Listening

I started with a sketch. At first, a few lines. Then, a bit of colour. Then words came to me and I wrote them down, without thinking. Just listening.

And then, finally, mosaic. Slate, smalti, gold, thinset. I’m so grateful…

I used thinset to raise the smalti a bit above the slate, thus giving the impression of something forceful rising from the cracks, pushing through the slate.

I also laid smalti at odd angles, to increase reflectivity and give the feeling of something out of control.

Slate, a metamorphic rock that splits into thin, smooth-surfaced layers, was an obvious choice to represent the layers of the shell.

Inspire Me Thursday – Faces

This week focus from Inspire Me Thursday is Faces. This is what I did:

This has been a real challenge! I don’t usually do figurative, but rather express myself through symbols, highly stylised images or abstract art. To make things easier, I chose a medium I’m not familiar at all – watercolours! But then again, if you never push yourself you never learn anything…and so I bought a few tubes of watercolour paint, some heavy paper and just experimented. Then I didn’t want to post what I’d done because I thought it wasn’t good enough…but I changed my mind. I’m still not pleased with the result, however I think of Inspire Me Thursday as a “tool” to help my creativity and from this point of view I’m happy, because I allowed myself to create something regardless of the outcome.

Inspire Me Thursday

This week prompt from Inspire Me Thursday is glass. I love glass in all its forms and I use it to make mosaics. I was tempted to post one of my pieces but then I decided to actually do something new. Since mosaic is quite time-consuming, I went for photos. So here’s the story of Cleo, looking out of the window, thinking “I want to get out”

And here’s Cleo again, a few nanoseconds later, thinking “I want to get in”.

Glass seems to keep her perpetually unsatisfied…

Shoe Swap

Slow start of the week, felt tired and slept quite a lot, but maybe I needed to rest and integrate what I’ve done. Am I really letting go? I think so. Going out at the weekend without taking anything against anxiety was a huge step for me. In between a nap and a siesta, however, I managed to join a Shoe Swap organised by Mosaic Addicts – a Yahoo group I’m a member of. Basically, I pick a shoe, mosaic it and when it’s finished the organisers will tell me who to send it to. In turn, I’ll receive a shoe from another member. The deadline is October, so there’s plenty of time. I’m really excited about this! I’ve never mosaicked a shoe, I’ve never even considered doing it but the more I think about it the more I feel it’s going to be fun! I like the idea of swapping anonymously, the pleasure of making something for someone you don’t know, the excitement derived from the aura of mystery… So let’s start looking for the right shoe!

Stepping out of my comfort zone

On Saturday, my husband and I went to St. Anne’s park for a walk. The air was cold, clean, invigorating. I love going there, it’s peaceful and some of the trees look ancient. Sometimes it looks like a magical place, I find myself almost expecting to see a fairy – or a leprechaun!

After the walk we decided to eat out and went to The Oar House, a cozy restaurant in Howth that serves nice fish. Then we went grocery shopping at the local supermarket.

On Sunday we went for a walk at Burrow Beach, then headed to Howth summit and then to the local organic food market.

The best part of the weekend: I felt completely relaxed and I didn’t even have to take Rescue Remedy to control the anxiety! At Howth Summit I felt a bit overwhelmed by the open sea, and the height, but I just took nice, deep breaths and decided to just enjoy the breeze and the view. It worked

Of planting seeds – a pat on the back!

 

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” Robert L. Stevenson

Here’s a list of a few things I did to help my creativity flow:

 

I did my bookkeeping – finally! It was dull and boring, but now that it’s done the feeling of relief is huge. Now I just need to find an accountant to file my taxes.

I cleaned up the study and organized supply. I’ve noticed that I’m starting to look at my art stuff longingly. Mmm…

I signed up for bookcrossing – I think it’s a brilliant idea, setting a book free to travel the world and find new readers. Who knows who’ll find it? I like to think that serendipity will be the force behind the meeting of book and reader.

I discovered Kery Smith and her brilliant website & blog. Both her blog and website are inspirational. I didn’t get to read all her posts, but the ones I read made me want to do something creative and that’s a wonderful feeling. I printed out the artist’s survival kit and I’m sure I’ll put it to use very soon! Through her I also discovered Guerrilla Art and I must say that I find it intriguing..it’s something completely new to me and at first I felt a bit put off by the name – guerrilla means “small war” and I don’t believe in wars. I didn’t even want to click on the link. But then I decided to trust Keri and read her article and – again – I found it inspiring! I particularly like this paragraph:

“My current fascination with it stems from a belief in the importance of making art without attachment to the outcome. To do something that has nothing to do with making money, or listening to the ego”.

That made me think about all the times that, while doing my art, the ego – the mind – took over and started judging and belittled and ridiculed and said “that’s worthless”. And I listened. And just stopped creating and felt miserable. So I’ve decided to actually make some kind of artwork and leave it somewhere, to be found by a complete stranger. A little bit like bookcrossing, but with the added bonus of actually creating something. I like it.

