![]() I know the saying well, "life gets in the way". Back in mid-March, we signed the papers to have some work done in our house. By most people’s reckoning it is small works which includes new flooring and painting throughout the house. I decided the following weekend to get a head start on culling what wasn’t needed anymore. I was going along quite well and then we headed to Perth for my dad’s special birthday celebrations. Unfortunately, both hubby and I got sick. Nevertheless, on our return we started the arduous task of packing up a house that we moved into seventeen years ago. Oh, boy! Enough of the scene setting………. Throughout this time, I mostly have only been able to create artwork at classes. Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful I have this opportunity. Creating art in classes is very different to creating art on my own in my own space and mostly in silence. I enjoy the solitude and quiet time creating. Occasionally I may play a podcast or some quiet music but mostly I work in silence. I also can play and experiment, paint over explore colour options and develop ideas in my space. One final thing I have noticed is I miss that relaxation time. Life has certainly taken priority over the last few months and will continue to for at least another 5 weeks. I am missing my creating for me time, I do know it’s not too far away. Thank goodness for art classes, I get to enjoy creativity with a great bunch of people at the classes. As the work picks up in the house this week, I am hoping to pick up the paint brushes in my art shed and get the creativity flowing again. Have you had a time where life got in the way of your hobby, desire or plans? Share any strategies or your tips in the comments below.We would love to see them. Featured artwork: Waterside
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![]() "The stories of our mind, become the stories of our lives." I'll never forget this saying; from the CEO of a company, I was involved with a few years back. What we feed ourselves comes out in our skin, hair, nails and our figure. Yes, let me tell you, I have a sweet tooth and know if I give in to the chocolate cravings, the scales find out very quickly. So too is what we feed our brain. You know, the little nasty conversations we have with ourselves. Those snippets of useless information such as, I'm not good enough, no one will like this, I have no talent, I'm a fraud, I'm useless at this. Toxic conversations we have with ourselves. We would never talk to our best friend, family member or neighbour this way, yet we allow ourselves to participate in this one-way hurtful conversation. What if we turned the conversation on ourselves and spoke as though we were speaking to our nearest and dearest, replacing admonishment with praise? Hurt for joy, negative for positive, sadness for happiness? Imagine how we would feel about what we do in life. It doesn't matter if we're talking about creating art, gardening, writing or any matter of hobbies or tasks. Being kind to others starts with being kind to ourselves. Next time you are about to have a nasty conversation with yourself, take a breath and replace the negative chitty-chatter with a healthy dose of positivity and praise. You know you can change your story, it might just change your life. Do you have positive conversations with yourself? How do you stop negative self talk? Let us know in the comments below. ![]() I am an all or nothing type of person. When I start a new hobby or project I seem to swamp myself with he must haves and a few might grabs. I can't help myself. There are a few essential items to have in your kit if you are planning to start creating. Instead of starting on canvases there is the option to start in sketchbooks/journals or pads. Not only is it cost effective, as someone that is starting our you are more likely to experiment and have fun than worry about wasting a canvas. A few quality pencils starting with a HB and then a range from 2H to 6B is a terrific starting point and often can be purchased in packs. A kneadable eraser and a rubber eraser are also ideal to have on hand. For those wanting to explore painting a basic brush set is indispensable. Include a variety of sizes and types such as filbert, round, flat to give you different brush strokes. A couple of palette knives are also a worth while investment. You can buy packs of brushes with a few palette knives to give you a reasonable variety of tools. Choose your medium, do you want to use watercolour, acrylics or gouache? Start with a basic colour palette of your chosen paint, this will inspire your to mix your colours and experiment. You can always upgrade the quality and colour range as you become more comfortable. You don't have to spend big on palettes and cups. I use recycled food jars for my water cups and a plastic palette. I also use a perfect for me size cardboard and tape greaseproof paper to it. This is perfect for acrylic paints and for watercolour I have an old plate. One tip I do have is try and work on a whit palette so you don't change the look of the colour you are mixing by the distraction of another colour or a pattern. The photo above is of my mixing palette using the greaseproof paper. Finally, learning resources are something to tap into. I run over 80 classes a year if you live near my studio or use the internet and check out some of the great resources on Youtube. There you have it, you can get creating on a small budget and enjoy the process. I have put together, my favourite tools as a starting point, if you are not sure where to start. Do you have your favourite tools you would like to share? Leave a comment below. ![]() I once knew a lady who spent so much time talking about how little time she had that she never actually got anything done. We all have the same mount of time in our day 1440 minutes to be precise. It is how we choose to use those minutes which makes a difference. Personally, I am a paper diary gal, I write everything in it and schedule time for particular tasks. Yes, I schedule medical appointments, classes I run, business tasks, cleaning the house and also studio or painting time. I also have non-negotiable times which often my painting or studio time falls into that category. Non-negotiable means it must be something super important for me to schedule over that time. If your hobby of art is important to you, you will schedule in time to spend pursuing it. It may be as little as 30 or 40 minutes a day. The first step is giving ourselves permission to take the time to enjoy our hobby, I don't know about you, as I was growing up the fun stuff could only be done when the work was finished. Our brains have been programmed to allow ourselves pleasurable pursuits after the work, chores and responsibilities have been completed. Guess what? They never end, they never are completed so we don't end up enjoying our hobby, art, painting, knitting or any other hobby. Think about the last time you "indulged" in your hobby or a pleasurable pursuit. How did it make you feel? Did you feel calmer, less stressed and revitalised? If like me, the answer is yes, this is the time to grab that diary, planner, phone and schedule in the time to enjoy your hobby. You are no good to anyone else or yourself if you are frazzled, stressed or feeling down. Making our art or hobby a priority is helping ourselves to a better, less stressed and more rounded life. Leave a comment below on how you prioritise your time to pursue your hobby or what you plan to do now. I would love to see your ideas. |
AuthorLee Cummins is a mixed media artist, workshop and art class facilitator. Archives
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