Arts and Wellness Wednesday - Slow Stitching and Art Journalling

Welcome, in today's video I share we look at the importance of taking time for your self to make sure that you nurture and spend as much creative time as you can.

We can very often forget to even think about what we want, how we are or where we are going.  In times especially like these where we can be surrounded by stressful situation taking time just to ask yourself the question 'How am I' and then thinking of a creative activity that you can take part in can go a long way.

I also share about some creative stitching projects that I have been doing - these are my stitched meditations that I dip into every now and then and have created quite a few art panels.

 

Stitched Meditations - Amanda Trought

Mixed Media Art - Amanda Trought

Loom and Stitching

Shades of Green

I will be giving you a closer look of each of them over the coming weeks.

I was inspired by an artist  Arthur Ange on Facebook who creates fabric masks you can see some of his other work HERE  You can also take a look at artist Bisa Butler and her amazing fabric portraits.

I was so inspired to create a fabric portrait that I put together this piece, I want to do more so need to move some tasks I have to do around a bit.  You can also create stitched projects to go in your journal, which adds interesting details and textures.

Stitched Faces - Stories await

I am looking forward to creating some on a larger scale.  It is more like a wall hanging than a mask at the moment.

I hope you enjoy the video, let me know what you are working on at the moment and connect with me.  You can also listen to this post on my Podcast HERE

Stay Blessed and be a Blessing - Amanda!

Art Journal Process - Working in multiple Art Journals

Art Journal Play

Check out some of the other videos below - sharing your creative voice and art journals

Creative Encourager - If you want to talk about creativity and the direction you are going and need a listening ear, sign up for a FREE 30 minute call http://bit.ly/Encoura

Need Art Supplies - check out some of my Amazon Recommended HERE

Arts and Wellness - Art Journals and Collage

Arts and Wellness - Art Journals and Collage

In this video we look at how the arts and creativity can and do impact on our health and well-being.  

We look at taking a variety of materials and seeing how using collage can often enable us to communicate thoughts and feelings.

You can create on separate pieces of card/paper and then add to your art Journal.  Don't be afraid to experiment and above all have fun..

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Creative Encourager - If you want to talk about creativity and the direction you are going and need a listening ear, sign up for a FREE 30 minute call http://bit.ly/Encoura

Art Journalling Pages - Just Start

Art Journal Page - Just Start!!

In this first video I will share with you how to work on the background, you just have to put something down and it will take away the fear.  Practicing creating backgrounds for a while and don't worry about what you are going to put on it or how it would look in the end. 

You will be building up the layers and focus on enjoying the process.

Developing the Page

Art Journal Page - From Scratch

In this video I share with you a page that has had colour added to it but little else and how I build up the page to create the image.  You don't have to do everything all at once so come back and see how the two pages get moved on.

Enjoy!

Word for the Week - Rapturous - Creating in Faith Episode

Realityarts Podcast

Welcome to Episode 221 - I hope that you have had a blessed weekend. Today's word is Rapturous, is this a word that you have ever used in relation to your creativity. Think about it for a moment, get out your art journal and spend some time thinking about the kind of colours that could be used and ways in which you can express the word in your life.

Creating In Faith Encouraging Recordings are to bless and inspire you. It can be really great to pull out your art journal/Journal and express what comes up for you either with images and colour, with words or with both. Check out the weekly and monthly videos to help you spend more time in your art journal.

Listen to the Podcast

Art Journal Page

Check out an art journal page from start to finish which might give you some tips for starting your own.

Image Artwork

You can find the image Artwork on my Red Bubble Store, with a range of different images and merchandise -HERE

Arts and Health Network

I also have an Arts and Health NHS Network for information on activities and organisations working in the field. You are welcome to join, it is a FREE resource and if you have any activities or want to talk about your work you are welcome to send me the information and I will see that it gets uploaded. You can create your own profile on the network and connect with others who are passionate about the arts in health too.

Looking for ways to express yourself?

Creative Encourager - If you want to talk about creativity and the direction you are going and need a listening ear, sign up for two FREE 30 minute calls http://bit.ly/Encoura

Book Review - Sew U

Come and check out the book review Sew U 

Watch the Video

I have also found additional supplies on Amazon that you can check out to help you on your way - some additional books and sewing supplies.  Let me know if you have any favorite sewing books that you have come across.

Thank you for Joining Me

Poet of the Month - Gwendolyn Brooks - Inspirational Shorts - Episode 220

Welcome to the third week of poetry by Gwendolyn Brooks as part of Inspirational shorts Episode 220 on the podcast. 

The word today is Personal

of De Witt Williams on his way to Lincoln Cemetery

BY GWENDOLYN BROOKS

He was born in Alabama.

He was bred in Illinois.

He was nothing but a

Plain black boy.

Swing low swing low sweet sweet chariot.

Nothing but a plain black boy.

Drive him past the Pool Hall.

Drive him past the Show.

Blind within his casket,

But maybe he will know.

Down through Forty-seventh Street:

Underneath the L,

And Northwest Corner, Prairie,

That he loved so well.

