Category Archives: VICKIE MARTIN ART

FEBRUARY READING

A MONTH WITH SERENITY, INTELLIGENCE AND SOME DOWNRIGHT SILLINESS

I am so thankful for Goodreads and Kindle. I try to record the books as I read them in Goodreads, but sometimes I have to rely on the books I have downloaded on Kindle. The reason? I actually read a couple of books in February that I needed to read the recap in Goodreads to remember them! February was all over the board! (in categories and quality both).

Chaser, Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words by John W. Pilley: Surprisingly, I picked this up at the grocery store while stocking up for a non-existent upcoming winter storm. Who could resist that face? John Pilley is a retired psychology professor in South Carolina. When he adopts Chaser he begins exploring communication and language with her. In the end, Chaser knows over a thousand words and demonstrates an intelligence that is remarkable. The training is 4-6 hours a day and done in the spirit of play. It will make you look at your dogs differently! As a dog owner and lover I usually don’t read books about animals. But – Chaser is alive and well in Spartanburg, S.C. While there is a fair amount of scientific research in the book, I still enjoyed it!

Turning the Mind into an Ally by Sakyong Mipham : This was suggested reading for a meditation course I took at the Shambhala center down the street. Mipham was raised in the West, so the book is written in easy to read idiomatic English. He believes to lead a sane and peaceful life, we need to train our minds, and without doing this we become “at the mercy of our moods”. There are a few appendices that show meditation postures and give easy to follow instructions. It takes the mysticism out of both meditation and Buddhism. An added treat is the forward that is written by Pema Chodron. By the way, Mipham is the director of Shambhala International that is over 165 meditation centers (founded by his father). I will keep this book and refer back to it. While I still struggle with meditating daily, I have not given up! I signed up for another class beginning next week – Contentment in Everyday Life. This is part of the description of the class:

To be content is to know what is sufficient.

To know what is sufficient we must know ourselves.

To know ourselves we must be willing to look into ourselves.

To look into ourselves we must engage with gentleness and bravery, and

in this manner we make friends with whatever we see.

Coaching Questions: A Coach’s Guide to Powerful Asking Skills by Tony Stoltzfus: In 2014, I became a certified life coach, but I’m still in training mode. I recently took on my first “practice” clients (or ally’s as I prefer to call them). To ask powerful questions is one of the two most powerful things to learn (the other is to effectively listen). This is a reference tool I will refer back to. Coaching helps guide one in the right direction, helps them realize their dreams and begin achieving their life goals. After all, we all have the power within us – as one of my favorite quotes below illustrates.

To Catch a Bad Guy by Marie Astor: This was a free download that I read on a dismal wintery afternoon. I downloaded it because it had a picture of a cute dog on the front. I barely remember the story though – need I say more?

From the Ground Up, A Love Story about Fame and Farming by Janet J. Lawley: Another free download – this one is about an out of control Hollywood actress (think Lohan). After she crashes her car into Saks, a judge sends her to an organic farm in upstate New York to work. It is kind of cute, but very very predictable.

Still Life with Murder by P.B. Ryan: Set in Boston after the Civil War, there are some interesting elements in this book. It follows Nell Sweeney – born into poverty now working for a very wealthy family. There are two sons they believe died in the Civil War. When the black sheep, also a physician, returns secretly addicted to opium, he is accused of a murder. Nell begins proving his innocence, and it takes you back to the terrible Andersonville. Interesting historical setting and a few twists along the way.

Hollywood Assassin, A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thrille by MZ Kelly: I love books about the history of Hollywood, and this one promised this. Detective Kate Sexton is being stalked as she puts together the pieces of a 30 year old cold case. I should have caught the line in the promo (another free download) saying it “has more twists and turns than a car on Sunset Strip with a Hollywood starlet at the wheel.” and by an author named MZ? I guess that is for MIZZ??? But, I have to admit, I did read it!

For March, I am assembling a better quality of books – that doesn’t mean I’ll won’t read some quick simple download along the way.

