My hope is to get you excited about exploration in your own art. I want to be excited about the process and less focused on the product right now. I always ask the question what will happen if I do this? Play! This life as an artist is a beautiful wonderful ride of exploration and play, so enjoy the process of creating.

Keep a notebook of your explorations, what you like, what worked, what didn't work. I also find that when I'm in bed a lot a times ideas which is popping in my head so I keep two things by my nightstand a notebook and a tape recorder.  When I'm on the go and I don't have those I will make notations in my notes app on my phone. Do what works for you.

1) 🔎 Develop your Observation Skills

First let’s start by observing the beautiful world around you. What are you attracted to? What colors pull you in? Are they warm or cool tones, neutrals, monochromatic, bright & vibrant or soft and subtle?  What textures are you drawn to? Rough, rugged, and worn or smooth and crisp?  What type of Mark making do you enjoy? What subject matter do you resonate with? Abstracts, landscapes, portraits, still life?  What type of art mediums and materials do you enjoy using? Watercolors, oil, acrylics, mixed media, clay…?  What techniques are you attracted to?  Super realism, impressionism, loose, tight?  Look around your home what is it you absolutely love? Is it the colors or the texture?  Is it modern or vintage or eclectic?  What are your interests other than art?  For me it is the love of birds.  I feed hundreds of birds everyday, have bird houses and nesting balls all around my property for the birds.  Inside my home I have empty bird cages with plants in them, bird sculptures from other artists and the list goes on.

2) 📖 Sketchbooks, Practice and Patience.

Always keep a sketchbook. Do not think of a sketchbook as a finished work. Approach your sketchbook as a center for ideas, practice and play. It's a safe place that no one ever has to see but you!  It can go everywhere with you. Pull it out instead of mindless scrolling on your phone. It's an opportunity to document your life; just think if you spent 10 minutes a day in it. What would happen if you did that for a year, two years?  Create a rhythm.  Be consistent.  Set aside weekly time to create, be it painting, sculpting or what ever interests you.  It is imperative that you build foundational skills.  You could also play memory games by observing a scene for one minute, then write a descriptive paragraph about what you remember without looking. Try going from general to more specific details.  Recall as much as you can.  You can do this by yourself or with a friend.

Begin with writing about what you see from the colors, textures, shapes etc.  Besides your sight, also try to engage other senses like smell, sound and taste.  This can help the language center in your brain when you put pencil to paper for your sketch.   Then begin sketching.  You do not need formal training to commence sketching.  Look at what you are drawing, really look.  Try to draw from real objects whenever possible.  A great little pocket book on perspective is The Urban Sketching Handbook Understanding Perspective.   

Be kind to yourself.  Have patience.  Don’t compare yourself to others.  “Comparison is the thief of joy” Roosevelt. Everyone has their own story of where they have been and how long it took them to get there.  This is your story.  You have your own story, your own voice.  We all get that negative self-talk.  Let’s dismantle that beast.  I’m telling you, you are good enough.   Practice and build your skill.  With greater skill your work will become visually more complex and it will become easier for you to communicate you ideas.

3) 🖌 Experiment, Explore and Play

What intrigues you? Play.  This is where the fun begins.  Somethings you’ll figure that you may like something but don’t enjoy the process to get there.  For me that’s portraits.  I use to love drawing portraits, but now, not so much.  Our interests change as we age and are exposed to different things through our lives and so will our art.  Just look at Picasso.  He painted realistically, abstract, cubist, there was the blue period, the rose period and then he also sculpted, worked on set design and more. For me, I've been interested in botanical printing and eco-printing lately.  So I did some research and started experimenting. It has been quite a fun adventure so stay tuned for my next vlog on botanical printing.  Other things that interest me are cyanotypes, paper-making, natural dying, and the list goes on.  As you play and experiment with different things you will land on something you really enjoy. SO PLAY AWAY!

If you would like to join some challenges in my Mixed Media and Art Journaling Facebook group, click HERE. If you would like to find me on other social channels you can find the links HERE.