Living up to a 'Ramble'

Hi!

Happy Friday & end of month eeeek! already?

So I want to give an explanation as to why I've not been posting around here for the past week and a half...but first here's some journal pages:

Okay so, why I've not posted? In short, 

I've had such a crazy week!

A wonderful, but oh-so-crazy, week! As some people know it has been my birthday week this week, both my 31st birthday and my art community's 1st birthday, and on saturday we had a combined party =)

It was INSANE!!!

We art-party-ed on Journal Workshops until the sun came up...and then partyeeed some more...in truth the party's still going on, people are still making & sharing 

fab stuff!

Hundreds of us got together and it was AMAZING, the most incredible energy I have ever felt online EVER. We shared and did lots but we also had a community project (here's mine:)

but I won't go on about it too much in case you were there (in which case you'll know how awesome it was anyways!), but if you weren't then you are more than welcome to still join in - just click 'join' at the top of the Birthday Bash page here: 

Art Party Page

(if you are not a member of Journal Workshops but would like to join in that's awesome too,

simply sign up here first: 

Join Journal Workshops Art Community)

And as an add on to the fabulous party & to celebrate Journal Workshops first birthday tomorrow I'm offering a Birthday Bash price on a new mini class until then:

ONLY £7!!!! Craziness!!

This class is about connecting more deeply with your journaling, and if you’re wondering if this is right for you then please click an image below to watch the short video I prepared to see what to expect from this class:

This class is only £7, which is the absolute lowest I can ever offer it for, until tomorrow so why not take advantage now and come join us =)

I'm also getting the Monthly Challenge ready for the 1st, so Journal Workshops is kinda barmy on art right now (...which is the way it should be of course!). Here's a sneak peek:

So don't forget to come by the Monthly Challenge Group on the 1st, be there or be square...or round...or perhaps a pear shape, you'll have to see what the challenge to determine that lol

If you're still reading, bless your heart thank you, this post really lived up to it's name 'ramble' this week haha but hey, that's represents my week perfectly!
Much love & Arty Hugs

Tell All Tuesday ~ Featured Artist: Consie Sindet

Hello beautiful creative being you, 

Welcome to today's Tell All Tuesday Artist Interview

I hope you enjoy this interview

Tell us a little bit about yourself & what kind of artist you are. 

My name is Consie Sindet and I live in Hunterdon County, NJ, USA. I have been married for over 17 years to my husband, Lee. What kind of artist I am has changed over the years! I’ve painted for a long time and sold craft items for about 12 years. I’ve also taught decorative painting and painted murals in both homes and businesses. I currently spend a huge amount of the summer as a face and body painter and apply henna at fairs. My newest love is the world of mixed media and art journaling. I got my first sewing machine last year and have been painting large pieces of canvas to sew into purses and other items. I just like to try everything!

What is the biggest challenge you personally face as an artist and how do you overcome it?
Trying to make a living as an artist is my current struggle. When I was teaching, doing craft shows and painting murals, I worked full time. But with the downfall of the economy, that wasn’t an option any longer. Art is now pretty part-time for me but this year I am embracing that it might not be time to be selling art but just creating art for art’s sake. I want to enjoy the process and not get so caught up in trying to find something to sell! I feel like I am reinventing who I am as an artist and I need time for that to develop in order to make money at it. It will come in time.

What is your greatest personal achievement either in your art, or because of it?
I think the achievement I’m most proud of is what my students accomplished in their art as a result of what I taught them. Some sold at craft shows, some went on to teach others. I loved making a difference in their lives. I would like to teach again but have to find a different way of doing it now that my art has changed from what I use to teach. I know what art has done for me. I would love to bring that to others.

What is your heart’s greatest desire for your life as an artist?
This question goes back to teaching and finding my way back to that. I got burnt out after 10 years and so I need to find a new way to help others find there way with art without losing me. My greatest desire would be to have my art mean something and also give me a paycheck! I’ll just have faith that that is the path I’m on and keep reaching for it!

Tell us where can we find out more about you & your art? 

I have a blog where you can find out about my creative journey, and a website for the face and body painting. I am very active on Instagram and you can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Etsy and Society6.

Thanks for sharing Consie I really enjoyed your art & hearing your story. I've been hearing lately from a few artists who are wanting to create meaningful art that too brings them a paycheck and I have to say there is one common thread I have noticed - faith and determination, which makes me believe you will succeed. Wishing you all the best with your creative endeavors.

Email me or click the link to find all the details here =)

Much love

Jennibellie

Make a Creative Mojo Box

Hello Gorgeous!

I have a little video for you today, it's about making yourself some beautiful creative energy that is personal to you for your studio space, most specifically for your immediate work space - your desk.

