Whispers of a Memory: 02/01/2015

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Be You Bravely

6:55 PM |

Posted by Balinda (RebelChick) |

I love February and hate it all at the same time. It's just such a short month but it's also the month of mine and my daughter's birthdays not to mention Valentine's Day. In between the holiday's I have been trying to find a way to balance my digital life (scrapping, workshops, creative team duties) with the real life. I certainly applaud all who do so with much more success than me. I feel like I need a personal secretary sometimes and other times I just feel like staying unplugged. What did we do before all the technology?!?!?!? What I have been doing between my temp job and not blogging much is focusing on more hands on craftiness. Over at Tangie Baxter's Art Journal Emporium we are still reading Cat Bennett's The Confident Creative. It has been the best book ever to start out the year reading especially if you have been feeling in a creative slump or never ever thought yourself creative to begin with. I had never really thought myself an artist in a sense that I could draw but I started reading this book soon after I read Mixed Media Girls with Suzi Blu (a book that had been on my shelf for a year) and it has helped get rid of my self doubt and the "I can'ts". I realized I was living a self-fulfilling prophecy by saying "I can't" because I never really put in the effort to really try. My mother is a fantastic artist and that is where I thought the talent ended. My drawings never looked like hers. Fact is, they were never supposed to. They would also never get past scribbles if I never put in the time to develop the skill either. So here are my efforts this past month. Keep in mind I have never drawn realistic nor cartoony faces or figures before. All my work was either trace or cut and paste. I am proud of my work. It's not perfect but that's okay because I am on a journey to find my artistic style. What is yours? Do you draw? Paint? Quilt? Embroider? Photography? ETC? Do you want to? I so encourage you to just start. Give yourself the gift time to develop your skill/talent. I would love to be your cheerleader so if you want link me up to your blog/Instagram etc. so I can do so. We should be building each other up as we all walk our artistic journeys.

Thanks so much for popping in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Labels: Art Journal, Art Journal Emporium, Art Journal Mixed Media, Book Club, Drawing, Faces |

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Thursday, February 5, 2015

Believe You Can and YOU REALLY CAN!

8:05 PM |

Posted by Balinda (RebelChick) |

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I have been wanting to be part of a book club for several years and (1) I don't read the book or (2) I don't find the book interesting enough to participate. I can't begin to tell you how excited that I have been participating in The Art Journal Emporium's Book Club. We have been reading The Confident Creative and sharing with one another examples of how each chapter "stretched" our idea of drawing and our own artwork. This has been the most perfect book ever to start out the new year because it encourages the reader to just "start where you are". I have never ever in my life thought that I could ever draw anything remotely realistic. Stick figures are my specialty!!! I have come to believe that when you stop saying "can't" and just start trying and with a little effort and the pressure to not be perfect gone......magical things can happen. This is an example of what happened when I just sat down and changed my belief in myself. The exercise was to "draw what you see".

I felt that this try was "not terrible" so I filled the bottom of the page with more of what I see.

I am feeling very accomplished and proud of myself that I shoved all the negative to the side and just enjoyed the process. Do you draw, create, etc...??? Link me up, I would love to ooohhhh and aaaahhhhh over your pretties!!!