inspiration

Use what you have – is one of my mottos.   I do have to remind myself of that, before I go buy the next great tool, ink or organizing item.

I found a couple of easels and cork boards and used them to get it all out of my head and on to paper.  Wow!  Does that feel good!  I am a BIG picture thinker, and now I can see it all in a glance.  Why did I wait so long?

How about you?  What guiding principle are you using to get things done and create time to make prints?

Moving to a new space has created an opportunity for awareness for me.  It is a huge space and I noticed that I was filling it up with messes just about everywhere.

Is there a message in the mess?

I went around my studio yesterday and took pictures of my piles and projects.  Today with a gentle heart I started with one table and began to organize and sort.  I feel better, and I have just begun.

Could there be clarity in clean?

This is what Einstein said, “Out of clutter, find simplicity.  Form discord, find harmony.  In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.  –Albert Einstein, The Quotable Einstein.

Today, I started cleaning some of the 22 windows in my studio.  Wow!  Did that change my perspective.  I did not notice how really dirty they were until I had a clean one to compare with.  Even with the browns and grays of early spring my city started to look a little friendlier.

The other day I took this picture while laying on the floor.  Sitting on the floor feels free.  I feel like a kid, like I could be playing with my buddies.  I have a painter friend, Debbie Shirley,  who captures the most unique perspectives in her painting.

What do you think a new perspective could do for you?

Consider a workshop.

Are you ever stopped?  Are you slowed down by procrastination?  Do you need a creative boost? I must confess this happens to me and it can be a challenge to get going again.
These are some tiny steps that have helped me get moving again.  Please try one out if you feel stuck or stopped.

• Break it down into a little doable task
• Give yourself the give of a few minutes – just for you
• Look for what you can do, rather than what you can’t do
• See what is possible and do that

Here are three “Just Do Somethings” that could be a gift to yourself to get you going.

1. Do a line drawing of something that is right I front of you, with whatever materials you have on hand.  No judgement just doing.
2. Get up and walk around the block. Look up, look down. See what you usually don’t see.
3. Lay on the ground and take 20 pictures with your camera/phone.

If you try this or have a “just do something” of your own, then please share your discoveries in the comments section of this post.

Or join me in the next session of Make Monotypes, an online printmaking course on the glycerin and gelatin plate.