Creative Soul Day #14-22

Good evening!  Sorry it's been so long between posts, but I have been working on some things that I want to share.  I have some items that were inspired by recent events, some inspired by submission guidelines, and one inspired by my daughter's artistic freedom.  It has been an amazing week and a half!  First, I'd like to share with you the importance of friendship.  This past weekend I spent a ladies night in Chicago with my two best friends.  They rock!  There is nothing that compares to having two friends that know you almost better than you know yourself.  They are two fabulous women who help me de-stress whenever I need it.  Even though our adult lives have become hectic, and we live in three different parts of the state, we have been friends since middle school (and Betsy and Jen have been since elementary school!).  These two ladies are such an inspiration to me in how they live their lives.  I talk to no one, and laugh with no one like I do with them.  Check out a couple of pictures from our fun night!

The following piece was inspired by the events of that weekend.  I started it on the train on the way to the city.  Traveling by myself for part of the time allowed me to journal about our friendship and the night to come.  Having a city backdrop for the background seemed fitting.  The rough pen sketch just makes me thing of the edge of a city.  The picture in the middle was from our hotel.  A patron at the pub offered to take it for us.  How nice!  The Christmas lights around us are not only for the season, but for our sparkly personalities as well!  The words at the bottom commemorate the city and year.  We have gotten together three times this year, and our goal is to get together once each season next year.  My life would be awful without them!  Thanks ladies, for always being there to talk about anything and everything!

This next picture was inspired by my daughter.  We were out to breakfast when she gave me the assignment to just draw something while she did the same.  Unfortunately I did not keep hers to post with mine.  I will do that next time.  But I love drawing with her.  Her uninhibited drawing is so freeing to me.  We just play with no worries of critics or anything. We draw for one another, and for ourselves, and then we share with each other.  I will include hers the next time we do this.

Oh, and I almost forgot!  I finished my fearless picture as well.  Let me know what you think.  I am not quite sure it's finished.  i think it still needs something.  Any suggestions?

Stay tuned!  My next entry will be a page inspired by one of my favorite books!  I'm also going to be playing with some new media.  There will be some tutorials on how to make felt flower barretts as well as fabric flower brooches.  So much happening!  Don't miss out!  Plus, there will be a givieaway with the next post, be the first to check it out!  Peace to all!  ~S~

Creative Soul Day #13

Look!  Two days in a row!  What a fabulous day as well.  My friend Laura came over this morning and we talked artist and soul speak for a few hours while we created.  She worked on a watercolor of a butterfly wing on special paper that she created.  It was coming along beautifully.  I can't wait to see it when it is finished.  We also came up with some creative projects to do with our Monday night crazies group.  :)  Hopefully everyone else likes the ideas as well.  Our Monday night groups are amazing.  We are all women who share food, creativity, and a zest for life.  They are a beautiful group.  Anyway, it has been a brilliant day from then on.

So I have started a new piece of art for a submission to one of the Sommerset Magazines.  I may need to do a series of works before I turn it in, but it is due in just a couple of weeks, so I am not sure how many pieces I will be able to come up with.  The one above is just the beginning of a piece that I am working on.  I have some other pieces to it, but they have not been adhered, and I do not want to spoil the surprise of a finished piece.  So you will have to wait until tomorrow to see more of what will be included in this "Fearless" piece.  That seems to be my theme in the past couple of journal pages that I have completed.  I think that I am calling for myself to be more fearless in all aspects of my life.  My fearlessness began in college when I decided that I needed to speak more in classes if I was going to become a teacher.  That worked for me.  Then it surfaced again two years ago when I began this creative journey that just keeps getting better every day.  I wonder what my fearless nature is calling me to add to its repertoire.  It will reveal itself to me, as God wills it to be.  As soon as I know, you all will know as well.

Good night everyone!  Sleep well, and have imaginative dreams.  ~Peace~ S.

Creative Soul Day #9, 10, 11, & 12

Okay, so I totally stink at posting every day.  I have been trying, but obviously not diligently enough.  So I will work on that.  I have, however, been working on art every day.  Today all I did was mat the picture I am about  to show you, but I am going to do some art journaling after I get finished here.  I just wanted to make sure that I got my post out today.  So I will continue to do art every day, but I'm not sure it will get posted every day, although I will do my best.  One thing that I have noticed though, is that I am a slow artist.  I am just a slow person overall.  I have been ever since I was little.  And for those of you reading, I don't mean I'm slow in the head (although some would argue otherwise).  I'm a slow walker, a slow cleaner, a slow eater, and a slow artist.  It drives my husband crazy sometimes!  My daughter also inherited that trait from me.  You would think that since I am the same way, I should be patient when Ava is that way.  I try, believe me I do, but I now understand my husband's frustration when you are trying to get somewhere by a certain time, and someone doesn't have any sense of urgency.  It can be infuriating.  But I try to be patient with her.  Anyway, back to me being a slow artist.  What takes my friends an hour to do, can take me two or three.  Plus, I don't usually have two or three hours to do art all in one chunk.  So the painting I am about to show you took me quite some time to finish.  Keep in mind that I have not worked with watercolors for long, nor have I worked with painting portraits for very long.  The piece I am about to show you was given as a gift to my brother-in-law.  He's a big hunter, and he is really tough to buy for.  So I thought this would make a nice gift for him.  He doesn't have any paintings of himself as a hunter.  So this is what I have been finishing up for the last few days - working a little bit here and there.  I'm happy to say he seemed to genuinely like it.

