Life-giving
Bolstering
Discovery
Unearthing
Open
True
Unhindered
Bold
When I allow myself to silence my inner critic, allow myself to play with abandon and freedom, I feel all the descriptors above. Sometimes it takes a while, sometimes it comes more freely. Time always passes quickly, and when I’m messing around with paint, I’ve had to start setting an alarm so I won’t be late for other commitments. To lose yourself in something you love is a sure sign of an activity that replenishes your heart.
Here are a few samples…
Pages from Paint and Pencils with The Urban Retreat
This next one is a love note to myself, courtesy of the Get Messy challenges. We were challenged to use our favorite materials, colors, arty goodies and write ourselves a love note using this approach. It scares me a little to let y’all see the big ‘ol face I put on there, but part of sharing these is to let you in on my process and lack of artistic training AND IT STILL ENDS UP COOL and means something just to me. Sorry, didn’t mean to yell at you; I just get excited. I happen to be a big fan of modeling paste, so if you could touch this spread, you’d get to feel all the bumps and texture, which just makes it more sensory fun. Maybe I should start using those scented markers to further the sensory experience? Hmmm…food for thought. (My favorite was always the yellow marker — what was yours?)
Big Hair Don’t Care – Self Love Note, Get Messy Art Journal Challenge
Another challenge was to write a love note to a stranger, AND THEN TO LEAVE IT SOMEWHERE for someone to find. ::Gulp:: I did this, but it was not without some fear. My daughter was with me when I dropped one off, and she was pretty convinced we were doing something illegal. It did have an air of conspiracy to it, which just made it more exciting! The first picture tries to show some of the materials I used to create the love notes (complete with a $0.79 paint grid found at the hardware store — gotta love a good deal). The other two are the love-drops around our town.
A paint strainer as a stencil? Yes, please.
Even sideways (because I can’t get it to cooperate) you are loved. Just as you are.
Showin’ some love at our local library.
That’s about it for today. If you’re interested in seeing some other art journal pages and responses to art challenges, click here to go to the Get Messy linkup.
Do you need a love letter today? Is there someone you could send a love letter to, to take some time to put into words your care for him or her? Think about it — it’s hard to say it too much and it’s hard to be over-loved! When’s the last time you got something special in the mail?
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