Dear Wonderful, Creative You,

For me, one of the biggest secrets to overcome creative block is repetition. This might seem counter-intuitive, because I think a lot of people assume repetition feels boring. But I don’t find repetition boring in art, on the contrary, I find it freeing and energizing. Repetition gives me space to play, make mistakes, and explore each technique in a million different ways. It’s a bit like being a scientist and asking a lot of What if? questions, but no one else gets to dictate my line of inquiry – I do.

I want to walk you through how this works, so let’s use my current project with watercolor and watercolor resist techniques as an example.

Current Project: Watercolor Resist Circles

Materials

2 and 3 inch watercolor circles

Masking fluid applied with a brush

Daniel Smith Watercolor: Indigo shade

Water

With watercolor and resist techniques, I’m keeping my work limited to one color. Why? I want to limit the variables that I’m playing with so I can push each technique as far as possible – this allows me to be as creative as I can.

Limitation feeds creativity.

Too many choices pull you in too many directions at once and can feel paralyzing.

Open Creative Doors With One Powerful Question

So much of making art and creativity is about asking one powerful question: What if…

What if I wrote a 5 line poem each day for 1 month? What if I started each poem with a random word from the dictionary? What if I found a thread to connect each day’s poem? See how asking – what if? – can open creative doors?

As you can imagine, you can apply What if? questions to any art form or creative endeavor.

So here’s my current What If? Question:

What if I created simple marks in watercolor resist and then painted washes of indigo paint on top?

Can you see how this one question contains so many more questions? It’s the starting point for potentially hundreds or thousands of questions and creative experiments.

You can join our workshop here.

Look at all the variables in this experiment:

Mark Making Variables

• Shape of the mark
• Size of the mark
• Number of marks on each circle
• Density or sparseness of marks on each circle
• Placement of marks in circle

Watercolor Wash Variables

• Amount of water in washes
• Number of layers of washes
• Order of layers of washes and resist
• Coverage of the wash over the circle

Material Variables

• Use additional resist techniques? On which layers?
• Vary the size of brush?

Variables with Finished Circles

Once the circles are done – I have so many choices about how to use them. I could use them in:

• Art journal page
• Pop-up book page
• Part of a collage
• As the subject of a greeting card
• In a collage that will hang on the wall

Can you see how endless the possibilities are even with this seemingly narrow question? This is why I find myself endlessly inspired: Limitation and repetition are the keys to creative freedom. If you are curious about learning this process with me, you can join our Can’t Resist Watercolor workshop.

Share Your Ideas in the Comments

I’d love to hear what keeps you feeling creatively free and inspired. Tell us about it in the comments.

Creatively Yours,

Amy

The post My #1 Trick to Overcome Creative Block appeared first on Mindful Art Studio®.

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

I have a fabulous treat for you today. I’ve been chatting with artist Helen Wells (author of Expressive Sketchbooks) for some time, looking for an opportunity to collaborate because her art and sensibilities speak to my heart. We decided that it would be fun to interview each other, so today I’m bringing you her inspiring words and art. I think you will be just as delighted to read it as I was. You’ll find a wonderful free class she is offering my readers, and here is a link to my interview on Helen’s site.

Helen Wells is a professional artist, author, and teacher. She creates vibrant, expressive artworks that blend intuitive marks with thoughtful design. Nature, vintage textiles, and everyday beauty inspire her playful mix of rhythm, repetition and color. Her work appears in diverse spaces and places, from cruise ships to book covers, magazines, architecture, clothing and packaging. She’s the author of Expressive Sketchbooks Developing Creative Skills, Courage and Confidence (Quarry, 2020). Teaching thousands of students worldwide, Helen shares her passion for sketchbooks and creative exploration from her tiny studio on the South Coast of England. She became a professional artist later in life and credits her use of sketchbooks for this career pivot. 

What is magical about your art practice?

The most magical thing, I think, is the joy and freedom I have found in my sketchbook practice. It’s a complete pendulum swing; my sketchbook practice used to feel like judgement and failure.

