Digital Art Journalling with an iPad and apps

So I got an iPad. It was inevitable, seeing as I've been having a 4 year love affair with a guy named Mac who spends a lot of time warming my lap :)

I immediately downloaded a bunch of drawing apps, and I also investigated the stylus angle since I know I don't want to draw with my finger. I found what I believe is THE BEST stylus available for artists, it's called The Hand, and it was a Kickstarter project. It's awesome and you can find it here.

On to some thoughts on which apps to try. First, I downloaded ArtRage. I have it on my computer, so I figured the natural extension was to get it on the tablet. It's ok, but not my favorite thing to use. The cool thing is it's connected to my Dropbox and I can send the source file to my laptop for more refined paintings. The bad is that it's a little too complicated for doodles.

Next, I got Bamboo notebook- which is my favorite program to write and doodle in, by far.  And Sketchbook lite, which is nice when you want to do a more robust drawing. But there are a LOT of tools, and it takes some time to do a good drawing.

I tried several others, not worth mentioning.

And then I got Paper by 53. I started just sketching with the free pen, which is nice...but then I decided to get the add-ons for the felt-tip pen and the watercolor brush. Voila, my life is complete :)

About that Plan....

So I'm not a planner. Is that a surprise? Or rather, I do have plans, I do like to "plan" but in the end, when I'm working on plans for things I want to have happen in my life, they tend to be nebulous.

Like, "This year I want to make my business successful so I can quit working a day job." Or my favorite, "I'm going to lose 40 lbs." Ummmmm, exactly how am I going to do that? You know what they say about intentions. Mine are always great, but I don't follow them up. I have been traditionally very resistant to doing the things that other people say work, such as setting goals (writing it down,) and keeping a food diary and workout journal.

So, rather than wait for January to make a bunch of "resolutions" about my life, I've decided to take advice from others this year and do some actual, tangible planning.

#1: found a blog I like, actually from a link my sister put on Pinterest, called Blogilates. It's a cute girl doing a hybrid pilates style workout. She has a calendar of workouts to do, and a fitness journal, that you can print out and use each month for $1.99. Seemed worth it to me, so I bought it.

#2. decided to invest in Leonie's Planner. The calendar is pretty cute. It's the Planner, however, that caught my eye. There are lots of pages in it that really make you stop, think, and write it out- what you are thinking, and what you want.

So, I'm going to print them both out and put them in a 3-ring binder together.

My goals, moving into 2013, are to:

1. Finally lose the stubborn 40 lbs or so I've been holding on to for 10 years. I really don't need it anymore, thank you very much.

2. Make real, clear, practical goals for my various businesses and follow through. I'll be planning what I want to accomplish during 2013, and what outcomes I want to see by the end of the year.

3. Find a voice for my blog, and write regularly.

Why so Curious?

curiosity [ˌkjʊərɪˈɒsɪtɪ]

n pl -ties

1. an eager desire to know; inquisitiveness

2.

a.  the quality of being curious; strangeness

b.  (as modifier) the ring had curiosity value only

3. something strange or fascinating

4. a rare or strange object; curio

5. Obsolete fastidiousness

The use of the word "strange" in that definition is interesting, isn't it? I never thought it was strange that I wanted to learn everything about a subject.

I remember times that I would get an idea, go to the library, check out 20 books, read them all in one weekend, and deem myself to have learned enough on the subject to either want to continue with more k knowledge, or be done with it. Most times I did this it was because I had a business idea, or an idea that I wanted to do something for money- not necessarily "start a business," but to make or do something that I could get paid for.

Cake decorating, children's party planning, gardening, all kinds of art, mural painting, paper crafting...most of these explorations were creative in some way. But the thing is, I totally immersed myself in the process of learning all I could about it before deciding if it was a worthy pursuit.

I even followed this process in college- when friends offered me LSD and one offered to "babysit" me while I went on my first trip. So what was my first step? I spent an afternoon in the college library and read 5 books on the effects of LSD. And decided NOT to try it myself.

Luckily for me, I am a very fast reader. I can read quickly, comprehend, internalize, and learn what I have read. That got me through all of my schooling rather well- I was always a straight-A student with very little studying, because reading or hearing something once was enough for me. I don't have to do something to learn it. So sometimes I lack a little bit of compassion for people who need that step...it's been a great expansion of my skills in being a classroom teacher myself!

Passionate Curiosity has led me to many wonderful experiences in life. I consider myself a person who takes calculated risks- I learn about something I think I want to do, and weigh the options, and in most cases, try new things. I will try any food- once. I will also try anything I deem non-life-threatening usually without reservation. I have moved cross-country with no job into a house I rented on the internet...I have lived in 5 states, and in 11 cities. I have changed careers several times, and still don't really know where I'll end up. I don't usually do life-threatening things. Sky Diving is not on my bucket list. But I do love roller-coasters and ride them whenever I get the chance!

Do you have it in you to be passionately curious? Because if you allow yourself to feel curiosity more than you feel fear, you will allow yourself to have some pretty interesting experiences.