Implementation Day 1: Photoshop Artistry

Turn My Ship Around

Since Implementation Day 1 coincides with the first of the month, there is a lot of organization going on. I always try to set up my intentions for the month and take an assessment of my well-being, primarily health and financial on the first day of the month.

What I realized this morning was that a good morning routine actually depends on a good evening routine. What I do before I go to bed helps set up the morning. My evening routine looks like this:

Evening Routine:
8 pm photo organization
9 pm - 5 minutes delete emails
Review accountability - Way of Life
Computer off
Clean kitchen
Check electronic batteries
Put out yoga mat
Declutter
Hygiene

Read/Listen

Do remember that this is a NEW routine. We’ll see how it holds up.

I am going to continue through the PA challenges during the next 9 days, but not necessarily with the urgency to complete one every day. Today is exercise 22 about creating an image from a song. The three songs I chose to listen to were:

• Amarantine by Enya
• Turn My Ship Around by Jeremy Buck
• Calling You by Jevetta Steele

After listening, I realized I could go with any of them, but the first photos that leapt forward fit the Jeremy Buck song and turned into the image above.

What fun this is.

 

This post was prompted by Sebastian Michael's "21 Days to Creative Living" and "Photoshop Artistry" programs. More information here.

 

21 Days to Creative Abundance - Day 21

Harmonia: Amor Y Gratitud

This is Day 21. Yes, I made it, but is that enough? Apparently not.

For some reason, Sebastian Michaels of 21 Days to Creative Abundance seems to think we should actually implement all the information and techniques he has offered us for the past 21 days.  He wants us to IMPLEMENT the plan we’ve been putting together for the next NINE days. Imagine!

Okay, I recognize that he’s given us some great advice and tools and tips. Probably the biggest thing for me was to create projects, art projects. I have been so overwhelmingly grateful to make art at all, I haven’t thought much about deliberately attempting a project. It seems a bit like trying to schedule magic. 

However, I now have two projects that I love thinking about, although one scares me and calls up all those doubts that come along with trying to do something new and a bit outside our comfort zones.

I’ve started on a series of nine muses for digital art. The first two came rather easily but where would the other seven come from? I’m committed to using only my own photography in my images and I’m not sure I have enough muse-worthy images.

That was my thinking when I sat down this morning and started browsing through photos. Soon, I had three that seemed to want to play together and Harmonia was born.

So, yes, Sebastian, I will sign up for another 9 days of implementation. Tomorrow morning I will try to put all the pieces of the plan together.

This post was prompted by Sebastian Michael's "21 Days to Creative Living" and "Photoshop Artistry" programs. More information here.

21 Days to Creative Abundance - Day 17

Esperanza, digital artistry muse of story

What’s your story?

Sebastian Michaels in his 21 Days to Creative Abundance program paraphrases a quote from Tony Robbins, saying: The only thing preventing you from getting where you want to be is the STORY you are telling yourself.

There are a few common stories we artists tell ourselves:

1. I’m not a real artist; I didn’t go to art school.
2. I’m not a real artist; I’m just a weekend dabbler.
3. I’m not a real artist; I can’t draw.
4. I’m not a real artist; I got rejected by a gallery.
5. I’m not a real artist; I’ve never sold anything.
6. I’m not a real artist; my work doesn’t have a profound message.
7. I’m not a real artist; I just mess around with photos.

I bet we could go on. My particular story was that I wasn’t born creative or artistic. For years I knew that was true because no one ever made over my childhood artwork or called me creative. So, for thirty years after I left home, I let that story dictate my life.

As a matter of fact, it wasn’t until I turned 50 that I began to entertain the thought that I might be creative. And, this is the ridiculous part, I was teaching creativity by then and telling my classes that *everyone* is creative (which I truly believe) while the little voice in my head whispered … “except you. You are the exception to the rule."

I tried a multitude of media … drawing, watercolor, pastels (oh what a mess I made there!), acrylics, colored pencils and markers. Bupkis. I did manage to do a few collages that I liked but my skills sucked and there were always wrinkles, air bubbles and loose edges in each piece.

Then, I discovered digital collage and my story began to crack. I could do this. So, I started cycling through the other stories one by one. I think I’m done now. I am making art. I am an artist. It’s not my call whether it’s good or bad. It just is. Just as I just am. 

When we think about it, these stories sound pretty silly. If someone plays golf on a sunny weekend, we call her a golfer, even if she doesn’t break 100 … even if, heaven forbid, she doesn’t keep score. People who cook are cooks, people who sing are singers,  people who make art are artists.

So, what new story shall we tell ourselves? I think I’ll choose this one ... feel free to claim it for your own:  

I’m an artist. I make art that sometimes thrills me and sometimes frustrates me. However, I am deeply grateful that I get to participate in this process of putting bits and pieces of the real world together to create what calls to me from my imagination. I am a digital artist.

Challenge #17 was to rework a previous piece, print it, and give it to someone. I picked a piece that I thought was finished, and, it was, mostly. However, while working on it, it developed a new identity.

I knew this image somehow represented my muse, but today, I decided that it is the first in a series of muses for digital artists. (I may be getting a bit carried away with this whole “series” and “projects” idea.)

Digital artistry operates on the same principles as other art, so the Muses who watch over this process each have their own area they protect and inspire. And, just like the sister-goddesses of Greek Myth, there are nine digital artistry muses.

The first we’re meeting is the digital artistry muse of story. Her name is Esperanza (Hope) because sometimes all the elements of an image come together to create a story, and, in that moment, hope is born into the world. 

 

This post was prompted by Sebastian Michael's "21 Days to Creative Living" and "Photoshop Artistry" programs. More information here.