DAILY RITUALS AND ROUTINES FOR CREATIVITY

21 STEPS TO CREATIVITY –

9TH INSTALLMENT

“Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work.” Gustave Flaubert

“Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” Chuck Close

What is a routine? It is defined as that which is performed as part of a regular procedure rather than for a special reason. It has been said it is something we do automatically. I believe some of the most creative minds in history have had predictable routines day in and day out. Routines serve to free the mind, making the mind open for more inspiration.

When you wake up – do you get your coffee? Check you emails? Do you do the same thing every morning? You may meditate, you may journal daily.

This is a fascinating subject to me – and if it is to you – I suggest you look into the book Daily Rituals, How Artists Work by Mason Currey.

“There are certain things I do if I sit down to write. I have a glass of water or a cup of tea. There’s a certain time I sit down, from 8 to 8:30 somewhere within that half hour every morning. I have my vitamin pill and my music, sit in the same seat, and the papers are all arranged in the same places. The cumulative purpose of doing these things the same way every day seems to be a way of saying to the mind, you’re going to be dreaming soon,” Stephen King

“Routine in an intelligent man is a sign of ambition.” w.h. auden.

Beethoven made his own coffee every morning, counting out 60 individual beans for every cup. He then worked until 2-3p and then took abreak with his famous long walk (carrying music paper)

Beethoven walking

The composer Mahler also walked every day. He would work until mid-day and walk to the lake for a swim. After lunch, he would take a 3-4 hour walk with his wife Alma.

The composer Igor Stravinsky always closed his window before he began composing – he wanted to make sure no one could hear him. If he felt blocked, he’d stand on his head -of which he said “.. it rests the head and clears the brain.”

N.C. Wyeth woke at 5A and chopped wood until 6:30A. He would eat a large breakfast and then go to his studio. Before painting, he would write a letter, often driving to the post office immediately. Then he began painting. If a painting wasn’t going well, he would tape cardboard to the side of his glasses to block the view from the window to help his concentration (why didn’t he get a curtain I wonder).

Joan Miro’ didn’t want to be distracted from his work and maintained a totally inflexible daily schedule (he was afraid of depression that that he suffered from prior to finding an outlet in painting). This included vigorous exercise, boxing, jumping rope, running. At 1P he had a simple lunch, with coffee and then had three cigarettes. ‘

In a 1782 letter to his sister, Mozart wrote:

“My hair is always done by 6 o’clock in the morning and by seven I am fully dressed. I then compose until 9. From 9 to 1 i give lessons….I can never work before five or six o’clock in the evening, and even then I am often prevented by a concert. If I am not prevented, I compose until nine. I then go to my dear Constanza…at half past ten I come home….”

Matisse kept a pretty rigid schedule

“Do you understand now why I am never bored? For over fifty years I have not stopped working for an instant. From nine o’clock to noon, first sitting. I have lunch. Then I have a little nap and take up my brushes again at two in the afternoon until the evening. “

Truman Capote wrote four hours a day, making revisions it in the evening or the next mornings. He wouldn’t allow more than three cigarette butts in the same ashtray at once. Also, he never began or ended anything on a Friday (I think this is more superstition than ritual)

“I am a completely horizontal author. I can’t think unless I’m lying down, either in bed or stretched out on a couch and with a cigarette and coffee handy. I’ve got to be puffing and sipping. As the afternoon wears on, I shift from coffee to tea to sherry and martinis.”

Now – I think it is interesting to change up your routines and rituals occasionally. But, I’ve found out when I do – I always go back to the tried and true morning routine. What do I do? I run a bath every morning and read! Some mornings it is 10 minutes, sometimes I have time to read 30+ minutes. Yes, EVERY MORNING! If I didn’t have access to a bathtub, I’d still read every morning. I try to journal and meditate in the mornings too, but it hasn’t become a routine yet! Someday hopefully.

One writer once said writing is

“connecting the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair”

What do you do? Do you believe when you work regularly, inspiration strikes more regularly?

MY 10 MOST MEMORABLE BOOKS OF 2014

I am taking part of in a 10-day creativity challenge, that of course, began YESTERDAY. But, in my defense, I’m winding down my year at work – and after today – I am off until January 5, 2015. YEAH!!!

So, I thought I’d take a moment to list my most memorable books of 2014. In this list, you will find books about art, a classic children’s book and a book that made me make a commitment. These are in no particular order.

