make + share
What happens when we allow others to be a part of our creative process...
Art making is a weekly newsletter about the practice of making art. I hope to encourage people to start their own practice to give themselves the space to explore, learn, and play…
Last night marked day 300 in what started as a 100-day project to explore the program Fresco by Adobe. When I started I could not even imagine reaching 100 days, and now I’m laughing that I have made it this far.
Having a daily practice has been helpful to push myself in new directions especially since I choose one theme to focus on for 100 days. At some point, my brain begins to wonder how I can push the limit all while sticking within my chosen boundary. Even though creating tight boundaries removes a lot of options, it also helps highlight available solutions and it reminds me to dig deeper into unknown territory.
It’s amazing how tighter constraints can really push the creative process in new directions. For the last few weeks I’ve been playing with developing the backgrounds even more and pushing my comfort zone to lean into more color, more texture, more…
Part of what can be daunting about diving into a new practice is that there are so many supplies, papers, and ideas. For me, it’s a bit overwhelming. My mind has a tendency to freeze in situations like these, so boundaries allow me to narrow the field down to a manageable set of options.
Even when learning Fresco, I’ve set myself guides for each of the 100 day projects I’ve been working on. Currently I have been exploring the watercolor brushes, though I do have to admit toward the end, I allowed myself to play with a few other favorites. (When you make the rules, you also get to choose when to break them!)
However you decide to dive into your practice, with boundaries or without, the most important thing is to start. Make anything—whatever kind of art is calling you. It doesn’t have to be traditional. It could be a scribble, a loaf of bread, or a song.
The magic happens when you have an idea and you work with it to bring it to life, into a form that can be touched, seen, or heard—shared. When we allow others to be a part of our creative process we begin to build connections that bring us together and inspire us to make even more and take bigger leaps.
Make lots of art. Have fun exploring your process and experimenting with all the ideas that come your way—use new supplies, try using your non-dominant hand, draw with your pencil taped to a long stick. Then, be brave and find one way to share your art… 💛
art making is a weekly publication. You can support this work with a 💛, a comment, a share, or subscribe. Make your art and share it!