The second prompt for the month and our final prompt for the year (!) is… |
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It's been an inspiring, fun, and beautiful journey working through 25 different prompts with you these past 12 months! As this year comes to an end, so does our year long exploration into our creative practice. We put so much of ourselves into our art but sometimes, once we finish a piece, we quickly move on to the next. I personally tend to look forward and focus on the future so don't spend a lot of time reflecting. But looking back can be so valuable, to see how far we've come, to look at our work with new eyes and a new perspective after some time has passed, and to help move us forward and envision what's next! This week I'd like for us to slow down, to take some time to flip through the pages of our sketchbooks and look at what we've created. You have turned blank pages into unique, interesting, thoughtful pieces of art and that is something to be celebrated! One of your past pieces may even spark a new idea :) and below are some more ideas to help you get started on our last prompt! |
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"The way we experience the world around us is a direct reflection of the world within us." - Gabrielle Bernstein |
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- 25 That's the number of prompts we worked through!
Vision, messy, connect, crush, unexpected, recap, gather, message, written word, mother earth, mix, movement, destination, develop, play, curiosity, pattern, flow, self, ease, season, dark, unearth, metamorphosis, and warmth.
Reading those words, did one catch your attention? Did you have a favorite? Is there one you'd like to create from again? - All 26 Is there a way you can incorporate ALL our previous prompts into one piece? Consider using the words themselves, taking one element from each prompt and adding it onto a page, or photocopying/taking photos and printing each of the pages you've previously made and using them to create a collage or mixed media piece.
- Misa Funai creates beautiful landscapes using wall mounted mirrors and positive and negative space. Browse through her works and see what it inspires in you. Her work makes me want to use silver paper (some have a slight reflective quality to it), to try more intricate cut outs for a collage, and the pictures of her standing in front of the mirrors also inspires me to add vertical splashes of color.
- Self-Reflection A few questions to help you start brainstorming: What makes you feel powerful? What can you do today that you didn’t think you could do a year ago? How do you embrace your authentic self, even if it looks different from what others expect?
- 3 Reflection Inspired Tutorials To Try Acrylic reflection scene using various tools & techniques (try applying a few of them), watercolor reflection tutorial using 2 colors, drawing glass, metal/reflective objects
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- Lea Solanga discusses how she got connected with Disney for Aladdin & Mulan then performs Reflection, her voice is so beautiful!
- Mirror, Mirror What do you see in your own reflection? This does not necessarily have to translate into a self portrait although it does give you another opportunity to make one! Self portraits were encouraged in a previous prompt (I think it might be the one most people thought was the hardest though!) but I also love the idea of making one at the end of the year and incorporating different aspects of your experiences from the past 12 months into it.
- Do these variations of the prompt call out to you? Meditation, rumination, observation, consideration, view.
- Chris Pappan “A citizen of the Kaw (Kanza) Nation and of Osage, Lakota, and European descent, Pappan is invested in honoring his ancestors while emphasizing Native American contemporaneity. He often works on municipal ledger paper and other found substrates to depict people in photorealistic detail, mirroring their faces and forms and creating myriad metaphors for split selves, distortion, and human interaction that transcend time and space.” See his work and read the full interview here.
- Year of Marks As a bonus exercise for this newsletter, I shared the Year of Marks project at the start of our CSN journey. If you liked the idea but never had a chance to work on it, try it now. Split your page into 12 sections and fill each one in with something that represents each month. And for those of you who have been working on it month by month, don't forget to share your entire finished piece once you complete it!
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I would love for us to take some time to reflect and celebrate what we've created! Inspired by this prompt, I put together a 7 day Instagram challenge--and you DON'T have to make any new content (unless you want to)! Instead, scroll through your phone and share photos and videos you already have and use these daily prompts as the perfect reason to repost or share things you haven't had a chance to (even if it's from months ago)! I encourage you to tell the story behind the image you chose and what it means to you. If you're not on Instagram, feel free to still go through this exercise and think about what you'd pick for each prompt. You can journal about it or print out the photos from your phone to add to your sketchbook. If you are on another platform, you can also share there (don't forget to tag me so I can see :)) This challenge is happening Dec 17th to 23rd but I wanted to share the prompts with you now so you have a heads up and can start thinking about what you'd want to pick for each one. I'll also remind you about this in the check-in email and share ideas on what you can do for each post. It'll be happening after we've wrapped up CSN--one last thing we can do together in 2023 :) 12/16 (optional) Share that you're joining in on this challenge! 12/17 Something New You Tried 12/18 Most Challenging 12/19 Detail / Close Up 12/20 Most Proud Of 12/21 Least Favorite 12/22 Favorites from Jan - June 12/23 Favorites from July - Dec Feel free to join in for every prompt or do what you can when you can and only if you feel like it. I want this to be low stress and a fun way to look back on and share what you've created! |
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I am looking forward to seeing what you create and hope you'll join in on this Instagram challenge with me! Have a great weekend and I will be checking in with you on Tuesday! |
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I would love to continue our creative explorations! Sign ups for the 2024 CSN are open. |
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