Intuitive Studio Stuff... (aka Important Artist Work)

Hi Guys

Well after last weeks very rambly ramble I'm feeling a lot more myself hoorah! 

I've realised I've had a different way of creating this week.

I was chatting with my mum last night (hi mum!) & I was saying how yesterday I didn't feel like doing anything creative, but when I began expanding on that I realised I was still instinctively drawn to my studio for a decent chunk of time. As I expanded more I acknowledged that I did then intuitively start playing with things, like sloshing paint on a blank card or arranging things, like putting paint blobs on the top of some new paint tubes:

and that is how I've kinda been all week, just meandering around my space, but not committing to anything particular.

I have been updating my studio quite a bit over the last month, I brought a new 'daylight' studio lamp that helps artists eyes see colours correctly and not tire them (or give them headaches. woohoo - big plus for me!):

I have updated an area that was a complete mess, here's the before and after:

(I still have some of those large plastic drawers at the bottom to come, but the co couldn't get them all out on time ho hum, so in future it'll still look like this but with less boxes on top and more plastic drawers on bottom.)

I have invested loads over the past 4 or 5 months in new media, for example even after I did the pastels video last week I brought some lovely new pastel pencils:

I have dedicated whole drawers to products I didn't have enough of before to require a whole drawer, such as watercolour markers/pens and acrylic paint pens:

watercolour markers drawer
- still awaiting some new buddies from the states =)

I have a whole bunch of new drawing pencils that I have previously told myself were 'too expensive' for me to buy (especially the 120 Faber-Castell set, seesh, amen for sales!):

And I have invested a LOT in acrylic...trying all sorts of new brands, some are standard ranges, others extremely high quality, but it is my most used thing in my whole studio so it's all needed (right?! RIGHT!)

So the past week I have just been getting to know my new media, I have taken them to a relaxed coffee shop rather than a dressed up expensive restaurant for first date you might say...and I have been really enjoying myself. 

And you know, as I write this out; this identifying what I have been doing I suddenly realise HOW important it is to do this - to just chill out and enjoy your media, to not stick any exceptions onto anything and to treat yourself to something new when you feel stuck in a rut! For a big chunk of 2014 I brought hardly anything arty for myself, and I think my mojo & enthusiasm for my space waned because of it.

Now I know that new things aren't required to be creative (hello! JB here, my mantra is 'use what you've got'), but I think sometimes little boosts like a new media, or a new class (I have a new class available btw, just in cases you're looking ;) ), or a new technique, or a new environment...whatever, sometimes they are necessary so that we don't get stagnant and bored with our creativity. I know too that I have more new supplies than I could possibly get to know well, even in a year, but I have noticed over this week that my journal pages are containing 'a little bit of this', 'a little bit of that' so that a page may be made up of: 10% collage, 10% acrylic, 10% pastel, 10% pencil, 10% watercolour marker, 10% acrylic paint marker, etc, etc and I'm LOVIN' it. 

I feel no need to go through a 101 colouring pencils learning bootcamp, they are doing what I want them to do - allowing me to enjoy them! So I don't really care if it takes me years to get to know exactly how to work all of these materials, I'm just happy to have them right now to play with, and am more than happy to take my time over it. As a bonus through using the new media I have found a new love for my old supplies too, because they are suddenly being forced into new directions I haven't taken them before through incorporating these new items (I haven't felt this much love for Gesso in years lol!) And if there is one thing I know FOR SURE is it that many discoveries will be made by creating this way (because there always are; there would be in the 101 bootcamp route too, but I firmly believe you always learn more taking the route of your intuition, or creative instinct as I often call it). So I am looking forward to seeing what is going to be discovered, who know's what it'll/they'll be???

This is Important Artist Work

PLAY ON!