Something out of Nothing

My first inclination when answering the question, 'what have you done this past month?' is to answer with, "nothing".  My studio is still a disaster, my doll is no further ahead, I'm another month behind on my block-of-the-month quilt.  I've done nothing.  It's been near a month now since I reflected on my journey last, and I've done NOTHING!

However, first inclinations aren't always correct.  Every day I write in my journals, and this allows me to go back and see what it is I have done.  Journal 1 lists the creative thing(s) I did every day, and most every day is accounted for there.  Perhaps I didn't do what I had in mind, but I didn't do 'NOTHING'!  I've spent a bit of time working on my doll, hand stitching the rest of her clothing.  Every stitch counts there, and I appreciate that the time it is taking to hand embroider this costume is worth the effort.  Besides, I do enjoy hand stitching, and I am supposed to be enjoying my time with this, right?  Good, I'll keep at that then.

I've spent a bit of time with Photoshop as well, trying to turn ordinary photographs into works of art.  I'm never going to be good at this, and I'm probably not ever going to like this process, but I am content enough with the results.  I turned my ordinary photo of ice-stick tulips that you saw last month into this.  The possibilities of how I could incorporate this into my are are intriguing.

There's been days when I wandered about taking photos of everything I found inspiring, to have for future reference.  One day I wandered down to Artfest to enjoy the art of other people.  One day I decided to make home-made cosmetics, and now have a lifetime supply of lip balms in many fun flavours!

I also decided that I need to live in a more fun, more artistic, more colourful place,  so set out to refinish the stairwell.  The gross carpet came off the stairs, and there was more ugliness underneath that.  I didn't think this project through too well and I may be in over my head there.  I don't really have a clue about wood refinishing, I don't own a sander, and I just can't see successfully sanding the stairs down by hand.  I had a minor mishap with a can of paint stripper that I'm still physically recovering from, and the projects just newly under-way!  But, it's really too late to back out now....

Every day in June, I sketched a different flower to improve my non-existent drawing skills.

I've started working through a fabulous course for artist's; Julia Cameron's, The Artist's Way.  What a truly wonderful discovery that has been.  Though I'm only two weeks in to that 12 week course, already it has brought me much focus and understanding to my life.  Most importantly so far, that my life, and my life as an artist, aren't 2 separate entities.

I'm back on track with some neglected projects, and there's clay body parts baking in my oven right now.

True, I didn't do what I had planned.  I didn't finish anything.  But, all of this must amount to something, even if it is just paving the road for what I'm going to do tomorrow.