Art Journal- SCORE! at the Goodwill

I found this awesome blank book for $3.50 yesterday at our local Goodwill. I couldn't resist, because the pages, which I assume are for gluing in photos, are big, blank, and a nice heavy weight. Perfect for an art journal, a task which I have often thought about undertaking but have never actually done.

This book is bound in a very time-honored traditional way, it's called Japanese stab-binding. Basically a fancy way to say, there are holes going all the way thru the pages and the covers, and a string is holding them in. Rather than having a spine, the spine is open and you can see the edges, and the front and rear covers bend when the book opens. So if I want to, I can even remove pages in order to paint them. I plan to use a lot of gesso- tip- sometimes I keep a container of Kilz primer around- it's cheaper than gesso, and does the same thing.

Part of my creative anxiety stems from the question "Will it matter?" and I have decided that yes, it will, even if only to me. Now the anxiety that comes up next is, do I have time for this? With all the other things in my life that I am dying, or trying, to start up, do I really have time to write, scribble, draw, paint and collage in this book? Or is it just another creative diversion? Well, I suppose creative diversions are important too. I always tell my students that it is important to practice, you can't "think" your way through a project. So it's high-time for a taste of my own medicine. I recently got several new books on mixed media techniques, all of which seem very logical to me- but I can't own those techniques until I really try them out. So, here we go...

Adventures in cosmetics.

I'm usually not very conscious of cosmetics for appearance. My typical make up is mascara and eyeliner- dressing "up" includes eyeshadow and perhaps lipstick. I never wear anything else- I'm quite freckled, so it's virtually impossible to wear foundation or coverup, which I never really need anyway because I have nice skin. So- on to what's really biting me- that's right, my teeth! I got Invisalign today and they will be with me for the next 8 months on a rather aggressive teeth-moving plan. Top teeth done in 7 months, bottoms, 8. It hurts! But my smile has been on my mind, since my front teeth started crossing over each other years ago and it got to the point where my front left tooth is totally crossed under the right and pointing into my mouth, which is uncomfortable. So I decided to do something about it this year. I've been practicing speaking tonight- my biggest challenge is my Art History class, which requires me to lecture so I can't wait until tomorrow morning when I attempt class on Ancient Greece - s sounds are the worst! Debbie made me orzo with butter for dinner, which I sucked down without chewing.

I'm now working on three Etsy orders- things are picking up with the holidays, and drinking some almond milk thru a straw... I'm thinking the one great thing that is going to come of this, besides straight teeth, is a smaller waistline since eating hurts and boy is it a b*tch trying to get these things in and out of my mouth.

Breaking through creative blocks- just do it.

I have suffered from what I sometimes refer to as creative ADD. I can get incredibly engrossed in learning something- usually for a very short time period of say, one to two weeks. In that time span, I read several paper books, download 10 ebooks, listen to 50 podcasts, read every magazine article available, bookmark 25 websites, research several experts working in that media, and learn everything there is to know. Then, I either buy some supplies and try it out, or determine that I'm not all that interested in actually trying it out, and move on. Or, put it on the back-burner as something I will someday try. And- my favorite- get angry at myself for not having done it sooner, because now I have to compete with someone who is already doing it the way I "would have."

All of this is, of course, a well-disguised version of procrastination, which is in itself a well-disguised version of creative-block of one kind or another. I have quit doing this, by the way. I read a great book called Art & Fear, I got some therapy, listened to Byron Katie, have taken up Buddhist philosophy, started to pray again, and worked it out. Now my issue is time. That will be dealt with in another post.

So what is my number one tip to breaking through the creative block so you can have something to show for yourself? Start!

The world wants what you make. You are the only one who can make it, and there are people out there who really love what you make. But you can't let them see it if it never sees the light of day, if you never get around to creating it, if you stop it before it starts.

Don't wait until you are good enough. In Western Culture, for some reason we have this penetrating idea that we are never good enough. We are brought up that way, to self-deprecate, to hate ourselves or at least lack self-confidence. It's time to stop the madness and allow. Be. Make. Create.