When I came back to art making as an adult I was both intimidated and scared by sketchbooks. I knew I should keep a sketchbook, that it would help me develop as an artist, but knowing that and doing that were two different things. I put a lot of weight on the end result, every page felt like it was a performance which I was failing. I somehow convinced myself that everything I created needed to look a certain way, to be good or perfect, or show-worthy to prove to myself I had talent.  It was paralysing. The irony is not lost on me, that I wanted to improve as an artist but the pressure I put on myself had the exact opposite effect. 

Now, I feel differently. I’ve learned to lower the pressure and my own expectations. I’ve allowed my sketchbook pages to hold less importance and more imperfection.

My sketchbook practice is now lots of fun. I often ask myself “what would help me to enjoy this more?” Or “what energy do I want to bring to this?” The answer is nearly always a permutation of  “be less attached to the outcome. And do more of that thing

you love.” We often know what is best for us. Listening to my internal artistic wisdom rather than my internal critic is a practice I keep having to return to, re-learn and remember. 

My sketchbooks are now anti-perfect and anti-pristine. They are where I get to mess about, try things out, tune-in to what I love in my own art.  I now welcome in some mistakes and missteps because they usually mean I’m trying new things. 

What is boring or frustrating about your art practice?

I’ve managed to build an art practice and a career doing what I love, later in life and that’s a brilliant privilege. I really appreciate that I used to work in an office and now I’m an artist. And because I’ve built my career slowly around the things I love to do, there aren’t too many things that I find frustrating.  But if I’m pushed, the fact I work from a very small studio space and have a lot of kit can be limiting and frustrating. I have to be creative about how I juggle filming with painting, how I organise the space, chaos can sometimes creep in. I’m basically always moving piles of paintings, sketchbooks and art supplies around and around. 

There’s also the admin side of running a creative business that can feel like it pulls me away from the making part, sometimes I have to really work at carving out enough time for the most important part…creating, but I wouldn’t call it a big frustration. It’s just the reality of art being my livelihood.

And then, of course, there’s the self-doubt, the worry, the questioning of self. I don’t think this ever fully goes away, it just changes shape. Even after years of making, teaching, publishing a book, there are still days when I wonder if what I’m doing is good enough, am I good enough? But I’ve learned that this doubt is just here for the ride and as long as it’s in the backseat it can come along on the journey.

Oh, and cleaning brushes, that’s always fairly boring.

What does your inner voice say on a good day?

It says: “Go for it. Be bolder. Be braver. Be unapologetically you. You don’t have to make something perfect, just make something. Have fun. Love the process. It’s only paint and paper. Be weirder, be more wonderful. Lean in with your whole heart.” Basically it’s like a really kind encouraging cheerleader who says “You’re allowed to take up space here. Go on…”

What does your inner voice say on a bad day?

On a bad day my internal monologue is critical, mean and mockingly cruel. It tells me the work isn’t good enough, I’m not good enough. That no one cares. It says things like “does the internet really need to see a frizzy haired, 50 year old woman painting with a stick?” It offers a snarky snear-filled critique. It can take effort to acknowledge that what it says is not fact or truth… I’ve mostly learned to notice it without believing it now. To acknowledge it, to welcome it even, know that it’s trying to protect me and is just part of my creative vulnerability.  

Art making can often feel exposing. We’re trying new things, stepping out of our comfort zone, attempting things we haven’t done before or trying things we don’t yet know how to do. Every time we get near these edges our internal critic can get really loud. I’ve named it Nigel and it seems to help. It allows me some objectivity and space around the negative thought to play with it. It allows me to better see it for what it is and I can sort of debate with it. “Yes, Nigel, I do actually believe that the world needs more creative women with untameable hair, creating with wild abandon…”.

What’s a small thing that delights you?

I’m easily delighted by tiny things and I’m so pleased that this is part of my personality,  as I think it generally makes for a more interesting life. I love a sharp pencil. The sensory delight of nice paper. Collecting colour references as I go about my day. Weird shadows. Noticing shapes and patterns in unexpected places.  The way art supplies layer and combine. A pencil mark over a smear of paint. The quality of a line made by a twig dipped in ink. Interesting torn edges. A full sketchbook. A weed growing up a wall. Coffee in a nice mug. A box of buttons…Noticing tiny moments of delight fuels my art practice and makes life more beautiful.