1. OFF THE WALL, A PORTRAIT OF ROBERT RAUSHENBURG, by Carl Tompkins

2. BREAKFAST WITH LUCIAN: THE ASTOUNDING LIFE AND OUTRAGEOUS TIMES OF BRITAIN’S GREAT MODERN PAINTER BY GEORDIE GREIG – I enjoyed it so much, I continued with another book about Lucian.

3. MAN WITH A BLUE SCARF: ON SITTING FOR A PORTRAIT WITH LUCIAN FREUD By Martin Gayford – I’m fascinated with Freud’s process and his life.

4. THE GOLDFINCH by Donna Tartt – I read it before it won the Pulitzer Prize!

5. ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND by Louis Carroll – need I say more?

6. AN ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD by Kasuo Ishiguro – set in postwar Japan, it won the Whitbread Prize in 1986 (ok, I’m a little behind!)

7. MR. PENUMBRA’S 24 HOUR BOOKSTORE by Robin Sloan – what is better than a book about books?

8. THE FAMILY FANG – by Kevin Wilson – think Wes Anderson in print – about performance art – or is it?

9. DAILY RITUALS – HOW ARTIST’S WORK by Mason Currey – rituals of 160+ artists

10. THE HAPPINESS OF PURSUIT – FINDING THE QUEST THAT WILL BRING PURPOSE TO YOUR LIFE by Chris Gillebeau – I declared a quest after this – you can read about it here.

If you don’t know me, I am a voracious reader. I have to limit my reading sometimes. Halfway through the year, I limited my reading to no more than a book a week! Yes, it was tough!

What have you read you want to share?

GWEN JOHN – A PAINTER, A SCULPTURE, A MODEL AND A MUSE

Self portrait with letter 1907

WOMEN IN ART – 10TH INSTALLMENT

Gwen John (1876 – 1939) was a Welsh painter who spent most of her life in France. One of four children, her mother was an amateur watercolourist who encouraged her children’s interest in art and literature.

Interestingly, her brother Augustus John was one of the most celebrated painters during this time. Prophetically he said:

“Fifty years after my death, I shall be remembered as Gwen John’s brother.”

She studied at the Slade School of Art, which was the only art school in the United Kingdom that allowed female students. In 1898 she visited Paris for the first time and studied under James McNeill Whistler. She returned to London in 1899 and exhibited her work for the first time, while living in such dour circumstances she actually lived as a squatter.

She returned to France in 1903 with Dorelia McNeill (who would marry her brother) and decided to walk to Rome and create art along the way – what a bohemian! They made it to Toulouse and then went to Paris. There she started modeling – mostly for women artists. But, she modeled for Rodin and began a relationship that would last ten years.

Gwen John as Eve by Rodin

During this time, she met Matisse, Picasso, Brancusi, and the poet Rainer Maria Rilke (who was secretary for Rodin at this time – which is another interesting story!)

Gwen tended to work alone and moved to Meudon, outside of Paris, where she remained the rest of her life. When her affair with Rodin ended, she converted to Catholicism – and referred to herself in journals as “God’s little artist”. She lived alone with her cats and was known to live off fruit and nuts in order to buy art supplies and treats for her cats.

In 1910, John Quinn, an American art collector, became a her patron in 1910 and this continued until his death in 1924. The enabled her to stop modeling and devote to her art. She painted primarily women, her cats and corners of rooms.

Her small atmospheric paintings seem very quiet to me (unlike her celebrated brother’s more vivid work – see below). She painted using thin layers in the style of the old masters. Her legacy is fairly small, there are only 158 known oil paintings, which are rarely larger than 24 inches in either direction.

“I think a picture ought to be done in one sitting or at most two. For that one must paint a lot of canvases probably and waste them.”

Painting by Augustus John

However, there are thousands of her drawings left.

She has been the subject of several books, including Gwen John, A Painters Life by Sue Roe (which I am currently reading) a fictional mystery, The Gwen John Sculpture by John Malcolm, a play Still Lives by Candida Cave (about Gwen, Ida (Augustus’s wife) and Dorelia (Augustus’s mistress). AND, she was the subject of a series of poems by British poet Elizabeth Burns, The Blue Flower: Poems from the Life and Art of Gwen John.

