A Year of LIving Creatively

Its been over a year since I made the commitment to making art everyday.   It has been incredibly empowering and has lead to some exciting developments.

One of the best things that has happened is that in a very real way, creating art has lead to more creating of art.  I think this is true of any practice--doing more has lead me to be more motivated and more inspired to do even more.  It is pretty cyclical that way.  And so, the more I create, the more I create.   

It has also been true that the more I create and put out into the social media universe, the more jobs and commissions I have received.  Last week I shipped out 9 (9!!!) paintings to new homes, and I have 5 more in progress that I am hoping to finish and ship out by the end of January.  I'm also working on a new book (details coming soon!) that I am very excited about.

Here are some simple principles that have helped me in my practice of making art every day.  

1.  Making art everyday does not mean finishing a piece of art every day.  It can be anything from doodling/drawing while relaxing at the end of the day to adding a layer or details to a piece of art.  most of my art takes many layers--I almost never finish a piece in one sitting.  so I am not looking towards completion--only working on the process.  

2. Finding my best time to work:  I am at my most creative and motivated in the late morning, so I do my best work then.  I find that if I get started around 9 or 10 in the morning, after getting the kids off to school, attending to emails and more mundane tasks, then by 10 I am ready to get painting.  If I hit my stride, I can work for a few hours before stopping to do other non art related work.  In doing art everyday I have learned that I have a pattern, and if I wait too long to begin, nothing real or productive will get done (unless I am on a deadline, in which case I push myself and end up creating on fumes--sometimes this pushes me to create my best work, other times it just feels desperate).

3. Having supplies at the ready: I know which supplies I use the most, and generally have them available when I get started.  This includes the paint colors I use the most, the brushes, canvases, cups for water (really--you have no idea how annoying it is to be ready to paint and not be able to find a container for water), and a clear working space.  I do like a good art supply run, but running out to the store instead of using that time to create is not so productive.  

Here are some of the pieces I have created this year:  

I have benefitted so much from creating art every day.  I can't wait to see what will happen next!

Making Art, Making Meaning

Every Summer for the past four years I have had the opportunity to work at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires.  It is a wondeful opportunity for my kids to go to camp, and for me to work with an amazing staff and transmit Judaism in an immersive and fun environment.  Every year I return refreshed and inpsired by the work, the colleagues, and the environment.

I wanted to share some of the amazing work my campers did this summer.  These kids, ages 12 to 15, chose to come to my art based Judaism classes (Jewish Learning thru Art).  Throughout the month we studied various Jewish texts, prayers and psalms, and used micrography, collage, acrylic paint and watercolor resist to create meaningful and beautiful works of art.  These campers were so thoughtful, hard working and insightful.  They were such a pleasure to work with.

Enjoy some of their amazing projects: