Tag: painting

sparking creativity…

Are there certain things that just make you feel like creating? Things that spark your creativity? Things that make you want to pick up a paintbrush or pen or get to work on a project?

One of my creative sparks is watching videos about painting, art journaling, or writing.

These videos can be instructional or they can be someone talking about their own creative process. It doesn’t matter to me – simply watching them (even without following along if it’s a lesson or a teaching video) makes me feel creative. These kinds of videos help me stay connected to my creativity.

I’ve been watching several videos like that over the past few days. Karen Abend’s 2025 Sketchbook Revival Binge Fest started on Tuesday and I’ve been having a blast. My first experience with Sketchbook Revival (no charge to sign up) was in 2019, and I’ve been doing it every year since then. Each year there are many videos from different artists sharing videos of techniques and tips and projects for painting, drawing, mixed media – basically anything that can be done in a sketchbook, whether big or small.

This year’s Sketchbook Revival Binge Fest is different from previous years, and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since she announced it. For the 2025 Sketchbook Revival, Karen has opened the vault to all the videos for five years’ worth of past Sketchbook Revivals: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. This means over 130 workshop sessions from dozens of different artists.

Watching videos like these sparks my creativity, and that’s why I try to watch things like this on a fairly regularly basis. Sometimes I’ll simply go to YouTube and search for art journaling videos or writing-related videos. Almost always, it leads to doing more writing, more painting, more creating.

Since Tuesday, I’ve watched a few of the videos from 2018 (I’ve focused on that year since I didn’t sign up for Sketchbook Revival back then). I’ve only watched, I haven’t actually followed along or done any of the specific projects. But watching has made me pick up my paintbrushes and pens more often this week.

How it looks isn’t what matters. It’s the doing of it that matters.

Just to play. Just to relax and unwind.

Just to connect to creativity.

Just to create for the joy of it.

❤

brief bits of creative time…

For several years now, I’ve focused on having short times of creativity instead of waiting for longer blocks, and it’s been working out well to keep me connected with my creativity and keep the flow going.

Whether I’m writing or painting, I let myself create in brief bits – sometimes as brief as five minutes or less. There are days when I have only one of these “brief bits” and there are days when I’m painting and/or writing off and on in little bits throughout the day. And it all adds up.

There are also days when a “brief bit” turns into a much longer stretch of time, and I’m always grateful for those days. But I let it be okay when that does not happen. My goal is to have a brief bit.

It’s easiest to do this when supplies are already out (or easily accessible). Not only does it cut back on “setting up” time, it also serves as a visual reminder and little nudge. Creativity can’t be out-of-sight-out-of-mind if I have supplies for arting, crafting, and writing in view.

Having things easily accessible makes it easy to stop and do just a few brush strokes or a few minutes of doodling or writing.

And, as I said, it all adds up. Here are a few recent examples of the results (and projects in process) of my small bits of painting and doodling time…

Most of my writing is in digital format, which means it’s harder to show a picture of my recent writing, but small bits of writing time definitely can add up to finished projects. My novel, New Life in New Melody, is an example.

If I waited for long periods of uninterrupted time when I could concentrate on nothing but painting or writing or any other creative endeavor, my creative life wouldn’t feel as satisfying. I wouldn’t be able to stay as connected to my creativity. And I firmly believe I wouldn’t create as much or as often as I do.

If you haven’t tried brief bits of creative time, I hope you’ll test it out and see how it goes.

Maybe, like me, you’ll find it makes a world of difference.

♥

creativity as calming distraction…

As I continue my journey of life having way more anxiety than I wish it would, I’ve been spending even more time immersed in creativity. I’m still (very gradually) working on a sequel to my novel, New Life in New Melody, and doing other writerly-type things.

Mostly, though, my creative time has been related to painting and art journaling and doodling.

Writing (as I’ve mentioned before) seems to need a certain amount of feeling settled inside myself for me to make the jump from not-writing to writing on any given day… and when the anxiety is too high, I can’t seem to reach that state.

But painting is different for me. I can pick up a paintbrush and start painting even in the midst of high anxiety.

And then the settled feeling comes, at least while I’m painting. And it’s calming. And it’s distracting.

Even just painting squares of color does this for me. Recently, I spent some time going through some of my acrylic paints and I simply painted swatches of color.

Which is just what I need to get past the anxiety and reach a place of peace.

Even just doing this made such a difference in the anxiety!

Whenever I had a bit of paint leftover on my palette, I added it to a canvas I had recently covered with white gesso. Not trying to make it into anything, just painting and making marks to use up the extra bits of paint left when I squeezed out or poured too much.

Simply playing with the paint.

Just being in the creativity with the paint and the brushes.

But the calming of it, and the distraction of it, help so much.

When you’re feeling anxious, find what can help you distract from the feelings (unless distraction isn’t what’s needed at the time). Find what can help you calm. It might take some experimenting – and what helps can shift and change, which is why it’s good to have a variety of things to turn to and try. But when you do find what helps, take the time to do it.

And may it make a positive difference in your day.

That’s my wish for you.

♥