One of my favorite boards on Pinterest is my I want to paint that board. Some people are inspired to clean or exercise or decorate. For me it was a wealth of images I wanted to recreate. Brush and paint. Pen and ink. Paper and pencil.
And for so long I would pin these photos thinking “This is the one I will bust out my supplies for. That blank canvas in my laundry room? I’ll paint this farm scene on it.”
All of those ideas seemed fleeting until a short time ago. Now I have my space and there’s very little stopping me. Except for where to start.
One of my biggest problems as an artist was inspiration. Tell me what you want painted and with what colors and I’m hot to trot. If I rely on myself I start to worry that it’s not the right canvas for the picture or that I don’t have the exact color of paint (I hate mixing colors). Or the idea that I wouldn’t get it finished, have to clean up, then never get back to it, so why even start. So sometimes I would just sit there and nothing would happen.
But over the last few weeks I’m tearing down those phobias. My creation station is nicely stocked and waiting. I’ve got friends feeding me ideas as well as a focus.
Misty guided me to these books when I became so enamored and inspired by her new resolution. Making something every day. Misty and I came out of the same art rooms in college. She found herself in much the same situation that I did. Yeah I’m an artist but I don’t practice it. So am I really one? My kids like to tell everyone that I am but this past January when an acquaintance I knew from a local art group asked if I was still painting I just said no. No excuse, no lying. Just no.
But now the answer can be YES! And I plan to use these books to direct my focus. Misty started at the new year but I figure I’ll start at my birthday. Year 38 will start the rebirth of my creative spirit. That gives me little over a month to gather supplies and try to work my self into the routine. Here’s hoping I don’t forget too much.