Artist's block: 12 steps to recovery

A friend recently asked me what to do about Artist's Block. I have had this problem plenty of times too, so here is what I suggested. You can call it Dawn's 12 Step Artist Block Program!

1. Art Journal: If you don't already keep one, start an art journal. It doesn't have to be Teesha Moore-ish, it can simply be a notebook where you jot down ideas, impressions, etc. You may not use these ideas, in a week from now or even 5 years from now, you just may.

2. Spend time with other creative minds: even if it's just talking on the phone or going out for coffee, seeing their work, encouraging one another, talking art etc.

3. Go to a library: Take a cup of coffee or tea with you and spend time in the art section and just pull a bunch of random art books. Everything from the old masters to modern day artists .. anything that speaks to you. Also check out the craft books. Even though you aren't a crafter, somethings you'll find one small thing in a book that will trigger a great big, wonderfully fantastic, unique idea! Borrow as many library books as you can!

4. Go online: Visit your favourite artists' blogs and websites. What are they doing now? What have they done? Anything pique your interest? Also search the web for artists that you've never seen before. A good place to start is on your artist friend's links. Some of us like to call this web browsing Research and Development ~ sounds all official and important like, doesn't it?

5. Take this advice from Vincent Van Gogh on Facing a Blank Canvas: "Just slap anything on when you see a blank canvas staring you in the face like some imbecile. You don't know how paralyzing that is, that stare of a blank canvas is, which says to the painter, ‘You can't do a thing’. The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerizes some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves. Many painters are afraid in front of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas is afraid of the real, passionate painter who dares and who has broken the spell of `you can't' once and for all.” (Letter to Theo van Gogh, October 1884)

6. Look through your own stash of art magazines and books: I know you have a bunch squirrelled away. Revisit some of your books and art magazines that you haven't gone through lately. Something inspired you to purchase them in the first place. What was it?

7. Visit an art gallery: Public, private, and university art galleries ~ all are excellent resources!

8. Teach an art class: You may not think you have enough credentials to teach an art class. Pshaw! Don't listen to your crazy inner critic here! Do you love art? Is there something that you do (or have done) that you could teach at a local community centre? If you feel intimidated by adults, teach children. They are very receptive to learning new artsy things and they're fearless. Go for it!



9. Take a Road Trip: Drive to the mountains. Breathe the fresh air deeply. Do some sketches of God's creation around you. Relax. Unwind.

10.Clean your art space: You're thinking, "What a nasty suggestion!" as you look at the massive mess you call your studio. Take just a little time to work through the piles of stuff on your studio's floor and counters. You may find an item or image that will spark a creative thought. Maybe you'll find something that you had some amazing plans for. And maybe, just maybe, you will actually use it!

11. Be Silly: From time to time, just take the time to be silly. Let's face it. There are plenty of opportunities in this life to be serious. Why not simply PLAY. This can be anything from a going a dress up party to joining an Improv group to hosting a PJ/Old Movie Night. Just do it!


12. Continue to seek out creative people: Making friends with new creative people and observing them in their environment; their homes ~ even their interior design can activate your creativity. So much so, you will hardly be able to contain yourself ~ wanting to get back to your art studio and start producing!

Chickie Journal

Here's a small sampling of photos




of the Chickie Journal


that I created


especially for ~


my friend, Lisa


Canadian Chickies ART Journal Swap was sponsored by Canadian Chickies.

Strange things happening ...

As the lights turns red and the little light up man tells us it is safe to walk our Edmonton Improv agents casually dressed in their day to day clothing preform for our audience (the cars stuck at the light in front of us) a short choreographed dance routine. Watch it happen here ...



October 3, 2009
City of Edmonton
Jasper Avenue and 105 Street

Hamster

Sharing ART with the chickies and rooster

Today's the last day of the Canadian Chickies, Chickie Journal Swap. On Saturday, the Edmonton-area Chickies (and token Rooster) will be getting together over Pumpkin Lattes to do a live swap. I'm very excited because I can't wait to see what everyone has created over the past few months. There WILL be photos forthcoming.
Besides, after this swap is over, we can start discussing what to do for a Christmas swap. That's right, the weather is cooling, and Christmas isn't really that far away, is it?