It's purpose is to fuel you, to support you, to encourage you and to assist you in anyway that you need so you may need to take a little time thinking about what means, and what would be most useful for you to put in your mojo box. There is no point just sticking a bunch of things in a box, for it to have energy you need to have a connection with the elements of the box and have an understanding of why X will help you deal with negative chatter of the inner critic, why Y will remind you to fill your project with love, why Z is encouraging more freedom in your creation etc etc. It's a project that may seem a little coo-coo or woo-woo, until you try it, and you realise it will make you listen to what you need to make your creativity flow more easily & address stumbling blocks or barriers you may not have realised were even there before. 

So, what do you need in your mojo box?

If you want to join me in turning your Inner Critic into your Creative Coach in my 21 Secrets Lesson then you can find all the details here: 21 Secrets Spring 2015

Have fun making your box, 

much love

PS have you heard it's my birthday and you're invited?

FREE EVENT!!

(you don't even have to bring cake!)

Click the image for details

Acrylic Storage Solutions

Hi Happy Friday!

This week for my ramble I thought I'd share my acrylic storage solutions after this picture of my paint wall -

got lots of interest when I posted it on my Facebook page

So I've done a little vloggy to show you all my acrylic storage including my faaaaaaaaavourite ever drawer - 

which I organise so neatly with...

you guessed it, recycled boxes!

I won't fool you though, I'm sharing a ramble focused on supply goodies rather than projects goodies because I'm planning on posting some of new goodies this weekend (so watch this space journal workshoppers ;) !) in the meantime here's my acrylic storage vlog:

Much love & happy arty weekend

Tell All Tuesday ~ Featured Artist: Anja Voigt

Hello beautiful creative, 

Welcome to today's Tell All Tuesday Artist Interview 

I hope you find this super inspiring & have an awesomely artistic Tuesday to boot =)

Tell us a little bit about yourself & what kind of artist you are.
I am a mixed media artist and art journaler, living in Germany, Berlin. I learned to be a pattern- designer as a profession. My passion is painting and drawing, but I also like to write, so art journaling was an easy step for me. I struggled a long time to follow the path of an artist, because I made a lot of compromises on my way. I thought I need to help people, heal people, which is awesome, too, I guess. So I studied art therapy, but didn't finish that. I also learned how to educate children, but after while I felt that making art or being an artist is the essence of what I really want to do, although all of these things had to do with being creative and such. I never wanted to admit to myself to be that selfish, lol, because I had very altered expectations of myself. I always felt this unrest. I find myself still in a process of unveiling who I really am, inspite of all the expectations from others, my parents etc. etc.and being ok with what is showing of my real personality. I love to learn new things, because I can get easily bored. I do not like to make an identical reproduction of my work, for example. It always needs to be a bit random.

What is the biggest challenge you personally face as an artist and how do you overcome it?
I think the biggest challenge would be to create something totally abstract. A picture without any visual motive, like a figure or something. I sometimes find that motives in my art are just like alibis to put color into a certain corner of the Picture. I didn't overcome that, yet. Another challenge is my pickyness. I sometimes see little flaws everywhere on my art and keep on working and working. I overcome it with a gut feeling that I should stop now and leave the rest to the observer and mostly it makes me stop.

What do you find easiest / hardest in your art?
It is easy for me to make my stuff look good and to be quick, which I learned as a pattern designer, but that does not always support my artful expression. You know... art does not have to do with beauty all the time. To me the beauty in art is the true and honest authentic expression, that has nothing to do with the used materials,  the quality of materials or the skill of the artist. That is why we find a painting of a child so beautiful, because of its simple, honest and unpersuasive expression.
Art can be also destructive or just an impression that you cannot push away, that is stuck in your memory and works from there.

Do you think you have achieved a uniquely recognisable style as an artist, or do you find it a struggle to find your own style?
I find myself at a point, where I have arrived at a certain style I think, but it is still like a fragile little plant that needs to be supported. I found that hard, but the solution to achieve your own style is just to keep on creating, every day a little. Don't back down! You Need to Keep it up! One stroke a day!

Tell us where can we find out more about you & your art?

Right now most of my stuff gets posted on facebook under my name Anja Voigt. All the other stuff, like society 6 and such is in the making. I have a youtube channel called reginaangel. I just started to paint bigger canvases with what I created in my art journals.

Thanks for sharing Anja I really enjoyed your art & insight. 'One stroke a day!' is ringing soooooooooooooooooo true with me right now! That is a path I've been on for a few months and shared a little on here in 'My Daily Journaling Practice' blogpost. I feel it's soooooooo important to do, even when we aren't in the mood and no masterpiece is coming to just do that one brush stroke! Thanks so much for your interview Anja, wishing you all the best with your creative endeavors.

Email me or click the link to find all the details here =)

Much love

Jennibellie

...on Altered Books

So my ramble this week is on, altered books...because that is what I've been up to and where my head is currently at.

Saying I have thousands of suitable vintage and antique books to alter is probably no exaggeration & it's always something that appeals to me, however when I come to create I'm usually drawn to a journal I have handmade. Not so much at the moment though, at the moment I am just thinking books, books, books.

