Tuesday 30 April 2019

Episode 75 Weekly Podcast - Creativity



Welcome to today's Episode and the Show Notes to listen click below


Creativity

What will you create to make the world more Awesome? 

We were all born to be creative in some form or fashion. We were created for a purpose and in turn we have that inner drive to create. However you choose to express it is entirely up to you. When I was younger growing up there seemed to do two types of people. Those who did 'proper jobs' where you could earn a living, like in a bank, office or school and the others who were 'Artists', who we were told didn't seem to make any money and were typically shown as messy, spontaneous, reckless, and disordered. My view of the world was that you became an adult and worked hard doing a job you didn't like and then had children and worked even harder to give them the things that you never had. It's what my mum and dad did and they were my reference.

Deep inside though I knew I wanted to be different. I wanted to be among those artists who did what they loved to do, shared their passion, inspire others and who also made a living. I remember standing on my balcony of our flat as a child, and singing at the top of my lungs a song that I had made up, about the despair of an eleven year old trying to make it in show business.

My singing sessions were tolerated by my parents and the neighbors, though my little brother always made fun of me. As I grew up and went to college I started singing with a group of friends, and later went on to do musical theater, and in my 20's started painting and drawing on a regular basis. It still didn't seem like something that you could do full time and get paid, and I always kept them as hobbies, feeling the push to do more, express more. I now try and immerse myself in creativity and whether or not you want to make a living at it there is something about taking part in a creative activity that impacts on your state of mind and your general health and well being.

By allowing yourself to be creative you are able to go on an adventure of the imagination, soaring to new heights of possibility. We cannot leave it to chance either, there is no way that you could leave your materials on a blank canvas without doing anything come back and find they have created a masterpiece, you have to show up and that's where the miracles happens. Creativity doesn't happen by accident and neither were we made by chance. As you go about your day take time to think of one thing that you find really challenging and try and approach it in a more creative way and see how it turns out. 

I am challenging myself with my art pastels, and doing the 100 Day Project, check out some of the images I have done so far, and think about starting your own challenge, how ever long you want to make it.

Take some time out to be creative and do some work in your art journal or journal

I would love to hear from you and you can connect with me on a number of platforms 


If you would like to support the Podcast you can do so HERE


Sunday 28 April 2019

Realityarts Podcast - Weekly Episodes 73 and 74


Welcome to the episodes for this week on Realityarts Podcast, It is a pleasure being your host for the show, I am thankful that I am able to share and blessed when you have listened and manage to get a nugget or two to take away.

On Monday's Episode - The Writing is on the Wall we talked about the way that we look at time, and after much is spent, that which is wasted will not be refunded.  Do you have regrets about things you did in your life, and how can you change your perspective about them?















Our word for Friday's Inspirational Shorts is Comfort.  Do we settle rather than getting out of the comfort zone and into something that will challenge us?  What does the word 'comfort' conjure up for you?

Thank you to those who listen to the podcast from all over the world we are glad to have you with us.

If you would like to donate to support the work on the podcast and make it accessible to more people you can do so HERE

Thank you in advance and stay blessed and be a blessing.

Saturday 27 April 2019

100 Day Project - Pastel Sketches 9 - 16


Welcome to today's selection of sketches.  I will be posting the sketches weekly on the blog but if you want to see the daily progress you can go onto my Instagram feed and see them there or wait until the end of the week :)  I thought I would catch up with my self and share the next 8 sketches that I have done so far.


Selection of Pastels - Check out Amazon Store for Details

I have been using a range of both hard and soft Pastels - Rembrant soft, Rowney soft tints, Conte Hard, Nouvel Carre and Langnickel Hard pastels I have shared the Amazon store and added additional pastels that you can try out at a variety of prices.  I will also once the challenge has finished be creating some reviews of the pastels that I have used.  I think 100 days of testing will be quite a thorough test.  I will also be creating some videos using the pastels and the techniques that I use along the way, so sign up to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell to be updated.

Here are the pastel sketches so far 9 - 16

Pastel Sketches 9 - 16 of the 100 Days of Pastels










I shared the selection of 5 pastels I have been using on Amazon and I have brought together a great selection of supplies on my Amazon Store that you can take a look at.

have you decided yet if you will join in the #the100dayproject2019 or create a challenge of your own, it doesn't have to be 100 days but you could start with 5 days and see how you go.

If you are interested in taking classes and working with pastels then check out Creative live


They currently have a series of online FREE Classes and discounted courses to suit your needs and each week they have several Free Live classes as well, so check them out.

Let me know if you start a challenge of your own so I can come and support you on your platform!  Take care and be a blessing




Friday 26 April 2019

100 Pastel Sketches 1-8


The 100 Day Project is well on the way.  I started a week late so will be completing a week later on the 18th July.  Here are the first 8 pastel sketches.

It has been great getting to grips with working with the variety of pastels and also working on different pastel papers which give you different effects and finishes.

Here are the first 8 sketches, I will share the next 8 tomorrow.














