Category Archives: creativity

ONE LITTLE WORD FOR 2013

Instead of “doing” resolutions in the year 2013, I decided to choose a word to work on throughout the year. In fact, this is quite a phenomenon on the internet, check out this site – One Word, 365. My first thought was the word FOCUS, but after a few stressful days at work, I realized if I didn’t learn to RELAX – I wasn’t going to be able to do anything else. Without relaxation, there is no productivity.

2013 WOTY

What does relax really mean? First of all, it is a verb, and mean to make or become less tense or anxious. Or to rest and enjoy an activity to become less tired or anxious. Yes, without learning to relax, I am not going to be productive. I won’t feel rested and I won’t be open to new things. I will be STUCK with what is causing me stress – stressing me out! How am I going to do this? I’m going to learn as I go. I have begun working through the book The Artist’s Way. One of the most important things to do – and it is important to do it on a daily basis, is write “the morning pages”. This is three pages in longhand upon getting up every morning. It isn’t easy! At least not for me – yet! But, it does empty your head out, empty your thoughts, you put them all on paper. I have done them before, but I’m starting 2013 committed to doing them!

One of the first things I did was made a sign to put in my studio, at my desk, and in my office.

Here is a list of things to do that I believe will help me relax.

Breathe deeply
Take a walk
Yoga
Stretch
Practice meditation
Journal
Stop feeling guilty
Spend time with a pet
Listen to music
Do something repetive – like brushing your hair
Take a bath
Read
Count your blessing
Smile
Laugh
Eat a banana – your potassium level is reduced during times of stress
Relax your jaw
Look at the clouds
Go barefoot
Organize

What do you do to relax? I’d love some input!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

To The Ball ©VICKIE MARTIN

THIS IS A BLOG HOP – CHECK OUT THE OTHER BLOGS BY CLICKING HERE

THE ARTIST DATE

“Men do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

As you know – I am working through the book The Artist’s Way with over 60 women from around the world. One thing we are to do on a regular basis is go on an artist date. What is that? Basically, it is a scheduled block of time where I will take my inner artist, or I like to think, my creative child, out for a date. By doing this, I feel I will be opening myself up for more inspiration.

Since I believe my inner artist to be a creative child, this child needs to be nurtured and listened to. The time I spend with the child is the most important element.

Julia Cameron, the author of the book, refers to the artist date as assigned play. You can hear her speak about it here. We live in a society that worships productivity, so having a planned playdate is something I am really looking forward to.

“In every real man, a child is hidden that wants to play.” Nietzche

One very important part of this date – it is between me and my creative child, Little Vickie. No one else can come along. I’ve been asking myself “what sounds like fun to do around Atlanta?” According to Julia, this feeds us “by replenishing our inner well of images and inspiration”.

What are some of the things I’ve come up to do over the years? Below is a list.

Visit ethnic neighborhoods and restaurants
Go to outdoor farmer’s markets, find fresh food and explore new recipes
Go to art festivals (there is an overabundance of these in Atlanta)
Take a walk with a camera
Go to the library and explore
Explore a new neighborhood
Go to the museum, including art museums, history museum and science museums
Go on a bike ride
Bake
Go to an antique store
Go to garage sales
Go to estate sales
Go to a bookstore
Go to art stores
Garden
Sit on the deck and watch the clouds, photograph those that look like something else
Go to a coffee shop with a journal and watch people
Find some live music
Go to a flea market
Go to a toy store
Go to a music store that sells instruments
Go to the aquarium
Go to the planetarium
Go to the dollar store and spend $5 on toys
Go to a type of store you usually don’t go to, like a bike store, a furniture store, etc
Make up new words – like Lewis Carroll did in Alice in Wonderland

Do you have any ideas for artist’s dates?

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than you can in a year of conversation” Plate

So – go out an play!

I’M DOING THE ARTIST’S WAY!!!!

AND, I’m not working through the book alone. I’m working through it with over 60 women online worldwide. Outside of the U.S., we have participants as far away as Burma, Australia, and quite a few Canadians. England is well represented, and we have participants from both Amsterdam and Paris. I am so excited to have found this group of women through another online class (Kelly Rae Roberts Flying Lessons).

What is The Artist’s Way? Well, it is a book, and the full name is The Artist’s Way, a Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity written by Julia Cameron. The book is designed to be worked through in twelve weeks, but we have chosen to work through it in twelve months. It is based on the twelve step premise, and is meant to help you recover your artistic creativity.

Why am I doing this? I feel 2013 is going to be a great year, but that is only going to happen if I put in the work. But, I am ready this year!

What does this mean?

