HELLO TO YOU MY TRIBE OF FELLOW CREATIVES! Thanks for checking out this March 2020 newsletter! Last time, I showed you the first three paintings in a series of nine paintings called "Just Keep Swimming". I have now completed six paintings in the series. These blue swimmers, fluidly twisting and bending in the water, reminds me to create a free flow of thought to unlock inspiration and creativity. How does one get that creative flow going, you ask? I do different activities that warm up my right brain hemisphere which is responsible for creative thinking. Things like organizing, de-cluttering, sorting, exercising, walking, collaging, journaling, scribbling, tearing paper, cutting, gardening, driving, cooking, doing dishes, cleaning etc. These are all things that create space in my head and welcome the flow of ideas and inspiration. Do you have a ritual or activity that helps your creativity flow??
I do left brain activities, responsible for linear thinking, on a separate day. It is hard for me to flow back and forth between curvy (right brain) and linear (left brain) thinking. For instance, I do not balance my check book, pay bills, write lists, order project materials or call Comcast if I want my
creative ideas to flow. I do creative thinking and linear thinking on different days or I am totally frustrated and unsuccessful at both! Meanwhile, on recent creative days I painted more figures...
Below is a prototype for a commissioned portrait of 2 brothers swimming. This will be painted on 2- 24" x 96" cradled wood panels. The Blue Swimmers and the Brothers Swim capture a sense
of weightlessness of the figure, and convey surface tension of the water. Both ideas are achieved best when I have opened the creative portal for problem solving and can feel the swimming space in my mind and translate it to brush and paint. It doesn't happen easily when I try to paint after doing my taxes!! Gahhhhhh!
Thanks for having an interest in my art and my art making process! Please forward this blog post to someone who would like to be inspired.
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