Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Art Relieves Stress Even if you Suck at it!


Recently one of my online friends sent me an article about how making art reduces stress even if you suck at it. I love that she sent that to me because it is the exact message I want to send out with the kind of art I do. 

What I do and what I teach isn't about "what" you make. It is about the fun and joy of just stepping into creative flow and playing with art supplies. 

And I know so many of you are thinking, "I suck and art! I can't do it!  What if it looks bad?" Well let me tell you...I have those thoughts every time I start making anything. Those feelings aren't reserved for only some people...everyone has either had those feelings or has them. It is not at all unique and doesn't determine your ability to explore your creativity. 

I personally believe that everyone is creative and that everyone deserves to explore their creativity. Think back to the cavemen. They weren't worried about how their horse was going to look, they just knew they had to carve that shape out onto the cave wall. Our creativity goes back eons and that urge is still in everyone. It is only fear that holds us back. 

The difference between you and me is that I say, "Screw it! I am doing it anyway!" Half the time I am in the middle of what I am making and I am hating it and I just wonder, "Well, what can I do to make it worse?" or "If this feeling had a color what would it be?" and I go with it and sometimes it looks worse and sometimes magic happens and it looks great. I have to remind myself that it is just paint and paper and it's not that serious!



The thing is that when I am following my truth and doing what my intuition tells me I don't really care what it looks like in the end. It can look pretty crappy and I am still in love with it because it came from deep inside me and it felt so good to let it out. 

I'm going to be honest, I've been in a bit of a funk the last week or so...I haven't wanted to do anything much less create but I've been forcing myself to doodle and play and I know for sure that it helps. I feel better when I allow myself to be creative and science is beginning to tell us that it is true! Creativity can lift your mood, release stress and make you feel good. 

Now, I would love for you to come over and make some art with me but you can do it right now in your own home. Get out some markers or crayons or just a pen and start doodling. Remind yourself that you can just toss the paper away when you are done so consider it a chance to just be free and have a little fun.



Of course it's always more fun to do it with a group so check out the upcoming Freedom Art Intro and come join me! 


xo

Art Relieves Stress Even if you Suck at it!


Recently one of my online friends sent me an article about how making art reduces stress even if you suck at it. I love that she sent that to me because it is the exact message I want to send out with the kind of art I do. 

What I do and what I teach isn't about "what" you make. It is about the fun and joy of just stepping into creative flow and playing with art supplies. 

And I know so many of you are thinking, "I suck and art! I can't do it!  What if it looks bad?" Well let me tell you...I have those thoughts every time I start making anything. Those feelings aren't reserved for only some people...everyone has either had those feelings or has them. It is not at all unique and doesn't determine your ability to explore your creativity. 

I personally believe that everyone is creative and that everyone deserves to explore their creativity. Think back to the cavemen. They weren't worried about how their horse was going to look, they just knew they had to carve that shape out onto the cave wall. Our creativity goes back eons and that urge is still in everyone. It is only fear that holds us back. 

The difference between you and me is that I say, "Screw it! I am doing it anyway!" Half the time I am in the middle of what I am making and I am hating it and I just wonder, "Well, what can I do to make it worse?" or "If this feeling had a color what would it be?" and I go with it and sometimes it looks worse and sometimes magic happens and it looks great. I have to remind myself that it is just paint and paper and it's not that serious!



The thing is that when I am following my truth and doing what my intuition tells me I don't really care what it looks like in the end. It can look pretty crappy and I am still in love with it because it came from deep inside me and it felt so good to let it out. 

I'm going to be honest, I've been in a bit of a funk the last week or so...I haven't wanted to do anything much less create but I've been forcing myself to doodle and play and I know for sure that it helps. I feel better when I allow myself to be creative and science is beginning to tell us that it is true! Creativity can lift your mood, release stress and make you feel good. 

Now, I would love for you to come over and make some art with me but you can do it right now in your own home. Get out some markers or crayons or just a pen and start doodling. Remind yourself that you can just toss the paper away when you are done so consider it a chance to just be free and have a little fun.



