I remember coloring in the basement of my aunt's house in New Jersey with my cousins as a child. We all had the same Casper coloring book, and despite the mostly adult party going on all around us, we were in our own very happy colorful world, creating, and feeling great. My images were boldly outlined, then colored in with a lighter hand. My sister loved brights and it made her pictures eye-catching and fun. A cousin didn't follow any type of guidelines--her own or any other--her trees may have been pink and the sky possibly purple. The point of telling this is just that we all had a great time, we all did a different version of the same picture, no pressure, and it was awesome. We spent time together, kind of like a youngster version of a quilting circle. No one had to entertain or impress anyone...we just did our thing. Sometimes we cracked jokes, sometimes we chatted about our lives, and sometimes we said nothing. We were just together. I think this is missing in the world today. We get together, but there is a lot of social climbing, and fancy Pinterest table setting, and fancier recipes than I could ever cook. I miss getting together just for the sake of getting together...nothing fancy...and I think coloring is helping us do just that. Yes, it is a digital world, but it is a good thing here. We find groups on Facebook or Instagram, or follow our favorite artists and find other like-minded colorists. The world is a crazy place right now, and coloring is a gentle place to sit, create, and be yourself. I think we all have an artist inside. Picasso said all children are artists, and the problem is how to remain one once we grow up. Coloring books take the pressure out of art. Many get canvas confusion...when they look at a blank page or canvas they don't even know where to start. When we color, someone has started the canvasfor us, and a little of the steam is released so we are free to just go for it and have fun.
Some see a therapist, some meditate, some do yoga. I think we are seeing a new way to relax...and that is coloring. xo Join my Facebook group if you like...coloring friends abound! Click here to join in!
Pablo Picasso said "the chief enemy of creativity is good sense." This is probably true, but as you can tell there are some inherent issues with this statement. I am certainly not trying to argue with the master of creativity who would surely say that his art came before anything else. But many of you out there live in a home, possibly have a car, have some type of job, and eat on a regular basis. Most would say their family comes before anything. Having good sense allows us to keep our homes and jobs, eat decent meals, and stay out of jail. That being said I cannot be a complete proponent of throwing good sense to the wind. But if we can laser focus our good sense to our artistic endeavors, I think the advice is perfect.
Rejected
A few years ago I was chosen to illustrate a children's book. The text was lovely and I instantly had an idea of what the pictures should look like. I quickly put together several images and sent them over--and they were just as quickly rejected. So I tried again, and again, and again--no luck. All my great ideas were gone. At this point I had nothing to lose. I drew a far more grown up image, but the made me happy. I loved the colors and the whirling dreamy background. I figured what the hell! At least I could go out with a bang.
Accepted
Those were the pictures that were chosen for the book. I had nothing attached to them--no fear, no worries, no preconceived notions. I figured it was already too late, and a tiny voice in the back of my head said the images would never work. So I sent them. My roundabout point is this: sometimes the thing that gets in our way the most is our own negative thinking. So when it comes to art, do what they say in Frozen: LET IT GO! If any of you are true beginners here is my advice: * Go out and get whatever you like to create with--markers, paints, yarn, fabric--whatever! (Even if you are scared and you never tried, all the more reason to go for it.) * Find a magazine or Google article about whatever medium you chose. * Choose a project--a picture, a painting, anything--and copy it. (That's right--copy. You can trace, copy, recreate, or do your own version of anything you see. Some people need this little kick start for their creativity--especially if they have not used it since they were little. Plus copying or tracing actually helps you learn very quickly. Before you know it you'll be itching to create your own stuff.) *Start right away and DO NOT worry about being perfect. * Finish it! * Start another. * On the same day you start this project, get a notebook or journal--even a piece of paper will do, and write about your artistic dreams each morning. Feel free to tear out the page and rip it up after you write if you are afraid someone will read it. (Great idea from a friend). The point isn't to have a book to read when you are done, but to get your mind on creativity and what it means to you. Just do one page, and try and include one positive thing you are feeling about your creative process. Also, follow Picasso for this too--just write with abandon, write from your soul. This could be something you have waited to do for years. (I have included a downloadable journal page to hopefully inspire you HERE. It is free, and you can rip it up when you are done if you like.) * Last but not least, do art with kids. Watch how free they are, they are not worried, just happy to be in the creative moment. I'd love to see your work--especially if you are just starting. I feel art is so important and can be a wonderful way to express yourself. Here are some words of wisdom that every. single. creative needs to hear. Only two minutes and super worth it. Click HERE
Video Cat
Today's video is How to Draw a Cute Cartoon Cat. If you like it I hope you share it with a young person who likes art too.
Don't forget to enter the Six Shades of Grey Faber-Castell Giveaway HERE for a chance to win SIX Faber-Castell PITT artist pens. Good luck!
When we are young almost everything we experience is touched with a bit of magic. The first-ness of our moments adds wonder and beauty to the most simple things. Glimpses of our day, like a butterfly gliding through our wisteria, feel as if they are visited by a Disney fairy godmother when we are little. A walk through grandpa's garden is Narnia to the preschool set, and more rich and poignant than any CGI filled movie you could pay for. But the lives of our little ones are chock-full of busy-ness. From homework in kindergarten to pee wee sports practice, our kid's lives are hectic. Reading and art allow children to slow down, to do something calming and centering. Unbeknownst to them, while they are munching along with Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar or roaring with the terrible beasts in Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, they are expanding their imaginations and increasing their literacy skills. If they can't read yet themselves, they sit with a loved one, experiencing closeness and developing an ability for meaningful discussions.
When given a paint brush and a blank canvas, children are allowed to expand their consciousness and develop creative and open-minded thinking. It awakens their senses and helps with problem solving skills. You do not have to tell them art is timeless, they delve into the moment and are somehow connected with the self-expression that has been part of humanity since the dawn of time.
Appreciation of art and literature starts young, and happily they have no idea they are learning. Children have the special ability to have nothing attached to what they are doing--they are creating art or reading simply because they love it. There is no agenda attached to their creativity. They go with the flow, a gift that Picasso spoke about when he said "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist as we grow up." The magic in their completely un-self-conscious creativity allows them to be wholly in the moment, something we as adults can have a hard time with. Our kids grow up so fast. Our days are filled with bills, cleaning, cooking, and a whole lot of reality. We are focused on test-taking in school and a very one sided IQ score that is probably decent at grading one's general knowledge base. But what about creativity? What about those kids who are notoriously considered square pegs simply because the current system disallows for square holes?
The magic of childhood is lovely, and it would be nice to stretch at least some of that Abracadabra into our adult lives. Reading and art are two examples of wizardry that seamlessly moves with us as we grow. Along with the obvious advantages of reading to kids when they are young and allowing them to create unguided art, these bewitching gifts stick--they are endless presents of love that happily never have to end. I'd love to know of any books or forms of art you loved as a child, and what made them special to you. xo Dea
