Hello Again!

I’ve been absent. Wanting to write, paint, create. The longer I stay away…, the harder it gets…. Do I really have something worthwhile to contribute? Does the world (or my house) really need another blog, painting, or clay pot? Can I make space in my day? My head comes up with a plethora of reasons that keep me from exploring my creative side. You know the list! And yet, my heart isn’t quite ready to let go. The creative urges are part of my core,  and thankfully they don’t give up easily.

One of the pieces of advice that I’ve been hearing often lately is to “Just Do It!  The hardest thing is getting started, so try not to over think it. Get to your workspace and put pen to paper, brush to paint, hands in clay and Play! Take it in small bits, don’t be concerned about the finished product, or creating a master piece, but take delight in the process.  Give yourself permission to have a little time to play.”

Of course this is easier said than done, but this last year I have realized it IS becoming easier for me. The urge to create has been winning over the negative voices in my head more often, and I am showing up more regularly. It’s still hard to let go of the outcome, but I have made progress here too, and I think that is making is easier to stick to it. I also have a few cheerleaders to encourage me along the way which helps immensely. I have a few tangible goals that are giving me a sense of purpose… also very helpful.

The pics at the top of the page are examples of the process that helped me to get my brush back into the paint. I gifted myself 15 to 20 minutes first thing in the morning (after letting the dogs out) to PLAY with paint on a 12″ X 12″ canvas. Stream of conscious scribbles with no plan! I painted over the previous days effort each day, which helped me to learn not be too concerned about the outcome. (I did take a pic so I can look back at my progress.) This was my time to Play. It worked! I started to look forward to my painting time again! Now I am painting at least 3 hours most days.

This is my first attempt at writing in long time. Here again, I am trying to just “Do It” and not worry if I have passed on some beautiful prose or words of wisdom. I’m just telling my story and giving myself permission to play!