Observation - Filling The Creative Well - Blog Series

Observation Drawing

Every now and again, I like to do a 'still life drawing' and pick a subject in front of me or set something up.  I feel it helps train your 'eye' and we move out of the ‘thinking’ and into the present, you have to focus on what you see rather than what you think it should look like.  There are also additional exercises that you can do that will help in your creative practice.

Check out the Yoga of Drawing

What you can Try

Pick a simple object – you choose what catches your eye.  Spend ten minutes drawing it. Don’t worry about accuracy. Focus on shape, shadow, and form.

Additional Exercises

• Try continuous line drawing don’t lift up your pen and create a figure

• Blind contour drawing – don’t look at your paper and draw the figure.  It takes time to get used to the activities but do something every day.  These practices strengthen your connection to what’s real and present.

Drawing from observation builds patience, attention, and skill and helps you practice sensitivity to your surroundings.

Takeaway Nuggets:

• Drawing teaches presence and awareness.

• It’s not about likeness - it’s about looking.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Nature-Inspired - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Nature can inspire us in so many ways – the colors, patterns and variations offer endless inspiration. I really enjoy working with nature from the dried leaves, fibers and using the surface to create on.  I also use the fibers from plants like the banana and cotton to incorporate weaving into my creations.  These are harvested from my garden.

Check out my Arts and Wellness Cafe video and being out in nature.

 
What you can try

• Take a walk or look out of your window. Find one natural element that speaks to you.
• Maybe it’s the veins of a leaf, the curve of a petal, the color of the sky. Let that image become the inspiration for your page.
• Use actual plant materials if you like – check out my leaf art posts – you can see the range of inspiration in my blog archive.  You can print with leaves, paint with twigs or leaf prints, twigs, or use dried petals. You could also work with nature using the leaves as your surface, see the variety below.

This is about slowing down and taking notice of your surroundings.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Nature offers boundless inspiration and reflection.
2. Spend some time daily in nature

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Mixed Media Magic - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

 

 

I love creating Mixed media art and you can pretty much add most mediums together, once you get an understanding of your supplies is where the rules melt and the fun begins. Today, combine three or more materials—paper, fabric, paint, stitch, charcoal, ink. Explore how they work with each other.  Don’t be afraid to vary how you use them.

Check out this video to see how I approached using different mediums in my art journal.

You can also see other mixed media art journal pages in this playlist here

What You can Try

Play with contrast - soft with rough, shiny with matte. Mix dry and wet media. There are no mistakes, only learning experiences

There’s no right or wrong way to mix media. It’s all about listening to texture, to your intuition. Use a glue stick next to watercolor, stitch on top of acrylic or write and doodle on top of collage. By experimenting you get to have an understanding of your supplies and what you like working together.

The main thing to do is to have fun and enjoy the interaction between the materials.  What does your page feel like?  Have you added loads of texture or color?  What is your page inviting you to do next

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Mixed media invites conversation between materials.
2. Magic happens when you let go of how it “should” look.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Layer and Let Go - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Layering can be a freeing technique in mixed media, and every layer tells part of the story, and sometimes, we must let go to make space for something new.

When I am creating, I find sometimes walking away and coming back with fresh eyes helps inform the direction a piece might take.  When I come back the whole piece might change and that’s alright.  You come with new information and experience that will add an interesting perspective to the piece.

 

What you can try

Start with an existing art piece or a journal page.  You might even want to try an abandoned artwork. Add something to it: paint, collage, marks, fabric. Then add more. And then cover part of it up or walk away and work on something else.

It may feel risky to paint over something you like or are not sure of. But in doing so, you practice trust. You can always take a photo of the work before you cover it up. You learn that your creativity isn’t limited. There’s always more to uncover.

Building the layers

Layering builds depth and often what was once buried peeks through unexpectedly and you begin to see the layers. Each addition becomes part of the whole, even if it disappears from view.

Don’t be afraid to cover, to sand back, to glue down. Let this page be about transformation.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Creative layering is an invitation to trust the process.
2. Letting go of parts you love can lead to unexpected beauty.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Keep Going - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

There are days when creativity feels easy, and days when it doesn’t. On those in-between days, the best thing you can do is simply keep going, maybe even shifting your focus.  It is better to do something than nothing at all. That’s today’s encouragement, show up, even if it’s just for five minutes.

Art is not always about inspiration. Often, it’s about persistence, showing up because your creative self deserves it. Consistency is where the magic lives in quiet, steady effort. 

