Figuring-It-Out Friday

I'm finishing up a new sample piece and cogitating over cover ideas for the new book project. Thinking time is really important, before pencil touches paper. (It's not procrastinating. Really!)

Hairy Little Assistant #1 agrees.

I Must Keep the Messiest Sketchbook, Ever

I really do admire artists whose sketchbooks are filled with beautifully designed and drawn images. That's not me, though. Mine are more like secret messages to myself. Sometimes I have to decipher what the heck I was thinking about at the time. Oh well. Better to get it on paper than not.

(This is my vegetable garden plan. It's a work in progress.)

5 O'Clock in the Morning*

Even my mother wouldn't say "Oh how nice dear" to these sketches. But 5 o'clock in the morning is the time to get down and dirty with ideas. With summer here, the kids home, and plenty of reasons to be distracted from work, quiet time is at a premium. I don't want to lose momentum.

*Note to self: Okay it is early but remember to write legibly enough so you can decipher your brilliant scribbles later.

Scribbling Not Thinking

Random scribbles... not too concerned with what they should look like... just relaxing... playing around with ideas...

Sketchy, Doodly, Scratchy...

... scribbles, for when there's little time. Who knows where they'll lead?

Eeny meeny miny moe...

For when you can't decide what to work on next... (scroll down post to read suggestion.)

(Oh, and I am SO jealous of her woodpile...)

All Thumbs & 21-day Challenge- Days 3 & 4

Sometimes it takes a while to get the ideas flowing, and I'm one big ball of procrastination. So I play this little game: I make a page full of thumbnail squares and tell myself I have to fill up each one. Some are pretty, um... crappy, but others turn out to be good possibilities. It's kind of like inching my way in to that state of inspiration... but it really works. Try it sometime!

I've been sticking to the writing for 15 minutes for days 3 and 4. Work is busy again and I haven't gotten to it until the end of the day when I'm tired and cranky-- but somehow it leaves me feeling invigorated. This is something I've really needed to do. I'm enjoying it.

Ways of Working

I love hearing about different artist's creative processes. Actors, musicians... you just never know where you'll pick up a tip for your own work.

Have you ever watched Inside the Actors Studio? Interesting insights for creating story characters. And last week while running errands I caught this piece from Project Song on NPR, about one musician's songwriting process. Enjoy!

Doodles and More Doors

What with yesterday's door-day blog group-art-event, looming deadlines, and being in total denial about the cold/flu knocking at our door (no pun intended)... it's been a crazy week around here. So today I thought I'd just post some doodles. Doodling is a great de-stresser.

I'm thrilled by how many people shared their doors and ideas yesterday, and am still wandering around from blog to blog. It's been fun and inspiring and educational! (Oh that last word can be so clunky, but really, what could be better?) I may be late to the game, but isn't it awesome how powerful a tool the internet is for spreading ideas? Group art rocks!

Here are a few more people who jumped in at the last minute-- bravo to you!

Sara at Read Write Believe
Cloudscome at A Wrung Sponge
Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect

No Big-Screen TV? You'll Be Okay...

... And while a hundred civilizations have prospered (sometimes for centuries) without computers or windmills or even the wheel, none have survived even a few generations without art.
– from Art & Fear, Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, by David Bayles & Ted Orland

The View from Yesterday Morning

Waking up to a fresh blanket of snow reminds me of a new page in my notebook. Or a new piece of watercolor paper. Or even a blank computer screen at the beginning of a new story. Full of so many possibilities...

Fun with Sharpies

(Thanks, Drawn!)

Perfectionist Paralysis

The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.
–Linus Pauling

A helpful quote for when you're stuck on that one great idea, trying to make it just perfect. Put it aside. Take a break. Make some tea (or eat some chocolate if you're lucky enough to be able to keep it in the house without eating it all in one fell swoop.) Relax. Then let yourself loose and crank out a bunch of others. Worry about sifting the good from the bad later.

Here's another article about generating ideas.