It has been great fun getting to know how the different supplies work, and it is lovely to see all the sketches together and see how much I have grown over the.

I am using a selection of 5 pastels and you can find a great selection at varying prices to suit all pockets on Amazon  and I have brought together a great selection of supplies on my Amazon Store recommendation that you can take a look at.

I hope that you have joined in the #the100dayproject2019 and are having fun in what ever you have chosen to do.  Take it at your own pace and don't allow overwhelm to set in and enjoy.

If you are interested in taking classes and working with pastels then check out Creative live


They currently have a series of online FREE Classes and discounted courses to suit your needs and each week they have several Free Live classes as well, so check them out.

Let me know how you get on and what challenge you will be doing yourself.  Take care and be a blessing





Thursday 11 April 2019

100 Day Project Challenge - Time for a Change



I decided to do the 100 Day Project, which officially started on the 2nd April, but I started slightly late, but will not stress over it, just carry on and get my 100 posts complete.  What I probably will do is do an extra sketch at the end of each week and catch up and the last week of my challenge I will create some videos sharing some techniques learnt while I was doing the challenge.

I decided to work with pastels for my challenge, and use some of the ones I have sitting in my studio.


So I took them all out so that I could get a better look, and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw what I would be working with.  I found the Conte Pastels which I totally forgot that I had, and allows you to use them without getting your hands dirty.  These are a had pastel

Rembrant soft pastels

Rembrant Soft Pastels, and a box of 60 half pastels.  I brought them along with pastel paper when I decided years back these have some very vivid colours and as you can see break really easily

Royal Langnickel

The Royal Langnickel are hard pastels and will definitely take some getting used to

Rowney and Nouvel Carre


I also have a set of Rowney soft pastels and Nouvel Carre hard pastels, so I think I have a good variety to be getting on with.  

I think that it is a good idea every once in a while to see what supplies you have sitting in your studio/creative space so that you don't have supplies sitting unused for years, and depending on the supply can get hard and unusable before you get to them.

I encourage you to get your materials out and play, that is what I will be doing with these pastels and see just how well they work on their own as well as with other mixed media supplies.

Here are the sketches that I did for my first 3 days

1/100

2/100

3/100

I will be sharing the images on the blog and on Facebook weekly and daily on Instagram

If you would like to purchase any of the supplies you can check then out on my Amazon Supplies list

I hope that you can join the challenge and do something that you have always been putting off





Thursday 4 April 2019

Barbados Sea Island Cotton Birds Nest

Restoration Journal
I have been spending a bit more time in my Restoration Journal which I created a while back, and is made from an old university prospectus that I picked up at an opening.

It is great to be able to recycle and make something creative, and find ways to use the supplies that you have alongside the things that you may have in your home and bring new life to it.


Each morning one of my routines is to work in my journals both written and art and spend time reflecting on the things that I need to do for the day.  I am blessed to have quite a large window that I can gaze out of as I contemplate.

I noticed a while back a couple of birds landing on the branches of the mahogany tree in front of me and they kept coming back as if they were checking me out, I later realised they were looking for prime real-estate to set up home.

 
Bird Checking out the Branches for a new home

And that is what they did! Over time they began to collect cotton from the cotton plant and build a nest for themselves.  They strengthened it with a few twigs in some strategic places and then it was done.

Barbados Sea Island Cotton Birds Nest

I imagine it to be ultra comfortable and soft, they are using Barbados Sea Island Cotton after all, and it is known all around the world for being the softest, and greatest quality, so they chose wisely.

Other lovely sites that I get to see as I gaze outside my window are rainbows, sounds quite magical doesn't it.  I appreciate the time I get to spend in the studio and the  insights that come from being in a creative space.


Before the rainbow comes the rain, but nature is in sync

As the birds build their nest and make the most from their surroundings I too look around my space and am grateful for what I have at my disposal, and how I have made it feel homely to me.  

Think about where you are and the things that you have in your space that you can sometimes take for granted, and look at them with new eyes.  What wildlife can you see around you adapting to their environment and utilizing what nature has available.

Rainbows adding the magical touch to the studio

Spend time in your art journal and create a page that expresses how you feel about your space, those things that you can sometimes take for granted, or those things you need to see with a fresh pair of eyes.

Stay blessed and be a blessing

Wednesday 3 April 2019

Realityarts Podcast - Episode 67 - Family OUT NOW!



Today on the podcast I talk about Family and what it means to me, both the immediate and extended.  I also touch on those people who you spark from and feel sometimes on first meeting as if you have known them for a long time.  

Coming Home - Mixed Media Art Page

Take out your journal and create a page about what your family means to you, what memories of your family do you have, and experiences that you want to hold on to and pass down to younger generations.

Join me on the podcast, you can also listen on your favorite platform and find me on there as well, I am looking forward to connecting with you

If you listen to podcasts on different platforms check below and see if yours is listed and you will be able to enjoy my podcast from there, take your pick!


Overcast     

Stay blessed and be a blessing

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