What you can Try 

• You might not feel like making anything today. That’s okay. Keep your practice light and low-pressure. Pick up your journal and scribble a thought. Smear a color across the page. Rip paper and glue it down. Take one small creative action. 

• When you keep going, you send a message to your inner artist: “I’m here for you.” That kind of trust and nurturing is how practices grow.

• Keep a journal for those small actions, a “just-for-today” notebook. These practices honor the peaks and the valleys of creative life.

• Your creativity doesn’t need to be perfect or productive, it just needs you to be present.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Creative practice is built on showing up, not perfection.
2. Five minutes of art counts remember you are filling the creative well.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Just One Tool - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Limiting your tools or supplies can be one of the most liberating creative decisions. Today’s challenge is to use just one tool, medium, or material and explore everything it can do. I find it is a great way to really understand all the uses of that tool or supply, and it gives you more flexibility and variation in your work.

Check out the Video - if you find limiting yourself to just one to begin with difficult, just reduce the amount you would normally use.  In this video I use some paints and stencils to work on the page.

What you can try

• Pick one: a watercolor palette, a black marker, a needle and thread, a gel pen, a single color of paint. What happens when you stretch its use across the whole page or several? 

• With fewer choices, you are able to explore further. Try making different types of marks. Experiment with layering. Use the tool in unexpected ways maybe your pen mimics another supply, or your watercolor develops unusual texture when layered thickly. 

• This kind of exploration sharpens your understanding of your materials and deepens your relationship to them. You become more resourceful and imaginative. 

• You might also notice that limiting your choices frees your brain. Instead of worrying about all the variations of color in your acrylic set which can sometimes be 50+, you get to focus on how many different shades and variations you can get from one color.

Bonus idea: use the same tool each day for a week. Observe how your comfort grows. This practice helps you slow down and appreciate simplicity.

Takeaway Nuggets: 

1. Limiting tools can unlock deeper creativity.
2. Mastery comes from exploration

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Mark Making - Filling the Creative Well Blog Series

 

Today we are going to look at ‘mark making’ – It is slightly similar to doodling but you are using additional tools, lids, bottle tops or any other recycled or natural materials. It is a good idea to experiment with some of your tools to see what kind of marks you can get. There’s a special kind of freedom in intuitive mark making, you don’t have the pressure of making “art.” It is creative play and expression.

Check out my journal above to see how I create in my journal.

You can also check out this 'Mark making Tools video HERE where I share some of the tools that I use.

What You can Try

We are not thinking about drawing something specific, but we are going to make marks.  Choose a tool: a lid, a stick dipped in ink, a brush, a crayon, a piece of string – whatever you have and start to make marks on the paper. Try other things like using your non-dominant hand or put on music and respond to it with marks on the surface.

These marks don’t need to “be” anything. They can be scribbles, slashes, scratches, dots, or loops. Fill a page - or several.

 

Intuitive mark making is like your voice before you have the words. It side steps the need to be perfect and you just have fun.  You learn to value the moment and express what you have no words for.  You can do it anytime and with any supply.

Once you have a moment you can add to your marks, color them in, cut them up and use in collage, or build a library of patterns and textures that you can return to.

Takeaway Nuggets:

• Intuitive marks are expressions of energy, not outcome.

• The body often knows what the mind hasn’t said yet, let it speak.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important.

Handmade Backgrounds - Filling The Creative Well - Blog Series

Handmade Backgrounds

A blank page can be intimidating whether in a journal or a canvas and can often put a stop to your creative flow. There are many ways in which you can set up your surface to avoid feeling fearful and jump straight into enjoying your creative process.

I prepare my pages beforehand and the way I do that is by using up excess paint that I am using in a project on these journal pages.  Over time you build up these layers without even thinking about it as you are only using up excess paint.  There is no judgement of these pages as they are just the foundation.  When you are then ready to work on the surface you already have a stepping stone to work from gorgeous layers of paint or collage, inviting you to play.

Check out the video of my process for creating backgrounds.  If you put 'backgrounds in the search, it will also pull up some of the other videos I have created.

What can you try?

Next time you are working on a piece do not discard your excess paint, but find another canvas or papers, or art journal that you can apply the excess to the surface.

If you want to create a background from scratch you can also start by gathering your favorite materials: paints, old papers, tissue, glue, stamps, and stencils. Consider using unusual tools—cardboard, a sponge, or the edge of a credit card. There are no rules here, just layers.

