ARTstarters: Creativity at pLaY!

What I love most about creativity is that it keeps life fun!  It's seems like more of our days are becoming filled with things we have to do, people we need to take care of, and pressures that can feel too great to bear.

Do you have a “To Do” list that is like a monkey on your back?  

Why not try “monkeying around” with it?  

Find the fun in it and turn a boring task into a creative one . . .  

“I need to exercise more”  can become  “I’m going to chase my kids around the park for a 5-minute sprint!  And then go buy a Hula Hoop and rollerskates too!”

“This house is a mess” can become “I’m going to put a bouquet of flowers right here in the middle of it!  And then I’m going to clean off the table so I can sit down and sketch them.”

“Ugh – the garage is out of control” can become “I’m going to make it my own private ‘Fun Zone’ and get rid of all the stuff that is bogging me down!”

“I have to start eating healthier!” can be your reason to find a fun new recipe and try it out.  Maybe even think of how you can share that recipe with someone else. 

“I really need to journal more” can make you even ask why that’s a to-do list at all.  Do it when you feel like it!  In fact, why not open up your empty journal right now and just spill out onto the pages why you even feel guilty about that at all.

Awhile back in my corporate life, I taught a seminar about bringing energy to the workplace.  When we feel exhausted, everything suffers – our productivity, our performance, our excellence, our creativity.  One way to get back our energy is to connect what we are doing to what is important to us.  And another way is to turn a dreaded task into something that is more fun!

Our inner artist already knows this:

It’s no fun to do task lists that are boring and routine.

** What is on your “To Do” life this week or this weekend?

** Why is this task meaningful to you?

** How can you make it more creative and fun?

I would love to hear your stories!

-- Creative Wishes,

Nicole, The Creativity Coach

If you've been here recently you may have noticed that the Santora Building is CHANGING too. The buildings new owners are making rapid changes: walls are bring painted, spaces are being redesigned, murals are being replaced, and two amazing galleries have been given 30 days notice to vacate: Green Door Gallery and Studio del Sotano). Although we are excited about what new things may be in their future, it is still very hard to say goodbye to our creative community of free expression, specifically here in the basement where we have been for more than 11 years. (Links above will lead to new articles about the changing Santora Building.)

We don't know what change will come next for ARTbar but we are staying curious . . . and, as always, open to creating new possibilities.

Walking in Other Shoes

They are usually found in a heap by my door, dirty, scraped up, smelly and left for me to trip over on my way into the house.  They are the shoes of the people I most love in this world.   Although I think of my family often, I rarely think of what they put on their feet, unless they complain they are starting to hurt, or one of them tries to wear something I feel is totally inappropriate.

But when you think about it, shoes are what cover our feet as we go through life.  They style us, they protect us, and they enable us to fearlessly move forward into otherwise dangerous terrain, filled with sharp stones and microscopic creatures of the dirt.

When we look at someone’s shoe, we see a glimpse of where they went and where they could possibly go --  IF we look closely enough to get another view.  In fact, when we quiet our own voices from our own perspective, we can almost start to put ourselves in their shoes.

Journal Exercise from this month's ARTstarter calendar on Perspective:  Draw a shoe that belongs to someone you care about.  

Insight: I need to remember just how much energy a 5 year old boy has and how hard it must be to contain it in this big exciting world!  I need to remember it so I can understand him -- but also so that I can tap into my own excitement, energy and curiosity about MY world.

Art gives us the perfect opportunity to see into our imagination.  As we get out the colored pencils, paints, and pencils, we can express our feelings and make something from them that we can see visually.

Journals are great for this expression.  I like to think of them more as a little peekhole than a big window - they capture how we feel in that moment.  We can capture a brief snapshot of our life in even just a few minutes.  A journal can be a private and safe place to explore without the pressure to create something that needs to be shared or admired.  

At the other end of the spectrum is to create a bigger picture vision.  Many have done this by creating a Vision Board, a collection of inspiring images and words that are glued onto a board.  Instead of just showing a peek into “How do I feel right now,”  a Vision Board gives a big picture view of “HOw do I feel about LIFE AND MY BIG ROLE IN IT”.  But making a Vision Board can be both a good and a bad experience.

I am referencing Vision Boards in the book I am currently writing and would LOVE to hear what YOU think of them - the good, the bad, and the ugly -- especially the latter!!  Please share here or on Facebook (link here).

Do you give your creativity freedom to play? Or does art sometimes seem a quest of perfection, battling the critical voices in your head that tell you that you're not an artist, that your artwork doesn't look as good as others?

Creativity is a muscle that needs practice and exercise . . . just like our physical muscles, just like we take our dogs for a walk . . . and just like we practice the scales on a piano. We wouldn't expect to perform a concerto for thousands without taking time to practice each day, yet many times we put immense pressure on ourselves to artistically perform in our chosen artwork.

So what would practice look like in art? I believe it is creating for creating's sake . . . not for a finished piece or expected result. To allow yourself to play with lettering, to collage with a theme in mind and see where it leads you, to do random creative exercises without a certain design in mind, to try new art supplies and see what happens . . .

