Creating an Fun Atmosphere for Class

I've been teaching classes locally here in Arizona for nearly six months, now, and each class teaches me something new! Whether it's how to better communicate with students, which supplies are a hit and which aren't touched, or the best way to teach what I need to get across, I find myself a continuously learning student teaching other students. 

It's an amazing thing.

Unlike online classes, where everything is passive and reactive, I get to actively engage my students in the classroom. We can chat and play and share, or I can instruct and try to finish on time. Feedback is immediate. 

And that moment when their faces light up and they get it -- I wouldn't trade that for anything. 

One thing I have noticed is that I control the feel of the class. 

If I'm rushed or anxious or doubting myself, that will color the lesson. If I'm bouncy and excited, we'll have a fun play-date. My style has evolved from the beginning -- laying out supplies across two tables makes it fun to sit and play and exciting to see what we may be doing in class. Bringing journals for students to work in makes them feel like they're getting a special gift. 

I certainly learned from my last bookbinding class, and decided to kit the entire project. But not only that -- I decided to make fun envelopes out of paper bags, wrapped the remnant paper strips around them, and tied ribbon around the kits. A hand-written hello! sets the mood: you are cherished, welcome, and going to have fun!

Luckily, there's a Whole Foods across the street; I'll be stopping before-hand to grab yummy treats!

There's still time to join me tomorrow or Sunday to lean how to bind your own journal!

You can learn more information here, or send me an email to let me know you're coming!

How You Can Still Be Awesome w/ a Chronic Illness (video)

This is something I've wanted to do for awhile. 

If you notice, the channel was created nearly a year ago; I just didn't know when to start. Or how to. Or what to do. 

But then I realized that I could start by being myself.

I don't know if I'll be posting the videos from my new channel, Born Brave Vlogs, here on the blog (as I may simply want to keep this space me yet art related - plus, I'll be updating this new channel twice a week), but you can follow along via the Girl Born Brave tumblr. 

These are for more than just the artists, but for anyone who wants to feel less alone. 

2 Ways in Which Soul Work Is Changing Me for the Better

I really need to make myself a print of this page/painting, and hang it on my wall where I can see it every day. 

I remember the pain I was in when I painted her. Sitting in my tattered recliner, I had paint on the end-table next to me and was watching one of my favorite movies (How to Train Your Dragon). She started as a doodle, a swooped line, the flick of a wrist turning into the first layer of eyelashes. 

Then, I was trying to distract myself and reinforce a pep talk — this will pass, everything will be okay — but I don’t think I could foresee how much this painting would impact my life. 

1. My painting style has radically changed. 

In fact, all the ways I approach painting has changed. If you were to page through my current journal, or through the growing pile of completed pieces in my studio space, things look very different than what I have done before. There is much more soul and love in all of them. I’m digging deep into my heart and working on mindful authenticity; my terrible, scary panic attack ripped me open, and I now sit with painful emotions, journal my heart out, and am pouring myself onto the canvas each time I pick up a brush. 

Those I’ve shared my work with have been brought to tears or loving what I’m doing. They’ve urged me to share. I’m working through why I’m so afraid to just post everything; one theory is that I’m afraid the pieces won’t resonate, won’t get comments or interest, and I don’t want this crazy ride to end. I don’t want external forces to negatively influence this joy-full and deep time in my life. 

(I dream of people wanting to purchase original art from me, of my Etsy shop full of prints that has me running to the post office once a week, and am not detached enough to face reality.)

2. I am facing a turning point in my life. 

I am close to having to make a choice. Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t have so much of a choice to make, but a way to be. 

Yesterday, I spent most of the day in bed with a migraine. 

Earlier, I’d had a heartbreaking call concerning Disability. Basically, I am too young. I haven’t worked long enough, or passed that 30-years-milestone, and their office rarely accepts cases for people under 30. 

