Remembering to Enjoy being an Artist

I love being an artist, but just like anything when you start worrying what other people like or what they will think it causes stress, I have actually ended up roadblocked in my creative process! The prompts from Artful Journeys are easy, I am not trying to make art that I think someone will want to buy, I am excepting a challenge to create a theme.

For years I have created without thought to what others liked, just what made me feel good, and I have sold many pieces! but suddenly with the need for income from my art I pretty much stressed myself out into creating mud... I have had enough of being stuck in my own head, I decided to get my journal out and create just for the fun of creating!



What I came up with is just a fun piece, Its not something anyone would want on their wall, I made it where it belongs, in my art journal. Its there to remind me that I have to make sure I enjoy what I am doing or I might as well go back to my desk job being stressed all the time working on deadlines and trying to find satisfaction in someone else's dream.

Art should be enjoyed not only by the person who views, reads or hears it, but also by the creator. I want people to see the love, joy, anger, sadness, remorse what ever I am feeling, that I put into my art and I have been trying to force myself to make happy sweet art when I am stressed out, that is not achievable for me!

So I just used all the art supplies I hadn't played with in a while and just chose the colors I wanted, giving no thought to the process, just being happy that my hands were getting full of color and I was ruining another t-shirt.

I just kept telling myself as I played, if it looks too bad Ill just throw a layer of gesso over it or cover it with papers. It turned out perfect for a journal.



And I feel much better!




Big Hugs and Mushy Stuff!

- Shana
                                             Check out the video to see all the fun I had!