The Blank Canvas Blog Hop: How I Deal with a Blank Book Page...

Hi, It's Monday, September 15th, and it's Day 8 of the BLANK CANVAS BLOG HOP! I'm Virginia Simpson-Magruder and I am a jewelry, collage, and altered book artist and I'm here to share with you my tips for conquering the BLANK CANVAS! 

Up until a couple of seconds ago (this part was written Sunday morning) --- this post was my BLANK CANVAS. I've been sitting and staring at this screen for 15 minutes, and cleaning out my inbox for 20 minutes! All the while thinking about what I'm going to write about, letting all my thoughts mull around in the back of my mind, including my anxiety about possibly failing. 

So spelled out, this is usually how it goes before I get enough "juice", "umpfff", "spark", "mojo" to start a creative project: 

1. I think about the general subject matter or get an inkling of desire (to paint, to draw, to start and altered book, to write)....
2. I do something else (clean dishes, do laundry, call my mother, lay on a blanket under the tree, make some coffee)...
3. I berate myself and think I'm going to fail...
4. I pray for the divine energy to intervene...
5. I finally sit down (or stand up) in front of the "intended" project or art piece and...JUMP IN!

Can you relate???I bet some of you can!

Here are a few things I try to remember:

1. Don't punish or berate myself, or be critical of my procrastination: It's part of the creative process!
2. Give myself permission to wander around, go for a walk, put things away in my studio: It's part of the creative process!
3. Don't be afraid of making "bad" art, "ugly" art, "not good enough" art: It's part of the creative process!
4. Keep my intention to create in the back of my mind as I participate in my "non-making art" activities: It's part of the creative process!

The most important thing in approaching your BLANK CANVAS is to get into your right brain mode of thinking. The right brain is where creativity lives (versus the left brain which is where our analytical thought processes live) -- and one of the ways to get into that mode is to play with color, images, textures, words.  

MY TWO FAVORITE TECHNIQUES FOR OVERCOMING BLANK CANVAS PARALYSIS

I do one of two things to get warmed up and get the juices flowing. I start working in a SMALL or TINY book or journal. In the flip through below I show one of my altered journals, "Tiny Green Book". It is filled to the brim with images, color, and ephemera. I didn't think hard about what this book would contain except to select images, paper, ribbons, and text that have to do with the color green. Working in a small book or journal gives you the opportunity to complete a page easily without much thought. Focusing on a color and all its different shades and tones also stimulates the right brain. And as i am working in my studio -- if I come across an image or papers that i think will fit in it -- I'll stuff them in between the pages to glue in later. After working in a journal like this for 10 for 15 minutes I'm often ready to jump into a BLANK CANVAS.

To see my Tiny Green Journal Flip through Video go here.

Another technique I use and suggest to my altered book students is to have one altered book that is devoted solely to Playing or Experimenting with color, media, and techniques. Play with color, play with magazine images, play with art media, play with ribbons, play with glitter. Again, try not to think about what the end product is going to be. These play books often end up being my favorite altered books and journals. The more you fall into the color, shapes, textures -- the more you'll be accessing your right brain and you can follow that flow right into your BLANK CANVAS.

GIVEAWAY: Before you go -- be sure to participate in my Blank Canvas Blog Hop giveaway. If you go to my Wild Spirit Pendants' Facebook Fan Page and "Like Us", and then join my Kentucky Girl Designs e-newsletter list (click on the blue button in column to the right), you will have a chance to win my Wild Spirit Jaguar Pendant:

 

This hand-soldered collage pendant celebrates the Wild Spirit of Jaguar. Wear this pendant to reinforce the creative passion within you!

Have fun with these BLANK CANVAS tips and come visit me at Kentucky Girl Designs for more and a list of my workshops and upcoming e-courses.

Earlier Participants!
1. Sept 8   Karen Friedland 
2. Tuesday Sept 9   Lezette Markham
3. Wednesday Sept 10 Cynthia Patton
4. Thursday Sept 11 Jennyann Carthern
5. Friday "Frenzy" Sept 12  Kiala Givehand
6. Saturday Sept 13 Jan Blount
7. Sunday Sept 14 Effy Wild
8. Monday Sept 15 Virginia Simpson-Magruder
9. Tuesday Sept 16 Dariana Cruz
10. Wednesday Sept 17 Susan Miller
11. Thursday Sept 18 Grace Howes go here
12. Friday Sept 19 Tori Deaux
13. Saturday Sept 20 Kiala Givehand go here
14. Sunday Sept 21 Martin Arkenstone go here!
15. Monday Sept 22 Nicole Piar

In My Studio: Creative Chaos

A view of my studio table after a full week of creating! Chaos!

In My Studio: At Home

Even though I have my larger and beautiful public art studio, I've kept my studio at home in one of the spare bedrooms. I removed a lot of furniture and collage materials and supplies and took them to the new studio -- but things just seem to keep multiplying and accumulating here at the home studio so it keeps evolving. I like having a place where I can assemble my jewelry and solder without worrying about the fumes, and a place to create some journal pages when the mood strikes. It's slowly evolving into some semblance of....me and my creative spirit. Things Take Time.

Express Yourself! Workshop: November 5th!

