artist

Surround yourself with beautiful things.

altered art, art, artist, DIY, mixed media, recycled products, studio, upcycle

There are particular products, mediums & tools that are an absolute necessity in the artist’s dance with creativity. They aren’t sexy, inspiring or even vaguely attractive (like that guy standing in the shadowed corner after you’ve consumed a full night’s worth of firewater).
I digress.. sooo, unsexy, BUT necessary art supplies; and I have to suffer their uninspiring presence every. damn. day.

Annnd so, I beautified them…because I couldn’t/can’t help myself!

I realise that there’s something wrong with me. It’s a compulsion, nay, an obsession; as I truly can’t help myself…mind you, as a pursuant of creativity, that’s not necessarily an erroneous pursuit.
[…] because there’s somrthing kind-of awesome about living & breathing the chaos and obsession of the everyday artist.

My envelope book…

altered art, art, artist, collage, DIY, mixed media, painting, recycled products, studio

I finally, finally, (seriously…sooooo much work went into these; layer upon layer upon layer!) FINALLY finished my handmade envelope book.

I wanted somewhere special to store my little sketches and artworks that weren’t on display…and so I undertook a massive endeavour. I didn’t just make one artwork/ envelope…oh no, a book has multiple pages; and my book included six envelope inserts. Annnd all six needed to be alike in both design and degree of finish. Boo.

However, that being said, I love the final product. I’m happy with myself for persevering and commitment to finishing! So, yay! Go me!

My envelope book…

altered art, art, artist, collage, DIY, mixed media, painting, recycled products, studio

I finally, finally, (seriously…sooooo much work went into these; layer upon layer upon layer!) FINALLY finished my handmade envelope book.

I wanted somewhere special to store my little sketches and artworks that weren’t on display…and so I undertook a massive endeavour. I didn’t just make one artwork/ envelope…oh no, a book has multiple pages; and my book included six envelope inserts. Annnd all six needed to be alike in both design and degree of finish. Boo.

However, that being said, I love the final product. I’m happy with myself for persevering and commitment to finishing! So, yay! Go me!

Proof that art saves me…every single day

art, artist

In Our Brutal Modern World, Science Shows Our Brains Need Craft More Than Ever

This article is pure validation for what I’ve known to be true…my whole life!

My art is my link to sanity, it helps me forget the swirling, dark & chaotic thoughts that overwhelm me on a daily basis. I am ADHD, OCD, ODD and I suffer from PTSD; so, one would say that I’m just a touch broken…

My art is the single thing that keeps my on a relatively (with a few crazy plunges) even keel. I let it take me, wherever it may meander to, on any given day, and as I blissfully follow my muse, I “enter a “flow” state, a perfect immersive state of balance between skill and challenge.” It is basically treatment for my psychological foibles…for free!!! This article even references the use of craft as treatment for PTSD.

The use of craft for treatment is titled
“diversional therapy (taking your mind off pain and negative thoughts)”. And that is EXACTLY what happens when I’m lost in my artistic ‘flow’; I forget all about everything & anything that is plaguing me and I just create.

“[…] the ill, or those suffering from various forms of social anxiety, this control, as well as the capacity to draw away any uncomfortable focus upon themselves and instead channel this into the process of making”.

Also…
“[…] crafts were found to increase sufferers’ self-esteem, their engagement with the wider world, and increase their personal sense of well-being and their ability to live positively with their condition.”
So insightful! I definitely feel that all my brokenness makes me a better artist, it allows me to access a whole other level of creativity, because when I create I fully submerge myself in the artistic process.

Without art, I have no idea where I’d be…probably not even here. Being an artist, literally saved me; and it still does.
Every.Single.Day

Altered journal

altered art, art, collage, DIY, mixed media, recycled products

I have a god-daughter turning 17 soon; 🎁 time. So, I decided to make her a journal and pair it with a beautiful fountain pen.

The considerations for functionality, were, to put it mildly, bloody annoying!
Have you every tried to write on a bumpy, uneven surface? Not one of the most pleasurable, or easy of tasks. I needed to keep the cover as flat as possible and not use any bulky embellishments in the cover’s construction.

And so…frustratingly, my usual creation and layering process had to be repressed.

Definitely not an easy business, for when I create, I completely lose myself in the ‘flow’. Hopelessly, I succumb to my artistic state and then I am lost to it and in it. However, this time, I had to resist and stand a little further back from the lure of the ‘flow’ and so, I had to ‘do’ less and ‘think’ more…oh, the horror.

(Back Cover)

(Inner front page)

The personality of an artist…

altered art, art, collage, DIY, installation, mixed media, painting, recycled products, recycled wood

When someone I hold dear, asks me for something of the arty persuasion, they truly know, not, what they do.
[…] because:
a) I have trouble saying that word…you know, that word, the one opposite to ‘no’.
AND
b) I don’t, ever, ever, ever, ever do things by halves. In fact, I may be known to go, well & truly, over-board. All of the times.
Every.Time.

Soooo, one of my teacher friends wanted a name plaque/artwork proclaiming the title of the room’s occupant.
I.did.not.disappoint.
However, maybe, just maybe, the required function of this object, may have (just a touch…) gotten way-laid; and when I say way-laid, I mean, gone beyond all hope.
*shrugs*
Oh, well.

Just say no…to the white canvas.

art, collage, recycled products, recycled wood

I recently demolished a VERY old Jarrah chest-of-drawers; it was over a 100 years old. Wait, before you start, It was very broken & rickety…don’t worry, I’m not a complete heathen!
But I didn’t throw out a single scrap or even a splinter. There’s some quite large boards, all beautifully stained & distressed from a century of use.
Such a perfect blank canvas for me.
Soooo, what to do, what to do?!
Well, I guess I’ll just start, here goes…