Reading about Gwen John, her relationship to Rodin, her brother Augustus, her friendship of Rilke has opened up a whole new world of people to explore!

PLAY LIKE A PRO!

21 STEPS TO YOUR MOST CREATIVE SELF

This is the 8th installment in my series 21 Steps To Your Most Creative Self.

Today most of us are focused on work and commitments. In our culture, playing is often thought as wasting time – it is often looked down on as there are no real goals (except to have fun!) Play is a time to forget about work and all those pesky commitments. It can be a time to be social without structure and be creative at the same time. When we play, there is no goal in mind, except to have fun.

What is play? It has been defined as taking part in an in activity for enjoyment and recreation instead of for a practical purpose.

There are many benefits to play. It:

Relieves stress – play often triggers endorphins which gives one the sense of well-being.

Stimulates your mind – people tend to learn better than they are having fun and when they are relaxed.

Improves learning skills – playing chess or putting together puzzles are things that challenge the brain and will improve memory.

Keeps you young

Teaches children social skills and cooperation with others – something adults can learn too.

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.” George Bernard Shaw

I believe a little bit of play will go a long way – but what can we do for play?

Most of us don’t have access to a trampoline bridge.

Most of us don’t work in offices that have slides.

But, most of us have access to a playground. When was the last time you played on a swing?

Other things to do:

Learn a card trick

Have a game night with friends

Go bowling

Play miniature golf

Play with a dog – if you don’t have one, many rescue groups need dog walkers. While you are at it – have a conversation with the dog.

Find a child to play with – play a “pretend” game – remember those? Or play Follow the Leader or Hide and Seek (I play Hide and Seek with my dogs!)

Put on music and dance

Put together a puzzle

I may never finish this – but I haven’t given up!

Make a collage

Get a coloring book

Coloring was easier as a child I discovered. I need to loosen up!

Research shows play helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Playing a musical instrument or playing checkers is helpful.

Who doesn’t play? Mass murderers – studies have shown.

Playing helps us relax, it takes us away from the “real” world. Through playing, we can be anything, an explorer, a rule, a time traveler – the list goes on. It helps remove the limits to what we believe is possible.

What do you do for play? I’d like to know!

Closing thoughts:

“Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent and independent with a tremendous amount of adventure and a love of play.” Henri Matisse

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The true object of all human life is play.” G.K. Chesterton

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by intellect but by the play instinct.” Carl Jung

“Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.” Abraham Maslow

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” C.S. Lewis (which I recently did rereading Alice in Wonderland and Aesop’s Fables)

MOVIES AS VISUAL CANDY

21 WEEKS TO YOUR MOST CREATIVE SELF

This is the 6th Installment in this series

Some of us may be sick of candy by now, now that we have just gotten through Hallowen. So, let’s look at another kind of candy. Kick back, but your feet up, and feast your eyes on some of the most visually stunning movies ever made.

Now, this list is somewhat subjective. I included only movies I have seen, so I know there are many that are missing. Feel free to add your own movie!

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL – 2014. directed by Wes Anderson. There are many reasons I included this movie. For one thing, you could watch it several times and still not see everything! For instance, currency was specifically designed for this movie, based on old French Francs. Each bill was handmade and hand-colored. The luggage you see was actually designed by Prada. The building is stunning, which was actually an empty department store in Germany. Much of the movie is based on two paintings, Boy with Apple and Two Lesbians Masturbating. Both paintings are fictional and were commissioned for the movie (Michael Taylor and Rich Pelligrino respectively). However, if you look closely, you will see several paintings on the wall. I counted 3 Klimts and one Egon Schiele – I am sure I missed more!!!!

Actually, most anything Wes Anderson has directed could be included on this list. Among them Moonrise Kingdom and The Royal Tenenbaums. Oh, in case you were wondering, Rosemary’s Baby and A Clockwork Orange are favorite movies of Wes Anderson’s.

