Creating a Life I love Through Art
I was browsing through Pinterest this morning, when I came across this gem. Her work is so mystical and astronomical. I especially enjoy the ‘future dreams’ work.
Check it out: http://www.georgiepaint.com/process-2016
https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/georginavinsun/
Oh and even Jealous Curator loves her work!
http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/2013/06/04/im-jealous-of-georgina-vinsun/
Love her use of color! I feel like I’m soaring among the stars. SO amazing!
I used to think only specific things were art. They need to have
A PURPOSE!
A MESSAGE!
A POINT OF VIEW!
A REASON (at least)!
But now,… do I really believe that? There are many things that I notice every single day that are unique and fascinating maybe even grungy and raw and wild and full and explosive.
Why can’t they be art as well?
Maybe anything that stops you in your tracks, or causes you to feel, or take notice, or want to play or create is art….
Accidental Art. ahhh!
Here is a collection of some accidental art I found in Mexico about a month ago. Love the chipped paint, broken locks and old newspaper ads! Ahhhh
I just so happened to be browsing through Instagram when I found this frickin’ cool ass artist. He does a lot of mountainesque paintings, and a lovely large collection of astronauts, among other things. He’s very painterly, and his brush strokes are jagged up close and yet very refined far away. I love how so many different colors show up in his work. It feels very detailed and yet sort of blurry and pixelated, like a dream.
Check it out: http://www.michaelkagan.com/
In this crazy, buzzy world it’s been so easy to get anxious about TIME. The day is moving away from me, I didn’t get this done or that or that or that! How frickin’ mind boggling! The day would leave me gasping for breath, unfunctionable and drained.
I’m looking in my art journal right now and it’s full of designs, doodles to try on a larger scale, tiny pen marks that excite me and make me hungry to create. Now, in the past I would see this as something I need to do NOW. RIGHT NOW. LIKE NOW NOW.
But really, the more that I spend time MAKING WORK, the more TIME I realize it actually takes for each piece to make it the way I want it.
The more that I am starting to
CHILL THE FUCK OUT.
Like seriously. I thought I was a pretty chill laid back chic before, but that was only because it was when I was relaxed that I was even aware. I have NOT been relaxed in my life. I’ve been a HARD CORE, FINGER PICKING, STRESS FACE. And you know what, it’s not that great. I didn’t feel great about myself. I didn’t feel strong or magical or at peace. AT all. So I’m not gunna do it anymore.
What is the most loving thing I can do for myself.
Make some fuckin art.
Browsing through Instagram, I came across this frickin’awesome artist, Susan Behnke.
I love how detailed her faces are and yet her pieces are so wild and playful and fast. They make me feel like I’m running through a circus late at night. Wow!!
Check her out, you really should! http://www.susanbehnke.com/
Helloooooo Monday! Oh my gosh you should see the RAIN! It seriously won’t stop. I feel both amazing and a little like I’m over it. We usually get like 4 days a year of this kind of thing, but this year the rain HAS. NOT. STOPPED. It’s almost like we live in the Midwest or something. Sheesh!
Okay so I was in the studio this morning, after having made the decision to CUT into my humongous 140 lb. hot press watercolor paper. Yes, now is the time. It’s glorious thick paper, and I want to use it!
Anyway. I was sitting out there on my hands and knees with my X-acto knife and my pencil and trying to measure this 6 foot paper with a t-square (which is a horrible idea on the ground, aka doesn’t work). And I realized something.
I hate cutting.
I do. I mean I really hate it. I don’t ever get it straight. I hardly understand rulers to begin with.
I start sweating.
I get annoyed.
I just want it to be over. Ahhhahasdolrihaeksfv nalkdergn!!!!!!
This. Is. So. Stressful!!!!!!
Then I suddenly thought,’I WONDER IF SOMEONE CAN DO THIS FOR ME??’
Whhhhhat!!? It’s like the heavens opened up
I used to ALWAYS think I need to do everything on my own, but not anymore! If we are all geniuses at something, why not use other people’s genius to get us where we wanna be, right?
So here’s the deal, I’m taking my big ass role of expensive paper over to Fed EX, and THEY are cutting it for me!
Ha!! This is the best decision I’ve made this year.
Now I can get back to making art. Yesssss!
So,.. I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I haven’t been feeling well. Actually I’ve been in bed for nearly 2 weeks. Horrible cough, sore throat, clogged nose, you name it. There were a couple of days where it was clearing up, and I thought I was getting better. But then all of a sudden I was hit again.
Now this is odd for a couple of reasons.
First of all, I NEVER get sick. Like literally never. If I start getting slightly ‘off,’ I will just sleep a bunch and whatever it is has moved on. I have a really strong immune system.
Second of all, I have had a tendency to get sick when there is something not right emotionally in my life. I’ve lost my hearing before when I had a boyfriend that wouldn’t shut the fuck up. Like ever. I lost it for a month until we broke up. Once that happened, my ears opened up the next day.
I’ve also lost my voice or my nose has become so clogged. When I realized that I felt like I ‘literally couldn’t breathe’ in my life, everything cleared up once I used my voice and spoke up to my husband.
So this is totally normal for me. However, this time I’ve felt REALLY sick.