What’s a big thing that scares you?

There are many things on the world stage which scare me at the moment, but If I’m keeping this personal rather than political, I would say my main fear is ill health.  

I have had a health struggle with chronic fatigue and long covid in recent years and it completely upended my life. It changed my sense of self and what I was able to achieve, but it also left me with a renewed connection to my creativity. 

My sketchbook became more of a refuge or a balm for a weary soul. A small safe harbour when my health was poor. I could do something tiny in my sketchbook from bed and it felt like a thread back to my old life…

Even though I’m so much better now, I carry that experience with me. It changed me.

It taught me how fragile things can be, how quickly life can shrink. But also the importance of creativity, for joy, for expression, for connection to self and as a route back to myself. 

What would your 85-year-old self say about the way you’re living your life?

She’d say, “Girl, play bigger, be bolder, be braver.. Take yourself seriously, but not too seriously.” She’d probably also say, “be kinder to yourself, dance more, keep smiling, be more weird. Don’t listen to criticism from strangers. Enjoy the journey. You only get one go at this wild ride, you might as well try and enjoy it…”

It’s such a powerful question which we could all usefully invite into our own creative practice. What advice would my future self give me at this moment? It’s a fast-track to big picture perspective and tuning in to inner wisdom. 

What would your 12-year-old self say about the way you’re living your life?

She’d be just thrilled. When I was 12, I wanted to be a textile designer. I was obsessed with pattern, colour and all things decorative. I think she’d squeal in delight to know I now get to make art for a living, that I spend my days wrapped in colour, pattern and art supplies.

She’d be proud that I didn’t give up, that I got where I was going eventually,

even if it was via a circuitous route.  And I think she’d be pretty chuffed to see my shelves full of sketchbooks. She’d be so excited and amazed that I have a whole room just for art making and would probably tell me off for not being grateful enough and moaning about its size…

Free class!

Curious to try Helen’s playful, process-led approach for yourself?

Helen is offering my readers a free experimental mixed media sketchbook class. Here’s the link if you’d like to find out more:

https://helenwellsartist.com/signup-amy

I hope you enjoyed this little creative adventure with Helen. You can find my interview on her blog. And let us know in the comments what reading about our experiences has sparked for you!

Creatively Yours,

Amy

The post Self-Doubt and Taking Up Space As An Artist appeared first on Mindful Art Studio®.

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

I know that you struggle to make time for art. You think about it frequently, and yet it’s hard to make it happen. There are a lot of things that get in the way. There’s work, chores, errands, and people to take care of. Hundreds of students every year tell me that they want to make art, but they “don’t have time.”  I get it. I’m a mom, in the sandwich generation, and running my own art classes and membership. I too struggle to put my art making first sometimes – there’s always a million to do’s– and they seem more important or urgent than my art practice. But at the same time, we make time for the things that matter to us.

It’s a question of how to fit art into our day, and I want to share some tricks for how to do that. For most of us, there’s one thing that sucks up our free time more than anything else: the phone. The phone also removes our ability to get bored, let our mind wander, and percolate about new ideas. You might be probably holding in your hands right now – the phone.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” – Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

We are in an epidemic of phone and screen addiction. I fall prey the temptations of screen time dopamine hits just as much as the next person, but if we want to make time for art, or anything else that matters to us, it’s important to take stock of how we are spending our days. I feel we don’t talk about it enough as artists, so here’s a little self-assessment of my phone usage. I hope it might help you to think about your own, and I have an exercise below to spur you on.