My case is a difficult one, I’ve been told. Because I cannot afford to see a doctor more than 3 times a year, there is little to document how my case has progressed since being denied in 2009 (I realize, now, that while I hinted at what was going on, I never posted the story on my blog). And since I can make a little bit of an income from Journaling Deep and various articles, I can “work” (more specifically, my age means I can do any of the jobs out there…despite my various illnesses and limitations). 

Until this afternoon, I was sobbing. I have already given up on two of my life’s biggest dreams and to give up a third would most probably turn me jaded and evil, like a Disney movie villain. But I doubted if I could make enough from my art to actually support me in the way I need. 

But now? 

Now I’m going to try. I’m not going to settle for a visit every three months, I’m not going to settle for small meals, many skipped (I’ve had 2 today, both tiny). I’m not going to allow myself to wither and suffer. 

Does that mean I’ll need to step things up? Yes. I’m currently creating 2-3 paintings a week, 1-2 HD tutorial videos a week, as well as writing a new framework to reflect my beautifully imperfect creativity and how I’m quickly discovering what truly dwells behind the walls I’ve had around myself for years and years. 

I need to figure out why students don’t interact with me (despite me begging for feedback with each thing I post). I need to find out why anything pre-Art Journal Diary didn’t enroll as much as my heart believed they would. I want to find out what I’m doing wrong. I have seen others craft lives for themselves and I have to believe that can happen for me, too. 

Because the alternative — the alternative is greater suffering, more tears, and a broken heart. 

So, are you in, or are you out? This only works if a community works to support each other. I’m devoted to changing your lives for the better, to sharing my whole heart and soul and mind. I want to empower the ill, make the sick laugh, and share your story with the world. I’m crafting a program for those with less to still participate and take courses, see content, and thrive, but I can’t do it alone. I make less than those on Disability, currently, but I am willing to put in my all. If I can change your life, ours will be brilliant with purpose. 

Summer Challenge Series #1: Limited Supplies

The Summer Challenge Series is something I've had in mind for awhile. I find the deepest and most amazing discoveries come from challenging yourself and how you relate to the world around you. I like to consider myself a Mad Art Scientist, and challenging myself is something I do to continue growing. 

But I also know many of you are Mad Art Scientists as well, and Creative Warriors, and yearn to create lovely, meaningful art on a budget, or with little energy, or late at night when your family has gone to sleep. So I thought, why not be challenged together?

This is an informal challenge. There are no deadlines, homework, tasks, or lessons. Rather, if you happen upon this group and find yourself inspired by that week's challenge, try it. If you don't have time, don't. 

I'm working this in the following way: everything will help you discover more about yourself, and operates under that lovely rule -- you will get out of this exactly what you put in it. 

So, how much are you willing to give if self-discovery and fun is the end result? 

--

Recently, I’ve been working out of a series of art bins at my desk. I like being able to work next to the window, the sunlight dancing across my journal or canvases, and the air is brighter where dust dances in rays of light. Most of my supplies live in the closet studio, but to be honest, I haven’t felt comfortable working in there since the Concussion of Doom; the sky fell on my head, and I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be some sort of sign. 

I mentioned this to a friend, and she admitted that she uses supplies out of a small scrapbooking tote she picked up at that big craft store we all know (and have a love-hate relationship with!). And Kelly has often posted about how she consciously limits her supplies so she can see things with fresh eyes when she cycles through things every month. 

It got me to thinking: what can one create with a small amount of supplies? 

And then I thought about the women chatting about Thrifty Art Journaling over at The Studio; how they have work-arounds and coupons and not a lot of supplies, and I thought, "You don't need much to create meaningful art." 

So I decided, last night, that I was going to run an experiment as the first week of my informal Summer Challenge Series. I’m going to use ONLY the supplies in the box for one week. Journal pages, paintings, whatever I want to do or work on, I can use what I have in the box, and nothing more. 