First of all, I will begin with the morning pages. In short, this is writing three pages each morning in longhand. It is important to remember, there is NO WRONG WAY to do this. Julia refers to them as daily meanderings. It is important to keep you hand moving. Nobody else is supposed to read them, in fact Julia says not to read your own for the first eight weeks. Just write! Write whatever comes to mind, be it petty, be it a to-do list, be it just rambling thoughts. I have to remember to just go with it. Now, I have worked through this book before and I have to admit I cheated. I got a small book, so it didn’t take long to write the three pages. But – I was only cheating myself. I wasn’t fully committed. This time I bought a loose-leaf notebook and plan on writing three full size pages on a daily basis. This will empty my head. I’m not going to worry about punctuation or spelling. And – I’m going to try to ignore my CENSOR (which takes practice).

writing

The next important thing to do is an Artist Date. Treat your artist as a child, take the time to nurture your artist. I’m looking forward to exploring new things, be it seeing art, trying new things out, or experiencing new foods and tastes. It is important you do this ALONE with your little artist. Once again, I cheated before. I would go gallery hopping with my friends, go to book clubs etc. I will still do that, but that is not a date with my little artist. I plan on spending time along with little Vickie.

We have a road in Atlanta called Buford Highway. It is jam packed with restaurants from across the world. I have joked you could eat your way around the world without leaving this street. I’m going to make a point of trying new places, new tastes, while also checking out new art with just my little Vickie.

Each chapter is based on something different, and I find alot of it is archeological – digging into your past, finding out what you used to like before adulthood got in the way.

Basically, the program is about removing blocks that you have in your creative life, learning to ignore that CENSOR, and learning to live in confidence!

I’m really looking forward to working through this with the support of this group of women. I think we will all learn from each other. I’m ready to do the work this time – no cheating!!!!!!

If you have any thoughts on what you think will help this journey, leave a comment.

I DID IT!!!! BLOGTOBERFEST 2012

Blogtoberfest 2012

I did it – I posted a blog every day in the month of October, missing only one day – and I bought a car that weekend.

I am not going to lie – I’m glad it is over. But, I did learn a few things.

1. I need to take more photos. I did purchase a Smartphone during October, and that helped. But, I need more photos to illustrate my blog by making it more personal.

2. Sticking to a plan helps. Having a series – The A to Z’s of Art really helped keep me on track.

3. There are other things to write about other than my art and what I’m doing. I researched artists. And I learned some things that surprised me (see Q for Quills- I had no idea!).

4. Keep a journal – catch those ideas as they fly by!

5. If I do it again, I will highlight fellow artists – which takes a little pre-planning!

So – I spent a day with every letter, and I participated in a Blog Circle where 12 women around the globe wrote about Courage. Here are some of the links to past blogs here.

Courage in Art

A IS FOR ACRYLIC PAINT through Z IS FOR ZIGGY, MY STUDIO ASSISTANT.

Posts in between are:

J is for Joel – Epiphany in the Dark

K is for Anselm Keifer

L is for Louvre

M is for My Studio

N is for Negative Space

O is for Georgia O’Keefe

P is for Photographing your Artwork

U is for the Lady and the Unicorn

V is for the View from My Deck

W is for Warhol

X is for the Portrait of Lady X

Y is for Yellow

Z IS FOR ZIGGY, MY STUDIO ASSISTANT, THE A TO Z’S OF ART

Ziggy

Ziggy likes to help me in the studio. He likes to keep the floor clean.

See the dog prints on the floor?

Usually when he finds something on the floor or on a shelf near the floor, he discards it through this door.

Dog door

He takes what he considers trash outside and to be neat and clean he buries it.

Occasionally, he will pick out a favorite piece of art.

Chewed portfolio pages

I think he got his love of books from me.

The first library book I had to pay for!

He likes to be comfortable on his pillow.

Living room pillow

You may notice, there are no pictures of him enjoying himself. Last time I took the camera out, he hid under the bed, he is quite camera shy. You have to catch him on the sly.

He doesn’t look guilty at all, does he?

That Ziggy! No – he isn’t named after Ziggy Marlowe, but another Ziggy that is close to my heart and from my all-time favorite album. Any guesses?

Yes, my other dog has a musical name too – Waylon – but I didn’t name him, but it does suit him.

Waylon

Q IS FOR QUILL PEN, THE A TO Z’S OF ART

ink and pen

I didn’t know quill pens had such an interesting history!

First used around 600 AD in Spain, they were the main writing instrument until the mid 19th when the introduction of metal introduced the metal nib.

They are made from the stiff-spined flight feathers on the leading edge of a bird’s wing. And for you bird lovers, they were feathers that were discarded by birds during their annual moult. There were only two or three feathers found per bird.

Goose feathers were most commonly used, with more expensive swan feathers used for larger lettering. However, only in the USA feathers from the crow, eagle, owl, hawk and turkey were used.

To construct a pen, the shaft of the feather was cleaned, carved and then sharpened, with a slit cut at the point making a nib.

On a true quill pen, the barbs are completely stripped away. Later, some decorative barbs were left on the top. In short, the fancy plumed quill pen is an invention of Hollywood. (A barb is defined as one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather.)

Thomas Jefferson actually bred geese to make sure he always had a supply of quill pens handy.