Phone triggers:

• I’m waiting for news about something I’m excited about. This is a huge trigger for me. I can tend to check my email way too often when I’m waiting for an answer about something.
• I need a break or a pause in my work.
• I’ve shared something on socials or in my membership that is meaningful to me and I want to see your responses.
• I’m bored or tired. These are moments when I would be much better served by making art or taking a walk, but checking my phone sometimes seems “easier.” (That’s not even always true!)
• I’m anxious. A particularly big trigger is when I’m anxious about something that troubles me socially or politically. I start looking up news articles instead of just doing my once a day check in on news. This obviously makes me feel worse rather than better most times.
• I’m a passenger on a long car trip with my family. Often while we are listening to a podcast, I spend at least an hour indulging in scrolling Instagram, doing work email, and researching personal tasks, rather than fully engaging in what we are listening to as a family so I can be a part of the conversation later.
• The mindless thumb. I notice there is a typical pathway that my thumb navigates – I click on my work email, then Instagram, then personal email, and if I don’t see anything exciting, sometimes I will mindlessly go around again!

Even as I write this post, when I paused to think, I realized I picked up my phone! I am pointing this out because I know that most of us struggle with the phone. It offers us incredible tools, but also the danger of missing out on life that is happening right here and now. Bringing awareness to our mindless habits is part of the key to breaking them.

Phone Successes:

• I have notifications silenced. This, admittedly, is easy for me. I hate dinging interruptions. They drive me nuts.
• Our family has a no phones at the table rule.
• I typically don’t pick up my phone when I’m socializing with friends or family.
• I put down the phone when I’m away from home. I see it as an opportunity to unplug and tune into the moment.
• I stay off my phone between 8 pm – bed. This has really helped me relax my mind and body for sleep.
• I have time limits set on apps.
• I pay attention to my screen time reports and adjust my behavior to stay off more.

I have a lot of room for improvement, and I use my phone too much. Can you identify with that? But we can all take steps to live our lives in an intentional way.

When people tell me they don’t have time to make art, I know one or two genuinely don’t have time because they are working two jobs while also taking care of others. For most of us, though, we have time, we just need some tools to help us figure out how to fit art into our days, just like we fit checking the phone into them.  

With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to think about taking this in small chunks of time instead of a radical change.

Here’s how to swap screen time for art time in 10 minutes a day:

• Make a list of your phone triggers and phone successes. See where you can scale back your phone usage.

• Make two portable art kits – one for home, and one for on the go. Don’t carry much: A waterproof pen and a small journal or small bits of watercolor paper. For inspiration, include a little cheat sheet with a few patterns or drawings you like. Keep one kit at home, and one in your bag. And if you are wondering, my favorite supplies are here.

• Make Art at Home: Leave a kit out at home where you hang out most – perhaps the kitchen or the living room. Put the kit on top of your phone. When you want to pick up the phone out of boredom or anxiety, instead draw for 5 minutes. If you have my book, Draw Yourself Calm, leave that out with the kit too – you can page through for instruction and inspiration.
• Making art on the go: Carry your portable art kit in your bag. Any time you are waiting – in a parked car, in a waiting room – pull out your kit and draw for a few minutes, using your pattern cheat sheet as inspiration.
• Need Art Ideas? Give yourself permission to do mindful art – draw something simple and repetitive, and do it slowly. There’s a lot of research showing the calming effects of art making and mindfulness activities. When you combine both, that’s can be a powerful balm for your nervous system. Consider drawing circles, ovals, triangles, lines, or waves. Even the most simple drawings can be both soothing and beautiful if you give yourself permission to enjoy yourself and take your time.

Looking for More Information on Reducing Screen Time?

This Georgetown University psychology professor has some great suggestions.

Share Your Art Time Suggestions

What are your best tricks for making time for art? What’s your best tool for managing phone and screen time? Tell us about it in the comments.

Creatively Yours,

Amy

The post Swap Screen Time For Art Time appeared first on Mindful Art Studio®.

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

I’ve seen and heard a lot of artists questioning lately – Why make art at a time like this? They wonder whether it makes sense to make and share art when there is so much uncertainty and strife in the world.

I question this myself sometimes too: There are wars and hunger, people are under threat, and suffering. What is the purpose of sharing about drawing and painting from nature right now? Aren’t there much more important things to do and talk about?