Celebrate your FREEDOM OF CREATIVITY this month of July by joining us in doing 30 quick doodles or sketches in your journal by the end of this month. That's just 1 a day -- catch up whenever you can -- even if you just take 5 minutes to draw a quick shape, nothing fancy. You might not end up with 30 amazing drawings you can frame, but you will prove to yourself that your schedule does allow for you to be creative - even if for a short amount of time each day! You are FREE TO CREATE!

To give you an added incentive, stop in before, during or after one of our August events, and let us know you completed the "Doodle-a-Day" or "Drawing-a-Day" challenge, and we'll reward you with an awesome prize! Basic members can post their doodles, drawings and insights in our gallery. It's just $5 a month and enables you to also access our monthly creativity calendars with added resources.

Last night I was part of an Icarus Session organized by Seth Godin.  There were over 1200 sessions that met all over the world on January 2^nd. 

The purpose of the session.  To publicly share your art with the world, and say “Here, I made this.”

Seth Godin’s new book “The Icarus Deception” defines art as the “unique work of a human being, work that touches another.” (page 6).  The moral of the story of Icarus is not to fly too close to the sun, so we purposely hold ourselves back.  But the other part of the myth that is not often shared is how dangerous it is to fly too low, to hold ourselves back, to play it safe . . .

 

The Rules of an Icarus Session ( I love these!):

“You can attend a session without presenting, of course.

A presentation at an Icarus Session is 140 seconds long. You can go shorter, but not a second longer. You can use slides, or handouts, or even better, just bring your enthusiasm. The assignment: Tell the group about your art. What have you created? What frightened you? What matters?

Not a pitch. An act of brave vulnerability.

I made this.

It scared me.

This might not work.

Here's how it changed me.

What do you think?”

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Last night over a dozen courageous artists each took their turn, some with planned words, and others who spoke from the heart, and some who even thought there was no way they were going to speak . . . yet every single soul who attended stood up for their art, whether it was a painting, a philosophy, a business, or a seedling of an idea. 

Wow!  In just 140 seconds or less, we shared more than just an introduction of who we are, we shared our souls.

Next month we will do it again . . . but the challenge is that when we stand up to talk, we now have NEW art to share, or something NEW to say about it.  That we are always moving forward, changing our art, bringing our art deeper into the world.  Our message won’t be the same because we are committed to not remaining the same.

I hope all you ARTstarters stand courageously with us next month!  We have been doing sessions just like these for years at The ARTbar in various forms, encouraging artists to come together to share their art.   So much more than networking events, this type of sharing encourages risk-taking not perfection, vulnerability and authenticity not marketing gimmicks. 

There’s something magical that happens when you stand up and share with others!  Your ideas are suddenly transported OUT of journals, our of our heads and hearts, and into the world . . . where they might encourage or inspire others, and most of all, where they commit you to moving forward.

So when you see Icarus Session on our calendar, you now know a little more about it!  You can attend just the first part (to speak for 140 seconds or just to watch), and if you like, stay for the ARTstarter Mixer right after to deepen any connections you want to make, and do a creative journal exercise.   You can also connect with the Meetup Group online to tell others worldwide that you are attending, as well as on Facebook.  Bring along a friend and have them share the art that they are making.

Just a mere 140 seconds can be a great step to your next action . . . even if just for the simple act of saying, “Here, look what I made.”

Thanks for letting me share what I made with you . . . it's a free event.  I hope you come!

Happy Old Year!!!

Everyone is always in such a rush to celebrate the NEW YEAR that we often forget to celebrate the OLD YEAR!

Today I mentally made a quick list of all I did in just the last few weeks:

• Shopped and wrapped tons of presents
• Attended at least a dozen holiday gatherings
• Created Christmas cards (that I didn’t have time to send - LOL)
• Hosted a sleepover party for my daughter and her friends
• Made an appetizer for the school holiday feast
• Created a new business website
• Reorganized the studio
• Took the kids up the mountain to make their 1^st snowman

With all the emotional ups and downs of the holidays, it is especially important to remember what we are celebrating.  Whether you believe in the birth of Christ or another  belief, the afterglow of the holidays often finds us reflecting on “what it’s all for” and “why we’re here.”  For some, the New Year is the time to beat ourselves up for broken resolutions and unmet goals. 

I say that it’s the perfect time to express gratitude for LAST YEAR!  To make a spiritual connection with what we have accomplished, and celebrate our successes, big and small.

God has blessed us with a gift of creativity.  Sometimes we use it to build businesses, to make profits, to create art.  And sometimes we use it to make recipes, to wrap gifts, to send letters, to share laughter  . . . but most of all to create meaning in our lives.   Even through the years that aren’t our favorites, we seem to find moments of courage and success, and to remember truly ARTful MOMENTS.

Today I am celebrating the memories and creativity of 2012! 

Happy, HAPPY OLD YEAR!

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Here’s a fun journal exercise to wrap up the OLD YEAR:

Write a list of everything you accomplished this month!

Now expand your list to everything you accomplished this year!

Pop the cork and CELEBRATE!

Give THANKS to the Creator of Creativity! 

Shine ON!

Nicole

Nicole Steiman, The Creativity Coach

Founder, The ARTbar Hands-on Studio