AND, to this day, 20 goose-quill pens are placed at the four counsel tables each day in the U.S. Supreme Court while in session: and it is said “most lawyers appear before the Court only once, and gladly take the quills home as souvenirs”. This has been done since the beginnings of the court. Historic documents written by a quill pen include the Magna Carta, The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

Now – my FAVORITE fact, pens for right handed writers come from the left wing, while pens for left handed writers come from the right! (I am left handed!)

As noted below, artists used the quill pen also. However, Rembrandt favored the reed pen.

Wan to make your own quill pen? Click here for directions! If you make a quill pen or use one, leave me a comment, let me know.

View of the Alcantara bridge (Toledo) Nobility Section of the National Historical Archive, Toledo © Ministerio de Cultura

COURAGE IN ART

City Emerging
©Vickie Martin

“The effort to see things without distortion takes something like courage and this courage is essential to the artist, who has to look at everything as though he saw it for the first time.” Henri Matisse

I am taking a break today from the The A to Z’s of Art series I have been working on. Today I am writing about courage, along with 12 other courageous women from around the globe. At the bottom of the page, there will be a link so you can continue the blog circle!

Courage comes in many forms. For an artist, it is the courage to continue to break out of creative ruts. It is the courage to leave comfort zones and trying something new.

For many, it is simply the courage to be an artist and following their heart.

“Courage is the resistance to fear, the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear.” Mark Twain

The definition is having the mental or moral strength to venture, presevere and withstand danger, fear or difficulty.

I found this phrase – Illegtimi non carborundum (click on to learn it’s history – I’d never heard it either). In short – “don’t let the bastards grind you down”! I love that – I’m going to make a sign to put it in my studio. ILLEGTIMI NON CARBORUNDUM!

During a difficult period in my life, I had a counselor tell me “have a love affair with yourself”. That was, and still is, the best piece of advice I ever received. We all need to have the courage to be our own hero. Be your own champion! Have the COURAGE to believe in yourself!

By being your own champion, other are more likely to look at you with respect. Then make realistic goals for both your art career and your personal life. Pursue those goals with passion and most of all with COURAGE. As Lady MacBeth said “We will not fail”.

And, have the courage to embrace your failures. Use that COURAGE to learn , and continue onward!!!!

Now, keep moving around the globe and the circle. Check out the blog that Jennifer Vitale in Philadelphia wrote today titled “She Gives Me Courage”.

M IS FOR MY STUDIO, THE A TO Z’S OF ART

Vickie’s Studio

My house was built in 1975 and is very typical of houses built in the United States at that time. Luckily, it had a finished playroom in the basement.

What started out with a mishmash of stuff, like an old couch, book shelves, just odd furniture. When painting became more and more a part of my life, the room was gradually taken over. Finally, about three years ago, we ripped up the carpet, got rid of all the furniture and took everything out of the room that was not art related.

Above, you can see the art table that was built – it is 6 x 4 ft. with a shelf under neath.

the storage shelf

This table was built in the studio – it would have to be taken apart to get it out! It is staying there as long as I’m here!

Ziggy, my mascot

Door

drying patio

As you see, there is an exterior door in my studio. We built a small “drying patio” outside – and I hope to expand upon it eventually. Plant some flowers, get some garden furniture, make it a meditative garden!

viewing wall

I installed a metal strip to hang works up works in progress (with magnets), or place them on the shelf below.

another view

The flat file came from a gallery that was going out of business. The book shelves were cleaned out of everything but collage material.

You may notice there are several chairs around the studio. I am in a book club for artists that meets here monthly. I’m also in a critique group that meets here periodically too!

I love the space – I believe the room is around 25×15 ft. But, there are things on my wish list. As I mentioned above, I’d like to make a meditative garden outside. AND – someday I’m going to put a sink down there!!!

If you are ever in Atlanta, let me know – I love to have guests!

D IS FOR DREAM – THE A TO Z’S OF ART

How important do you think dreams are to creativity? Do you have any your favorite quotes about dreams and creativity? Here are some of mine.

“Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination when awake?” Da Vinci

“Only that day dawns to which we are awake.” Henry David Thoreau (I embroidered this in highschool and it has been on my wall ever since.)

“Man is a genius when he is dreaming.” Kurasawa

“From now on I hope always to stay alert, to educate myself as best I can. But lacking this, in Future I will relaxedly turn back to my secret mind to see what it has observed when I thought I was sitting this one out. We never sit anything out. We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” Ray Bradbury

“Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.” Emerson

“Dreams are like the stars…you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.” Unknown

“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he see the dawn before the rest of the world.” Oscar Wilde

“I dream of paint and then I paint my dream.” Vincent Van Gogh

“If I sit and daydream, the images rush by like a succession of colored slides.” Francis Bacon

“Objects seen in dreams should be manufactured and put up for sale.” Andre Breton

“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.” Paulo Coelho

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” Walt Disney

“You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” John Lennon (and I bet you sang the line!

And – the one I’m going to put in my studio for the rest of the month:

“All dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” Walt Disney

What are your favorite quotes, saying regarding dreams? What words do you find inspiring?

Tomorrow – a post for a word starting with “E”!

Vickie Martin

Mixed Media Art