Pass The Brush Experience! 16th & 17th July!

Today and tomorrow the 16th and 17th July is the official start of Pass the Brush and Online Art Community Event

It is an honor to be paired with Laura Bassen - a talented cardmaker at @laurafadora on Instagram.  Over the course of the next two days I will be sharing more about me and my work on her Instagram feed.

The art community is hosting “Pass the Brush,” the artistic community’s version of “Share the Mic.” Please join us as we work to amplify black artists. The objective of this event is to show solidarity within the art community and to amplify black artists so their voices can be heard and art can be seen in a broader audience. Please follow the hashtag #PassTheBrushArt

The project was brought together by Rachel Bellamy and Dina Wakley to Unmute and to Amplify.  Tim Holtz is our Presenter over the next two days and it is going to be an amazing time of sharing within the Online Art Community

So Come and join us and get to know the artists that are taking part.

We are also having a series of Giveaways

Our Sponsors for the Giveaway

Artists Taking Part

Giveaway Guidelines

In an act of Solidarity and Community, Pass the Brush is hosting a giveaway with multiple prizes. The aim is to Amplify Black Artists, increase traffic and followers to guest artists, and improve engagement with guest artists channels to disrupt the algorithm and diversify the art community's feeds after the Pass The Brush event


TO ENTER:

1. Follow all Pass The Brush Guest Artists on their Instagram feed

I will also be sharing this link on Instagram so you can just click on their links to follow - 
@paperdivanoir @thekathrynwheel @opheliastaton @creationsbyjsheri @jannettesimmons @shemidixon @mzdanajoy @trenabrannon @iamclassygirl @reddragonflystudio @juicychristians @mystele1

@realityarts @craftsofadifferentshade @marticesmithart @rarebirds @confidentcanvas @iamsarahmatthews @letsdesigncreative @pocono.pam @tdmamm2012 @queenpreneur @kialagives @dnrenee @kreativekymona

2. Tag 3 or more friends on the main post on post to share the giveaway and encourage them to join you in showing solidarity within the art community.

3. Share this graphic in your stories and use the hashtag #passthebrushart

4. Once complete, go to [www.passthebrushcommunity.com](http://www.passthebrushcommunity.com/) and enter to win giveaway prizes from our sponsors.


Giveaway Details: Open to everyone, however, certain prizes are only available to U.S. participants due to postal limitations and costs.

I hope you can join us, stay blessed and be a blessing

Pass the Brush Giveaway closes 7/24/2020 midnight PST and all winners will be chosen from those registered by email. A list of winners will be notified by email with instructions about their prizes.

Learning - Creating in Faith

Your life is your message to the world.  Make it inspiring...Lorin L Lee

Learning

Learning comes in many shapes and forms in a formal setting or non formal and every day we are learning new things about ourselves as we reflect on our lives and experiences.  How have you done so far with all the things you said you were going to do at the beginning of the year?  Granted it is only the first week, but you need to hit the floor running, or perhaps you already have and all we can do is look at your dust as you whizz into the distance...

‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future – Jeremiah 29:11

Organisation

I am currently surrounded by lists and schedules as I slightly run after myself in doing the things I want to do.   I had a great flurry of action towards the end of last year and now in the New Year schedules are still to be finalised, courses have started and I am wondering where the week has gone so far.  I am mindful though about keeping up with all the things that I have committed myself to do and in the midst of it still enjoy the process.

God had planned something better for us so only together with us would they be made perfect... Hebrews 11:40

Having made the decision to cut back on my posting for Tutorial Tuesdays, Material Mondays and Recycled Projects, I will be sharing what I have done in the classes and what it may have brought up creatively for me.  I am also looking forward to the growth and the insight which should come with learning new information.  I already know that I resonate towards more structured way of working.  I like knowing what is planned for the next week and what I am working towards.  It stops the wandering from one thing to the next as you get more and more distracted.  I learnt that I need to just go with wanting structure among the spontaneity of the creative practice.

Creative Sundays

Next week Sundays will see the beginning of my Creative Sunday’s posts – Expressing your creativity in a spiritual environment.  I look forward to sharing each week and producing a video of the process – as part of getting myself out of my comfort zone and moving forward.  My word which I shared for the year is ‘Attention to Detail’ which for me will require me to be more focused and disciplined as I am asking a lot of myself this year.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed..Proverbs 16:3

Attachments

I am also learning about my attachments and my ‘you never know when you can use it’ mindset, we are spending time over the next few months to declutter the house.  My husband is more ruthless and when we talked about it last year I was all fired up caused it seems so far away.  This weekend he went and got the boxes and made a start and I have found myself justifying why it is alright for him to get rid of his things but some things (all of my things) need to stay.  I am realising the more I have been thinking about it that there are some strong emotional ties that I will need to deal with alongside the excuses that are already preparing themselves at the back of my mind. 

Last year I did a 30 day de-cluttering challenge and so I know that I can do it I guess admitting how I feel is the first step to moving on,  and there is a limit to how many books you can hold onto and read, or how many clothes you can keep, although since starting creating recycled projects I find a use for quite a lot of things, mainly boxes, packaging which I will have to limit or make sure that what I make goes to a good home (am I justifying again??).  

Making the way...

At the end of the day I know that I have done it in other areas and I will have to just work through it.  I know that God has much more for me this year - there are new adventures to experience, new environments to be in and new things to learn and sometimes you have to let go of things.  You can’t take these things with you, you have to make the most of them while you are living and share what you have with those who are in a less fortunate position.  

Let us step into 2014 knowing that we did all the things that we needed to do, we stretched ourselves, we were more than we were last year and we made a difference in the life of at least

one person.  

What are your plans for 2014, where are the changes going to be made in order for you to move forward?

Psalm 121 1-4– I lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber or sleep

Creativity

Creativity for me is an important part of maintaining my health and well-being. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do whether painting, dancing, and writing or a range of other creative pursuits, what really counts is that you participate on a daily basis. Showing up even if it’s for just 5 minutes. Disciplining yourself despite what’s going on around you allows you to spend that time on you, showing up for you, then you can work on spending longer over time.

It’s been widely recognised for many years that art and creative activities can affect our health, and hospitals and more and more private and public sector organisations are looking at how their environment can make an impact not only on their clients, but their staff as well.

Many health authorities are looking at ‘Art on Prescription’ schemes where individuals are encouraged to take part in art activities over a 10 week period in an attempt to reduce the amount of time they visit their doctors and this has been rolled out initially for depression and other mental health related conditions. If you’re ever anywhere near north London check out Creative Health Lab who run art, dance/movement, and horticulture sessions and are based in Kentish Town City Farm.

Finally, when you get a moment, check out this very inspiring video by Jan Phillips You are Worth the Time