Moved!

I finally got my new art blog up and running: Flogging the Muse. Not quite the clever name I was hoping for, but it will have to do.

This will be the last post here. Unfortunately there's no way for me to automatically transfer this blog's followers to the new site, but I tried to make it easy for you to follow the new blog with a nice big prominent Google Friend Connect box on the sidebar of the new site (which has a pathetic one single follower in it at the moment). You can also subscribe to the new blog's feed here.

I hope you'll continue to follow my artistic adventures over on Flogging the Muse. This will be my last post on this site (although eventually the Insert Clever Art Blog Name Here archives will be transferred over to Flogging the Muse, so the two blogs will get smooshed into one).

Thank you to all of you who have read and commented on this blog. Hope to see you over at the new one!

The Artist's Way: Reading Deprivation

Week four in The Artist's Way is a big one: Cameron asks us to give up reading and television for a week.  Back when the book was first published, before the internet was such a part of our daily lives, this would have been a challenge. In today's world it can seem downright impossible.

In the online discussion group I'm following, this task understandably met with a lot of resistance. People went on about how they couldn't possibly give up reading this week. Upon seeing their posts (I had not yet read the chapter), I got a sinking feeling in my stomach. Did I really want to do this? They sure were making it sound hard.

As I read the chapter I reflected on why the task is in there in the first place: to get us to free up more time for creativity. Sure, reading can help inspire creativity, but it can also be a real time suck. I thought about how I use reading to waste a lot of time each day. Whenever I sit down at the computer to get some writing done, I invariably start with a quick read of the headlines, or Facebook, or my favorite blogs. I tend to check my email throughout the day. When procrastinating I can easily get caught up in a series of TED Talks or Colbert Reports, and before I know it a big chunk of my working time is gone.

Suddenly I was excited to do this exercise. Think of all the newly-discovered time I'd have! I decided to create my own rules for the week which would allow me to maximize the intended effects of the exercise while still keeping some other priorities in line. First, no internet browsing. I closed out all the open tabs in my browser and set my homepage to a blank page (for when I need to open it to, say, map something or blog). For email, I'm allowed to check it no more than three times a day for at most 15 minutes at a time, and this just to make sure I'm not neglecting any important business or personal correspondence. I'm also allowed to read and respond to comments on my blogs during this limited time.

No TV, with the exception of the half-hour of The Daily Show that my husband and I watch most nights. It's part of his down time after a long day of work, and I didn't want to mess with it given that I was already finding so many other ways to make changes. No podcasts, so far at least, although I think I'd allow myself to listen to them while painting. I'm trying to opt for music instead of podcasts at other times, such as when I'm running errands or cleaning up around the house. 

And finally, no other reading except for a book I'm reading as research for the novel I'm writing - that I'm allowed to read for up to an hour a day. Banning this book would just impede my progress on my novel, and getting it done is one of my top priorities right now. So, the book stays.

So far I'm four days in (two weekdays), and I'm liking this no-reading thing. It's definitely hard to resist the urge to check in with the internet at certain times, but my week is off to a very productive start. I already think I'll be making some permanent changes to my habits after this week is over.

Revisiting The Artist's Way

I first worked through The Artist's Way (TAW) several years ago, when I was starting to make art again after a 10-year break. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, TAW is an immensely popular book which lays out 12 weeks of exercises designed to unblock a blocked creative person. Some parts are a little touchy-feely for my tastes, but overall I can definitely recommend the book. It helped me into a period of high artistic productivity.

I regularly listen to the podcast I Should Be Writing. When the host Mur decided to start up a TAW group, I decided now would be as good of a time as any to re-do the book. I did it mostly on my own the first time around, and I thought it would be interesting to see what it's like to have the experience along with others.

The group just started last week, so it's not too late to join if you're interested. So far it seems like an interesting group of people.

Happy Creative 2010

I have a good feeling about this year.

It's possible that my current location is helping with that feeling. Still, looking forward to getting back to my studio in a few days. See you then.

Postcards from the Edge: deadline Thursday

Visual AIDS is holding the 12th annual Postcards from the Edge exhibition and benefit sale in January. Artists from all over the world donate postcard-sized works of art which are then sold to benefit Visual AIDS. You too can donate a postcard, but your entry must be postmarked by this Thursday, 10 December 2009.

I participated last year and was hoping to again this year, but I'm not sure I'll be able to get something out in time.

The monsters are done!

My sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project is finally done, documented, and ready to be mailed tomorrow. Woo hoo!

Here are some of the pages that turned out to be my favorites.



I'm looking forward to turning my attention to projects which don't involve monsters (for the Sketchbook Project I was randomly assigned a topic: Aaah! Monsters!). Which is not to say I'm not glad I participated in this project. I'm happy I did it, but in the end I was frustrated by it taking me away from my more serious artwork.



By the way, I am user zurika over on Art House Co-op. If you're a member there, too, add me as a contact!

rubber cement monster

I had to rub so much to get the glue off that I ripped a page out of the sketchbook (some of them are perforated, which doesn't work so well with all the wet media I'm using). Thanks to the mad skillz I gained working in a book bindery, I was able to reattach it without harming the monster.