BIG FISH – 2003 directed by Tim Burton: Surprisingly, Steven Spielburg was originally attached to this movie and he considered Jack Nicholson for the role of Edward Bloom. The movie was shot in Alabama in the Southern gothic style. Tim Burton wanted to keep the digital effects to a minimum, so the Siamese Twins, Ping and Jing, were played by identifical twins that had specially designed dresses to make them appear conjoined. Mathew McGrory who played Karl the Giant was actually 7′ 6″ tall, not the 12 feet he appears in the movie.

Billy Redden plays the banjo on a porch – you first saw him at age 16 playing the banjo in Deliverance.

if you look real hard, you will see a childhood friend of Edward Blooms, Ruthie. She is played by Destiny Cyrus, who later changed her name to Miley (this was her first role at age 8).

HUGO (2011) directed by Martin Scorcese. Interestingly, the opening shot of Paris that ends at the train station was the first shot designed and it took a year to complete – requiring 1000 computers to capture each frame! This was the first film Scorcese directed in 12 years without Leonardo DiCaprio – and it was his first PG rated film in 18 years.

Other movies I include are:

Amarcord (1973) by Federico Fellini

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) directed by Michel Gondry

Fantasia (1940) directed by Walt Disney

Brazil (1985) directed by Terry Gilliam

Days of Heaven (1978) directed by Terrence Malick

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) directed by Ang Lee

Barry Lyndon (1975) directed by Stanley Kubrick (tough choice between this and 2001: A Space Odyssey

Lord of the Rings series (2001-2003) directed by Peter Jackson

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) directed by David Lean

The Story of Pi (2012) directed by Ang Lee

The Three Colors Trilogy by Krzysztof Kieslowski

and of course, Citizen Kane (1941) directed by Orson Welles.

There are so many many more, and so many I haven’t seen.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO READ TOO MUCH?

OCTOBER READING

This is my monthly blog devoted to the previous month's reading

According to GoodReads, I have read almost 14,000 pages this year – that is almost 10 days (and that is the 24 hour day, not the work day!). Is that too much? Possibly. I admit reading is a habit and I’m guilty of downloading free books on my Kindle just to pass the time with reading. So, I publicly declare – I will concentrate on reading NO MORE THAN ONE BOOK A WEEK, unless I am on vacation. I am going to be more thoughtful in my choices of books. I have to admit, in looking back at what I read in October on GoodReads, some of the books have already faded from my memory. So – here goes.

THE GRASS HARP- by Truman Capote. This is a delightful novella. I am currently on a quest to read at least one book by an author from every state in the union. This book is my first selection for the state of Alabama – okay – I know Truman Capote was born in New Orleans, but he lived in Alabama for years and his best friend was Harper Lee. I will write more about this book when I blog about my quest. (You can read where I declared my quest HERE).

SYCAMORE ROW by John Grisham. This book takes place three years after his first novel A Time To Kill, with Jake Brigance back. This follows the trial after Seth Hubbard, dying of lung cancer, kills himself and leaves a handwritten will giving his fortune to his black maid of three years. Of course, his family contests the will. I think Grisham is in better form in a courtroom drama, so I’m very glad to see him back! He makes it fairly clear that he will return to this character in the future. The only drawback to the book, it is a little wordy.

A COLD DAY FOR MURDER by Dana Stabenow. This is the first in a series by Kate Shugak, who left the Anchorage D.A.’s office and returned to her home in North Alaska. I found this book while researchingAlaskan writers for my previously mentioned quest – so I will write more later. It was a fun and quick read, but it gets a little bogged down explaining Alaskan culture. (PS, it is free on Kindle right now)

A CRUISE TO DIE FOR by Aaron and Charlotte Elkins. This is the 2nd book in the Alix London series. Alix is trying to make her way in the artworld as an art restorer and consultant. Trouble is her father is a convicted forger himself. In this book, she gets a job as an art expert on a cruise in the Greek Islands by one of the richest men in the world. Her job is to give lectures and answer questions from prospective buyers of world class art. However, she is working for the FBI’s Art Bureau, trying to expose an art forgery scheme. This was a fun little read, not too heavy, but it does have a little art history thrown in!