I saw the potential of a journal – how to transform magazine pages into art.

I listened to songs I hadn’t listened to for ages.

I sat on the floor and looked out of my window, pretending to see the world as a small child (I want to try this again outside).

I practiced being more present, more aware of myself – and my “self”.

Through the internet, I found very interesting blogs and discovered books I want to read.

I discovered Inspire me Thursday and their inspiring weekly tasks for artists and creative people in general. This week the task is to go beyond our comfort zone. Still need to decide what to do…my comfort zone is quite small at the moment, so it shouldn’t be too hard, now should it? Ah Ah Ah – ironic laughter, but I’ll give it a try!

Well those are a lot of seeds being planted, aren’t they?

Of red tulips, tea and relaxation

I bought some red tulips and put them in a mug on the windowsill of my kitchen. They brighten the kitchen – and my day. I’m also happy about the mug, finally released from the darkness of the cupboard and now proudly on display. Every time I catch a glimpse of it, I think of my sister-in-law Manu, who bought it for me in Amsterdam, and feel her warmth and love.

I have several mugs to suit my moods. I love drinking tea and usually have at least 6 or 7 different kinds in my cupboard. Lately I’ve been drinking Yogi Tea, especially Women’s Tea. Each tea bag has a different quote printed on its small label and I keep finding this one: “A relaxed mind is a creative mind”. I enjoy the quotes almost as much as the tea – I think of them as messages from the Universe. Last Tuesday after doing a bit of grocery shopping I visited the local bookstore in search of pampering material. They had just stocked up on meditation CDs and, thinking of the quote, I decided to listen to the Universe and bought one. I’ve listened to it every day and as a matter of fact I find that it does help me relax. My husband tried it, too, and thinks the same.

 

Books and CDs unveiled

Last week we went to Ikea and bought a bookshelf and a small TV unit. That means that we finally unpacked all our CDs and installed the stereo in the living room AND we unpacked most of our books. This might sound rather mundane and not at all related to creativity…quite the contrary, I must say. Because it means that the boxes under my desk are gone, the boxes by my computer area are gone and the stereo on my desk is gone. GONE! And now my art room is actually starting to feel more inviting.

The living area, too, looks much better. It actually feels like home and no longer has the sad look typical of rented properties. That makes our evenings, usually spent sitting on the sofa in front of the fire engaged in various pleasant activities, much more enjoyable. And during the day I can finally listen to my favourite music.

Most important, being able to have access to my precious books and music – after more than a year! it’s just invaluable…

Going for a walk

The past 2 days have been somehow weird and tough at the same time…

The day before yesterday I did a guided meditation on consciousness which resulted in a water crises that brought me to the verge of dehydration – yes, it’s tears I’m talking about.

Yesterday I was restless, impatient and in such a foul mood that my husband pleaded for mercy and asked me to please go to bed and sleep it off – he couldn’t take it any longer. I even lashed out at the cats because they kept leaving muddy footprints in the house…as if I cared about housekeeping! I attributed these violent mood swings to the new homeopathic remedy I took on Tuesday, since thinking that I might be ready for a mental institution was most distressing…

Today I got up and started my day in a “I’m-watching-you mode”, on the lookout for further signs of unbalanced behaviour…however the only thing I could notice was an unusual desire to be outside and revel in the chilly but sunny, glorious day. I then started a lengthy preparation that involved dyazepines, Rescue Remedy, MP3 player, camera, sunglasses, double dose of moisturizer, mobile phone, hat-scarf-gloves-overcoat-MBT shoes-tote bag and here I was, ready to step outside and go for a walk – duration unknown.

Although at first a bit uneasy, I walked for about an hour along the cycling track by the sea, taking in the reflection of the sun in the water, the seagulls, the crisp air and the feel of my muscles working. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I could have walked longer, but I didn’t want to overdo it. Going from “No way I’m getting out of the house alone” to an hour walk by myself is a huge accomplishment and I’m very proud of it. Flabbergasted, too, I must say.

I also discovered this plant – not much to look at, I’ll admit, but its velvety texture is delightful – I touched it for quite some time!

To sum it up, today I did something that I most definitely never do – something out of my comfort zone – and that’s a way of stirring up the cauldron and increase creativity. I’m curious to see what this little change will bring…

So… let’s start this Journey…

“Creativity – like human life itself – begins in darkness” – Julia Cameron

So I must be in the right place…darkness. Actually, stuck in darkness, since I haven’t been able to create anything for quite some time… However, I lately saw a spark of light and I think I might be on the right path to create again. That’s the main reason why I’m starting this blog. I mean this blog to be like a cauldron where I can throw in every thought, note and reflection about my creativity and my creations.

I’ll be stirring the mixture, let it sit, stir again and so on, until something will start to take form. We’ll see what form…