Creating Backgrounds 

• Begin with paint washes or collage pieces. Let the layers dry between steps so you can keep building. Add text, stamps, or rub-on transfers. Try using a braye in the paint, scratching into wet layers, or applying gesso to tone things down and then reintroducing bold marks.
• There’s something meditative about creating backgrounds. You’re not trying to “finish” a piece—you’re setting a mood. This frees you up to experiment.
• Keep a stack of these pages ready. They’ll become the foundations for journaling, focal images, affirmations, or quotes. Think of them as planted seeds—creative soil waiting to bloom.
• Sometimes, backgrounds become the main event. If you love how a page looks, leave it, you could also photocopy the page for further use.
• Let go of needing each page to become something right away. Let the joy of creating be enough.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Backgrounds create momentum and break creative blocks.
2. Every layer you add is a whisper of your voice.

 

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Gratitude Pages - Filling The Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Gratitude Pages

Gratitude has the power to change our perspective. When we pause to notice what we’re thankful for, we shift from a lack mindset to one of appreciation and satisfaction.  It is a great idea to start a gratitude journal where you can list and reflect on what you are grateful for.

A few years ago I created a ‘Gratitude and Celebration’ Journal and on a regular basis wrote about the things that I was grateful for and created a journal page with an image.  You can check out the video where I do a flip through.

What can you try?

Create a gratitude page. You might begin with a list, a sketch, a series of symbols or images that reflect what you’re grateful for today. Think of the small things that often go unnoticed -  your morning cup of tea, a bird’s song, a cool breeze and so much more.

Use colors, collage and add textures to express the gratitude, or frame your words with decorative borders, look at what you have and don’t hold back.

Return to your gratitude pages often. Over time, they are great reminders that will take you out of a slump on those rough days.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Gratitude nurtures joy and strengthens creativity.
2. Documenting appreciation deepens its impact.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Found Words - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Words are powerful, the ones we say to ourselves, or those we allow in from other sources.  We can also stumble upon them unexpectedly and we can look for ways to find those words that speak to our lives.  We can challenge ourselves to make a poem or journal page using found words and cut them out from magazines, books, or even junk mail.

You can make a start by collecting these words that speak to you. Don’t overthink it, if you are leafing through a magazine and come across a word trust your instinct and put it aside to use it in your journal and that time when you are ready to play.

Check out the video on creating word plaques - you can add these to your art journal pages or creative projects.

What else can you do?

Arrange the words into a sentence or poem. Let the words surprise you. You may find a theme emerging or it might be something that your heart wants to say. You can glue them onto a painted background, write around them, or turn them into mini word plaques.

Found word poetry can also a form of collage, combining meaning and language. It is a great way to incorporate text into your art.  It is another activity that you can do to kickstart a mood or inspire you.

This can also be a way to sidestep writer’s block or deepen your journaling. Found words become journal prompts, and even affirmations. They remind us that language is everywhere—and that meaning can be playful.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Found words can give voice to what you didn’t know you needed to say.
2. Poetry lives in the unexpected when you look closely.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Experiment Freely - Filling the Creative Well Series - Blog Series

How often do you try something different in your creative practice? Maybe today is the day to follow a new idea, to use a supply you’ve ignored, and I know I have quite a few of the supplies that have been neglected and that need to be rescued.

The fantastic thing about experimenting is that it can lead to unexpected breakthroughs and learning.  Can you give yourself the time and space to experiment on a daily or weekly basis?

What have you been curious about? That ink that’s still sealed? That stencil you bought but never used? Pick something that feels unknown and let it guide your creative play.

In this video I experiment with fabric

Where do you start?

•      Choose four materials you’ve never combined before—perhaps gesso, watercolor, tissue paper, and stitching. Or try drawing with your non-dominant hand. Or swap your brushes for sponges, twigs, or old toothbrushes, think outside the box.
•      The goal isn’t to make a masterpiece, it is to spark curiosity. You might discover a favorite texture, or combination of supplies that you want to try on a bigger scale.
•      Document what you learned, there are no failures.  Every step outside your comfort zone helps you to become a more confident artist.
• ·    As you will be doing this on a regular basis, why not dedicate a journal to experiments. Make it a space where you don’t judge yourself. Let it hold your trials, errors, and surprises.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Every experiment is a teacher - even the messy ones.
2. Curiosity is more important judgement - don’t hold back.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .