297/365: You and Me, Kid

Today I made:
a prediction...

"You & Me, Kid...We're Going Places" altered book art journal spread:
acrylic, water soluble oil pastels, vintage children's book images, scrap paper, and original photo.
Found & composed text reads:
"Stalking the Good Life: using our inner resources to create soul-shaking changes in all this learning by doing."

I consider myself pretty lucky to live with my greatest hero. It's been especially awesome watching him grow into his own skin over the past few years. I'm so proud of my husband. He is not only fine tuning his talents and developing his craft, he is learning to get out of his own way and to create his life around his passions- guitar building and music. It's such an inspiration to witness his creative process. He's teaching me (without even realizing it) to work through resistance and develop the right attitude about doing work that I love.

He has many creative projects in the works and I get so much joy from seeing his excitement when he gets his next brilliant idea. Most recently, he's been working on his first electric guitar (it's incredible!) and is getting ready to enter it into the woodworker's competition at the fair. This weekend, he began a Facebook page for his business, Bowman Built Guitars. Next it will be a website and the sharing of his art with the world.

His courage to take control of his creative life and put himself out there inspired my art today. I snapped a photo of these pink and blue beach cruisers on one of my walks because they reminded me of us. The spread began with the photo and perfect found text, and developed from there. We are kids at heart, always looking for our next adventure. I love that our creative journeys are evolving so synchronistically. We are on parallel paths, that crazy kid and I.

296/365: Left-Brain Love for Right-Brained People

This past week, the insomnia began again and I'm up at all hours of the night, my brain on a hamster wheel, deliberating over new ideas. My Midnight Idea Journal is just not cutting it. My notes are usually illegible come daylight, and really, I'd rather be sleeping. I think I need another massive to-do list brain spill to clean out the ol' mental file.

In January I made the mother of all idea lists. It was a great way to organize my thoughts and has proven very useful, but since it's on my lap top, it's not quite as accessible as I'd like it to be. I still find myself jotting new ideas down in phone notes, lesson plan books and random scraps of paper when I'm on the go. So I'm right back where I started with the scattered schemes. Inspiration is everywhere, but I have too many disheveled ideas to know where to start.

Oh here I go again with the lists and organizing...but at last I think I've found a real solution. Last week I sat in on a webinar offered by Jess Green of Seek Your Course (which, by the way is the most incredible source for art workshops, retreats, conferences and all experiences to grow your creative soul or business. Jess, you're brilliant!) Jess offers a series of classes called Creative Ease. She suggests a systems approach to "getting things done while maintaining creative energy and sanity." Think of your organized and analytical left-brain doing a sexy tango with your inspired and creative right brain! Oh yes, that's the sweet spot for me!

Through the webinar, I learned about some great free apps (that sync to your smart phone and desktop computer) to help you get and stay on top of all those creative ideas and projects. It's helping me whip my creative life into shape, finally!

So this evening I've been applying my left-brain skills to set up the fabulous Evernote app. Evernote allows you to capture and organize the flow of ideas into your own personal, searchable library. Tomorrow it's on to organizing action steps and to-do lists for my latest creative projects with the Trello  app, and creating a blog publishing calendar with Google Calendar.

I wouldn't consider myself incredibly tech-savvy, so it's good to know that Jess's classes are there if I get in over my head with these new toys. Do check out her Creative Ease site for a more thorough description of how these and several other left-brain tools can benefit creative right-brainers.

These new tools are totally helping me embrace my left-brain tendencies and making them work for me as an artist. Yes, left-brain, I love you too and you deserve the credit for helping me plan, organize and accomplish many of my creative projects with baby steps.

I have 70 days left in my 365 Days of Creative project, and while there's plenty of room for new inspiration, spontaneous projects and creative whims, I want to make sure to share the golden nuggets I've been digging up. I want to use the time that's left to explore the topics that have been on my mind, the questions that have come up along the journey and the projects that are itching to come to the surface.

I feel like I can see it all more clearly, and it's totally manageable. I feel like I have more focus and intention. Cheers to left-brain loveliness!

295/365: Try Something New

On any given Friday night, Banjo would rather be doing this...

and I would rather be doing this...



I painted on bare wood today. {{Swoon}}
It sounds so simple, I know, but somehow the idea has managed to escape me all this time.
Aside from my encaustic wax and plaster painting experiments, which usually take place on wood panels, my other work has never made it off the canvas, paper or fabric.

Light washes of acrylic running together in subtle clouds and streaks, the pigments seeping into the natural grain- I like where this is going.

I like to try new things as much as Banjo likes napping.
And that is a wholeheckofalot!

294/365: Wild Beautiful Life

Acrylic on 16"x20" canvas
Mila Bowman 2013

Today we let go of what we had planned and made room for something even better.

For me this happened on and off the canvas.

After two last-minute location changes to this evening's
Mixed Media Spring Fling Meet-up, one of our lovely event hosts opened her home to the group.

It turned out to be an intimate gathering of exuberant, creative women. Everyone brought their own flavor of awesome to the party and I am so grateful for the mingling of souls.

Art supplies and stories were shared. Strategies were offered and experimentation encouraged.
Paint was spilled, (but we were very careful not to spill the wine ;)

We came together from many different stages of the life journey. From just stepping into womanhood, to adapting to motherhood; from career changes to brave leaps into soul searching stages- we were brought together by a common thread. We are all transitioning into more creative lives, evolving as women and as creative beings.

