Planting Seeds and Sprouting Ideas

On Friday, I participated in yet another fabulous Carol Wingert class at Scrapbooks, Etc. We decorated a 16 inch torso, worked with Glimmer Mist, and did some laser copy photo transfer with gel medium. As usual, I didn't finish my project in class and still have some work to do on the skirt.

To add some depth, we sprayed Glimmer Mist on paper and used that as an underskirt. For some reason, mine curled up and never did lay flat. I need to use some glue dots to hold them down. I've also got some ribbons yet to add to give more color and fullness to the skirt, in colors ranging from peacock blue to teal to lime green.

Speaking of peacock, one of the women, Cece, brought in peacock feathers she collected from the peacock that has moved into her yard and is molting. She was very generous with giving away the feathers. In addition to the traditional eye feathers, there were a whole range of different feathers from this bird. I didn't know they had so many different ones. Thanks, Cece, for the feathers. They will go on top of the ribbons.

My torso is actually very boring and ordinary compared to the beautiful creations made by some of the women in the class. It was inspiring to see what percolated in their imaginations given the same instructions and materials. I'm always happy to be in the company of creative women. This monthly class has been so great for me because of Carol's presence and projects and the participation of the other women. I look forward to every class.

I had lunch with a friend this morning at Palatte, an adorable restaurant in downtown Phoenix at Fillmore and 4th Ave. We ate inside where they have a conglomeration of antique and assorted furniture styles. The outside dining area is even more charming, with seating areas in metal lawn furniture with overstuffed cushions. I had my camera with me, but didn't think to get any pictures. I highly recommend this place. The food was very good, the atmosphere was excellent. Great suggestion, Daniel!


After that, I drove around a bit downtown, pining for the days when I lived just north of downtown and could visit the area any time I wanted. I drove up Central Avenue and marveled at the light rail tracks and stations just waiting for trains and passengers later this year. I can't wait to ride the train. The route goes within one mile of where I used to live, and I had made plans to take the train everywhere before I moved to the 'burbs. Now, I'll have to find every excuse to go for a train ride.


A little further up Central, I landed at the downtown branch of Arizona Art Supply, my favorite of their three locations (perhaps because it was my closest location for so many years). My goal: to purchase my first art journal. I must have had "that look" on my face, because every employee in the store asked me if I needed assistance. I was on a voyage of discovery and wanted to explore rather than be lead right to the spot. I settled on a spiral bound book of bristol paper in 11x14 size. I think the paper is heavy enough, I'm just not quite sure about the size. There is a LOT of white space on each page! I went with the larger size because I wanted to give myself enough room to develop ideas. I can always switch to a different size or layout or paper if I'm not happy with this one. But the book is purchased and waits for me on the worktable. I'm excited to get started.

But something else has started. Over the last two weeks, I've had a handful of writing ideas that suddenly sprang to life in my mind. Some are old ideas that are suddenly juicy again, and a few are new ideas. I find myself thinking about them when I'm doing mundane things like brushing my teeth and driving. In fact, at those time, I'm not just thinking about them, I'm actually writing them. When I realized what was going on, I made a commitment to begin the writing process. But things have been hectic, and after typing and writing all day for my clients, I haven't been much in the mood for personal writing projects.

Then, about a week ago, I started dreaming that I was writing these things. I had the same dream over and over, only each time, I picked up writing where I left off in the last dream. I'm a person who takes dreams seriously, so I knew I had to start writing sooner rather than later. I'm happy to say that I started writing two of these ideas this morning, spending the first four hours of my day capturing the thoughts I've had and things I've observed myself writing (in my daydreams and dreams). The words and ideas almost dripped out of my fingertips, and I was typing at breakneck speed to keep up with my ideas.

It seems I'm having a monsoon of creative ideas right now in every area of my life. I love when this happens. I know it is just a season, so I capture as much as I can while things are juicy and return to these detailed notes later, when the inspiration isn't quite so fresh but I have the time to really craft my projects. I make an effort to always plant seeds for creative ideas, and pay attention when those seeds start to sprout into projects. I'm hoping to harness this energy and produce a lot now and have good ideas ready to go when I have more time in my schedule.

Slowing Down Time

I realize that I haven't posted in a while. My day job has kept me plenty busy over the last couple of weeks. But that is only part of the reason why I haven't posted.

I realized this weekend that I'm doing my best to hold a space for painting the images I wrote about last time. It's almost like I'm afraid that if I put any energy into anything else art related, I'll whiz past the painting energy and it will be lost.

I have seen this kind of thing happen with writing projects. There is a point early in the idea phase where the urge to write is strong. I've learned how to sort of dam up that energy and not do things that will dilute it. I've found the energy gets diluted by too much note taking and research, and by talking about the idea. I can't blog about the idea, I have to write it directly.

I realized that not blogging about anything new and not blogging any more about the images were a way to dam up the energy until I have the time to return to the studio. It's my way to hold that idea, that image, and suspend it in time until I'm ready to address it.

My day job has me scheduled very tightly over the next few weeks and months, and then I have a gap where nothing is scheduled (yet). Do I really think it's going to be a long time until I make the space to paint? Part of the challenge is that I don't have the materials I want to make the image I see in my head. I'm concerned about diluting the energy by rendering it in another medium. Perhaps this is exactly where keeping an art journal would serve me well. I could sketch the images in any medium available, and record it for later, when I might return to it. Either way, I would capture what is on my mind while it is fresh. That sounds like a smarter strategy than trying to slow down time and dam up the energy until I gather my resources and take the time to paint.

I'm always surprised by the path of the journey. I suppose I'll read this entry in a few years and smile to myself about how much I have learned since this moment. How great that I'm keeping notes on my inner journey for later review.

Now, about that art journal...