Why? Because it’s fun. Because, as I wrote on Tuesday, working with a limit of some kind can spark the brightest idea and smoothest creative flow. Because I’ll be forced to think different and problem solve. 

And also, because I want to show you that you can create wonderful art with a small amount of supplies. 

Here’s what I managed to get in the box:

Two things wouldn’t fit in the box: my set of Prismacolor pencils, since they have a mansion of space to keep them nestled, warm, and not breaking every time I sharpen one, and my bottle of GAC 100, which has become an indispensable tool the more I learn about acrylics and the chemistry around them. 

I’ll post art and pages here from this week…I’m kinda nervous, as I have 2 paintings I’m working on, but I’m curious about how they’ll turn out. One thing my friend said about working from a limited amount of supplies is that your work become more cohesive, since the colors and themes are centered around a single box or tote of supplies and colors. 

Why don’t you join me?  I think it'll be interesting to see what we create when we don't use much, and you'll be plesantly surprised by the beauty that comes forth! 

With One Palette (or Samie is a Cover Girl!

 

Today, I discovered, in my mailbox, the current issue of Somerset Studio with my name on the cover. It made me squee. And dance a funny dance on my patio, which caught the attention of a woman walking by, who smiled and said hello. I stopped dancing just long enough to greet her back, then went back to dancing with my dog. 

I can say that this art — these pieces created in a flurry of movement and paint — seems to mark the beginning of a huge shift in my creative life. I feel myself falling further away from things like my Smash book (that hasn’t been worked on in weeks) and how I used to journal, and diving into layers of paint and hidden symbolism. 

There’s more emotion and meaning to these pieces than the ones I’ve done before. I remember thinking, as I worked, “These mark the beginning of my Artist Self. All I’ve created up until now was practice, play, and experimenting. Now I am my True Artist Self.”

This shift has nothing to do with calling myself an artist — I’ve considered myself an artist for years — but more to do with being happy with what I create. I love all these pieces and can’t wait to get them back to hang in my own space! Yes, I love what I’ve done before now, but these — there’s technique and depth and spontaneity and emotion. The result of things I happened upon in my journals that I now used somewhere else. 

And I just fell in love with these colors! At first, I was afraid I’d be limited by only being able to use three colors (plus black and white), but found it opened a whole new world of experimentation and application. How can I create contrast? How can I use shades and white and a bit of black? How can I discover depth when I can only express myself with such a limited palette? 

But in the end, I learned a lot more than I thought I would! It was almost like a mini-class, all packed into one wild ride of inspiration, where each moment was jam-packed with instruction and discovery, both about my art and myself. I feel like these grew organically, rising from the first applications of paint, those wisps of idea that got me going; the piece on loose canvas, for example, was my “scratch paper,” where brushes were wiped off, stencils cleaned, and doodles were drawn when I was stuck….and yet it turned into a beautiful piece of its own, and one I simply adore! 

I’m thankful for the opportunity this article presented, and the art I’ve created since has been different and soulful and wonderful…at least now you can see where this new phase of artwork and journaling I’m dwelling in started. I’m super excited to share it here with you, both as a way to chronicle this time of major shift and growth in my life, and inspire you to create something wonderful and soulful, too!

I should have prints of these pieces up in my Etsy shop, soon (and I don't link there now since it's a barren (wasteland!). You can grab your own copy of Somerset Studio on newsstands now -- or really, really soon!

The Pictures Are Part of My Process

I spent my time, last night, after my summer solstice celebration, sketching. 

Even the next day, I can feel the energy from the circle tingling along my palms, leaking into everything I put my mind to. I type with new ease. I sketch easily and happily. I feel excited to create all day long, and instead of feeling stress, as I normally do at the end of the week, when I put together the package that will become Journaling Deep, I’m calm and centered. The video’s already filmed and the raw footage has been loaded onto my laptop. I can spend the afternoon editing in my favorite coffee shop instead of scrambling. 