I don’t know how to answer that question exactly, but my training as a therapist tells me that if we want to survive and thrive, we have to take care of ourselves.

If we want to help others, to take action and make a difference, we have to take care of ourselves.

Taking care of ourselves and taking care of others don’t have to be mutually exclusive, they can work in concert. 

Today I thought I’d share about several artists who are using art to take care of themselves, and teaching others to do the same, even as the world feels so uncertain. I hope they inspire you to create today.

Kate Ward , The Power of Single Tasking for Grounding

Kate Ward practices and teaches mindful mending. She and I share a love of slow creative tasks, and recently she talked about the power of finding calm through single tasking…

“Stitching taught me the beauty of 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚. When I focus on 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 stitch, my thoughts slow, my breathing steadies, and I feel grounded. Multitasking pulls us in too many directions. But stitching? It brings us back to ourselves. It’s a simple, meditative act that reminds us how powerful presence can be.” You’ll find Kate and her teaching at https://www.zenstitching.ca/

Koosje Koene, The Importance of Capturing Gratitude

Practicing gratitude is one of those trendy ideas lately – but that’s for a reason – it really does help us to feel more grounded and hopeful. Humans have a natural tendency to notice what isn’t right. But by focusing not only on what isn’t okay, but also on what is going well, we amplify our vision of what is good and beautiful in the world, and we feel a bit better for it. When we feel better, then we can take action for change.

“My backyard makes me feel so fortunate. I just have to capture it in my sketchbook – even if I don’t know how to capture all the abundance and magic. Just start and enjoy, that’s the answer.” – Koosje Koene. You’ll find Koosje’s beautiful art and drawing classes at https://www.koosjekoene.com/

Sam Clark, Art as a Way to Move Through Fear

Sam Clark writes and audio records a beautiful weekly newsletter that I find myself reading or listening to more often than any other lately. Her writing about nature and art inspire me to look deeper for the beauty around me – in the wind tickling my cheek, in the turn of a feather lazily making its way from the tree tops to the ground.

With her incredibly repetitive mark making that mimics patterns and movement in nature, you can see where our sensibilities align. In one of her recent newsletters, she talked about “painting as a way to practice moving through the fear.” I know this is a big part of what helps me when things feel worrisome for me. Sam Clark’s work and teaching live at https://www.samanthaclark.net/

Helen Wells, The Power of Repetition

Repetition is one of the tools that as an artist, I find most powerful. It connects you to what you love and helps you dwell more deeply with it. I find this in my repetitive nature-based patterns, but also in every art process that I dive deeply into – from painting multiple-layer watercolor paintings, to drawings of dogwood blossoms, and explorations of river foam in paper cuts. There’s a joy in getting to know something over and over again – knowing it each time more intimately – as you get to know it from new angles, and new layers. This is a way to be fully present in the moment – a mindful meditation through art.

I love how Helen puts it:

“Repetition isn’t always boring. Coming back to the same subject again and again can be illuminating. Repetition isn’t unoriginal, it’s a way of noticing. It builds muscle memory. With each return, you distill. You learn what you love most.
It becomes a framework for freedom, not a rut, more like a rhythm. A variation on a theme as old as art-making itself.

You don’t always need constant novelty. Sometimes you need to linger, to return. To stay with what delights you. That’s how you learn about yourself as an artist. Again and again. Over and over.” You will find Helen’s vibrant work and teaching at: https://helenwellsartist.com/

How I Use Art to Take Care of Myself – Finding and Sharing Moments of Delight

If I’m being honest, I try to take care of myself and others by doing all of the things these other artists do – that’s why I chose to highlight their work and insights – I feel aligned with their work. But I wanted to demonstrate other artist’s ways of finding peace through art besides my own because I think it helps to see something from multiple angles. But I will highlight another way that art making helps me to take care of myself- it helps me to find a sense of delight and joy in my day. Joy doesn’t have to be grand. It can be small things, like being pleased with how I’ve rendered some leaves and a tiny beetle, or the way my paper cuts and an eco-dyed page compliment each other. And I love sharing these kinds of insights with my students in my membership, and through weekly slow drawing workshops. It’s one of the ways I use my art to take care of others. If you haven’t already, I’d love to invite you to join me in a practice of drawing and painting slowly – it’s a grounding, playful practice, and you don’t need any art experience.