I'm also very excited about tomorrow morning because my friend Laura is coming over to do art for a couple of hours.  Whenever she comes, I do get to sit for a couple of hours and work on art.  So tomorrow night I should have more to show you.  It's also my older sister's birthday - Happy Birthday Michele!  I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving, and are thankful for many things.  I know that I am very thankful for my family, as well as for my friends - new and old.  Life is good, even when it's tough.  See you all tomorrow!  Have a magnificant day, and treat one another well.  ~Peace~ S.

Creative Soul Day #8

I did it!  I finished my journal page!  And you thought I wouldn't get it done (or maybe that was me).  Anyway, it's finished.  Check it out below and let me know what you think.  Facing my fears is a big thing for me, and has been since I was at IUSB.  Personal challenges have helped me accomplish goals that I never really thought I could come close to accomplishing before.  Since then, I have become a teacher, a mother, and have embraced my Soul as the creative being it is!  Life is grand.  But I'm not sure that I would be in this place if I hadn't faced my fears.  I no longer try to be who everyone else wants me to be.  I am me; and yes, I still get self-conscious from time to time - worrying what others think of me - but I have not let that run my life anymore.  I am who I am, and I am proud of and embrace that person.  Life would not have been so good if I hadn't.  When you focus your energy on letting your fears take over, you never get where you are supposed to be.  Don't worry about what others think.  Enjoy who you are; who you were made to be.  This page is to remind us of all of that.  So if you  want to order a print of this just so you can look at it daily to reach your goal, please let me know!  Just remember that when you go to bed tonight, it won't be everyone else who has to think about how you lived your day - it will be you.  Live it to the fullest, and enjoy it by letting you be you!

Sleep well everyone!  Stay tuned for more tomorrow.  What will I come up with?  We shall see!  Until then, good night! ~Peace~ S.

Creative Soul Day #7

Okay, I skipped Friday,  I know!  But I have a really cute excuse!  It is small and furry, and completely cuddly!  She is the newest member of our family, and her name is Lola.  She is a seven week old Shih-tzu and Australian Shepard mix.  I brought her home on Friday night, and haven't done much art since then.  But I have done a little.

Check out my artistic journal page.  I have made a little progress.  I also tried to post this all last night, but it wouldn't work for some reason, so this is for day seven, but I will still post day 8 today as well.  I pledge that I will be finished with my journal page today, plus start my two paintings from my earlier sketches.  I am also going to meet some women who are associated with the National Women's Caucus for Art.  I am thinking of joining and enjoying being associated with a group of women artists.  Plus they have opportunities for getting your art into exhibits.  Today we are meeting at a museum to talk about surface tensions.  It should be pretty interesting.  I'll tell you all about it in my later post. 

Have a great day everyone!  ~Peace~ S.

Creative Soul Day #5

Good evening everyone!  It's been a nice day, followed by a very busy evening.  I've been puppy shopping.  My daughter and I went to pick up a collar, leash, bowls, and toys for our new puppy, Lola.  We will be picking her up tomorrow.  So we did not get home until late.  But we are very excited to be adding to our family (although my husband is not so much).

I did have time to start an artistic journal page today.  Mind you, it is only started.  But I have much more to write.  Lately I have let myself become intimidated by people and circumstances that I thought were beyond my control.  But really, what I need to do is stand up and face my fears.  I have a fear of confrontation, as well as a fear that I am not as "worthy" as I know I am.  My fears are mainly irrational, and as an artist there is always the fear of not being good enough.  I am usually comfortable with myself, but I have low points where I let  my fears get the best of me.  Usually I just write about it to work things out in my head.  But this time I am artistically dealing with it.  Let me know what you think of the piece!

Good night everyone!  May you find happiness in just being.  ~Peace~ S.

Creative Soul Day #4

Okay, I completely finished my piece that I had slowly been working on.  I'm happy with it, and I think that I will make it into a mixed-media painting.   I'm actually excited to get started!  Just recently I found out that a friend of mine is sick, and I'm not talking flu.  She is such a strong lady, and I was thinking of her when I made this drawing.  I may even do the paintings and give them to her as a gift.  Hopefully it will bring her peace and positivity.  She is going to need it.  If you pray, please say a prayer for her and her family.  Thank you.

Okay.  Now I am posting the pictures and going to see my husband.  He has been sick, and I fell asleep so early last night, that I feel I haven't really seen him for days!  Good night to you all!  As always, let me know what you think!  Hope to hear from you soon!  ~Peace~ S.