You’d think after nearly 30 weeks of tutorials, I’d run out of ideas. And I did, for awhile, but am throwing myself at it with renewed vigor, material pouring out of me with the same excitement I remember from the first weeks of the project. 

Last night's sketch! Gotta fix those eyes!

That’s not what I sat down to write about, though! 

Back to my sketch. This morning (or afternoon, as I’ve been sleeping 12 hour nights to recover from my flare-up), I snapped a photo to share it on Instagram, as I usually do. And I thought, perhaps, I’d share with you why I do this with many, if not all of my sketches.

Because it helps make them better. 

An early version of my Sunshine piece. I went back and re-did the neck and shoulders.

I’ve found that, when you take a photo and look at it, you can find all the things you need to fix. For example, in my latest photo, I noticed that, despite my measuring and ruler-using, her eyes seem to be uneven in size and placement, so I should go back in and fix ‘em up before I start applying paint. 

But if I just look at the sketch, on the page, it doesn’t look like anything is wrong! 

I’ve used this practice with paintings, too! I take photos along the way, stepping back to see the whole thing from a distance — something you simply must do when working on a piece of art! Seeing things from a distance helps you switch from focusing on the details, on the close-up as you paint or sculpt or draw, to seeing the BIG PICTURE! 

What I'm currently working on. I haven't transfered her to the piece, yet, so the print-out is a placeholder.

Photos also let me see how I’m progressing, and creates a record for me to look back on when I feel the piece finished. They can also help you figure out where to place certain items — for me, I’m transferring my sketches to larger canvases, and I can place the print-out around the piece, snap a photo, and then look at all of them, side-by-side, feeling better equipped to make a decision on final placement. 

(I should sooo do a video on how I transfer my sketches to my pieces. Tomorrow, or Monday, for sure!)

So the next time you’re working on something, take the time to step back and snap a photo. Share it with us on Instagram, your blog, Facebook, or even the Studio! You might just get some helpful feedback that’ll snap you back into the flow!

I’ll be sending out a newsletter tomorrow, with announcements, a Studio cheat-sheet, & little tutorial just for subscribers! Not on the list? Sign up in the sidebar to the right, where it says, “Sign up for sparkles in your inbox!”  

The Visual Story of My Life

Wow, it’s been five days since we last spoke? 

Sorry about that, sweetie. 

I’ve been playing with my new camera (the footage is beautiful; we’re learning the basics of shading in Journaling Deep this summer, and moving on to lettering and portraits!), working on postcard mail-art to send to those who have sent me lovelies in the mail, and celebrated a friend’s birthday this weekend (overnight! In a big house!). 

There’s also a lot simmering under the surface, a lot happening behind the scenes, that I’m not ready to share with you, yet. Things like an e-book full of techniques and projects, a new smaller class, an art journaling class for the chronically ill, less-mobile, tired, or on a budget, live chat sessions, and more! I’ve been thinking of creating a circle, a women’s circle, that meets regularly online (Google Hangouts are amazing!). 

When I launched my Mentorship program in March, I even made a slot for the possibility of a circle, but feel the original idea and copy was flawed, and am revising it. Right now. As I type this. If you want to uplevel your journaling, get in the meat of your life, and transform your thinking, drop me a line. I’ll be lowering the price, widening the net, and asking you to be a guinea pig. Journaling changed my life, as you may know; seven years ago, my FMS and depression had gotten so bad, I was suicidal and jumping out of cars with tears streaming down my face. It has changed my life so completely, and for the better, that I don’t want it to take you years and years…perhaps a few months, even!

This isn’t what this blog post was going to be about, but if you write Morning Pages or keep a written journal, you know how epiphanies can just happen like magic when you let the thoughts out of your head in the form of writing! 

