JoeGirl Writes…
Inspirations + Observations
JoeGirl Writes…
Inspirations + Observations
The Joys of Art Journaling
Art journal, visual journal, mixed media journal, art diary, sketchbook, scrapbook… While the term may vary, the concept is generally the same—a book containing blank pages of art-quality paper wherein one can express themselves freely using a variety of media, colours, images, marks, collage materials, and other embellishments. It’s a place where you, the artist—yes, you—can let your creative energy flow without reservation or hesitation, where leftover paint can be smeared and spattered, where tools and techniques can be tested, where experiences can be captured and emotions can be processed. Art journaling offers a myriad benefits that extend [more…]
In a funk? Set a timer.
It’s safe to say we have all woken up on the wrong side of the bed at some point. Or experienced an interaction throughout the day that left us feeling down. Or maybe we can’t quite explain it, but we just feel blah all over. We know we don’t want to feel this way, but the mood fairy with their magic wand and pixie dust didn’t get the memo, and you’re left trying to snap out of your funk on your own. Here’s a little trick you can try the next time you feel that sense of sluggishness, [more…]
The Discomfort of Ugly
It’s been a while since I painted. My day started with a joyful excitement to continue a little mixed media piece I started earlier in the week, and by noon I was ready to toss it in the garbage. The past six weeks or so, I have been concentrating on the development of my new project, CAMP—a membership site to inspire creative awakenings, mindfulness + play. I’ve been busy creating content like creativity classes + worksheets to populate the collection of resources available to members. This weekend I was filming the creation of this new little piece. I [more…]
Who’s your champion?
This morning as I was updating a few things on my website, I happened to be propped up in bed next to the man who cheered me on, tirelessly, in its reconstruction and completion. Like me, Shaun’s background is design, content development, and user-friendliness. While he was certainly a trusted pair of eyes for my design ideas, Shaun’s most appreciated support came in the form of cheerleading and accountability. He asked me daily what one little step I would take toward launching my new site. As I scrolled through my site today, an emotional realization came over me—I [more…]
10 Must-Haves for your Creativity Toolbox
Tapping into your creative energy doesn’t necessarily mean you need to spend hundreds of dollars on arts + crafts supplies. I’m a big believer in being resourceful and economical, and finding creative uses for everyday things. Here’s a list of my ten favourite must-haves for my creativity toolkit—things I would take with me for a weekend away, or have within reach at home. If you have any questions about these goodies, I invite you to leave a comment below or contact me! [Disclaimer: While the products I mention here really are my faves, some are affiliate links, which [more…]
Do I miss my artwork when it sells?
Over the last few weeks, I have been inspired to create a bunch of new mixed media pieces—as usual, not knowing where they were headed, simply going with the flow. Starting with a base coat of metallic gold acrylic ink (oh, how I love the luminescence it brings to each piece), and layering colours, book pages, marks, and sketchy illustrations until the piece says “I am complete”. Sometimes, I share the journey of a new piece on Instagram and Facebook so folks can follow the process. It’s fun to create with [more…]
What is Creative Play?
In my last post, I wrote about the Importance of Play for adults, highlighting a few of the numerous benefits to body, mind + spirit. But what is creative play, and how can we easily incorporate more of it into our lives? Like play, being creative ought to be fun, joyful, bring a smile to your face, and not feel like an obligation. Sure, there are professional creators and artists of all kinds who encounter moments (many, in fact) when creating is for work, and feels like work. Inspiration certainly doesn’t always flow like water from a tap, [more…]
The Importance of Play
“Creative Play” might not be a term you are familiar with. We know the words and what they mean, but we tend to associate “play” with children. As adults, we have lost sight of the importance of play, and the countless benefits of incorporating it into our lives. Play reminds us to be imaginative. Imagination is something we associate with children—playing dress up, presenting puppet shows, building great worlds with Lego® and MineCraft®. As adults, imagination is often associated with daydreaming, not paying attention, not taking things seriously. People who study play are recognizing and promoting the fact [more…]
Happiness 101.12
Oh, gosh… it’s been seven years since my last Happiness 101 post. Oops. The world has had a tough year—one of the toughest for all of us alive today. A global pandemic is kind of a big deal, and we can easily find ourselves stuck in the doom and gloom of it all if we aren’t mindful, and consciously seeking silver linings. I’m a fan of silver linings—gratitude, good things, happinesses. Here are some of my happiness highlights from 2020 so far. Started—and completed—a 100 Day Project on January 1st. A new 4x6" piece of artwork every day! [more…]
Hayley + Allen
What a lovely couple of days enjoyed with a lovely couple of humans. Hayley Barry is an extraordinary hand lettering artist from Provo, Utah whom I happened upon on Instagram about two years ago. I was immediately in awe of and inspired by her intricate and pristine works of word art. A year ago, when it came time to revamp our Panic-Free Pricing book into an e-course, I suggested to my co-author, Becca, that we include Hayley as a guest contributor, sharing her wealth of knowledge on the subject of pricing for mural projects. She was a complete delight to work with, writing an [more…]
Time to Shift
Wow. What a year it has been. And not just the almost-year it’s been since my last post {sheepish grin ?}, but 2019 so far. In January, I was completely fired up before and during my Thailand trip. Things settled down after my March women’s art retreat weekend, and have remained oddly quiet since. This quiet stillness coincides with my recent “single” relationship status—something new for me. It’s been over six months since my five-year relationship ended, and I honestly cannot remember a time in my life when I was single for this long. At age 47, it’s an [more…]
Inspired
I’ve been sitting on my front step since 6:40am—and it’s Sunday. There are two reasons I might wake up early: 1) the anxiety over money, relationships, work is too much to bear, and I need to distract myself from the rumination my brain forces upon me by hauling my ass out of bed and doing something—anything, or 2) none of the aforementioned condition exists and I am enthusiastic about the day and all it has to offer—especially if I have a new project or idea. On July 10th, a very sweet lady passed away who impacted my life [more…]
Do Something Different
An oldie, but a goodie. Every time I come across this video, I remind myself of a kids’ TV show host! What’s one thing you can do differently today? Tell me in the comments below…