Of course it's always more fun to do it with a group so check out the upcoming Freedom Art Intro and come join me! 


xo

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Doodle Your Day Away


I love to doodle. I have always doodled. Whenever there is a pen and scrap piece of paper I am doodling. It's just who I am. 

So when my friend was asking me about how to doodle I wasn't exactly sure what to say. How do you explain something that is just part of who you are?

She started asking questions about what pens or markers I use and how I know what to doodle. I decided that I would do a livestream on my Facebook Page all about doodling. Go on over there and check it out. 

Of course once I started that doodle I couldn't stop so I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing it. I paid attention to some of the things I was doing and thought I could go into a little more detail here. 



If you look at the top image you can see the very beginning stages of my leaf doodle. I was using some different colors in the background and it looks a bit messy. In the bottom photo I added a third color that kind of blended the two and added some depth and then added some little dashes all around to make the background look very deliberate. It feels a bit more cohesive to me even with all the crazy little detail.

Speaking of detail. If you look at the leaves themselves, you will notice that the bottom image has a lot more detail. I added dots, dashes and lines in a silver pen that really makes them pop.

You will also notice that the outline of the leaves is far from perfect. Making that outline a bit off center really gives it a casual look. I could have upped this even more by varying the size of that line. 


When you can manipulate the negative space and create shapes with the white paper you can get an interesting look. Add some lines and dots and everything pops and looks fun. 


Using different sized lines can really add interest to the page too. You can see the lines in the purple ripple starting very thick and getting thinner and thinner as they move up. There is also a variance in line thickness in the yellow section as well. 

This is a good spot to point out that there is no need for perfection in doodles. Wonky lines and imperfect circles add to the fun of the it. Leaving spots of white shining through can give it a fun, three dimensional feel instead of just being boring and flat so let go of any desire to be perfect and just have fun!



Using several colors in the same family will add a lot of depth to your doodles. In the leafy stem section there are at least 3 different shades of green mixed together to give it a nice feel. 

The truth is, you cannot go wrong with your doodles. Grab some markers and just start having a little fun. Experiment and play with different color combinations. You might just surprise yourself. 






Monday, September 26, 2016

It's a Middle School Wrap



The first Middle School Open House was a such big hit! We had a great time together and what a gift it was to be able to spend so much time together in creative play! 



We started off with some fun drawing. We taped up paper onto the wall put on some fun music and let loose with oil pastels. The girls were encouraged to pick a color they loved and just scribble and get their energy onto the page. Whatever felt good was what we did. 

We had a little fun mixing it up. They got to use their non dominant hand for a while, experiment with mixing by using a white oil pastel and they even got brave and added a color they thought was "ugly." It was fun to try out new things and just be surprised at what happened. 




After a quick snack break we brought out the paints. They got to use juicy tempera paints on big sheets of poster board taped up on the wall. Anything goes in Freedom Art and the girls had fun playing with all the different brushes and rollers and we even had fun with some stencils. 

I always like to add a little positivity to the creative process so we sat down and made some mind maps. The girls put their names in the middle and started writing all their positive qualities around. the center.  They helped each other think of things they were good at or things they liked about each other. Then we thought of some people we admired and their qualities that we aspired for ourselves and added that in. 



Once their mind maps were done I let them loose on some magazines and had them tear out any pictures that reminded them of themselves or their traits they wrote on the paper and they got busy gluing them onto the page. It was so fun and everyone's was unique. 

It was an amazing way to spend my Saturday. The girls had so much fun and said they wanted to come back tomorrow. One of the girls said she wished my studio was her bedroom because it felt so great in there. 

 I loved  it too. It was so fun to just let loose and have fun. We danced, we played, we laughed and we joked around. They uplifted me and left me feeling energized.  I can't wait for the next one!





Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Have it Your Way



I was at an Open Studio Project workshop over the weekend with 8 other women. We had such a fabulous time diving into our creative process. We were drawing, painting, collaging, assembling and writing our little hearts out.

We talked about the process and what it means to us. How we use it in our lives and how we want to share it with others. It is so great to be in community with other women who love this type of work as much as I do.

