For those of us in Canada and the U.S. this weekend is a long
weekend with Monday being Labour Day (or Labor Day as it is spelled in the U.S.
...like colour versus color, we Canadians like our ‘u’s J)
This weekend might not be the official end of summer but it
marks it in many other ways. It is back to work, back to school and back to all
of the activities and courses that we choose to participate in.
Before we launch into the excitement of a new season of activity
let’s look back at our summers. Those of you with very good memories might
remember my ideas of a couple of months ago on how you could incorporate art
into your summer, especially your holidays.
How did that go for you? Did routing through your stash of
unfinished work and then your stash of art books leave your house in a mess? J Sorry about that. It was for a good purpose!
Did you find time to create art with the children in your life?
Anyone attempt my coloured pencil-on-Mylar fish project?
If you didn’t get out your sketch book as often as you had
hoped, or you still have some art books you want to have a look through, give
yourself a wonderful gift – find some time to just sit this weekend. Grab that
sketchbook or an art book, pour a cup of tea, settle into a chair in the shade
and soak up the pleasure that art gives you.
Let’s face it, between being back full steam at work, your yoga
classes, your volunteer work or whatever else you enjoy and the craziness
around Thanksgiving and the December holidays, it can get overwhelming. All of your intentions to create art can get
shoved aside when ‘real life’ sets in. I have some suggestions that will help
you...
1) Commit. Sounds simple and it is. Make a commitment to do art
regularly this fall and then schedule it in. Here is how easy it is to make
this work:
Let’s say you
signed up for an art class that is set to take place every Thursday night, 7-10
p.m. for twelve weeks. You would have to do things each week to make it
possible to attend. You might have to arrange to have the family car that
night. You might have to cook dinner early and also make sure that you didn’t
work late that night.
You get the idea. So,
why not take this level of commitment to your art making even if you aren’t
taking a class? Pick an evening and share your news with your family. Do
what you need to do – the early supper and all of that. Then go to the room
where you keep your art supplies, shut the door, put on some of your favourite
music and get creating. Turn off your phone (no email or texting), post a
do-not-disturb sign and don’t tolerate interruptions. Train your loved ones! It
can be done. Imagine what you could accomplish in 12 weeks. Pretty exciting,
huh?
2) Buy supplies. Whether or not you enjoyed school, I think we can all
agree that it was fun to get new pens and pencils, crayons, binders etc. Take
advantage of the back to school sales and grab some fun art making supplies. Treat
yourself to something new, maybe some coloured pencils from open stock that are
a brand you have never used. How about trying some new paper?
3) Book some
artist dates into your plan. No doubt
most of you reading this have heard of Julia Cameron’s famous book, the
Artist’s Way. Her idea of us going on artist dates has spread far and wide. It
has spread because it is a great way to stoke our creative fires. When was the
last time you went on your artist date? Hum...
4) This one is optional but if you are the sort that finds it
hard to follow through on your plans, it might help to get an accountability buddy. Have your spouse or a friend check in
with you once a week to see how you are doing, to see if you are working your
plan. This check in can be quick. It can be a phone call or a quick cup of
coffee together but it does help if you have to explain yourself to someone. Of
course pick a person that won’t sympathize about your distractions but will help
keep your feet to the fire!
5) Post your
schedule. It can be awful
easy to forget about something heartfelt and important written in a pretty
journal and then stored somewhere. Grab the family calendar and start marking
your weekly ‘evening at home art hours’ in. Put it all down. Block off the
artist dates, even if you don’t know yet what you will be doing. Write in the
weekly accountability phone call.
Remember that you are the artist of your ‘every day’, on the
canvas of your life.
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