New ideas

'The difficulty lies not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones.' John Maynard Keynes.

How true that is. It is difficult for us to leave behind our old ideas because they are comfortable. Taking on new ideas means being uncomfortable for a while because we are learning to think differently. We can't just go by reflex. But when we have new information it is necessary to make sure that we look at it and modify what we might already think. 

In some ways it's like trying to escape the gravity of a planet - it takes a lot of energy. But we have to put that energy in if we want to continue to grow. Without growth we are stagnant, and who wants that?

Making a living or making a life.

They don't have to be mutually exclusive, but you have to work hard to make sure that the focus stays where it should be. 

And as I seem to be enjoying doing flowers at the moment, here is another bouquet for you. This one has tissue paper shapes for the flowers and the vase and some loose painted outlines. 

 

Bouquet

 

In a world where people are quick to hand out criticism, here is a bouquet for you. Just because.

Money and how to use it

 Money is like s**t - if you pile it up it stinks, but if you spread it around you can grow things. (Paraphrased from Question 7 by Richard Flanagan).

I love this analogy. Making your money work for good, for the benefit of others, is so much more fun - and rewarding - than just piling it up.  Sure, we need a certain amount to live on, but really, how much is enough? My own experience is that when we use our money to help others, there is still enough.

Obstacle, stepping stone, or hurdle?

 

When that thing pops up on your path, you need to ask yourself whether it's an obstacle, a stepping stone, or a hurdle.

Some things are there to stop us. There may be a way around them, but they stop us for a time and cause us to think and reevaluate. Maybe this isn't the path we need to be on. Maybe the way round will take us in a new direction that we hadn't thought of.

Some things that look like a bump in the road are actually a means to the next thing. They help us over difficult terrain, giving us some firm ground to move over.

Or maybe that thing in your way is a hurdle to sail over. It proves to you that you can do more than you think. 

Common courtesy

Is common courtesy too hard?

It seems like it might be for some people. I sent in two expressions of interest for exhibiting possibilities and received absolutely nothing in reply. Not even an email saying that my interest had been noted and they'd get back to anyone who was successful. These are people that are asking for artists to contact them, not people that I'm cold-calling. You would think it would be possible to at least acknowledge receipt of an email. I don't mind not making it into an exhibit - that's all part of the life of an artist - but the lack of response is disheartening and rude. 

So please, if you're dealing with artists - or anyone! - at least acknowledge emails. I don't need my ego stroked, but common courtesy would be nice. 

New framed work

 

So last week was incredibly busy with all the Easter services going on, plus the creative prep for them. I set up my blog posts for the week and let everything upload automatically, so my apologies for not visiting anyone's blog or replying to comments last week. I just needed to get on with doing my own stuff.

And this is one of the things that I did. It's on a plastic vinyl material that someone gave me a big roll of. I taped off the edges, gessoed it, and let loose with a brayer to start with, which is why there are some great textures that you can see in the close-ups below. 

I find myself doing lots of stripes at the moment, and particularly like the ones at the top of this piece where I dragged a mark-making tool through the black and into the pink and made an accidental notan. 

What new thing are you doing in your art at the moment?

circles or a spiral?

You may not be going in circles but an ascending spiral.

Whenever you feel like you're going in circles it's good to stop and take stock. If you're learning something on each go round, then really you're moving in an ascending spiral. Much like going up a steep hill, you can take the straight up walk, or you can go round the hill in a longer but shallower climb. Both end up at the summit, it's just that one takes longer. 

Have a happy Easter!

Simplify

 

Sometimes you just want to do something simple. No complications, no build up of layers, no difficult tasks. White space gives us a place for the eye to rest, and we need to do that in everyday life as well. 

So what is your 'white space'? 

Critics, cheerleaders, and coaches

 

I'm reading Adam Grant's Hidden Potential: The science of achieving greater things. He gives a useful definition of the differences of critics, cheerleaders, and coaches. We all have them, but it's good to know which someone is when they give you feedback.

Critic - sees your weaknesses and attacks your worst self.

Cheerleader - sees your strengths and celebrates your best self.

Coach - sees your potential and helps you become a better version of yourself.