At one point one of the women explained how difficult she finds it to try to explain the process to others who aren't familiar with it. I quietly agreed and the entire group erupted in laughter and said, "Join the club! We don't know how to explain it either!" We all had a good laugh and kind of moved on to the next topic.

But it got me thinking...how do you get women in a process that you cannot clearly articulate? How can you get them excited about when they really don't understand it. What a dilemma!



Part of the problem is that the process is so unique to everyone. This is what I think makes it so powerful because it meets you where you are. It doesn't force you to do anything you don't want to do or to experience anything you don't want to experience.

If your soul is looking for a little light fun to let loose and step into creative flow, that is exactly what you will be able to experience. If you are looking to understand yourself a little more, go for it. If you want to heal some past pain or get more in touch with your body, this process can be used powerfully for all of those. It is a completely open and unique creative practice!


I offer a variety of classes to give everyone a chance to experience Freedom Art the way they need it. I have a light hearted Creative Dance Class that is just pure fun. I have Freedom Art drawing and painting classes that are more structured with a beginning, middle and end. This format  lets each individual create their own experience that is perfectly tailored to where they are at that moment. It is all completely unique. There is even a class coming up that is all about nurturing yourself and taking care of yourself.


Perhaps I haven't been able to completely define what this practice is and guess what, I don't think you will fully understand it until you give it a try. If you would like to learn more, you can go to my website and sign up for my newsletter. You will get my free ebook, Take Back Your Life With Freedom Art when you sign up. That ebook with take you through the steps of Freedom Art and show you how you can try it for yourself.

I'm also teaching some classes that will give you an opportunity to come and try it out. All the supplies are here and all you have to do is show up ready to play. If you'd like to work one on one I am available to do that in the studio or online. There are so many options available to you. Isn't that amazing?!



Have it Your Way



I was at an Open Studio Project workshop over the weekend with 8 other women. We had such a fabulous time diving into our creative process. We were drawing, painting, collaging, assembling and writing our little hearts out.

We talked about the process and what it means to us. How we use it in our lives and how we want to share it with others. It is so great to be in community with other women who love this type of work as much as I do.

At one point one of the women explained how difficult she finds it to try to explain the process to others who aren't familiar with it. I quietly agreed and the entire group erupted in laughter and said, "Join the club! We don't know how to explain it either!" We all had a good laugh and kind of moved on to the next topic.

But it got me thinking...how do you get women in a process that you cannot clearly articulate? How can you get them excited about when they really don't understand it. What a dilemma!



Part of the problem is that the process is so unique to everyone. This is what I think makes it so powerful because it meets you where you are. It doesn't force you to do anything you don't want to do or to experience anything you don't want to experience.

If your soul is looking for a little light fun to let loose and step into creative flow, that is exactly what you will be able to experience. If you are looking to understand yourself a little more, go for it. If you want to heal some past pain or get more in touch with your body, this process can be used powerfully for all of those. It is a completely open and unique creative practice!


I offer a variety of classes to give everyone a chance to experience Freedom Art the way they need it. I have a light hearted Creative Dance Class that is just pure fun. I have Freedom Art drawing and painting classes that are more structured with a beginning, middle and end. This format  lets each individual create their own experience that is perfectly tailored to where they are at that moment. It is all completely unique. There is even a class coming up that is all about nurturing yourself and taking care of yourself.


Perhaps I haven't been able to completely define what this practice is and guess what, I don't think you will fully understand it until you give it a try. If you would like to learn more, you can go to my website and sign up for my newsletter. You will get my free ebook, Take Back Your Life With Freedom Art when you sign up. That ebook with take you through the steps of Freedom Art and show you how you can try it for yourself.

I'm also teaching some classes that will give you an opportunity to come and try it out. All the supplies are here and all you have to do is show up ready to play. If you'd like to work one on one I am available to do that in the studio or online. There are so many options available to you. Isn't that amazing?!



Thursday, September 15, 2016

New Beginnings in September




September has always held a special place in my heart. I used to get so excited to go to the store and pick out my new school supplies and I loved the idea of a new school year starting. No matter what was going on in my young life I knew school would be a fun place to be even if it was only because I loved to chat and talk with my friends. 

