If

Can you believe how many awesome e-courses are out there? Really. I am drooling to take so many.... IF there were buckets of money and time floating around these would be the ones I would take

BLOG LOVE

sketchbook delight

CREATIVE COURAGE with Stephanie Levy

do what you love:the e-course with beth nicholls

And I know there are tons more. What ones are you taking or would you if you could?

Plus, if I could I would love to have some redesigning around this virtual space with these ladies.

freckled nest

I think I better post these to my vision board. :)

And mentioning blogs.... I was super excited to receive this in the mail the other day...

My banner in the newest issue of Artful Blogging!! Woo Hoo! So thankful to among such beautiful creations!

I am actually now working on a new banner. Something more spring like. With all the snow that is falling here (right now actually) lately (oh, every two days or so) I need a bit of spring. Even if only in a blog banner. :)

My Creative Space

Making marks. Working on the floor briefly while my daughter naps. Working from this book. Using all sorts of materials to make marks.... pastels, charcoal, conte pencils, neocolors, pitt pens, graphite. The exercise is to just MAKE MARKS. Experiment with the way the materials work together. So simple right? So fun.

Go here if you want to share your creative space today!

Flowers that my kids "surprised" me with

On 1/20 I turned 38. In the past I was never the type to tell you that "It's my birthday" and I am kinda still not but I have gotten much better about CELEBRATING it. I think it comes from getting older. I know you would think why be happy about getting older? Well, that is just it. I am still here, getting older. CELEBRATE IT!

One of my favorite cards

There were cake, presents, singing, hugs and kisses (the best). I am grateful for it all.

I was given a book. Art from Intuition. It is filled with so MANY fun exercises. A chance to get child like and remember what it was like to be free in your art. I did the above automatic drawing after looking through the book. I can't wait to delve into the book deeper. There are many exercises to do with the kids too. I also picked up this one, and this one which look equally as fun.

The Big Dreams, Small Wonders class is on the last week. I haven't caught up with the exercises just yet but I did manage to add to/finish my vision board for 2011 and beyond. Louise has many, many tools about bringing dreams to fruition and doing it with a sound mind and body. It has been great.

And last but not least Monday 1/31 starts Get Your Paint On. Super excited! Maybe I will see you there.

Listen + a word on messy

I promise I won't keep showing you this piece over and over again. I am done with it now and have moved on but wanted to share why I decided to paint listen across it. I had been contemplating it when I opened my Yogi tea and the message was "The greatest tool you have is to listen". Yes! So of course I decided that it needed that word. And I love it! Is there anything you need to listen to?

After I finished it I was skimming  Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and read this about writing but I am applying it to painting or any art making....
"So go ahead and make big scrawls and mistakes. Use up lots of paper. Perfectionism is a mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are the artist's true friend. What people somehow (inadvertently, I'm sure) forgot to mention when we were children was that we need to make messes in order to find out who we are and why we are here-and, by extension, what we're supposed to be writing."

Make messes, marks, mistakes we are supposed to. To find out who we are.

I love receiving these little messages from the universe. We just need to be aware and to listen. For me this is perfect because really I have been a bit stuck creatively so this feels good, like an opening up of some sort. A coming into my own type of thing.

P.S. Check out my side bar....thank you universe! I am signed up for Get your paint on!!

embracing messy

This is where I am with the painting in the hoop. Totally messy, totally fun. I really am having the best time with this. While I don't know about the viability of a canvas in a hoop yet I LOVE that it is round. Must be something with me and circles (wreaths, canvas).

And I LOVE being messy and free with the paint.  It has been awhile since I have embraced messy. It is so freeing. This is something that has come up in my morning pages, for my art to be loose, free... messy.

The colors are making me so happy to work with on these cold January days. I think I will do a tiny bit more and trim the canvas attach the hoop and hang it. I definitely have the itch to make more and with my daughter napping I think I will go start. 

xo

Hoops

I am experimenting over here with paint and paper on stretched canvas in an embroidery hoop. I love the messiness and the colors and textures. Nothing is set in stone of course.

And if the universe thinks it should be so I am going to sign up for the new e-course with Mati Rose and Lisa Congdon. Keeping fingers crossed. Here is the link in case you are interested.

I hope the new year is treating you well so far.
xo

My word

To tell you the truth I didn't even start thinking about my word until just a few days before the new year. With Christmas and all that entailed I sort of forgot about the whole picking a word to set the tone/intention for the new year. I saw a tweet from Ali Edwards mentioning her word so I followed it back to her blog and read this post and decided that yes, I too wanted a word. But which one?

This is my second year picking a word and still it was hard choosing just ONE word when really there are SO many that could be great. Of course this is about picking one. One word to focus on. To be a touchstone throughout the year. And as Ali put it "You live with it. You invite it into your life. You let it speak to you. You might even follow where it leads. There are so many possibilities."

A few words rolled around. None stuck. Then I started thinking about what I really want for this year. How I really want to be in this world. Power came but it didn't feel right. Close to that is strength. This feels right. I don't consider myself weak but I want to focus on:

inner strength, mental strength, to strengthen my voice (creative and otherwise), my abilities, my muscles (literal and figuratively)

Strength defined via Merriam-Webster:
       : the quality or state of being strong : capacity for exertion or endurance 
       : legal, logical, or moral force
       : a strong attribute or inherent asset
       : vigor of expression 
       : one regarded as embodying or affording force or firmness  
        
So this is my word. I invite it in!

And I know it is a day late but wishing you and yours a HAPPY NEW YEAR!