Design

Inspired by Artists

/ still a dreamer / 4 Comments

I have always been inspired by quotes from great thinkers. But when those quotes are also from artists, even more so. I have collected a few to share, hoping that you, too, may be inspired! Happy Spring!

“A scientist can pretend that his work isn’t himself, it’s merely the impersonal truth. An artist can’t hide behind the truth. He can’t hide anywhere.” 
― Ursula K. LeGuin

“If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.” 
― Edward Hopper

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” 
― Martha Graham

“To be an artist means never to avert one’s eyes.” 
― Akira Kurosawa

“Deliver me from writers who say the way they live doesn’t matter. I’m not sure a bad person can write a good book. If art doesn’t make us better, then what on earth is it for.” 
― Alice Walker

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” 
― C.S. Lewis

“Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl that she used to be. But a great artist–a master–and that is what Auguste Rodin was–can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is . . . and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be . . . and more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo, or even you, see that this lovely young girl is still alive, not old and ugly at all, but simply prisoned inside her ruined body.” 
― Robert A. Heinlein

What Patience Yields …

/ still a dreamer / 6 Comments

… a desire to return to the final version of the blue heron I’d wanted to do.

Version #3 is a combo of pen and ink, watercolor, and digital. Just playing around is not always something we (creatives) allow ourselves often enough, but it’s the only way we find new things and grow.

Patience and Trust

/ still a dreamer / 6 Comments

It seems that there are periods in our lives when we have plans, goals, dreams, and we are just not going to get to them when we want. Plans? What are those?

To create art, to plan a future, to write, to do any of the things that a freelancer wants and needs to do takes blocks of time, and more importantly, focus. And that’s what I have been sorely missing.

Sorting out my life in the interest of giving up 40% of my second floor has been a two-part journey. The first part is choosing what belongings need to stay and which to go. Thanks to Buy Nothing, mentioned in an earlier post, I was able to find new homes for 45 items. But the second part is the need to go through everything I own – every closet, dresser, storage area – to see what no longer aligns with who I am right now, and THAT has been a life review of large proportions.

It has entailed remembering so much – joy, sorrow, laughter – through photos, art, and other items infused with memories. I keep trying to focus on where I’m going, but between Buy Nothing and a life review, on top of the demands of everyday life, I have none. I’ve lost so much time. And energy. The blue heron is a tiny example – started out with a color sketch, then another version in watercolor, and my plan was/is to do a digital rendering. That was a week ago.

I remind myself to have patience, and to trust, as I do believe, that everything is unfolding in exactly the right way and at exactly the right time, always for me. It’s all almost done. Patience and trust … working on it, working on it.

The Holidays Are Here!

/ still a dreamer / 9 Comments

And it’s the time of year for those of us who create for a living to remind visitors that all the things we’ve worked so hard on are ready to be gifted!

If you’re looking for a great gift for a child, you can really never go wrong with a book. And if you want a book that will light up the eyes of a little one with wonder, please consider my Where Do Butterflies Go at Night? The story is in rhyme, and takes you through an enchanted nighttime journey while the little boy dreams of the possibilities of where his cabbage white friends go when they disappear at dusk.

I was so fortunate to have the artwork done by illustrator Stella Mongodi – she really found the magic in my words and brought them to life. Butterflies is available at all major online booksellers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, bookshop, and more.

May your holidays be wonderfully filled with good books and good reading!

The Conundrum of Being A Creative

/ still a dreamer / 8 Comments

For those of us who create, whether we be writers, artists, musicians, etc., we face a particular challenge. When creating our work, we want to feel that we can express all the richness of our hearts and minds, to bring to the world the best of who we are in any given moment.

But … suppose what we create is how we make our living? Assuming we’re not famous and a household name. How can we create freely when we know that people must like our creation, and want to buy it?

This is the conundrum I faced recently when deciding to create a new Christmas/holiday card for my Etsy shop, which focuses on Frenchies. I have a small following who have purchased my cards over the years, and loved my style of drawing. But I have been longing to do something new and different.

I decided to follow my heart in the message, the urgent need for love today, which I believe will resonate. We are all deeply saddened, frightened, and upset with what is going on in the world. But I also wanted to do something new artistically. I created an image that is a combination of my own watercolor painting and digital art, quite a digression from what people have seen from me in the past.

How will this work out? I’m promoting as fast and wide as I can, but I won’t know for a while yet. The question remains … how does an artist balance doing what they feel is their own personal creative truth with the need to make a living? Dare we believe that expressing ourselves fully and completely will be rewarded in every way?

See both cards and details in my Etsy shop.