September Song

Willie Nelson's rendition of September Song
is running through my head ...

So what's new with me? It's September 22nd, and this whole month's been a blur. Between driving Zach to Celsius' The Tempest and Citadel (artistic director's 10th anniversary celebration) rehearsals, to our 4th annual mystery party, to helping out with fund raising for David's Concert Choir trip to the UK ~ well, let's just say it's been crazy. Besides "everyday" occurrences, my mother hasn't been well since July, so I've been spending time with her ~ trying to get her to eat etc.


Although our garden was pathetic this year, my brother who always grows the most amazing garden, recently invited me out to his place and "pick beans". He gave me a lot more than a few beans, so we've been enjoying fresh stir fries and tomatoes! (mmm .. homegrown tomatoes ... always reminds me of this old song!) over the past few weeks.
Oh! Oh! ... I found another chair to paint! Here's a photo of it "before". Now if things can just slow down a bit, I can get to paint it.




September Song
Maxwell Anderson (1888-1958)
Oh it's a long long while
from May to December
But the days grow short
when you reach September
When the autumn weather
turns leaves to flame
One hasn't got time
for the waiting game
Oh the days dwindle down
to a precious few
September
November
and these few precious days
I'll spend with you
These precious days
I'll spend with you













flickr photo by P.J. McAdie

ART Journal frenzy!

It seems like I haven't been very motivated, artistically speaking, this summer. But good news! I finally got down to the serious business of working on my Chickie Journal yesterday. Fellow Canadian Chickie, Brittni joined me. She's creating a Rooster Journal for Josh. It was motivating to have someone else working on the project the same time as I was.

Look at our workspace! You can tell we got some play done here, eh?

September 30th is our deadline to have these journals all prepped and ready to give to our swapping partners. Once swapped, these journals will be ready to put doodles, thoughts, clippings, collages, grocery lists ~ whatever ~ and will become treasures to hold dear.

Little Visitor

When I pulled up to the house, look who I saw sitting there and eating grass from a crack in the sidewalk.

The quality of the photo isn't too good because I wanted to snap the photo before the little guy got scared and hopped over to the neighbours to feed there.

My sad yard

This year we had a very cold spring. Then there was the frost right up into June! We planted our vegetable garden late this spring to avoid the frost only to watch as nothing thrived. We've experienced drought conditions in our area throughout the "summer". See the only tomatoes which survived, in the hard, dry earth?

Some of our perennials did come up, but many just couldn't live in these conditions.

The flowers that I planted in portable planters faired better, largely because I hand-watered them throughout the season.


The raspberry bushes produced very few berries ~ all of them teeny.


Our Virginia Creeper seemed to do reasonably well which is great. Of course the aphids continue to try to destroy them again, but I think I just may have found a environmently friendly homemade formula to ward them off.

Our city usually gets approximately 45 millimetres of rain in May, plus another 80-some millimetres in June. This year however, apparently we've had under 20 millimetres all summer.


Yesterday, I saw some Canada Geese flying in formation.

Days like these

call for photos like this ...

This is a photo booth picture of me with my mom in the early 1960s.

I've been spending a lot of time with my mom lately. She is 89 years old, in frail health and now living in a nursing home. She has diabetes, dementia, and finds it difficult to express what she wants or needs. However, she is ever-gracious to everyone she comes in contact with. Whenever someone comes up to her, she always acknowledges them with a warm "hello" and a big smile. She makes people feel like they're the most important person ever!

The biggest challenge these days is trying to feed her because she hasn't had any desire to eat for a couple weeks now. A good feeding is when she accepts a few spoonfuls of potatoes, some milk or tea. We're trying to keep her hydrated and comfortable. It is difficult to see someone you have known "forever" who was once so full of life, become entirely dependent, vulnerable and vacant. Often a smile, holding a hand, and playing some soothing music are the only things you can offer.


