"letters to a young artist"

I am so happy to report that I am finally back in my studio...painting + playing up a storm!!! After our road trip I just couldn't bring myself to go into my studio but these days...I can't stop painting!!! Every free moment I go in there are do some little thing. I have been reading Julia Cameron's Letters to a Young Artist and it gave me a huge kick in the butt to get going. I really needed it:) I still don't know if I had a creative block or was still in vacation mode but whatever the case..I am so happy to be back painting.

A few takeaways from the book that I really want to share (since we all go through periods of creative blocks/procrastination/lollygagging)
* make a schedule + stick to it. Even it's just for 15 mins. a day, set that time aside to write/paint/create and do not (under any circumstances) deviate from it.
* throw out "perfect"...there's no such thing, it's boring anyway and not even desirable
* walk every day
* be willing to make bad art. Nobody creates amazing stuff all the time.
* try out new things. Whether it's a new painting product or a new type of food. So what I did was picked out 5 paint colors I would normally never buy. I am also mixing up colors I usually don't just to see how they pan out. So fun!!
* don't talk away our ideas...this leads to non-action. Be like Nike and...just do it!!!!

* be careful of whom we allow into our space. Some people are toxic and just drain us.
*read read read. She especially recommends artist biographies but anything that inspires will do. It's the stepping outside of our worlds and learning that counts.
* define success on your own terms
*creative blocks are usually the result of too many ideas rather than too few.
* risk + dare
* play!!! Just let go + have fun. I have been playing dress up + dollhouse with Tara...running around in the backyard and just being 3 years old:)
I wasn't really looking for this book BTW...I went to the library last week + it just sort of fell into my hands. I soooooo needed it + there it was!!!. All sorts of synchronicities have been happening to me lately. Feeling crazy blessed.
**********************************************************************

Tara has been learning how swim ...and can I just say how much she loves it!!!! She's a little fish in the water. She's so athletic, it amazes me. She must totally get that from Tim:) Happy 4th of July!!!!