I wanted to give myself a challenge this year and be able to stick to it. I needed it to be open-ended, meaning I wasn't limiting myself to only certain supplies or mediums; I would probably be doing a few days not at home and wanted to make sure I was covered for travel or busy days. As I brainstormed, I felt a time limit would do best - I can create for hours and hours when feeling well, but flare ups keep me in bed or a recliner and unable to do more than idle doodling. I settled on 30 minutes every day spent in my art journal.
Everyone can do 30 minutes. Scratch that, find 30 minutes. Our lives are busy and messy and complicated, it might seem impossible to do any art. But you can! Wake up a little sooner. Don't watch tv until you've started. Grab a few minutes here and there at work (I've done lots of art in break rooms!). If you truly commit, you'll be able to find the time. And soon, you'll be craving that time as Inspiration grabs hold of you.
And honestly, Inspiration is waiting for you to make this commitment! She is ready and willing, if you'd just show up with any kind of consistency. Popping in here and there doesn't instill the best confidence, and it certainly isn't enough time. But show up every day, and Inspiration will become your best friend.
I partly needed this challenge because I lost my art mojo. Oh, I could work on stuff, here and there, but I felt so disconnected from Inspiration. Everything I made fell short of what I knew I could do. Without this kind of push, I'd never get to the hard work of digging out from under a year of stress, tragedy, and depression/anxiety. It's been a week, and I already feel better for doing this!
Every day, I'll post my page to Instagram. And every week, I'll do a round-up post with a few of my favorite detail shots. I encourage you to join in - I hope to do more features with the artwork you guys make!
ALSO! I've changed the comment system! While Squarespace's is great and all, I want to back to answering comments via email, straight to your inbox. So please include your email address when commenting if you'd like a response. Woohoo!
