.

Years ago I used to make some “Use What You’ve Got” videos on my YT channel. As much as I love an art supply and I love it even more when creators share links to what they are using I really want to be mindful of what I share. I never want anyone to think you need a specific tool or a specific paint color to create. I think it’s so important to encourage everyone to create where they are at with what they have.

And that’s just what I did in this video.

The journal is no sew, uses a box from the recycling bin and printer paper to construct the cover. You just need some PVA glue or Mod Podge, printer paper and then whatever you want to create with to decorate the cover.

It’s that easy.

You can add a little reinforcement with some painters tape or masking tape but it’s definitely not necessary. You could do the same with some paper bag, magazine pages or more printer paper. You could even leave it as is.

As I was making (and figuring out) this journal what really stood out what how much fun I was having making it. I wasn’t worried about it looking perfect but rather I was just enjoying making a journal.

This isn’t the best way to make an art journal. It’s not going to give you a polished look but it will be an expression of your creativity. It will give you some time with your materials to have fun. I also think that when the journal isn’t picture perfect and pristine, it’s easier to just dig in and start putting some color on the pages. It doesn’t feel so precious this way.

I really hope you have fun and even make yourself a “popcorn journal.” If you do please comment below or on the video I would love to hear!

I am thinking that my journal is going to hold pages for the zines that are bouncing around in my head. I have really wanted to make a zine for a long time now and I just seem to get blocked each time. I am hoping this journal will spark the creative spirit and get me going.

Are you ready to make your journal? You can watch the video below.

I also plan to share some quick videos of my 2 minute art making both here on the blog and my YT channel so you can do the whole subscribe to the newsletter channel thing if you want. Or just stop in and look around from time to time.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante