Yes, I am still alive and reenergizing...

Hello, I apologize for the long absence of posts.  The world tried to turn itself upside down on me but I was having none of it!  It was a struggle but I am back on track, slow but surely.  I hope, dear Readers, that you are well and the transition between winter and spring will bring the delights and hope of wonderful year.

I was contemplating what it meant to be creative these past couple of months.  As I struggle with my own sense of creativity, I have been doing a little research around what it means to be creative.  In this process I stumbled on this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04/creativity-habits_n_4859769.html

18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently

Carolyn Gregoire Become a fanCarolyn.Gregoire@huffingtonpost.com

It was an interesting article that laid out 18 facets of what would define a 'creative' person. When I read the article, I asked, "am I truly a creative person?" (I want to believe so). It was interesting that I found I struggle with 5 out of the 18 points: 

I don't work hours I would like to do...real life intervenes. I have to work a 9-5 job. 

I often do take failure personally...though I am learning not to.

I tend to not take risks unless they are completely calculated to probably be successful. 

I do loose track of time but not doing what I want to be doing...sigh. 

And finally, as most of my friends know, I am not a boat rocker...ergo I don't 'shake things up'. 

So 5 out of 18 isn't too, bad so perhaps I am a creative person who is still evolving?  I would like to think so.  What do you think?  Please follow the link to the article, then leave me a comment.  I  would love to hear what you think.

Happy New Year!

A new year has begun and when I look back at 2013, I see that I was able to accomplish many things, one of which was to start this blog.  My goals this year are simple:  To continue to live and breath a creative life.  I keep reflecting on whether I have actually achieved that.  When you work a full time job it is often hard to see past all the anxiety of the weeks work and commuting to note:  Hey!, I am doing something creative everyday or at least most days!  Feeling frustrated that I haven't been able to keep up with my new blog.  Losing sight of my vision for this blog in the craziness and excitement getting ready for the holidays has been slowly undermining my focus and motivation to keep trying.  That being said, I can but try.  My main focus or the foundation of my New Year's Resolutions is to maintain my four agreements (by Don Miguel Ruiz):

Keeping these simple guidelines in mind, I hope to figure out how to prioritize and organize my time so that its is manageable - doable.   Fitting creativity around a weekly job that is not 9-5 in many cases - I am a teacher by profession - is always a challenge.  Working with teens is rewarding and I do not regret my 29 years of teaching at all.  However, it is exhausting physically and emotionally.  I need my creative time to help me refocus my attention on what is also important to me - art, crafts, sewing and writing.

I hope that 2014 will be my year to continue on my life's journey one step higher up on the spiral of possibility.  I have begun my quest to live a creative life and there is no time like the present to re-energize my motivation.  Thank you for stopping by. I hope to share my journey more frequently than I have.

May 2014 bring great joy, love and hope to your dreams, your family and all that you hold dear.

Cheers!

Happy Christmas!

Happy Holidays to all.  Thank you for your patience with the long lag times between postings! I hope that you will return often as I hope to recalibrate my blog to provide the latest on my creative endeavors and inspire you to continue to build your creative lifestyle.

I wish that your holidays have begun with joy and love and will end with a sense of renewal for the coming new year.

Best Wishes!  

Art Everyday Challenge

Leah Piken Kolidas, of Creative Every Day - a wonderful and inspiring bloghttp://creativeeveryday.com/, has kicked off her Art Every Day Month challenge for the year.  I have tried to participate with vigorous intent but usually life got in the way and the initial energy to participate would wax and wane, then peter out entirely.  This year I am using it as a vehicle to proceed on my journey of a creative life that is long overdue to flourish.  Last week, I was able to work on something creative everyday and here are two results of my endeavor:

Autumnal Compositae 

I am a trained botanical illustrator.  I got bored with the process and let it go, exploring other forms of expression from collage, to mix media, art quilting and other fiber-textile processes.Yet, because I wanted to get something going - do art for the sake of the process - I reverted to my roots to produce these two portraits (above and below)

White egret

Last weekend, a white egret visited my porch and the neighbor's as well.  It was around all day, squawking and perching and flying off only to return and repeat.  I managed to get a few sketches of it and produced this drawing during the week as well.  I am fascinated by birds and can spend hours watching them, one of my favorites are the egrets and herons.  I think I captured my visitor as if it were a juvenile bird - but he wasn't.  Interestingly, I see it has returned this morning, so I hope to make more sketches so that I can improve on its portrait.  

The process of painting on a black ground is interesting.  I used a bristol or card stock with a tooth to it.  I sketched it in pencils first then laid in a layer of white gouache - watered down a bit.  This is the white to grayish back ground to use the colored pencils.  The bird I just used white prismacolor pencils directly on the paper.  

I forgot how much I can get happily lost in the process of drawing...how much more calm and intuitive I feel when I am working on a piece.  Living a creative life is my passion and purpose to celebrate my talents and share them with others.

My quote for the weekend:

“When we engage in what we are naturally suited to do, our work takes on the quality of play and it is play that stimulates creativity.” –  Linda Naiman

Welcome to Serenplicity Studios

We are not yet open to view yet but hope to be before too long. Please bookmark us and come back by the 1st of October 2013!