DIY at Home Art Retreat

I’ve been dreaming for a while now about getting out of the city and away from the distractions of everyday life to go make art. The reality is I can’t afford a solo cabin somewhere in the midwest (ideal spot for this daydream), so I decided to make a DIY at home art retreat for myself the Sunday before labor day. It started when a few days prior I was looking at my calendar and noticed that I had no plans. I blocked the day out for art making and an at home retreat.

Full disclosure that I more or less did everything I’m going to talk about here, but I did let myself get distracted with an impromptu invitation and went out with a friend to a comedy show. So...it wasn’t a full day but I did have about 5 hours to myself (I also had a sick boyfriend to go get medicine for).

Of course before the day came I made a list of what my ideal retreat would look like and here it what I wrote:

• Have morning coffee without phone/social media/TV. Bonus picture below with an appearance by Cleo the cat. I am currently reading "The Secret History of Wonder Woman" by Jill Lepore

• Look at old sketchbooks for ideas

• Limit distractions (dishes, laundry, etc).

• Go for a walk to the nearby park

• Read articles I have saved to read later

• Write blog content

• Read

• Minimal social media time

• Collage

• Sketch

• Paint

If you are thinking about doing an at home retreat, nothing fancy is needed for supplies, whatever you have on hand and normally work with are just fine. If you want to play around with a new project make sure you already have all the supplies ready to go so you’re not running to the store day of. Enjoy your day and think of all those times you thought “I wish I had time to work on that” and take this time to do the work!

For me, it was really nice to start the day phone less and with a book. I haven’t done that in a looong time. It did set a good mood for the day and I got a lot done. Next time I do this I will make sure not to get tempted by an invite to go out so I have a full day retreat.

Have you ever done a DIY at home retreat? How did it go? I would love to hear in the comments!

February Wrap Up

February was a month of balancing work-life-art and feeling pretty good about it. The day job has been busy but there was still time to make plans with friends and make art. It's not as perfect as I feel it could have been- I could have done a lot more with the art, but it feels good overall (and that matters!). The boyfriend and I went to Milwaukee for a long weekend of museums, eating, and drinking; another fun Midwest winter trip.

I haven't been doing so well with being present lately; my mind is all over the place and unless I'm painting I am having trouble focusing. I am working to block out more creative time and not let other things distract me. As I type this I have the whole evening ahead of me to create and work on whatever I need to catch up on. 

Here's the February wrap up:

•  Went to the Milwaukee Museum of Art, mostly spending time in the contemporary collection (they have a Kehinde Wiley piece that I love)
• Some great books arrived this month! 100 Days of Discussion by Jennifer E Synder (which is also helping to support this artist residency). There are several ways to use this book and I think I will be using it as a solo journal. Map Your Business by Tara Swiger also arrived. So many things to dig in to!
• Listening to: Pay Attention Podcast interview with Jennifer Synder. Tara Swiger's Explore Your Enthusiasm episode titled How do you get up in the morning when everything is awful?

Photo Round Up

100 Days of Discussion by Jennifer Synder 

Map Your Business by Tara Swiger

Tyanna Buie (American, b. 1984)
Incarnation, 2015
Assembled screenprint with collage and ink, charcoal, and mixed media on paper
150 × 133 1/2 in

Milwaukee Art Museum

Have a great March! 

Crazy Late January Wrap Up

Hello! February so far has been crazy busy! I didn't want to skip my January wrap up so instead it's very late.

Besides politics in America, 2017 is off to a great start. I've been exploring and playing around more with collage and art journaling and it's really inspiring me. I'm working to be present and focus when I'm working on something that requires my full attention. Less multitasking! The boyfriend and I took an impromptu overnight trip to Holland, MI and I came back feeling so refreshed. While we were there I took the time to stop and look around me and really appreciate the beautiful things and the fun we were having. I'm happy with the balance I have in my life right now and feeling good leads me to create more. Take that, depression! 

Here's a look at the creative things I enjoyed in January:

• Attended the Shawnimals 10 year Ninjatown retrospective at Rotofugi. Check out this Chicago artist if you're not familiar. I have been a fan of his work for years and picked up a few new products he was selling. Love the new dumpling blind box series!
• Listening: Creative Online Strategy /What's Your Story podcast-Recommended episode #2 with Emily McDowell. Heroine: Women’s Creative Leadership, Confidence, Wisdom-Recommended episode Are you an "artist"? with Lisa Congdon. 
• Good Read: Productivity in Terrible Times

Photo Round Up

Shawnimals at Rotofugi

Got a old drawer at an antique shop for $1 to hold miscellaneous collage papers. 

Sketchbook page

Holland, MI

Foggy day at Holland State Park on Lake Michigan

Finding Creativity

If you have been a follower of my work, you know I struggle constantly with finding creativity. My most common thought/concern is- How is this unique, what will draw people to this artwork? In the Internet age it is so easy to get overwhelmed with imagery. While it's great to have inspiration, it can also be a bit daunting. Thoughts of "well my work isn't THIS good" can hold me back, but does eventually turn in to "well, I need to work hard even harder to make my work THAT good" . Turn the doubt in to motivation! 

I recently started listening to the Smart Creative Women podcast. I love hearing about how other people work. A peek in to everything from how they got started in art- to their day to day routine. I love hearing even the boring bits (setting aside time to administrative duties, etc), all of it. 

Do you have any creative podcast that you listen to? Please let me know in the comments!