A niche for inspiration

The object isn’t to make art,

 it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.

I feel like my whole life thus far has been spent on trying to find inspiration. I've struggled for so many years with all this creative energy, but I didn't have a niche that I could focus it all into. I tried music, which was fun and freeing, but wasn't exactly "my thing". I did photography for a long time, and still do, which is also amazing, but I struggled with the interaction that came with working with models. I've dabbled in crafting and still do, but I wouldn't necessarily say that I'd want to make a living out of it.

So about 5 months back (give or take), I was inspired to purchase a watercolor paint set. I've worked with water colors once before in college when I had to write a children's book for a children's literature class, and I remember how wonderful the medium was. So I decided to give it a go again. I've worked with acrylics before, but found them to be frustrating and annoying. The plastic-like consistency of it drove me crazy. I felt like I couldn't control and maneuver it the way I wanted to. I suppose using various paint thinners and exploring the medium a bit more would help me work around that frustration, but the fact still remains that I'm not crazy about the way acrylics look. I wanted to create soft, delicate looking paintings, and acrylics are a bit too harsh looking for my style. I've also never attempted to use oil paints. I find them incredibly intimidating, but one day I will definitely give them a try.

My first watercolor was a complete and utter failure. I mean, it was really bad! It looked like a 10 year old tried to make a bird in art class. Maybe I wasn't inspired enough, or maybe I was leery about using a medium that I didn't have much experience with. Whatever it was, it definitely allowed me to create utter crap as my first painting. But everyone has to start somewhere, and I knew that afterwards I had a basic understanding of watercolor paint. I figured out how to manipulate the paint, how I could control it on the paper. 

I think the biggest mistake I made with my first painting was the I tried too hard. I really wanted to have my first painting be perfect. I set an expectation for myself that I had to make a museum-quality painting. Which was completely ridiculous and un-realistic. I can't believe I'm going to do this right now, but here's a picture of my first ever watercolor painting.

This is a picture of the painting before it was completely finished, but honestly it didn't get much better than that. A few tail feathers later and it still looked like crap!

But I didn't want to give up. Luckily for my second painting, I was incredibly inspired. I wanted to paint something for DK so he could hang it in his new place. We always had a sort-of inside joke about pugs and how they all look like creepy little aliens. I could have gone for something "prettier" but I wanted to paint something that was unique, and that would put a smile on his face every time he looked at it. Thus Pug Life was born! I worked on this painting every night for about 3-4 weeks. It was long, and tedious, but I really enjoyed every minute of the process. When it was finished, I was thrilled. I had finally created something that I was incredibly proud of. I had found my niche! I wanted to make watercolors work for me, and I worked hard to make that happen.

Now I'm whipping up paintings left and right. I don't have to think in advance of what I want to paint. It comes to me naturally now. I am actually inspired enough that after a long, tiring day of work, I still want to come home and sit down in front of my paintings for 3-4 hours before bed. I paint realistic animals, which is funny because I'm incredibly inspired by artists like Greg "Craola" Simkins and Ryohei Hase. 

I'm going to wrap this post up by saying that I think anyone, and everyone, can be an artist. I think anyone is capable of creating. But I think it takes practice, hard work, and persistence. You aren't born with talent, you develop it. Not everyone is born with a vibrant enough imagination to create great paintings like Craola does, but that's OK. Don't ever tell yourself that you can't do something. That's just an excuse to not put the work in. Just find your niche, practice hard, and it will all become natural after that.

Self Discovery Through my Paintings.

“It takes courage to endure the sharp pains of self discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives.” 

I think I can accurately say that I'm a very selfless person. I love making other people happy, and I constantly put others before myself. I'm not sure if that's totally healthy, but it works for me and my lifestyle. However, through my painting I've done some self-discovery that has shocked me slightly. 

* Firstly, I have a secret talent for painting with watercolors that I never knew existed. I have tried in the past to paint with acrylic and hated it. I couldn't manipulate the paint the way I wanted to. One day I had this urge to try out watercolors. I've always been drawn to the look of watercolor paintings, so I figured "Hey, why the hell not?". 

* Secondly, I really only like to paint at night. I'm a bit of an insomniac. I often have trouble falling asleep unless I'm SUPER tired. I'm not sure if this is why I only like to paint at night, but I think painting definitely helps me relax. I guess it's like having someone sign you a lullaby to fall asleep.

* Thirdly, I am INCREDIBLY selfish with my paintings. I've discovered, to my shock and amazement, that I hate painting for other people. I mean, I really despise it. I don't like being told what to paint. I don't like having a time-limit on my paintings. And honestly I don't like having the pressure of peoples judgement put on me. 

Now....just because I don't like painting for other people doesn't mean that I won't, or haven't. But I can definitely tell that the quality of my art is significantly lowered when I have to paint for someone else. I think this is because I don't get to pick out what I want to paint. So my heart just isn't in it. I have to push myself when I paint for other people. I have to say "Ok girl (yes I say Ok girl to myself), time to sit down, pick up your paint brush and get this over and done with.". I hate feeling like my art becomes a chore. But sometimes that's the case. I guess that's with everything in life though.

I'm hoping if I keep painting for other people then it will squash this negativity that I have towards it.

The second watercolor painting that I have ever done was for my mom. My intentions were good. She loves frogs, and I love making her happy, so I decided to paint her a frog. All-in-all, for my second-ever painting it came out pretty good. But in my eyes I know I didn't try my hardest. I could have done so much better.

I decided to put my signature in the eye. I hate when an artists signature takes up half the painting!

Preparing for a winter of crafting

"Successful organizing is based on the 

recognition that people get organized 

because they, too, have a vision."

One thing I absolutely hate is clutter. My mother would probably tell you otherwise considering my room is always a mess. But trust me, I HATE clutter. I moved back home with my parents a little less than a year ago, and I haven't had a whole lot of time to organize and arrange things the way I'd like. I kind of just moved all my boxes in and and slowly unloaded everything. Shoving things into any shelf that could withstand the weight of my junk. But now that the weather is changing, and I'm getting cooped up inside, I've been getting anxiety from all the clutter around me. 

So much like how animals prepare for hibernation, I'm preparing for a winter full of crafting. I woke up in the middle of the night last night and decided that I really wanted to create a "crafting" corner in my room. I have SO many projects going on right now. They just get thrown around and then I lose track of them. So I woke up bright and early this morning, scoured our property for some old wooden boxes and got to work. I'm not sure which was more amusing, me trying to use a power tool or me trying to weave in and out of our old barns without getting my new winter jacket dirty.

Here is the before:

I found an old drum in the barn and I figured it'd be neat to hang up and put yarn in it. I had to get a little creative with how to keep the round drum on the wall. I originally wanted to use a L-bracket, but couldn't find any that were small enough. So this is what I came up with. You can just call my Mrs. Macgyver.

After lots of leveling, hammering, and drilling this is what I came up with:

I'm TOTALLY in love with the final outcome. It's perfect and exactly what I had envisioned. And now I'm super excited to continue with all of my projects and start tons of new ones! Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of reorganizing to help with the creative juices!