Has January been a meh month for you? Are you ready to scrap your resolutions and throw out the fancy inspirational words and just get to work? Want to be more creative, but feel like there are a million reasons why now is not the time?
Watch this:
Then, join this: The 28-Day Embrace Your Art Challenge (via Ria Sharon/Skillshare)
I'll be signing up as a way to keep myself committed and accountability to my goal of staying creative as a mom.
The Challenge
Create a “limitation” for yourself to explore the idea of what happens when you work inside of that box.
I don't know about you, but when I think about limitations to creativity, my kids come to mind. Horrible, right? But, honestly, they make the most adorable little road blocks.
The Limitation
My preschooler is always trying to spend more time with me, and while I do love being with her, I've realized that my time to create for myself is just as important as the time I spend with her. It's not being selfish; it's being emotionally healthy. When I've fed my soul, I am a better mom and a nicer person to be around. I am in a better place to be generous. Yes, there are times when we create together. But there are times when she peeks over my shoulder and asks, "Mom, is that for me?" and I answer, "No, hun. I'm doing this for me." I've stopped feeling guilty about that answer. Besides, I want her to grow up to have the same self-respect, to not always be doing things to please me or for my sake, but, especially as a woman, to be able to recognize and respect the part of her that longs to create, not just to care and nurture. (But I digress; back to the challenge.)Because I don't have the luxury of an entire morning to myself (but, really, who does anymore in this day and age), I need to make time in the morning for my creative experiments. Some mornings I'm successful; others, I'm not. I need to get better at creating on the fly.
So, for this sketchbook challenge, I'm giving myself a 15-minute time limit. I want to see what I can create in the time it takes for a infant's cat nap or a preschooler's snack time. I've done nap time projects before, but a lot of those were over the span of a few nap times (I'm not superwoman, you know). This will be a true #naptimecreation.
The Theme
Although I'm beginning to become more comfortable with watercolors and florals. I'd like to dabble in doodling, which may be the best style given the time constraint. Ella is always asking me to draw things for her, so I'll be doodling imagined excerpts from hypothetical stories (or real excerpts from actual stories she tells me).
With more regular work coming my way, this will definitely be a test of willpower and commitment. But I'm optimistic and determined and adequately caffeinated. Wish me luck! Or better yet, join me.
This is my beginning. Let's see where I go from here.
I'll be sharing my explorations on Skillshare and on Instagram under the hashtag #sketchbookmagic and #28daysofstories. Don't have Skillshare? Make the personal commitment anyway! I'd love to see your limitless explorations, too!
I'll be sharing my explorations on Skillshare and on Instagram under the hashtag #sketchbookmagic and #28daysofstories. Don't have Skillshare? Make the personal commitment anyway! I'd love to see your limitless explorations, too!