WHAT THE DOG ATE by Jackie Bouchard. The first sentence is very promising:

“The vet handed Maggie Baxter a plastic specimen bag containing a pair of size tiny, lavender thong panties extracted from her dog, but they were not hers. Or rather, they were hers now since she’d just paid $734 to have Dr. Carter surgically remove them from Kona’s guts.”

This is a cute book about Maggie trying to get her life back on track after her husband leave her. Starting out as a workaholic, she is trying to balance her life and find her dream job. Along the way her brother moves in, he leaves, she hangs out with his best friend, she meets a new best friend in a yoga class, all the time trying to figure out what direction she should take her life in. As I said, it is cute, but it is also pretty predictable!

REUNION WITH DEATH by Sheila Connally. Laura joins a group of her college classmates from 40 years ago on a trip to Italy. When a professor from the school is killed by a fall down a hill everyone thinks it’s an accident. But, of course, Laura things there is more to it than an accident. I liked the fact that the women were older, and while it is billed as a “mystery”, a large part of it is a travelogue of Northern Italy. While I enjoyed it, it was an extremely light read and I knew who the murderer was early on.

PLAY DEAD by Leslie O’Kane. This is the first in a new series about Ally Babcock, an animal therapist in Boulder that, of course, solves crimes. Cute but very predictable.

So – no more downloading books just to have something to read! I’m going to plan what I’m going to read and take it slowly.

Any recommendations for good winter reading?

LET’S SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT FOR ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI

Artemesia Gentileschi (1593 – 1652/53)

This is my 7th installment in my weekly Women in Art series.

Why do we need to set the record straight? Artemesia fell into obscurity after her death, even though she was one of the first female artists to paint more than the traditional portraits – she actually painted major historical and religious scenarios. The Medici family collected her work. Michelangelo Buonnarti the Younger (the more famous Michelangelo’s nephew) helped her start her career in Florence. She was friends with Galileo. But, after her death, many of her paintings were thought to have been done by her father, Orazio Gentleschi, from whom she received early training.

Her technical abilities were beyond reproach. The following painting was done when she was but 16 or 17 years of age.

Madonna and Child 1609

When she was not allowed to study in the art academies of the time her father arranged for a friend of his, Agostino Tassi, to teach her. In 1612 her father brought charges of rape against Tassi that resulted in a seven month trial. During the trial it was found that Tazzi planned on murdering his wife, planned to steal some of Orazio’s painting and was having sex with his sister-in-law. Can you believe that? He was sentenced to either a year in prison or banishment – neither of which was carried out.

After the trial, Artemisia’s father married her off and she moved to Florence. In Florence, she was the first woman accepted into the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno.

Susanna and the Elders 1610

This is a painting that was attributed to her father for awhile – but it is the first known signed painting by Artemisia. The story is of a virtuous Susanna being sexually harrassed by the elders in the community. Most male painters approached this with a flirtatious and coy Susanna. But, you can see Artemisia shows her scared, upset and vulnerable. Was she our first feminist painter?

Judith Slaying Holofernes 1612-1613

This painting was possibly inspired by an earlier painting by Caravaggio. But Artemisia’s depiction is must more bloodier and graphic. (see Caravaggio’s below – not nearly as bloody)

Caravaggio’s Judith Slaying Holofernes 1598

To read the story of Judith Slaying Holofernes – click here

Judith and her Maidservant 1613-14

This is a scene after Holofernes is beheaded and they are attempting escape. One interesting thing that is very hard to see online – Judith has an ornament in her hair that is a picture of a man with a lance – was it possibly David, who decapitated Goliath? Scholars believe it is a homage to Michelangelo’s statue of David.

This is considered a self-portrait. In fact, alot of her paintings were self-portraits.

There is must more to know about her life – she even joined her father in London in 1638 into the court of Charles I.

For more information about her life – here are some more references:

The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland

Artemisia – movie from 1997

BUTTON UP YOUR OVERCOAT

As the song says

“Button up your overcoat when the wind is free, Take good care of yourself!”

Yes, take care of yourself! This is the 5th installment in my 21 Weeks to Your Most Creative Self series.

Research shows there is a link between physical health and creativity. In fact, health and creativity seem to feed off each other. When you take care of your body, you are reducing stress, anxiety, and more than likely depression. And positive emotions generally increase.