Jenna Castos, How Art Connects Us

Jenna articulates beautifully why making art matters in these times: “Art is so important in times like these—it connects us, brings us joy, gives us hope, and communicates the complexities of being a human during tough times. Don’t stop creating and don’t stop sharing.” Thanks for encapsulating it all, Jenna. You’ll find Jenna’s beautiful art and creations at Pen and Pine.

Share Your Thoughts Too!

How does your art help you take care of yourself? Or others? How do you find grounding, joy, or connection through art?

Creatively Yours,

Amy

The post Why Make Art at a Time Like This? appeared first on Mindful Art Studio®.

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

Most of us think of the word “artist,” and imagine an apron-clad person, a smear of paint on their face, standing in front of a 3 foot x 4 foot canvas filled with gorgeous, realistic imagery. We imagine their perfect painting will eventually be packed, brought to a gallery, hung on the wall, and purchased for a large sum of money.

While that vision of an artist is indeed a rich and inspiring one, it’s only a fraction of artists. There are many kinds of artists, and many ways in which creativity counts. As an art therapist turned art teacher, I find too many students who feel handcuffed by this image of what a “real” artist is. In truth, real artists make all kinds of art. I believe we are all creative, and there are countless ways that humans express their creative fire – from a beautifully written letter, to a gorgeous vase of wildflowers, to a spreadsheet that makes a complicated set of data easy to understand.

Part of my job as a teacher is to help people see all the ways in which their creativity already shines, and to soften the fears of the inner critic – that part of you that says you aren’t good enough to be an artist, don’t have time, or aren’t worth the money for good supplies. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic, suggests allowing the inner critic “in the car,” but not letting her drive. I invite my students to give their inner critic a cup of tea and have her sit on the couch and relax while we play and explore, without fear of the “art police.”

Through working on repeated explorations of one idea or theme, I love leading students through a process that is both creative and mindful at once, freeing us from the dictates of the inner critic. We affirm our artistic selves through deep exploration of what we love. Laying out countless little pieces of paper, we make small adjustments with each piece, discovering the particular colors, shapes, lines, and combinations that bring us the most joy.

As a matter of necessity in this process, there will be many pieces that we don’t love or perhaps even dislike. It’s not our job to edit as we create. It’s our job to create as freely as possible, and open the faucet of creativity. Then later, after you’ve explored all the ideas, you can allow your discerning mind to come back into the room and analyze what pleases you and why.

Many of my students worry at this point that they will have wasted the pieces that went to the cutting room floor. Not so. All of those pieces can have a second life as a background for drawing patterns, or be combined with other drawings and paintings for collage, or cut into strips for texture in your art journal. These are just a few of the endless ways to use the pieces that didn’t feel exciting enough to frame.

What I love most about working small on multiple pieces at once is that its an incredibly engaging and addictive process. I leave a table set up with all my little inchie squares, my watercolors, and I can paint at a moments notice, for a few minutes, or a few hours. I want to invite you into this process too. Your art table is calling.

You can access the recordings of our Daily Inchie Watercolor Workshops in our membership, The Gathering. You don’t need any prior experience, just a few simple supplies and the desire to live your artistic life. I can’t wait to see what emerges for you from this process. You can join the membership and stay, or just join for the month.

Talk to Us in the Comments

Tell us about what lights you up about working small, working in a series, or creating daily. We would love to hear from you.

Creatively Yours,

Amy

The post Creativity Counts: Working Small And Often appeared first on Mindful Art Studio®.

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

I’m excited to offer you this guided watercolor meditation for beginners. I think you are going to love it, and I can’t wait to see what you create!

Meditating Through Art

Have you ever slowed down enough while you are creating to notice the feel of the paper in your hands, or to notice the rhythmic sound of your breathing? Mindfulness is all about tuning into the moment without judgment – just a practice of noticing what is – with curiosity.