When I had kids that same excitement carried on. I would go to the school supply aisles in the store and spend so much time searching for just the right notebook or the best pens while my kids rolled their eyes and wanted to get out of there. 


Now that my kids are older, there isn’t that same kind of beginning school excitement to shop for supplies but the energy is still so new and so fresh that I just love this time of year. In fact, I have decided that I want to model my business around the school schedule because it just makes so much sense to me. 

So here we are at a new beginning…for my kids, for myself and for my business. I am beyond excited to ride this positive energy burst forward and pick up steam to make this year my best and it is my goal to help you do the same. 


I am always using my Freedom Art process to get really clear on what I want and what I need to do to accomplish it. I don’t concern myself with creating a masterpiece, I only want to step into creative flow and allow my truth to come through and lead the way.


How are you beginning this new cycle in your life? Are you clear on what direction you are going in? If not, how do you typically gain clarity? I’d love to know. 

Monday, September 12, 2016

How to Have an Awesome Art Party



What a great night! I could not be happier about the outcome of my first open house at The Creative Healing Studio! So many great people came out and had fun doodling, painting, and drawing. 


 Food was set out and drinks were prepared. 


Everyone had a chance to create a collaboration on a big piece of paper. 



I was so happy to have a great group of kids too.


Hours of doodling and painting left some fantastic art and gave the studio so much great energy.


The doodle table was a favorite of many.





In fact, the fun continued after midnight!





 And I even got some men in on the fun. 




Thank you to everyone who came out. My first Freedom Art Class is this Thursday and I am offering a 50% discount to all first timers who have signed up for my newsletter. You can sign up here and you get my free ebook, Take Back Your Life with Freedom Art™.




Thursday, September 1, 2016

5 Ways You Can Use Freedom Art to Release Emotions



Growing up I learned very young how to stuff my emotions. I used all kinds of things to accomplish this task…cigarettes, alcohol, food, and depression. I didn’t really even know that’s what I was doing. I was just going along, living my life and stuffing everything down. 

But once I found myself in the hospital for a few days with no real answers to what was wrong with me I began the long journey to figure my shit out. What I discovered is the world of emotional release which is being with your emotions in the moment no matter what they are and letting them flow through you.

My emotion of choice has always been anger. I hold onto that one for dear life until it blows like a catastrophic volcano. The first time I sat with it and really let it out it felt like my whole body was literally on fire. It was raging through me with incredible power. I felt like one of this old cartoons where the character turned red with smoke blowing out of their ears. Whew!

It felt amazing to get it out. I felt like I lost 50 pounds that day. But emotions are not a one time thing. They come and they go everyday. They like to hide out in the body so sometimes you don’t even know what is going on until it gets so big you can’t ignore it. 

My greatest discovery was understanding how Freedom Art™ can be used to release emotions. Regular time in front of your journal, canvas or even a poster board taped to the wall is one of the greatest ways I have found to get in touch with emotions and just allow them to be. 

It’s like a playdate with all those little emotions hiding out inside you. Have you seen that movie Inside Out? I love that movie. It really gives a concrete example of what is going on in there. And the moral of that story is that every emotion has its place and shouldn’t be ignored. 

Here are 5 ways you can use art to release your emotions:

1. Work in your journal- Your journal is a safe place to let all of your emotions out. You can close the pages and no one has to see what you've done. You can scribble and swear and create the ugliest things you've ever seen and it is only for you. 

2. Choose your materials wisely- Different materials can evoke different feelings. Water colors are fluid and can connect you to your watery emotions like sadness, grief, and love. Crayons and oil pastels can really help you gain access to anger, jealousy and fear. Everyone will have different connections to the materials so tap into how you are feeling and which material will best express that feeling and don't be afraid to switch it up in the middle. 

3. Choose colors without judgement- Each color can represent an emotion and once again, everyone will have different associations with colors. One person might associate green with health and vibrancy and another might think of sickness. It only matters what color you are being nudged to use. Don't ask why, just go with it and see where it leads you. 

