cardboard canvas...

I walked into my apartment today and really just wanted to crash out for a few hours, but after making lunch and cleaning up the kitchen…I don’t know how much time I had left before going out again.  So I sat down at my messy table, still surrounded by my paints from yesterday and I took another piece of cardboard, filled a glass with clear water and began to paint again.

It is amazing how easy it was just to keep creating, after all I wasn’t “ruining” a canvas I spent money on, I was simply painting on cardboard…and I have a closet full of still more.  I wonder if God thought the same thing as he formed Adam and then Eve out of the dust…”plenty more where that came from.”  And yet like the Masterful Artist, when all is said and done…His was perfect and mine was…good.

And rather than erasing mistakes…as my inner perfectionist is prone to do… I forced myself to creatively make the mistakes a part of its beauty.  And my painting is worth keeping as is, on a canvas of cardboard.  Even though I had a plan how I thought it would work, adding in text and a few extra tidbits, I am leaving it as is…and it's good.

just turn off the critic and create…

…just turn off the critic and create…

…and other ideas

 --be messy

--it’s the journey that prepares us for our dream

--Not all those who wander are lost –Tolkien

 ...

I got off work early today; early enough that after making myself lunch, the sunshine was still streaming through all my windows.  And I wanted to create...

So I got out my laptop to get some ideas on how to art journal…or rather to learn some techniques for projects half started…in my head and in living creations.  So I started browsing around at different artists and ideas, watched a few artist’s how-tos and thought over an over, “Wow, that’s cool!” “Oh, I want to try that.” “That’s a good idea.”  Without paying much attention hours were slipping by and I fell deeper and deeper into other people’s art and forgot all about my own…well almost.  You know that nagging feeling, like I really should do something…yeah that one.  Well it was still there, that voice saying, “Okay it’s about time you start creating!”

One of the last videos suggested to…just get messy and create.  Freedom comes when you throw the critic out the window and just start creating…so I did.

Starting with cardboard I got out my paints…and got messy. 

The critic was turned off and tuned out because, after all, I was just painting on cardboard.

With a few ideas from my search I decided to add dimension and embellish my cardboard.  Then I worked on another project, making it more like I envisioned.

 And most importantly I remember what Grandad always said during my watercolor lessons…

“Kara, there is no such thing as a mistake.  It is merely an opportunity for adjustment.”