ADHD, Keeping Up A Blog, and More Moonshine Boot Camp Sketches

Keeping current with a blog takes discipline and work, although it doesn't really feel like work when I'm doing it.  My ADHD mind, however, likes to jump from thought to thought, idea to idea, task to task - oh look, there's a squirrel! - and distraction to distraction like a monkey swings through branches in a jungle.  That makes it even more important to keep a blog, so that I can record what's going on in my head before I "see another squirrel."

Art journaling is such a blessing to me because it allows me to indulge so many ideas, thoughts and interests at the same time and in the same place.  It's a godsend for me!  YAY whoever invented art journaling!  The variety is endless, as are my thoughts.

I have more sketches and I must say I'm getting quite a kick out of them.  Since they aren't supposed to look like actual people, it's fun watching who emerges each time I put the pencil to the page, and to see how/if I'm progressing in my ability to actually create these faces. Some of them make me want to hide my head, they're so bad, some of them make me laugh, and some of them surprise me.  This is a never-ending source of amusement because while I'm learning I am not yet able to plan how a face is going to look.  I'm not even sure if that ever happens.   I just follow the instructions as I remember them and see who shows up.

When I first started practicing these faces - back when I signed up for Tamara Laporte's Fabulous Faces course - and again when I started Moonshine Boot Camp, I had mixed feelings about drawing all these sketches in a book and still having to create faces in my art journals.  I was afraid of messing up my art journal pages if I didn't like the face I made.  But eventually, I was thrilled to realize that the ones I like, I can actually photocopy or scan, print them out and paste them onto a background in my art journal. Then I can paint and embellish them to my heart's content.....how cool is that!?  Now I'm doing even more faces (see below).  Nothing jaw-droppingly awesome, by any stretch, but as I've said before, before I took these courses,I couldn't draw a happy face or stick figure without messing it up.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

Moonshine Boot Camp - Sketching Practice

Hi, all.  I know the previous entry shows it was posted today, but it was actually done a few days ago.  I just forgot to hit "Publish"....my bad.  Sorry about that.

The Week 2 Book of Days lesson is out, but I saw that there was a portrait on it, so I've decided to do some sketching practice before tackling this one.   Both Book of Days Boot Camp and Moonshine have face-drawing lessons to help us learn to draw stylized (not the same as sketching a real person) portraits for our purposes as art journalers and/or mixed media artists.  Tamara Laporte of Willowing (.ning) also offers an awesome class called Fabulous Faces, which is very helpful and fun.

So, I've done three sketches so far, which I'm posting here to record my progress.  Keep in mind that before I started art journaling with Effy and eventually took Fabulous Faces with Tam,  I couldn't draw a 'happy face' properly (you know, the little yellow, moon-faced guy, now of Emoticon fame), so these aren't perfect, but they sure are better than what I started with.  I love them.

I'm pretty happy with them, all in all, because I know if I keep practicing they'll get better, and the more of them I do, the more I'll have to use in future art journal spreads.  It's nice to know they can be used that way.

Thanks for dropping by. ()

My Word for the Year - Book of Days - Week 1

My word for 2014 is "space."  I need space - space to grow, space to move, space in my home, my head and my heart for the things most sacred to me.  I'll carry my word with me throughout the year and make the space I require for growth and freedom to do what I love....and to learn more about what I do love - what makes me happy....what fills my heart and soul with joy.  For me, learning requires space.

My first Book of Days spread of the year is nothing like I pictured, but I like it a lot.  It's a bit of a mixture of Effy's first BOD lesson and the first Wildly Inspired video that she's recorded.  I loved them both and my spread incorporated parts of both of them as well as my word.  I'm happy with it, considering I've not been able to do much in the way of art journaling, except in my head, since October.

Now I'm working on a spread for WildlyInspired Wednesday, but I'm stuck on it right now.  It's something that my muse seems to be playing with, because I understand what the intent is, but have no clue how it got where it is or where it's going.  I'll just have to go with it and see what happens.

One of the coolest  things about BOD this year is that my sister and I, 600 miles apart, can do it together, thanks to Facetime on our iPads.  I got an iPad Air for Xmas from MH, and he now has my original iPad (which he also gave me) that has no camera.  My sister and I are having a blast working out all the things we need to art journal together online.

Comments and/or questions are welcome.  I'll attempt to respond as quickly as possible.  I'll be back sooon.

Winter Sunshine, My Bed and Good Reads

The morning sun is streaming into my bedroom and I'm settled on the down duvet on my beautiful,  big king-size bed, with my iPad, my journal, my pen/pencil case, The Complete Artist's Way, and the book I'm currently reading, "The Untethered Soul" by Michael A. Singer.  I know a book is special to me if, when I'm reading it, I feel like it was written with me in mind.  I feel that way with this one, but also vividly realize how it applies to everyone.   Zoom in on the back cover and get an idea of what it's all about.  If you should read it, or have already read it, please share your thoughts with me.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy New Year 2014! Am I Enough?

It's been months since I last posted, and here we are in a brand new year.  How do I sum up 2013?  Much of it was difficult & frustrating, but at the same time, I learned a lot, made some wonderful new friends, had some memorable times, and discovered that sometimes when life seems overwhelming, support comes from the most unexpected places and helps me overcome the guilt I feel for not being "enough,"  or not doing "enough."  It's not always successful, but it sure has made a huge difference in my life after the past couple of years.

Practically at every turn as I venture into the world of art journaling, I see the phrase "I am enough," which tells me I'm not alone in my feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness.  To see it in so many places, by so many women, feels comforting but at the same time disturbing that so many of us seem to have had these feelings bred into us.  Why?  Why do so many of us grow up feeling like we aren't good enough?  Why do we constantly have to be reminded or told that we are?  I guess we all have our own stories of how it came to be, and we have our own methods of dealing with it.

My way of dealing with these feelings is to dig deep, to excavate my soul, find the things that made me this way and then learn to overcome them to the best of my ability.  I don't do these things all the time, but I choose NOT to leave the feelings to fester; otherwise it'll just infect my whole being and I'll be left empty at the core.  I don't like feeling empty. It's a lonely feeling.

Art journaling and similar activities help get the questions answered and fill the void. It's also a lot of  fun.  Who doesn't like fun?  The sisterhood is a big part of it.  The feeling of being a part of something and knowing that other women, and even some men "get" the things you're working on, with no pressure, no expectations, no judging of what you share - just encouragement and support.  This inspires motivation & inspiration, massive reduction in fear of failure, freedom to create your butt off, and most of all  it goes a long way to making me believe...really believe....that I AM enough.

SO....here I am, at the beginning of a new year, ready to get on with it.  There's a lot I'll be involved in, and a lot to share. ..starting with my next post.

Thanks for stopping by.  There'll be photos next time!

Deb