The Art of Mistakes

I found the book, The Art of Mistakes, through the public library, and what an inspiring book!  

If you're looking for help in fighting your inner critic and getting back to creating after a creative block, reading this book is a wonderful encouragement.  It's a warm, real pep talk from someone who has made plenty of mistakes and discovered how to harness them in her creative career.

Author Melanie Rothschild cuts right to the heart of the fear of creating.

She helps the artist think through what's important, and her beautiful artwork is peppered throughout the book.

Today, I was thinking about the importance of playing with no expectations and no fear of making a mistake, and I simply painted my weekly planner page.  I've posted these planner pages before, but this time, I could feel Melanie Rothschild cheering me on, and I let my paintbrush be loose and experimental.  It's a lovely feeling to truly not worry about the end product! 

After the paint dried, I discovered that I loved the rose at the bottom of the page -- the shadowy phthalo blue strokes mixed with the permanent rose to create rich depth.

I hope you pick up a copy of Melanie's book and take inspiration from her words.

Happy Reading & Creating!

Another week, another weekly planner page!  I had just bought a pile of pumpkins for my Pencil Drawing students at CCBC to draw, and had all these beautiful pumpkins in different shades and colors in my studio.  It was so much fun to sketch, ink and paint these little characters, with each one holding a day's summary of activities.

Do you have a favorite collection of objects in your home?  Why not draw them together?  You don't even have to make them part of a planner page!

Happy Creating!

More Fun with a Weekly Planner

Sometimes your world is so full of beauty, that you feel inspired to include it wherever you can make sketches -- in the borders of notes, even your planner.  

 I love this time of year for taking walks and picking up the bounty of nature - like this pumpkin and the little green apple.

When I make my week-view planner page, I start with a concept, like having a circle in the center of the page, and arranging the days of the week around it.  Then I label the days and decorate with watercolors (pumpkin & acorns) or colored pencils (apple) and add my week's events.    

The sky's the limit when you're experimenting like this.  You may find that you make a sketch for your planner, and that starts you down the path to creating more.  And isn't it fun to look back on your sketches each week, reminding yourself that you are an artist?

Happy Creating!

Collage & Color Fun with a Planner

Your weekly planner can be a place for creative play.  You get to make a new weekly page every seven days, so you can try all sorts of experiments.  Here's one that I made recently.  I pulled painted paper from my collage basket, then snipped and tore it into interesting shapes, finishing with the daily boxes and doodles in marker.

 

The beauty of collage is that there's no need for precision.  If you get the design sort of in the neighborhood of what you like, you can glue it down, and somehow it always works.

Do you keep a weekly planner or bullet journal?  What if you added some color, collage or other decorative elements?

Happy Creating!

Collage Journal Pages

I use a small, spiral journal as a daily planner.  

It's filled with to-do lists, creative ideas, & notes on projects. 

 I've been playing with collage, using pages from old books, typewritten sentiments for inspiration, homemade stamps, washi tape and tissue paper from old sewing patterns.

And what better place to play and experiment than in my daily planner? 

I make this art for myself, to spruce up my planner, and to experiment with collage designs.

It's a lovely form of self care that gives me space to play creatively, 

and give myself encouragement as I go through my daily routines.

Many of the old papers, sewing patterns & some pens came from the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, a thrift shop dedicated to art materials.

I bought this new-to-me planner there.  Filled with luscious thick, creamy paper and fine lines, it calls out to be decked with collage, encouraging words, and my own wonky stamps.

Making art doesn't have to be expensive.  Use what you have, and give yourself some time to play.  

You'll be surprised what a few scraps of old paper and some stamped designs can do to brighten a simple spiral notebook.

What words of encouragement would you like to read as you jot tomorrow's to-do list?  Write them, type them, or cut them out of an old book or magazine, and glue them down.  

A little self care every day lifts the spirits, especially this time of year.