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In my Ears: My Favorite Podcasts of 2020 ~ Small Biz Ownership, Money, and Living Life on Your Terms
I was recently asked if I’d share my favorite podcasts.. Absolutely! Most are business related – with slight differences/perspectives on focus areas – marketing including social media, writing, art, tech how-to – then they’re a few that keep me focused on the basics (finances and self-care). I encourage to check these fine folks out… As a self-described ‘visual/kinesthetic learner,’ I was shocked to discover how much I enjoy listening to podcasts (in very specific conditions, as you’ll read below)…. 😉 Here you go… (in no particular order) Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield (online biz/marketing) YESSSSS!!!!!! The Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher (online biz/marketing/tech) This gal is both…
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Art, Visual, or Creative Journaling?
Ready to do some artful journaling? Wait. What? You can’t because you’re not a trained artist? Well, that’s okay. Me neither. 😉 Commonly called Art Journaling, putting colors and words on a page to express what’s on our minds is a way to creatively say what we need to say – even when we don’t realize we need to say it. Our ideas need a place to ‘be’ – especially in this noisy world that constantly pokes at us. I’d like to share something with you that I learned recently: “Artful” journaling isn’t just for trained artists who are working out project ideas or practicing new techniques. Turns out, journaling…
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It Happened that Thursday
Thursday, October 19, 2017. 3:22 PM. The cheery jingle of an arriving text message caused no alarm. Just another afternoon heading home from campus. Youngest sister checking in. I glance at the phone while the car cools down. Falling below 80 degrees in October is always the hope by Floridians, but jack-o-lanterns turning mushy in Florida heat and humidity is the reality. Ready to head home, I begin steering the car out of its space and head toward the main road. Her words stop me: “Mom just called. You guys need to call me now.” I dial the phone. Her shaky voice does not hide her concern. I can feel…
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Drawing Them Out: Faces Reveal Artist’s Growth
As 2018 unfolds, I’ve been reflecting on my creative journey. What began as art discovery (a form of therapy, if you will) during a difficult time in my life – personally and professionally – has developed into a way of living that is as necessary to me as breathing and eating. My head often feels like it will burst to let the ideas out! When everything in art was brand new to me three years ago, I was taking it all in and sampling techniques, tools, and materials – but not choosing anything specific. Window shopping. I suppose that’s how I discovered ‘mixed media’ – I tinkered in a little…
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Ten Tips: Keeping Art Brushes, Sponges, and Stamps Usable
One of the things I learned from our first Creative by Discovery Mixed-Media Art Party was that sharing tips I’ve learned about the process in the past three years is a “how-to” I can gladly contribute. Here are a few things learned along the way…. Ten tips for keeping brushes, sponges, and stamps usable… (because it gets expensive replacing them!): Do not leave brushes/sponge brushes in water for long periods of time. Do not let paint, ink, or adhesives dry on brushes, sponges, or stamps. Let them rest in a brush tub, to keep them moist. Use the scrubber in the bottom to gently loosen paint. Change water often when painting, especially…
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Our First Art Party is in the Books: Feedback + Lessons Learned
Sunday, February 25, 2018, RobinLK Studios hosted our first-ever Creative by Discovery Mixed-Media Art Party. Our project: Mail Art Our party experience: Wow, it was a LOT of fun! My party experience: Wow, it was a LOT of fun and a LOT of work before and after, but very much worth it(!). Like any good party, details matter. This event was no different. Three weeks of intense planning and preparation led to wonderful feedback from guests. Here’s what they shared with me in text messages, Facebook comments, and before leaving that day: “It was sooooooo much fun!” “…a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with friends” “…such an enjoyable…
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Of Stories and Strangers…..
A few months ago, a fellow IG creative reached out to me and said she’d like to share some of the many vintage postage stamps she has. I was elated! Of course, thank you. But why me? On most accounts, one would say we’re strangers. Over the next week, as we were dealing with Hurricane Irma here in Florida, Dee and I corresponded back and forth. A short time later, when the weather was clear, I found a package waiting for me at the post office. Opening the package and spilling out those beautiful stamps was like opening a time capsule filled with incredible art work and history. Dear Robin, “I’m so excited to contribute to…
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Underpants and the Art Studio…. {a Little 411 Fun}
Artists call it underpainting: a layer of paint that goes on first, as a base coat, to provide a foundation for finished work, adding depth and tonal qualities to later layers in acrylic and oil paintings. Colors vary. I’ve read that some contemporary artists use this technique, though it was much more common by the greats before them. I began tinkering with paint in 2015, but didn’t learn about underpainting until a few months ago, while watching an artist on YouTube. Then, during a recent workshop, I heard the term again as Donna Downey added a layer of red paint to her canvas, explaining its purpose. Want to know more? Here’s a little 411 on the topic. Steeped in art history,…
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Art, Creative Curiosity, Instruction, Life, Photography, Process, Six Words, Stories from the Art, Writing
She Flew….. {Six Word Wednesday}
What’s your story in six today? 🙂
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I’m Not Creative! So Said She (or He)
Remember when you were little and had that GIANT box of Crayola crayons and endless sheets of blank white paper? Remember how carefree and happy you felt as you drew purple elephants, orange grass, and places no one had ever seen? What happened? For most of us, being creative is a distant memory, and depending on where you’re reading this blog post, you may or may not be tapped into your own creativity any more… you know, that rush to draw and paint and write with abandon… Why aren’t we all there? Why do adults lose that sense of carefree happiness that comes from creating? Why do adults eliminate creating/making from their…
words + colors guide the process