4. Use gestures that represent how you feel- Do you feel like moving in long, sweeping vertical lines or are you feeling hard, frantic scribbles? Perhaps you want to move slowly in a horizontal direction or in short stabbing dots. Allow your movement to match your emotions and pay attention to when you feel like changing. 

5. Spend some time in reflection- When you finish your art piece spend some time writing about it. How did it feel to create it? How does it make you feel when you look at it? What messages does it have for you. 

I will be sharing my most recent emotional journey using Freedom Art™ in my next post to give you a greater idea of how it works. Stay tuned!


Thursday, August 25, 2016

Product vs. Process Art





So many people think they aren’t artists. They have this idea that art has to look a certain way and that they weren’t trained in visual arts so they can’t possibly be artists. Many people are intimidated by the thought of creating art. I have watched women literally fall into anxiety at the thought of it. 

I think the problem is that they are focused on creating a finished product. They have an idea in their head for something that they want to make and either they don’t have the skills to create it or they think they can and somewhere in the middle of it they realize they cannot do it and they shut down. 

When you create art for product you find yourself in a world of rules; rules of composition, color, and line. These are the terms of art school and they are important in the world of design. They can help you create things that are pleasing to the eye but is that only aspect of art? I don’t think so. 

The field of product art is established around critiques and fitting your art into these rigid rules. There is so much time spent focusing on what is wrong with your creation that your soul can be deflated at best and crushed at worst. 





Process art throws all the rules out the window. It is the thing that sets you free from rules and critiques. There is no one there to tell you what you “should” have done or even what you “could” have done. You do not start with a preconceived idea about what you are making. You start with curiosity and experimentation. 

Process art is about following your intuition and doing what feels good in the moment no matter what it ends up looking like. It’s about playing with color, line and movement and seeing what emerges on the paper. Red feels exciting? Use it! You have an urge to add some dots? Go for it!




This is the foundation of Freedom Art™. Pure joy in the process of creativity, the way a child explores and plays with art supplies. It’s an opportunity to let go of rules and expectations and let your creativity flow no matter what the finished product looks like. This is the place where everyone is an artist. 

What are your experiences with art? Have you experienced either ends of this spectrum? I'd love to know!

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Art is Powerful





I believe art is powerful! I don’t mean just looking at a piece of art. I mean the process of creating art for just for the sake of the process. When you let go of all the rules and expectations of creating art and tune into the creative flow that is there for everyone you tap into an amazing power like you’ve never known. 

Sometimes I use art just to get my energy flowing, to step into creative flow, to play and have fun. Yesterday I was feeling like I was in a bit of a funk. I felt blah and crabby and I decided to use art to help shift my mood. 




I taped up a sheet of paper onto the wall and turned on an album I have of chakra music. I used the corresponding color as each song played and I just expressed myself in those colors. No rules. No expectations. Just energy on a page. 

When I finished, I felt better. I knew I had tapped into something but yet I still felt like something was missing. I wasn't complete. 



I got out my notebook and started writing. I wrote about how I was feeling and what I wanted and got out some more junky junk and then I set my intention. I was drawn to a dark black oil pastel and I just slowly started making lines and shapes. I had no idea what I was doing, I only did what felt right in the moment.

I knew I had to get out the white paint  so I did. I started playing with blocking out some of those shapes. I added some other colors and kept playing. I found it so interesting how different the energy was at this point than it had been earlier. 


I continued on adding lines, dots and other colors. I love the way the bright chakra colors shine through and move across the page. It seems raw, pure and full of joy.

When the painting itself felt complete I got out my trusty notebook and once again spent some time writing and getting insight about the process, the art and how I was feeling. 

In the past I might never want to share such an "unfinished" piece of art because I was focused on the idea of creating art that had to look a certain way but I now fully embrace Freedom Art™ which is all about throwing away the rules and following your intuition. It is about using art as a tool to get in touch with your inner wisdom, healing your soul and creating a life that makes you shine. 

If you would like to try out Freedom Art™ head over to my website. You can sign up for a free ebook called, Take Back Your Life with Freedom Art™ which will also get you on the mailing list for updates on new classes that are offered in my studio.