Is everything always pretty when I play?  Nope! This week’s Let’s Play video is proof of that!  It all started when I gave myself permission to change my mind about this page.  I thought it was finished when I made it long ago, but it didn’t feel that way any more.

So I added to it…and now I really don’t like it.  And that’s okay with me.  You’ll see why at the end.

What is Let’s Play?  It’s all about rediscovering the ability to play. Each month I share a specific strategy that helped me rediscover how to play.    This month I am sharing how I allow myself to change my mind on my art journal pages.

Be sure to get entered in this month’s $50 giveaway to Michaels by leaving a comment and there are ways to get even more chances- check out the end of this post).

Watch A very ugly art journal page on YouTube.

Want to see more Let’s Play videos? You can find all the weekly posts here.

Here’s the page I started with that I just thought was yuck as I flipped through my journal.  I definitely don’t love every art journal page I’ve ever made.

It just needed more color so a touch of purple and yellow and green and blue gave it some more pop.  But it still needed something more.

To create the wind howling in the background,  I used Mary Beth Shaw’s stencil. This is the only thing I love about this page right now.

I’ve stopped for now with this page.  I call it one giant O.O.P.S.- an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly.  It didn’t turn out as I had hoped but there is no time limit on my art journal page so I’ll come back to it and keep adding layers.  Usually when there is an OOPS it ends up taking me someplace far better than I had imagined.  Just might take a few layers.

So if you’ve ever made an art journal page and you’re just not happy with it give yourself permission to change your mind and do something else to it.  I know I’ll be doing something else to this page!

Now you’ve seen my play- I’d love to see yours!  Share it with us all in the Facebook group here.

Want to see more Let’s Play videos? You can find all the weekly posts here.

There’s also a change to how Let’s Play is happening starting this month.  I’ve listened to your feedback about how and where you’d like to share your play.   Instead of the link party as in previous months, we’ll start sharing it in the Facebook group called A Colorful Place to Play.   In fact, lots of you are already sharing it there!

What about the monthly giveaways?  The monthly giveaway is conintuing – just leave comment to be entered and one winner each month will be chosen by random.org.  Want more chances to win the $50 gift certificate?  Pin any of the images from the page or share about it on Facebook- then come back and leave a comment telling me what you did and you can have more chances to win!Giveaway closes the Monday, May 30th at 8am EST and the winner will announced on the blog!

Why did I choose to switch to the FB group?  It allows for more people to comment and encourage and interact which was one of my hopes for Let’s Play.  I looking forward to seeing your play!

Here are the supplies I used. Some of these links are affiliate links which means I get a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and you are helping me keep this blog and my videos ad free! Thank you- I don’t like ads any more than you do!

InLinkz.com

Freedom.  I love the feeling of freedom…it is after all so freeing! So how do I get that freedom?  I create stuff that stinks.  Stuff that is absolutely no good.  And that it is how I find freedom.

I started with this canvas I stenciled and spray inked eons ago with Rembrandt’s Words.  It has been sitting the studio unloved for a very long time because I had an idea for it and then abandoned the idea.

The plan had been abandoned.  Zero inspiration at all here.

That means I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  So I grabbed some paint and drew randomly on the canvas.  Totally fun but is this a masterpiece?  Not one bit. But total joy to squirt paint and watch it drip.

Now to bring in the color.   This is one hot mess.   What matter most to me is that I had paint on my fingers and I was feeling the freedom smearing the paint ever so randomly.  No thinking, just doing.

I could have taken this all very seriously. And years ago,  I most definitely did take this very seriously.

Coincidentally, that is when it was less enjoyable to create.

I could have listened to that critical voice in my head pointing out how I have absolutely no direction for this painting.  I could have lived in terror that this canvas will always and forever be a hot mess of artful shame.  I could have but I didn’t.

I was feeling a bit rebellious towards that voice, after all I just wanted to have some fun.  Yes…I am hearing Cyndi Lauper in my head…

That’s why I make art.  For the fun and the freedom!  So, I grabbed some india ink and started drawing the shapes that popped out to me like these 2 birds.

I’ll give you a little hint…this part of the canvas, before I drew the birds will be the next Spark of Art-spiration to go in my newsletter for you to download and draw your own shapes over.  If you’re not already on the newsletter- jump in and get signed up!  There’s a downloadable video and pdf waiting for you too!

Then the dinosaurs?  Well, that was what was popping out at me…and the duck in a lab coat with a neck problem and no arms/wings…

At this point my inner critic had a total melt down.  Full on temper tantrum in my head…and what did I do…I laughed at that voice.  And randomly splattered more color on it!

The tall bird captured how the inner critic felt, just in shock as the paint went flying.  Which only encouraged me…

Here’s where the freedom really came in to play because that voice was worn out and was barely a whisper.

This is just paint and a canvas.  A canvas I had let languish so there is nothing risked.  Plus, nothing is permanent on a canvas because I can paint over it.  That’s the freedom.  So the dinosaurs…well…they disappeared.  I’m not painting Jurassic Park…although it does look like the blue dino is a bit perturbed by my decision.

Then I stenciled the word that just belonged on this canvas using my Vintage Typewriter Stencils and black paint…freedom.

Here’s the finished canvas.  Is it worthy of the Louve?  Is it my finest canvas that I ever made?  Who cares about the answer to those types of questions.  What I really care about is did I have fun making it?  YES!  Do I remember that feeling of freedom when I look at it?  YES!  Those are the questions that matter most to me!  When you create what questions matter the most to you?