It's not like I need to start a new journal, I have plenty going but the muse is calling and she usually gets her way (plus I do have a fairly good idea of a particular use I have for the journals I'm making so she has swayed my logic brain somewhat to her thinking too - which makes a change). 

Here is a lil video showing how I am prepping two altered books for my next art journals:

...and I did make something in it, 

I started this lil page...

using the same techniques shared in my recent pastels and charcoal video tutorial here, but this time I favoured the charcoals.

That's it for today my sweets, I am super busy making my 21 Secrets Lesson *awesome*, I have to keep this ramble short and sweet. If you wanna come join in the 21 Secrets LOVE click the link to take a goosey gander at what's on offer:

Much love

Tell All Tuesday ~ Featured Artist: Mel “Bunny” Sparkles

Hello!

Hope you've had a fabulous start to February?

I have, what with 48 new gel pens on sale, snowstorms, the awesomeness that was February's Monthly Challenge and now I have TAT! What more could an arty girl ask for??

I hope you enjoy this inspiring interview

Tell us a little bit about yourself & what kind of artist you are.
My name is Mel “Bunny” Sparkles. I have always been a creative person, but only in the past several years have I considered myself an “artist”. I have enjoyed all sorts of creative and crafty pursuits over the years, but it wasn’t until the last 4 years or so that I began seriously working at art. As a child I wrote plays, made costumes, and did lots of daydreaming. As an adult I continued my various creative pursuits off and on through the years. Over the past decade I’ve grown more and more dedicated to my creativity and it’s currently the most important aspect of my life. My primary art form is painting (mostly with acrylics). I also enjoy sewing, crochet, book making, and many other fun creative things.

What is the biggest challenge you personally face as an artist and how do you overcome it?
My biggest personal challenge in life and in art is chronic illness. A few years ago I became very ill with an autoimmune disease. Being chronically ill and experiencing severe chronic pain means that I have limitations in my life and abilities. I am not always able to create art when I want or need to. I cope with this by remembering to be grateful for the times I can create…remembering to really savor those times. The times when I can not create due to illness and/or pain I remind myself that it will pass and I will most likely have another chance to create again. Nothing in life is permanent…not the good times and not the bad times. It’s really been one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned about life…savor the good times because they don’t last forever and don’t get caught up in the suffering of the bad times because they don’t last forever either.

What is your greatest personal achievement either in your art, or because of it?
The greatest thing I’ve achieved with my art is bringing a very rich and consistent source of joy into my life. I have a life long history of debilitating depression and anxiety. Art is something that brings me a lot of joy. It’s been my best “therapy” and a wonderful method for coping with life challenges. This is why art is the most important thing in my life…it’s critical to my health, happiness, and well being. 

Have you ever found anything that originally daunted you as an artist that you can now overcame easily?
Early on in my art making I would be afraid to “waste” my “good” supplies. I would often avoid using my good/expensive/special supplies for fear of “wasting” them by making art that wasn’t “good”. Essentially I was afraid of failure and didn’t want to feel I had wasted money on top of “failing” at art. So, I collected a lot of supplies for a long time, but used very few of them. It’s funny to look back on it…how did I expect to grow in skill and as an artist if I wasn’t willing to use my supplies?! How did I expect to grow in skill and as an artist if I wasn’t willing to “fail”, to make mistakes?! One day I decided I was finally going to use some of the polymer clay I had been saving. I took out a package and it was rock hard. I had waited too long and the product was unusable. It was just what I needed to snap me out of that fear of failure. I realized I could truly waste my supplies by continuing to postpone using them, until they all ended up expired/unusable OR I could “waste” them on art projects that might (or might not!) be “failures“. I realized that no matter how badly I might “mess up” a project…it was a far greater waste to let supplies go unused than to use them up while I was learning. I no longer fear “failing” at art. For one thing, it’s impossible to fail at art. Art is a personal expression of humanity, emotion, perception, and more. It’s not possible to “fail” at expressing one’s experience of life-just not possible. Also, I see mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow-which is what they truly are!! 

Tell us where can we find out more about you & your art?

You can find some of my crafty type work in the book “Microcrafts” 

Thanks so much Mel “Bunny” Sparkles, I really enjoyed your art and story. Your answer to what originally daunted you that you now overcame was awesome! I recently did a blogpost where I mentioned that I've been investing heavily in supplies - I've brought more 'proper' paints, pencils, pastels, tools, books etc than I would ever have allowed myself to believe I was 'allowed' before. Like so much in art I think it is truly about giving ourselves permission....permission to play with these expensive products, permission to mess up, permission to express ourselves! Let's give ourselves permission (& whenever we hear a niggly non-permission voice come in ponder this: if you don't give yourself permission to go where your creativity wants you to go in that moment in time how will you ever reach or know your fullest potential?....art food for thought!)

Do you want to be a TATer??

To be featured email me or find all the details here =)