I actually like to think we get more than one spin, but this time around...

whichever part of the path you're on, whatever challenges or joys lie ahead,
Remember: every day you are creating your wild, beautiful life.

293/365: Greater Than, Less Than

Today I made:
myself feel bad...

I had other plans for my daily creative today, but it doesn't seem as important right now. In an effort to get these thoughts out of my head before bedtime (ah journal therapy) and in the spirit of speaking my truth (even the ugly truth), I share with you fresh from this prickly place on the path where I've found myself.

The marine layer that settled over our sunny beach town today had no intention of burning off, and neither did my headache. I'm on day three with no coffee. (What was I thinking?!) Thankfully I was blessed with a quiet day at home and so I wouldn't jostle myself, I spent most of the day snuggling my lap top.

It's rare that I let myself get so distracted on the Internet. I don't usually have the time for this guilty pleasure, but today after a bit of productive research, I fell down the rabbit hole. Lost in link land with no real motive, I found myself hopping around to blogs beyond my familiar favorites.

Blog hops can be very much fun. Finding inspiration, learning, connecting with others- this is normally what happens when I allow myself to go wandering. But every once in a while, things take a dark turn, and I start to compare myself to others. Professional looking photographs, clean designs, their way with words, their keen understanding of this platform of self-expression- all of a sudden what I'm putting out there seems so juvenile.

I've heard it called "blog envy." I don't actually resent anyone for putting their awesome out into the world. I'm thrilled that people are discovering and sharing their gifts and I know deep down there's room for me to share mine in my own way, but I can't help feeling inadequate sometimes. I turn inward and begin to find my faults and shortcomings. I completely lose sight of my accomplishments and proud moments in the light of what other artists are doing. I feel like I will never measure up.

As my husband would say, "Congratulations, you're human."
I am not immune to these feelings, even though I talk a big game when it comes to courage. This is where the yuck gets even thicker people! It's hard to encourage in earnest when you feel discouraged, which makes me feel like a fraud- and on and on the horrible feelings spiral.

So late into the evening and so deep into my negative thoughts,  I have a hard time conceiving that the sun will come up on this self-doubt of mine. I know I know, it's part of the process. But this part is no fun. Here I sit, lacking confidence, completely distracted from my goals. And I brought it all on myself. Awesome.

I will allow myself to acknowledge that at least I'm treating this like the journal that it really is.

In my someday blogging life, I'm going to have the brilliant response to this post. The "I should know better than to let this silliness get me down" self will provide a complete list of tried and true get you out of comparison mode tactics. But can I just sit with these feelings for a bit so I can find my own way out? OK, thanks.

For now friends, I leave you with the brilliant quotes of a man who's obviously done some thinking on the topic. I will be repeating these lines to myself as I drift off to sleep.

"Other people's success is not an indication of your failure."

"Never compare your beginning to somebody else's middle."   ~ John Acuff

292/365: Learning Curves

Today I  created:

space for new learning...

I'm sending my head-achy self to bed, but more thoughts on my creative learning adventures coming soon.

291/365: The Power of Pause

Today I made:
time to stop and smell the flowers...

the best smelling street on the block...

I am always rushing. Rushing for work, rushing between appointments, rushing to finish up my household chores so I can have more time for art. Even during my week off for spring break, I feel the pressure of all the things I want to accomplish during my free time. This morning I thought, "Must take the dog for a quick walk so I can get to my list of to-dos."

With my mind racing ahead into parts of the day that hadn't even happened, we briskly walked from tree to tree while Banjo did his doggy business and "checked his messages." A few blocks from the house, I was overwhelmed by the most heavenly scent. It literally made me stop in my tracks. I looked around for a moment trying to find the bush or tree that was emitting the air born sweetness. Then I just closed my eyes and inhaled.

I stood there for a while, feet planted firmly on the sidewalk, eyes closed to traffic. My pup eventually caught on and stopped tugging at the leash. For the first time since we left the house, I noticed how warm the sun actually felt despite the rapid breeze. I noticed how comfortable my new running shoes were. I noticed how there's a tight spot in my chest where the inhale gets stuck. Right then I decided, when I got home, the piles of dishes, bills and laundry would wait.

Instead I did yoga and stretched out the tight space. I made lunch for my husband and myself to enjoy on the deck. I jotted down a list of sweet-smelling flowering shrubs to look for at the garden store. I journaled about my learning. I simply revised my to-do list to include small moments of joy and peace in my day.

Too often we get caught up in what needs doing and we forget to just be. To be in the present, to enjoy what this moment has to offer. Where did we learn this hectic pace? How can we learn to slow down and take it all in? It is a lesson I seem to face again and again as life tumbles forward.

I am learning this: There is power in the pause. It is possible to fine tune our awareness to the blessings that are present in everyday moments. We can train our senses to alert us when it's time to pay attention, not just to notice, but to take the time to appreciate, even if just for a few deep breaths. Being in nature and honoring it through art and writing helps me grow this awareness.

Ten years from now, I won't remember how productive I was with my chores this first day of April, but I will be able to recall the way I felt when the collection of sweet moments brought me peace.