Express Yourself! Workshop 

at Kentucky Girl Designs Studio this weekend:

Saturday, November 5th, 2-4:30pm

For a description and to sign up go here.

The Collage Cafe -- October's Photos and November Date

Daniel Doing Some Serious Stamping

The Next Collage Cafe is Saturday, November 19th, 2-5pm!

I've had two Collage Cafes this month, and really, I have so much fun at them that in the New Year I am going to offer them 3 times a month! I am there in the studio most Saturdays anyway -- so I can't really think of a more pleasurable time than to spend it in the creative company of others! At the Collage Cafes, people bring projects they are working on or want to get started on, and I supply the tools, supplies, and gentle guidance.

Ingrid's Gift Box for Doree

Daniel and Ingrid have come to several of my Collage Cafes and Express Yourself! workshops. Ingrid is a certified Pilates Master Instructor and Daniel is a gaming designer. Both seem to enjoy exploring the mysteries of creative self-expression and literally throw themselves into the process. Daniel is like this whirling dervish -- give him a prompt and he's totally off in a different direction that I can only call WILD-ly CREATIVE -- it is thrilling to watch. Ingrid has gone past her initial doubt of her ability to create beautiful pages and objects filled with feeling.

Daniel's Transformation of a Board Book on Love and Romance

Working and Creating: Establishing a Discipline

My preparation for my exhibiting at the Caledonia Spring Street Faire in Sausalito has kept me away from posting this past month. It started with a dear (and wise) friend's challenge to establish a work schedule of 5-8 hours a day, 5 days a week, in my studio. This has not been easy for me...far from it...but I am happy to report that I have accomplished that initial challenge and I will continue to adhere to a schedule -- both in the studio as well as online -- as I build my jewelry and creativity workshops. It would have been great to write about this over the last month or so -- but I honestly had no extra energy to spare. So I just worked in my studio and watched what emerged. It really is kind of wonderful. Looking forward to seeing what happens this weekend. If you are in the area, please drop by the Faire, 9am-6pm, Caledonia Street, Sausalito -- and say "Hi"!

Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Year 3, Day 10

Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Year 3, Day 10: From the Heart

Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Year 3, Day 9

Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Year 3, Day 9: Every Piece of Art

Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Year 3, Day 8

Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Year 3, Day 8: Clean Spirit

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 7, Year 3

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 7, Year 3: Shine On

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 6, Year 3

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 6, Year3: Step Back in Time

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Year3...Day 5

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge: Year3...Day 5: Adding That Touch Of
last spread created while in London

London is such a curious mix -- a city that I will continue to enjoy -- each time I return. I love the mix of history and present day influences. I love hearing 20 different languages being spoken as you walk down the streets. I love equally it's pristine, architecturally correct buildings and gardens and the blasphemous, graffiti-smeared walls.

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Year3...Day 3

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Year3...Day 3: Love the Way They Make You Feel

Second spread I created while in London. Feels unfinished. Like my life I suppose. My husband and I always stay at the Bailey's Millenium when we are in London for the London Book Fair. It's an old, British hotel that was kept intact and connected to a larger, more modern convention style hotel next door. We have always loved the feel of the Baily with it's vintage brass and wood interior and intimate, antique lobby and pub-style bar area. This year the pub had been altered to reflect the new restaurant that had moved in. The casual, relaxed sofas had been replaced with spillover dining seating from the restaurant. I found it wrenching on some level. It's not like I don't like new -- but the qualities of the pub had changed for me. I always looked forward to having afternoon cappuccinos next to the fireplace and doing some journaling or blogging. It was special and different from my regular life routine. Unsettling to see how attached you get to things. Nowadays I just take note of it, shed a tear or two, wave goodbye, and move on....

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Year3...Day 2

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Year3...Day 2: The Cowgirl in London

(This is one of four journal spreads I did on my trip. I'll just have to catch up over the next week or so.)

I generally don't like to be away from blogging this long. But it just turned out this way. I can beat myself up about it but what good does that do except perpetuate the negative. I spent the last 10 days in London and Paris. I love Europe, especially these two cities. I resonate to their character and am generally thrilled with being exposed to so many different things, places, foods, languages, people. It is creatively very stimulating but often overwhelming, and this year my trip was high on the overwhelming scale. I found it very difficult to focus. I felt scattered, fragmented, and creatively barren. I felt it difficult to put one foot in front of the other. So basically my strategy quickly became to do one thing only each day, let things fall where they may, and just keep moving in between. I gave up attempting to journal or to post, and just collected images and experiences. I figured that eventually something would come out of it and find expression in my art and jewelry at some point later down the road.We'll see.

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Year3...Day 1

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Year 3. Day 1: Knowledge Is Power

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 365...YEAH!!!

 2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 365: Life Is Magnifique

I have reached the end of year two of my personal art challenge of creating one journal page a day! Hard to believe that I have stayed with and met this challenge! It definitely has supported my creative pursuits -- both artfully and personally. I see no reason why not to continue for another year. The format may change a bit -- or it may not. I'll see what evolves as I go!

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 364

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 364:Different Travel

a different way of moving through life starts with a question...with no answer

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 363

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 363: The Driving Forces

love and hunger

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 362

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 362: In an Instant

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 361

2011 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 361: Extraordinary