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. .

Doodling - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Doodle Daily

Doodling might seem simple; it is something we often do without really thinking. When I used to have to sit in work meetings, I would have my note pad making marks in the margin. I also found myself doodling if on the phone to a friend - having a pen in your hand and a scrap of paper enables you to not only make the necessary notes for your understanding of what is being said, it can also help you process some of the thoughts that maybe going through your mind using mark-making.

Check out the video below for more examples

Doodling it holds amazing creative power. I now set aside time just to doodle or ‘mark making’ and in each of my art pieces there are aspects of doodling in the work.

What can you Try?

Start today with a pen and paper. Don’t worry about what you’ll draw. Begin with one line, then another. Let your pen dance freely. Make patterns, spirals, simple faces, or abstract textures. Doodling isn’t about the end result—it’s about the process.

Set a timer for five or ten minutes. Let yourself get lost in the motion. You might find that your mind relaxes, and your breathing slows, and you get totally caught up in the process.

Over time, regular doodling builds visual vocabulary. You’ll find motifs emerging that you can later use in larger work. Flowers, dots, arrows, waves—all unique to you.

Try doodling during a phone call or while you are listening to a podcast. Doodle in the margins of your journal. Let it become part of your daily practice. Don’t underestimate the power of something so small – it has a meditative feel about it that you can embrace.  Once you have mastered doodling on paper, try other material.  Below I doodle with fabric paints and stitching.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Doodling is a mindfulness practice disguised as play.
2. Tiny repeated acts of creativity build long-term confidence.

👇👇👇👇👇👇

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. .

Collage Play - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

Whether you are using fabric or paper Collage can be one of the most joyful and freeing practices in the creative toolkit and is a great way to revive yourself if you are feeling off or need a pick me up.  You can get yourself moving with your supplies fairly quickly - you probably have most of them close to hand.  You will need some paper ephemera, magazines, a few paper scraps, a pair of scissors, glue and you can get so much from a session.  (If you are working with fabric then take out your fabric scraps and other supplies.  There is no pressure to create a masterpiece, or expectations for realism. Instead, let your instinct lead and have fun.

I sometimes use collage as a way to settle myself before starting my work, I will use it as a filler if I only have a limited amount of creative time, sometimes just laying paper down on my art journal is all I will have time for. I will dig out some of my handmade paper and work on a journal page.  I also have the option of being more focused and working on a specific collage piece if I have more time.

Check out the following video and see one of the ways I approach collage in my art journal.

There are some other Collage Videos for Inspiration, and you can check them out here:

Review - Fabric Art Collage - Check it out HERE 

Collage Unleashed Review - Check it out HERE

What Can you Try?

Today, explore collage and play with some of your supplies. Raid your recycling bin, pull out magazines, used envelopes, maps, or even receipts. Look for textures and shapes that intrigue you – and see how they fit together.

Once you have your pieces, begin arranging them. Don’t glue anything down right away. Instead, move them around, overlap papers and see what story might be emerging on the page.

Collage also teaches us that nothing is wasted. Every scrap has a second story to tell. You can also use the opportunity to explore visual storytelling. Create a page that feels like a dream, write between the layers, add figures you have cut out – go with the flow of the piece and see what you can combine together.  Remember to have fun and see where it takes you.  Let this page be loose and do not judge. You don’t need to explain it to anyone not even yourself.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Collage transforms everyday scraps into artful meaning.
2. Trusting your intuition opens up wonderful creative surprises.

👇👇👇👇👇👇

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. .

Brave Beginnings - Filling The Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Day 2: B – Brave Beginnings

Bravery in creativity doesn’t look like perfection. It is about showing up, even when you don’t feel like it, taking those small and consistent steps. Brave beginnings can look messy especially at the start, but you have to keep moving forward.  They are often the marks we make before we know what we’re creating.

Today is about beginning something new and taking that step, even if you don’t feel confident. Try and pick up a supply you have rarely used or one that is totally new to you, or that you haven't used at all.  Get comfortable in the uncomfortable.  

When you try something new doubt has a way of showing up, but that is okay.  Sometimes when we address whatever the fear might be it helps us stretch and grow in our practice, which is a vital part of the creative process.

Bravery can also be about gentleness and giving yourself permission to create without judgement or criticism.

What Can We Do?

Start your page by writing an encouraging sentence to yourself. “I am brave because .............”  Then allow yourself to create marks on the page.  

You might try scribbling or drawing with your non-dominant hand. Or closing your eyes and choosing three supplies randomly. Bravery can look like play.

Check out my Non-dominant hand painting, it was really freeing to create.

 

Over time, brave beginnings build creative resilience. The more often you start, the less precious “starting” becomes.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Bravery is showing up to create even when you're uncertain.
2. Every new beginning builds creative confidence and resilience.

 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. .