Sounds like a winner to me! In 2010, The American Journal of Public Health issued a study called The Connection between Art, Healing and Public Health. In the study, five visual arts were used with patients who had chronic illnesses. The arts including painting, drawing, photography, pottery and textiles. Here are some of the findings describing the impact the art activities had on the patients:

Reduced depression
Improved well-being
Reduced thought of distress and negative emotions
Reduced stress and anxiety

Conversely, if you take better care of yourself, you have more energy, more focus, and therefore, are more creative. What are some simple things you can do to live healthier?

SLEEP – get enough! Research shows that REM Sleep helps the brain make new and unusual connections. It is often called the wonder drug. A power nap has been shown to stimulate right brain activity.

“To dream the impossible dream, try going to sleep.” Joan Klempner

EAT WELL – enjoy your food, take your time. Eat more plants, eat more whole foods
LAUGH – often
SMILE – a lot.
DRINK YOUR WATER – as much as you can manage
CUT BACK ON CAFFEINE
CUT BACK ON ALCOHOL

Create more by living well! What would you do to live a healthier life?

“Artistic, creative people are solvent, they’re happy; just start working on your creativity and watch what it does for you.” Julia Cameron

Here are the some of the lyrics to the song quoted in the title ( yrics by B.G. DeSylva and Lew Brown)

Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Eat an apple every day
Get to bed by three
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Be careful crossing streets, ooh, ooh
Cut out sweets, ooh, ooh
Lay off meat, ooh, ooh
You’ll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum

Wear your flannel underwear
When you climb a tree
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

THINK LIKE THE MINIMALISTS

Minimalism refers to the art movement that thrived on simpllicity. Less is more. This is the 4th installment in my 21 Weeks To Your Most Creative Self.

I’m not advocating changing the way you do your art to be more creative. Just apply the minimalist approach to art to your life. It will lighten your load, it will free your spirit.

“Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great art.” Richard Holloway

Live your life like a blank canvas. Clean out, declutter. Make the time and make the space to create. Clutter can make your mind live in the land of old ideas, habits and possessions.

Now, clutter doesn’t happen overnight. It is like a silent stalker, growing stronger and stronger the longer it is ignored. People often keep “THINGS” that were once useful or meaningful. But, as time marches on, your things often don’t.

I began reading about the minimalist approach to living a few months back. I started cleaning out. I got rid of a set of glasses and a set of dishes my husband didn’t even know we had. I took seven bags of clothes to a thrift shop that raises money for animal rescue. I packed up five boxes of books (I really didn’t need a film encyclopedia dated 1996).

I adopted the one in – two out – philosophy. Every time I buy something new, I get rid of two things. (I had 7 pairs of boots – and I live in Atlanta – why????)

I went through picture albums. Gone were photographs from vacations over 15 years ago with someone that is no longer in my life, pictures of people I don’t know. I kept only the photographs that really meant something to me.

Slowly, things started finding a home.

Has this helped my creativity? You bet! There is less stuff to sort through, less stuff to pick up.

People often think that in order to create there needs to be chaos. But, often the opposite can be true. Try it! Get rid of things that are hovering in the back of your closets.

If you are feeling creatively stifled, now might be a good time to tackle an area in your home.

How can you declutter?

Start with things you honestly didn’t know you had (like the set of dishes we had)

Clothes – clean out your closet and get it in order. Put the hangers in backwards. Check in six months – you will know immediately what you haven’t been wearing.

Computer – clean out your emails. Clean off your desktop.

Kitchen – do you have glasses you haven’t used in ages (I did). Do you have multiple cleaning products?

Just remember, physical clutter gathers dust. Simplify! And, if you have things you don’t use but can’t give up – box them up and put them away!

Find a place and a use for everything. I believe it empties your mind, it opens it up to be more receptive to creative ideas.

Get rid of the visual noise around you!

“Three rules of work: out of clutter find simplicity, from discord find harmony, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” Albert Einstein

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak” Hans Hoffman

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci

“The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are.” Mother Theresa

What could you live without? Do you believe it will open up your mind to accept more “things” of a different nature?

CHAOS: Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome

Vickie Martin

Mixed Media Art