My mother gave me the idea to sit in the tub for 2 hours at a time with baking soda and epsom salts, and drink a gallon of water to clear out my chest. I must admit the baths have been amazing Jackie time extravaganzas, but they haven’t helped.
I did try another one this morning. Here is the pic.
Anyway, I was starting to get really frustrated. I want to get on with my life! I want to BREATHE again! And sleep! And talk normally! And swallow! And create without snot dripping onto my piece. Is that asking too much??
I thought about the feelings I’ve had while being sick. I’ve felt INCAPABLE, STUCK, DISCONNECTED, UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING, a bit like a VICTIM, etc. etc. etc.
Then I thought ‘Hmmm I wonder where I’ve felt some of those feelings in my life in order to bring forth this experience.’ Yes, I believe in this kind of stuff.
In other words ‘WHY THIS, NOW?’
Suddenly, I realized that for a long time in regards to my husbands ex wife, I’ve felt very INCAPABLE (of mothering the way I want to), STUCK (in a situation where I have no power), DISCONNECTED (from being their mom and yet I take care of them emotionally and do a lot for them like a mother would), UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING about this situation (because my husband was married to her, so he should communicate with her), and a bit like a VICTIM (what the fuck am I supposed to do, I’m doing too much, I’m not doing enough, I can’t do this…)
Aha! This could be it!
So I’ve decided something. My LIFE no longer revolves around her. I did not marry her. I will contact her when I want some information, or clarification, regardless of if my husband wants/needs/cares to communicate with her. I will do this because I need to feel empowered in my situation, and sitting on the sidelines WAITING for other people to ACT the way that I THINK THEY SHOULD ACT does
NOT
EMPOWER
ME.
Also, she’s got Asperger’s and is difficult to communicate with. Thank Gawd my hubby and I are finally aware of this. We used to write cutesy emails to her and get these really cut and dry (rude, lez be honest) responses from her. So we have began mirroring our emails to her responses. Basically being very straight forward with no warmth.
However, this is not me. So in the spirit of changing,.. here goes.
I will not change my tone of voice with her face to face, or in messages. If I am changing who I am because she’s not responding to me the way that I WOULD LIKE HER TO RESPOND TO ME, then I must not be honoring who I am very well. I want to communicate to her with love, kindness, appreciation and compassion because that is what I who I am.
I want to be fully me. It is okay that she isn’t going to give me a shiny happy response. I don’t need that, I do not need acknowledgement from her.
All I need is to be ME completely.
Okay that is my rant for the day.
The sun is shining, my coffee is hot, my nose is clearing up already, and I have art to make.
Take that empowerment! 🙂
Hello again!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday. The sun is finally shining out here. Oh my gosh there has been so much rain, it lovingly looks like Ireland outside. So plush! So deep! So clear! But to be honest, I’m really craving the good ol’ fashioned hot weather I’m used to here in North County San Diego.
I’m feeling a little bit under the weather today. I knew I wanted to get this blog post up early this am, but not feeling amazing, and also having the kids over last night proved to be a little more maneuvering than I had hoped. I don’t know how you full time parents do it. I may have the best schedule set up in the world, but if the kids are here, it’s so much harder to stick to it. 🙂
Anyway.
I did think ‘Oh maybe I can just miss today blogging,’ or do it later in the afternoon. But I know that it’s not going to become a habit if I don’t make it a priority. So. There you go. Real life working shit out. Ha!
I’m in an interesting place with art today.
First of all, I’m so so so so so utterly grateful that I get to CREATE everyday, that my husband values me doing what I want and need, and he’s seriously my biggest cheerleader.
Second of all, I have ideas bursting out of me every couple of hours. I get this ‘Aha!!!’ moment and I see something new in my head. It’s very exciting, and invigorating.
The part that’s interesting is I haven’t made much finished work lately. I feel like I’m learning all over again how to do that. I’ve carried my art journals around for years with me even during the time that I was trying NOT to be an artist. I need them, I instantly feel more myself doodling and drawing and painting. This is where I also jot down shopping lists, write my innermost feelings, or slap paint through the pages as a release when I’m too emotional to breathe. I love creating, and the best part is:
I don’t even think about how it’ll look when it’s finished. Nothing is ever finished! It’s always been this ever evolving purge of juicy passionate creation.
Okay.
So now, I’m here in my life to make actual work, and I’m figuring that out. ahhahah It’s kind of an interesting experience. I am pivoting to use my art journal along with everyday purging to try out all these ideas!What I’ve realized, is that so far in many ways, I’m much more tenuous with my precious blank piece of paper or canvas then I am with my messy art journal. I mean it makes sense. It’s not what I am used to. But I really love the organic explosion of what I’ve done hidden away in my books. So I’m learning how to bring that sense of play into actual pieces. I’m excited about this! I can do this, it make take an adjustment, but part of it is probably just trusting that I can create. That I am an artist and I can create on art journal paper, or canvas, or thick delicious watercolor paper. Whatever mediums I choose to use, I can use.
Art journals will always be my special release. Anyone ever used one? They have really helped me embrace play, and not be so afraid of mistakes. Here is a picture of one of my art journal pages. I have over 10 full journals. Each one I’ve used for about a year. They spell out a good chunk of my life.
Where in your life do you get to be your messy passionate self? I’d love to hear your stories!
Sunshine and Cerulean 