Join Our Free Weekly Slow Drawing Workshops!

Curiosity is a super power. When we are curious we have to engage parts of our brain that don’t operate well if we are flooded with emotion. The more I practice going slow and being curious while I make art, the more natural it is, and the more I find myself tuning into the moment at other times too – noticing the way the bubbles of air form under a frying egg, or the teensy triangles of skin folds on my hands. There are opportunities to slow down and get curious in every moment. We don’t need to be mindful all the time – but having an art meditation practice to turn to can help us feel more creative and more grounded.

Comment

I would love to hear in the comments about the difference you experience meditating with eyes open and eyes closed. What was that like for you? What do you find easy or hard about each approach?

Creatively Yours,

Amy

The post Guided Watercolor Meditation for Beginners appeared first on Mindful Art Studio®.

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

One of the most important ways to make sure you make more art is to create an art studio space at home. I’ve got my 5 top tips for you today in this video:

Creating an art studio at home really is one of the biggest keys to making sure that you weave art making into your day. There is no right art studio space. A home art studio might be in a closet, a small bin under your bed, a corner of a room, or in a converted garage or on your dining room table. My home art studios were in my bedroom for years, then I graduated to a tiny room, and now I’m lucky enough to have converted our formal living room into my studio.

I would love to hear what works for you for making an art studio in your house. Tell us about it. Do you have an art bin you slide out from under your bed, a corner of the dining room, or have you converted the garage into an art studio? We would love to hear your creative ideas for spaces, storage, inspiration boards – you name it! Tell us about it in the comments.

Creatively Yours,

Amy

P.S. Looking for Products I Mention?

These are affiliate links for some of the key things in my studio.

Lighting: Canvas Lamp – Use code: AMY10 to save 10%

Shelves: Kallax Ikea Shelves

Map Drawer: Safco Flat File

Make Journals Like Mine: Coptic Bound Journal Class: https://mindfulartstudio.com/shop/coptic-bound-journal/

Decoupaged Dresser 👉On the side of the road, then you DIY!

Repurposed Tables, bookshelves, and chairs 👉Your basement, attic, or local thrift shop

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Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

One of the things I’m most passionate about as an artist and teacher is showing people that they do have time to create. Today I’ve got 7 tricks to make time for art in this short 3-minute video:

https://youtu.be/rMKtySF7biA?si=7ZGmbiLRMazkXCFB

What do you think? Which trick did you like the most? What other ideas can you share for making time for art?

Speaking of tricks that help you make more art… I told you I’m passionate about helping you to make more art, and for several years, I have been running a small art challenge. Some time ago I realized that if I made art on really small pieces of paper, it took many of the barriers out of my way. The challenge is straightforward: create a simple, tiny art piece on a 2 x 2 inch square every day for 12 days. It’s called The Inchie Challenge, February 3- 14 2025, and it’s how you are going to break through those creative barriers and prove to yourself that you can make a little art every day.

Join the Inchie Challenge, FREE and start creating NOW!

As soon as you sign up, you will get my free prep-class: A Little Art Everyday. This little class is so much fun and will give you the skills and tools you need to create tiny art every day for 12 days February 3 – 14 2025, and successfully complete the challenge. Imagine how good it will feel to look at that grid of 12 squares looking back at you! That’s your art!

Each day of the challenge, February 3rd – 14th 2025, you’ll get an email with a word prompt and photo inspiration. And when you do your prep class now, you’ll be absolutely ready to start creating by February 3rd 2025!

Share Your Experience in the Comments

Have you made small art before? What tricks do you use to make more art? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Creatively Yours,

Amy

The post 7 TRICKS TO MAKE TIME FOR ART appeared first on Mindful Art Studio®.

Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

I made this botanical watercolor for beginners tutorial just for you. We talk a lot in my membership, The Gathering, about the power of preparation – like warming up the engine of a car – it helps you to get the creative juices flowing. So let’s start painting now!