Don’t forget the Dance Halls—

Warwick and Savoy,

Where he picked his women, where

He drank his liquid joy.

Born in Alabama.

Bred in Illinois.

He was nothing but a

Plain black boy.

Swing low swing low sweet sweet chariot.

Nothing but a plain black boy.

Check out some of Gwendolyn's Books on Amazon

Find her books on Amazon

You can check out more about Gwendolyn Brooks, her life and other poetry on the Poetry Foundation Website - HERE

Join me each week on the podcast - HERE

Thank you for joining me, stay blessed and be a blessing!

Art Journal Page from Scratch!

Come and join me creating a journal page from scratch.  The background can be added through play, the main thing is to start something on the page.

You can also go back and add journalling on the page you don't need to add it all at the same time.

Check out my Patreon page to see more of the process and be part of the network.

Join Me

Arts and Wellness Wednesday - Mental Health and Art Journal

Join me in the video or on the podcast for this episode of Arts and Wellness where I look at the effects of the varying lock down, social distancing, death, unemployment and mask wearing around the world there is a knock on effect on our health.  

Working in an Art Journal can have positive effects on our health and  well being, let me know how you use yours if you have one, or check out some of my art journal videos for some tips

Listen to the Podcast

.Creating backgrounds can be useful as a starting point

I create images in mine and journal as well.

Have a look at my Patreon Blog for more ideas

Creating in Faith - What are you 'Interested' in?

Word for the Week - Interested

Welcome to Episode 218.  Creating In Faith Encouraging Recordings are to bless and inspire you to be the best of yourself.  

The word for today is 'Interested'  What is it that you are interested in?  What sparks your interest in relation to your creative practice?  Are you surprising yourself and trying something new and stepping out of your comfort zone?  

I always encourage you to do some work in your art journal - see what comes up for you, get down your thoughts in written form or in colour and even shapes.

Pastel Art by Amanda Trought

The art shown in this series is taken from my 100 days of Pastels where I painted 100 paintings and it felt like a big achievement for me.  The pastel paintings are available as prints or you can get the images on other merchandise which you can check out HERE

Art created on merchandise by Amanda Trought

Why not also join me on my blog on Patreon, you can get access to a number of resources, art tutorials and videos not see anywhere else.

Join me on Patreon

Let me know how you get on as you look at some of the questions on the podcast, and remember you can also sign up for two free creative sessions and chat about your creativity.

Want to talk about your creativity?  Click HERE

Stay blessed and be a blessing

Book Review - Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed Media Artists

Creative Paint Workshop Review

Welcome to Inspirational Shorts Review - Each week I review an art supply, tool or book and today I will be looking at Creative Paint Workshop.  

You can check out the book on Amazon and join me in the video below to see inside the book.

Check out the video below

Stay Blessed and be a blessing!

Join me on Patreon

Poet of the Month - Gwendolyn Brooks - Sadie and Maud - Inspirational Shorts Podcast

Gwendolyn Brooks - Sadie and Maud, Inspirational Shorts

This week on the podcast I am sharing another poem by poet Gwendolyn Brooks.  In Episode 217 of my podcast you will here the poem Sadie and Maud.  

Listen to the podcast

Joyful

Art Journal Page - Amanda Trought

The word for the day is Joyful.  

Think about how the word can be incorporated into the things that you do and create an art journal page linking the word.

Let's look at the definition of the word joyful - 

• joyful feeling or causing great pleasure and happiness
•  with joy great pleasure and happiness,
•  a cause of great pleasure and happiness success or satisfaction.

Now how is it you feel about your creativity? 

Can you find those pockets of feeling joyful or joy and think about how you can find those little moments in your creativity because sometimes you just don't feel like creating.  

Sometimes you know you want to do something else but if you think about the creativity as a blanket so whether you going to your studio sear your table or wherever your space is and create something or write something or take a photograph it's all part creativity so it's all feeding you, feeding that 'well' that you can dip in-and-out of and grow.

Poet - Gwendolyn Brooks

“Poetry is life distilled.” ― Gwendolyn Brooks

Gwendolyn Brooks - Sadie and Maud

This week is the 2nd week of looking at the work of poet Gwendolyn Brooks, so today the poem that we are going to read is called Sadie and Maud. 

Sadie and Maud 

Maud went to college 

Sadie stayed at home 

Sadie scraped life 

with a fine-tooth-comb 

she didn't leave a tangle 

in her comb found every strand 

Sadie was one of the Livingest 

chit in all the land

Sadie bore two babies 

under her maiden name 

Maud and ma and papa 

nearly died of shame 

When Sadie said her last so long 

her girls struck out from home 

Sadie had left her heritage 

in her fine-tooth-comb 

Maud who went to college 

is a thin Brown mouse 

she is living all alone 

in this old house 

Gwendolyn Brooks - Sadie and Maud

You can find some of her book on Amazon

Find her books on Amazon

You can check out more about Gwendolyn Brooks, her life and other poetry on the Poetry Foundation Website - HERE

Join me each week on the podcast - HERE

Thank you for joining me, stay blessed and be a blessing!

Thanks for joining me - Amanda!!