It was one of those “what’s the meaning of life” kind of days. Recent life events had me waxing philosophically and I was looking for deep answers inside my art studio.
Here are the exact words of the muse…and she said them quite forcefully in my head…”Shut up and play.” She wasn’t into the deeper levels of understanding life that I was pursing…she just wanted me to get may hands busy playing with paint.
I turned on the David Cassidy playlist and took out this old canvas that has been lingering around for ages then followed her advice. This has been a hot mess of an experimental canvas for a long long time now.
She was right (but don’t tell her I said that). I was over thinking choices and really I just needed to start making a mess! Do the circles represent the infinite cycle of creativity? Did I choose this canvas to work on as a metaphor for my life right now? Once again, the muse said, “Shut up and play!”
My hands needed to get into the action- and I covered the whole thing with modeling paste. Clearly, I did not wait for the purple Dylusions paint to dry.
Would yellow go with the vibe of the painting? Guess what the muse said. “Shut up and play!”
I followed my impulse and grabbed the yellow. The paint flew as I made a splattering mess on the canvas and more than a few drops landed on me.
Should I leave it as it is or add more color. You probably know what the muse said to me…”Shut up and play!”. Out came the rainbow.
All the sudden the dark turquoise at the bottom became a big wave…not intentionally mind you…but then I started to paint more waves…and I immediately wanted to grab meaning…the rough seas of the soul?
What did the muse say? “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar…”
I kept grasping for meaning so my ornery muse joined in…the circles are the wheels of a Transformer in the middle of transforming…it’s a bunch of jelly beans rolling along the ground…it’s the marbles you’re losing trying to find meaning in the play…
I still haven’t found the meaning of life. I still haven’t plumbed the depths of my soul today. I didn’t even finish this canvas. However, I did play and got lost in creating, so I call it a good day!
I have been following your blog for a little while now. In doing so, I have realized how structured I have become. Everything in my life has a place… A is first, then B and then C, etc. My life has structure and when my structure is tampered with, I get lost. There is a lot of history between my first foray into the art world many moons ago and my recent return to it. No need to go there. When I returned to art, I forced structure into it by imitating what I saw other artist do and became disappointed when my results looked nothing like theirs. Because of this, my inner critic and my muse argued incessantly . To be honest, I didn’t think I could “play.” I have watched a number of your videos and heard you, over and over, again speak about playing. However, after watching your husband create his first journal page, I felt a soft turning in my soul. Finally, yesterday evening, my muse pushed away my critic, took over and told me to play. I looked at my blank page for a long time and then remembered finger painting as a child. I started finger painting with my acrylics and made a real mess. I, also, had a number of “oops” moments but I kept pushing myself through those cryptic stop signs and continued playing. Lo and behold, something pretty started showing up. I understand the freedom of “playing”, but because of how my life has played out, structure was the only thing that helped keep me sane. My compartmental way of living was stifling my creative spirit. Deep inside, I knew that was the problem, but I had to give my muse tacit permission to pull me out. I am going to make an art piece that I can see everyday that tells me that it is all right to play (giggling) while making “prettythings”. I am going to constantly remind myself that my world will not fall apart when I take time to play and my own style is what it is….my own style. Thank you for being one of the wonderful people nudging the door open for me!
Welcome to the playground, MamaRose! Don’t worry about sandy shoes or wind-blown hair. We are here to PLAY!
Congrats on getting in touch with you muse Mama Rose!
Hilarious! It’s definitely a good thing.
Hahaha you’re so fun and great!!!! I love your creation!!!! Really gorgeous!!!
That’s awesome Carolyn. Love the texture and movement that you ended up with. Does modelling paste take long to dry? I would love to try different mediums like that, but because I only have some counter to work on, I can’t leave paintings sitting out for very long.
Drying time depends on how much you put on- this took overnight as it was so thick.
As always, I love the process. As a retired pre-school teacher, those circles sang to me: “The wheels on the bus go round and round….” Maybe this was inspired by all of the motion and rhythm in your creation. I am not at all bothered by the fact that there is an uneven number of wheels; after all, this is about play, and while playing, any three-wheeled bus can move just fine when steered by a young believer. I am committed to playing and am happy to see that MamaRose has entered the playground.
Just love it when you play! You have taught me to be free and not worry about I can do, I am not an artist by any means, but I love to play.
hi ive been really been enjoying your videos and blog .i signed upto daves video series and 29/8 but havent recieved anything since the first email with the first video on the sign up i hope u can help your videos and blog have really helped me thanks vikki
Hi Vikki- the computer elves are showing that they sent all the videos out to you so if you don’t see them check your spam folder or promotions tab for them.
I struggle with finding meaning in everything….you have total helped me and lil man tell ourselves to just play! Having someone give us permission was the key to getting on the right path to creativity, thank you! I dont hear my muse yet, its still to loud in my head, but i am learning to ignore the noise for our friday playdates, so i’m getting there!
You’re on your way to play Christy!
Love your “play time” philosophy Carolyn. You are an inspiration to many
I love what you created Carolyn! I’d certainly hang it on my wall! Did you let the modeling paste dry before continuing?
Gosh, I have no idea for sure. I rarely let things dry so I doubt I did…but if I got a phone call in the middle I might have stepped away for a bit and come back.
How ’bout cutting faces from photos to put into the back of each of those circles.
Then finish with your famous journaling !!!
I just love it when you do these ~ thanks