Materials:

You can use what you have already, but here’s a list of what I’m using in case you are curious:

Watercolor journal – This is a handmade coptic bound journal using Arches 140 lb cotton watercolor paper

Materials for the leaves:

• Indigo, Daniel Smith Watercolor
• Olive Green, Daniel Smith Watercolor
• #4 Round Utrecht watercolor brush

Materials for the Stems:

• Yellow Ochre, Daniel Smith Watercolor
• Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Daniel Smith Watercolor
• #1 Simply Simmons Script Liner brush or #1 round brush

Can you see how repetition creates pattern, beauty, and relaxation?

I want you to see that you do have the time and the talent to create in a small art journal or on a small card each day.

I’d love to hear about your experience making this page and other patterned and botanical pages. Share with us in the comments.

And if you fall in love with the process, you can join our Drawing Closer to Nature class.

Creatively Yours,

Amy

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Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

I’m just back from a week in Summerville, South Carolina for my artist residency, and I’m excited to share about it with you, in the hopes that you’ll create some dedicated art time for youself.

What is An Artist Residency?

Artist residencies come in all shapes and sizes – but the basic idea is that a residency is a time for an artist – new or seasoned – to focus on their art practice for a period of time without distraction. Most residencies have an application process – and many are competitive, while others are happy to accept many different artists.

How to Structure an Artist Residency

Some folks enter into a residency with a particular project in mind. Others give themselves permission to do exactly whatever feels right in the moment, whether that’s switching to a completely new medium, writing about their practice, or going on long walks.

Approaching a residency in this way is about giving the imagination a lot of space and permission to go where it will. I approached my week with a little bit of both ideas – I had watercolor supplies with me, pens and a pencil – so this would limit what I could create, but I was also open to whatever wanted to emerge. I enjoyed Louise Fletcher’s reflections on how to approach a residency without expectation – I believe it was this episode.

A Week-Long Residency

For the second year in a row, I’ve done a week-long artist residency at South Porch Artists’ Residency in Summerville, South Carolina. Together with my fellow artist and teacher, Kristin Peterson, we painted, drank coffee, went for walks, ate incredible cauliflower with buffalo sauce, and created more art than we ever would have been capable of at home.

Make Your Own Art Residency

I wanted to share more with you to inspire you to think about taking time out for art too – even if it’s a weekend with friends, or an afternoon. If you started dreaming about this a bit boldly, what would that look like? You might apply for a residency yourself. Or, what about asking your friend with the lake house if she would host you and a few artist friends for a weekend? Or you might start small and host some friends at your house one Saturday evening for an open studio. Art time doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be. You might jot some notes in your journal as you read this post.

Let’s start with the view from my outdoor studio space:

Kinda heavenly, isn’t it?

The Japanese Camellias were in bloom, and beginning to fade. Have you ever seen anything decay with so much beauty? As the petals break down, the decay looks like abstract gold trees on the bright pink leaves. These shapes intrigued me, much like the shapes I found in the undersides of a turkey tail mushrooms. I love these connections in nature.

I spent a lot of time with this particular bloom.

And while the end result wasn’t 100% what I had in mind, I learned a lot and the colors seemed to express a warm, welcoming feeling inside me that bloomed during the residency.

The elongated leaf shapes also spoke to me – so distinct from the ones I find in the north. It was fun to combine this little leaf with my watercolor circles.

In the afternoons, when the wasps came to do their work in the sun, and the breeze started picking up my tiny paintings, I would leave my outdoor table for the attic studio where the gold light kissed everything in the room.

It was wonderful to have so much time to dedicate to art without needing to clean the house, go to appointments, or tend to others.

It was also illuminating to see that as the “show and tell” approached, I felt a little anxious. While no one was asking for it, I felt pressure to produce something “finished.” Recognizing and naming this feeling helped me loosen its grip on me and I found a balance. As a teacher, it’s helpful to remember how vulnerable I can feel in the role of “student,” or when I show new people my work.

You deserve some dedicated time for your creativity. How are you making time for your art? Tell us about it in the comments!

Creatively Yours,

Amy

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