There's a hole in my bucket… |
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Dear Liza dear Liza (and Laura, Sally, Jane, Rosemary, Nel, Lisa, Cathy and Rebecca - welcome!) |
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I like to think of creative energy being a bit like water: always moving, changing, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the tap's open, sometimes it's barely a trickle, other times it dries up completely. Suffice to say, it's all been a bit Manon des Sources around here (but without the goats). |
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And that's completely normal and to be expected - we can't keep going, doing all the things, without eventually running that well dry. When that tap of creative energy is open, it can be like we're overflowing with ideas. We need a bucket! A container for them, a context. Having a specific bucket gives context for your ideas, and can perhaps help whittle out the ones you actually want to try, and the ones for ‘mañana’. Now - it may be you only have the one bucket - or you're like me, and you have several. My main buckets are my teaching, and my own art exploration. There's also the basket bucket, the curtain bucket… All my buckets need that creative energy. But I forgot to fill my bucket! I've been on such a roll with my courses, that all year I've been pouring ALL that wonderful creative energy into the teaching bucket - and I completely forgot to fill my own bucket - my own art exploration. So now I've created the courses, I have time - and it's dry as a bone in there. I have no clue what it is I want to do and no energy to do it anyway! I had a wonderful mini-break a few weeks ago and topped it up a tiny bit, but when I'm back home, it's as if I'm deliberately drilling holes in that bucket, and letting all the water out! My room is a tip, I haven't got a clear flat surface to do anything much. I don't prioritise my own art, I don't make time, I don't make it easy. So now, the tap is off The energy has gone. Now what? |
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But the magic can be found at low tide Like when the tide recedes and leaves patterns in the sand, these quieter times are an excellent time to reflect, and see what emerges by just taking the time to be still, or to have a little pootle about the studio. Even just thinking about that metaphor of patterns in the sand, I've dug out my thumbnails of literally that: patterns in the sand. And I found my seaweed drawings. And some pieces I started and didn't finish this time last year… |
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And because I've had time to spend with friends, I was able to visit the Prairie Gardens this week and found these beautiful glass sculptures: |
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Pootling in the studio the other day, I came across this tiny sample of seascapey scraps - so I sat down and finished it. And just like that, seeing these colours again, handling the materials, something started to stir. |
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There's definitely a theme emerging, isn't there? |
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Then this happened in my sketchbook: |
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Which led me to playing with this… Recipe for clear gesso (write-over-able!) 4 parts PVA/craft glue 2 parts cool water 1 part corn starch |
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And you know what? It didn't take that long, really and I think I'm back. I'm definitely up for a spot of Celtic Seascapes, my favourite course: |
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If you're in need of creative refreshment this summer, why not dip your toes into Celtic Seascapes? |
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This price includes your exclusive subscriber discount of 10% |
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I loved every moment of putting it together for you, and everyone who's completed the course before has created not just one, but often several fantastic seascapes (click the button above to take a peek!) As a valued subscriber you have 10% discount until the end of June, and I'm keeping the doors open throughout July too. so no worries if you haven't time right now (or your bucket of energy is empty!) There's a payment plan too - with discount included - so it's really affordable. |
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This is me in a couple of months' time and I can't wait to fill that bucket up to the brim |
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Inspire and inspired It's only a difference of one letter - but to teach, I can't have one version without the other. It's no good inspiring others, if I leave myself out of the equation. And if I'm not inspired in the first place, how can I even hope to inspire others anyway?! So from now on, I'll try and remember to fill my own bucket too - and stop sabotaging myself by drilling holes in it. Promise 🤞 |
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And on that note, until next time, thank you for reading! |
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PS Any Qs about Seascapes just ask |
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