It makes a difference to how you receive feedback - and what kind of feedback is given - if you know what sort of person they are in your life. Coaches have a balanced and encouraging function, so listen to them and try to be one for others. 

New mixed media piece

 

So I pulled out an old board and started a new artwork because I wanted to work bigger than in my journal. This is 76 x 51cm. I'm thinking that it's finished, but it will sit in my studio for a bit while I decide. All the layers underneath (from two previous mixed media pieces) have added some interesting textures. I like how parts of this look like bits of the night sky thanks to some black tissue paper with shiny dots embedded in it. 

I find myself drawn to palettes that mostly have a red, a blue, and a yellow. Although the middle band of this piece looks black, it contains a lot of Payne's grey, which isn't so evident in the photos. 

Do you find your artworks have recurring palettes or themes?

The small things

The smallest acts can make the biggest impact. 

When someone needs some help, a little kindness, just to know that they are seen, the smallest things can have a big impact. Don't think that the tiny act you can do, that thought that occurs to you, are too small. Small deeds are often the most thoughtful. 

So when someone you know is moving house, they may not need help with moving boxes, but you could take them some food. You can drop it off and then get out of their way, because let's face it, sometimes you just need the space when you're doing a big job. 

That new mum you know - take her some bath salts, because everyone buys for the baby, but mum and dad need caring for, too. Someone did that for me, and I remember it all these years later, but I can't remember most of the gifts that were given for the baby. 

That couple who are going through a tough time financially - drop off a gift card for the supermarket. It's quick and easy to do, they get to make their own choices, and it avoids the discomfort that can sometimes come from receiving a food parcel. 

Failure

'Failure can mess with your head. That's primarily because it is only ever in your head.' Questlove.

I have now finished reading Creative Quest. I liked this quote because it is so true. How do you measure success? What do you count as a failure? 

How often do you carry a 'failure' round in your head for ages, whereas a 'success' is quickly forgotten? We tend to dwell on things we consider as failures, and that's when it messes with your head. How about instead of dwelling on it, we look for the lesson to be learned. If we learn something, is it really a failure?

What you're not

 

Knowing what you're not as well as what you are. 

Still working my way through Questlove's Creative Quest. One of the things he talks about is knowing what you're not - as an artist - as well as what you are (inspired by David Byrne). Knowing that I am not an oil painter or a sculptor or a watercolourist helps me to focus in on what I am which is a mixed-media artist. I've tried those other things, but they're not for me. They don't spark excitement and pleasure and contentment in me like mixed-media does. 

In general life it's good to know what you're for just as much as what you're against. It's easy for people to tell me, as a Christian, what (they say) I am against. I prefer to define myself more by what I am for: I am for love. I am for caring for people and understanding that they are individuals. I am for giving dignity and respect, even if I don't fully understand. I am for including rather than excluding. I am for forgiving and giving second chances where appropriate. 

Know what you are and what you're not.

Suggestions

Suggestions can lead to whole stories.  

This page suggests a landscape to me, even though it is nothing like a realistic landscape. The colours aren't even correct. But my brain takes a few shapes and the composition and says, 'landscape'. 

It can be the same when we only have a few of the facts in a situation. We take them and make a whole story out of it. For example, my husband is a vicar and he has a lot of ear piercings. When he turned up at church without any of his earrings in for a couple of weeks, stories started to go around that 'someone' had told him to take them out. The 'someone' changed, depending on who was airing the opinion. For the few who actually asked rather than putting together their own story, he had an X-ray at the dentist's and needed to take out his earrings. He just hadn't got round to putting them back in. 

This is a fairly innocent example, but the result isn't always so innocent. Reputations can be harmed by gossip, so let's not take a few scraps and make a whole garment out of them.

Patchwork

The patchwork of life. 

A few of the marks on this page made me think of stitching, which led me to think of patchwork. All our lives are a patchwork of pieces. Although our life fabric may contain some pieces with the same pattern - when we have some similar experiences - the size and shape and the way they are put together is unique to us. There might be parts of your life that you wish didn't happen, but each piece adds to the overall cloth, and the dark parts only serve to contrast with the light parts. When you look at a piece of art, it is the play of contrasts that brings interest, so don't regret those dark parts, but also remember to celebrate the light.