Enchanting Details, Often Overlooked…
Details in Art, Writing, and Life Do you ever notice details in something you’ve seen many times, but one day you notice something… different? The details seem fresh, new…. enchanting, really. And you wonder: How did I miss them until now? As a writer, I’m pretty tuned in to details. I find I notice things many do not. Fellow writers know what I’m talking about. I’ve learned in my recent journey into art that details are integral, too. Now, those details may appear differently from each artist… some are loud and in your face, while others are quiet and subtle, but all are necessary. An important part of my art-making…
A Mixed-Media Face in 18 Ingredients
I was asked recently during a Mixed-Media Faces How-to virtual workshop, “Okay, so we made a basic face with our pencil, but how do we make it ‘mixed media’?” Great question! Answer: Add everything you want and then a bit more… Really! And so we did. From floral repurposed paper napkins and scrap paper with mathematical calculations that inspired tissue paper with bold, graphic numbers to pink markers and pink paint for cheeks, a little show & tell about eyelashes, and all the possible supplies we could use – our group gabbed, shared notes and shared projects. With a few minutes left in our session that evening, everyone shared and…
Blackout Poetry: Finding Stories in the Words
Imagine looking at a page full of words and seeing a story begin to appear. That’s what happens with blackout poetry. It’s the story you tell from the words already told… mostly. Let me show you what I mean…. Here’s how to create your own blackout poetry: Gather your supplies: a page from a book, newspaper, or magazine a permanent marker – might be black, but doesn’t have to be a pencil maybe a pair of readers – some of us need them! 🙂 your imagination and curiosity Next, scan the page for cool words. Blackout (fancy word: redact) the words you won’t use. But, wait! Before you commit to…
They’re Back!
The voices, that is. Finally! Â NOTE:Â I started this blog post on February 7, 2016, but never shared it. Not sure why not(?), but here it is…. celebrating the return of the voices in my head. What an awesome feeling it was! Â Feb 2016:Â If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you know that I suffered through a long spell of silence in my head as I struggled through difficult personal and professional changes over the past year. The silver lining was finding other ways to express me, namely mixed-media art. But as I created art, I longed for the voices to return… While that may sound…
Read. Think. Sleep. Repeat.
Do you read? A lot? A little? Not at all? Many people I know, do not. Or do very little. Or do only for daily tasks (e-mails, road signs, contracts, notes from kids’ school, etc…). But wait. You’re reading this. Just sayin’…. According to Mr. Warren Buffett, reading a lot helps make us smarter. My takeaway when I read his advice is this: Reading often (and varied) gives us an advantage because we can oftentimes use that information in new ways as we piece different ideas, opinions, or facts together to form new ideas, opinions, or possibly – facts. This is the essence of creativity: making something new out of…
