What Threatened My Play…How I Got in My Own Way

What was suddenly threatened? My play. My joy. My creativity. What was threatening all this? Me. I was getting in my own way. I was stuck in my head.

I realized that I am the only one getting in my way when I made this art journal page that started with an index card

To get out of my head, I started to play. This was all scraps assembled with no purpose in mind.

At least that is what I thought until my muse showed me a very important message.

As I added paint, these words jumped out at me. I “erased” all the other words by covering them with paint.

This index card felt important to me. It felt urgent. But what do I do with it? Do I put in my art journal? Do I make a card to send to a friend? Do I leave it as it is? All the sudden there was pressure to make the “right” choice, the “good” choice. I was in my head. I know that is one of the quickest ways for me to crush the play and send my creativity running out the door.

I decided to choose trust over fear and flipped through my little journal. This is one of my treasured Gelli printing pages from when I was using gel medium on it.

Notice the word treasured…that is code for didn’t want to use it. When I get that way I know I am in my head.

I smeared paint on it. I let go and just used those fingers.

And then I didn’t like it. Oops.

Since it was just an Oops, an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly, I grabbed a wet paper towel and wiped a lot of the paint off. Now I could definitely see where the gel medium was on there….

I knew I was getting back out of my head because the horror of it not being “right” didn’t bother me a bit.

I wanted less blue so I added white paint on it. Not a crisis. Not stress. I was playing again.

I got lost in my art journal play. Emails didn’t matter. The piles of laundry were irrelevant. The weeds in the garden would wait patiently because I was completely absorbed in artful play.

That artful play rejuvenated me in the best possible way.

Thank you to my muse for reminding me that I can get in my own way and reminding me that I can step aside and get out of my own way.

Supplies Used:

Babies rubber stamps stamped on glossy cardstock
Posca glitter pens for writing around the babies
Dylusions small journal

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Inspired by a Master Who Was Without an Inner Critic

I was fortunate to be able to watch a master create recently. She created with abandon. Pure freedom from an inner critic. Freedom from judgement. Who was she? A 5 year old!

My entire artistic journey has been about getting back to that place.

She never asked if it was right. She never asked if it was good. She only asked if you liked it, which to me, was her way of asking if you connected with it.

She didn’t ask what do I do with this or what’s its purpose was. Play was its purpose.

She didn’t judge her technical skill level. She wasn’t afraid to create. She was free to create and let what she created be it’s wonderful self.

Here’s the video of my play inspired by the brilliance of a wise 5 year old!

Watch Fearless Art Play Inspired By a 5 Year Old on YouTube.

Supplies Used

Gesso
Acrylic Paint and Metallic Paint (the green and blue)
Kindergarten Words stencil
Gelli® Prints (made with a Gelli Plate®)

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Once I Saw It, I Couldn’t Un-See It…

Do you ever see something in an art journal page and no matter what you can’t un-see it? I didn’t want to see this. I tried to ignore it. This was one persistent tree…sort of like the one that keeps growing right in the middle of my garden…

Once I saw something in this art journal page I couldn't un-see it! Does that ever happen to you?

Here’s the messy, going nowhere, art journal page I had in my art journal from play long ago. I love the stamp I used. I love the stencil I used. But I don’t love this page so far.

But after a few colors were added it made me much much happier. And then I saw it. A tree. I don’t want to do a tree. I am not usually a tree person.

So I tried to ignore the tree. That so didn’t work. The tree would not go away.

Well, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.

I made the tree…with a new goodie I found called a Krink Paint stick. It is like a big soft crayon of permanent paint (that won’t smear, run, etc. once it dries). The white was wonderfully opaque!