To see some of my artwork on the Alzheimer Society of Canada's website, look here.

Making room

We placed it on the lawn. This love seat was out there for less than half an hour when two guys drove up with a pickup truck and hauled it away. My son yelled out the door, "Thank you!" as they loaded it up and left. We had two of these love seats for many years. They provided a place to sit, but never a comfy nap ~ especially for 3 guys in our house who are all over 6 feet tall. Whenever you put your head down, it was always greeted with an awfully sharp piece of oak. It also had movable cushions which often shifted which made it less desirable. A while back we purchased a funky couch with a comfy, napable surface, so I was anxious to get rid of the love seats. The first one had to go in order to get the couch in the living room, but my husband seemed overly attached to the idea of keeping the other one. I was very happy when finally, this weekend, I convinced him that we should part with this little bit of family history too, and gain more room in our living room; which my son, home from university for the summer, has taken over with his full sized piano keyboard, two guitars, computer and numerous gaming systems and games. Life can be spatially challenging in a small abode.

Snaps of summer '09

Yes folks, I'm still around.
Seems like summertime is a busy, busy season when blogging
is put to the bottom of the priority list.
So until I get motivated again to blog on a more regular basis,
I will share these few snaps of summer ...

Party of Lights

Yesterday afternoon, my dear friend Arlene Travnik phoned me up to say her son Josh was planning an impromptu birthday party for her which would begin at 9 p.m. Could we come?

Although 9 p.m. is pretty much past our bedtime (just kidding), and the Travnik's live a half hour down the highway, my boys and I decided to head down to join in on the festivities.

Josh strung up some white twinkle lights in the backyard and lit numerous tea lights all over the garden creating a beautiful luminescent effect.

Of course, if you are going to a such a festivity, you must have a gift to take for the dear one having a birthday. Being those who always think ahead (not always, I'm afraid), we were a little unprepared for the occasion. However, Zach had received a gift from his wise older brother, David. It was a Thomas Kinkade Paint-by-Number painting set. (Read a New Yorker article on Thomas Kinkade here)
Now you must understand that Thomas Kinkade is not a favourite of Zach's ~ to state it mildly, so he was over-joyed by the opportunity to re-gift the Paint-by-Number to Arlene.

Arlene is not a Kinkade enthusiast either, so she was amused by the gag gift (her son Nialle was rolling with laughter as he saw what was in the pretty pink wrapping paper.

For all of Kinkade's glow-y,
homey, "charm", he has a darker side ~ dark clouds have gathered over him which has been coming to the surface in recent years.

By 11 p.m. the rowdy neighbours had started up a fire of their own; (the marijuana was wafting over the fence our way), and by midnight I was starting to yawn. Knowing that we had to drive home yet, we said our thanks yous and good byes.

A good time was had by all at the Party of Lights!

Talking ART

Zach and I went to Mandolin Books to have coffee with the very talented Maria Pace-Wynters. It's always inspiring to connect and and share with other artists ~ a real treat indeed.

Check out Maria's website to view her art. Buy some! I adore her work and would love to have one of her paintings on my living room gallery wall.

*sigh*

A look back

Thought it would be fun to share some photos
of my sons from the 1990s.

They haven't changed much ~ well except for the fact that they were
much shorter than me in those days!

They both are wearing Aladdin outfits ~ Aladdin was the big Disney hit of the time ~ a foreshadowing of their enjoyment of animated film perhaps...

At the Valley Zoo with their daddy, looking rather spiffy decked out in their fluorescent threads which were very popular in the early 90s.

And finally a photo that shows the personalities of our sons quite profoundly.
Zach was in the stage of trying
to imitate some of the faces from Calvin & Hobbes ~ his favourite comic.
Today he owns The Complete Calvin and Hobbes collection.

Gnome love

My gnomes were beginning to look like gnome ghosties; appearing to be completely capable to scaring young children out of our backyard just with one look!

They used to look like this



So I decided it was time to take them into the house for a fresh coat of paint.

Now they look like this

and this

Much better!