As the years have passed, my journal has progressively gotten larger, going from a large Moleskine to the 9”x12” Visual Journal I use now. And my paintings are now on 2’x2’ wood, and those are the small ones! It seems as though my work is getting larger and larger….or maybe there’s just more and more I want to include in the visual story of my life. 

But a month ago or so, I was sent a 5”x7” Visual Journal by Strathmore (oh, speaking of them, massive giveaway happening really soon!) and decided to toss it in my purse for easier on-the-go journaling. It fits perfectly, along with a pencil case filled with all my sketching & zentangle supplies, and I’ve found myself pulling it out more and more while watching TV, waiting in doctors’ offices, or even, yes, at the party this weekend (I was the only one out there the next morning in PJs and a sketchbook in hand!). I’ve found myself drawing more girls and portraits, working off reference photos, and keeping my own little dictionary of Things Samie Really Likes Today. 

It’s not as bright and colorful as my regular art journal, or have as many “finished” pages. I like to think of this as my brain on paper. Raw, unfinished, and all over the place. But I’m beginning to get the hang of it, and feel like I’m unlearning all the stuff I told myself I had to do to make a “good” journal. 

(If you'd like to view all these in a gallery, click here!)

A Magic Toy on My Doorstep (lots of pics!)

Look at the beauty that arrived on my doorstep today! 

I’ve never bought a digital camera before — the one I’ve been using has been borrowed, and aside from my Bloggie, which promised to be great but has been a sore disappointment, I’ve used hand-me-downs and, for a few weeks, a gift that couldn’t compensate for my less-than-steady hands. Being able to not only purchase a camera, but a nice one for video recording and blog photos, well, I never thought I’d have enough to be able make such a big purchase! 

And the reality is, I have, in the past, but realize I’ve been a Money Hoarder, always worried that the moment I spend the money on anything large, it’d never be replenished. This is a definite lack of faith in the Universe or God or whatever you may believe, believing that God would gift you with funds one day and deny you the next. I don’t want to get into a discussion about my thoughts on such things, as they’re still deep in bramble patches full of thorns made from a past of illness and uncertainty, but I do believe that God has a vested interest in you as long as you have one in yourself. 

And I decided, in the swell of magic that’s taken residence in my life since the unbelievable generosity around the mini-class and the lives it continues to touch, that it was time to truly invest in myself and where I want to go. To stop making the little, safe choices, borrowing and cutting corners where I could and take that giant leap into this new path I’ve forged for myself. 

If I’m going to be filming one or two videos a week, pouring my heart into each, then it makes perfect sense to purchase a camera that would not only record beautifully, but allow me to see myself as I film (which, if you’ve considered using a digital camera of some kind, it’s kinda difficult!). It will make my work easier and cut down on frustration. 

But more than that, I believe it says: 

Universe, I am ready. I’m not ‘getting by’ and making it work — I am investing seriously in my future. I have declared my mission; now, I’m declaring my commitment. 

Here are a few shots from around the studio today. I’ve been taking it easy for the past few days, as my FMS has decided it wants to chill out in lounge clothes on the couch, so I decided to show you a few details from my new journal. I went ahead and bought a 9”x12” Strathmore Visual Journal (mixed media) as I love the smaller one they sent me a few weeks ago…and I really love this one, too! I don’t have to gesso pages and can still slather on the layers! 

I cannot stress how much my life has become magical after figuring out how to help you by helping — and being — me. Shifting my focus from simply teaching and sharing to helping and being myself has made everything so much clearer, and the world seems full of opportunity. Things just keep happening awesomely. So this new journal is a place where I dream of possibility and abundance. I want to be reminded of these things every day, each time I take out my journal. 

Okay, I’ll stop rambling now! Enjoy the pictures! 

(I'm transfering the sketch to the wood...fun!)

PS. I have a cool surprise for y'all this week, and so many projects and ideas to write down, I'll be busy for weeks! All things to help YOU journal your lives easier, and create beautiful art no matter how healthy, ill, moble, or tired you may be!