art and inspiration and "I feel an e-course coming on!"

The force that through the green fuse

drives the flower...

- Dylan Thomas

We got our first 'real' snowstorm here

just a few days ago (about 25cm)

so yes - winter is here.

Unless we have the kind of winter

where it's constantly snowing for months,

I don't mind winter at all.

As long as the roads are plowed

and I can get out once in a while,

I'm good.

Like most artists out there,
I love the hibernating part of winter. 
There's nothing like a snowstorm
on a Sunday morning,
when nature gives you permission
to stay in your PJs all day.
(of course, who really needs permission for that?!) :)

I also love the slowness of January...

Everyone seems to be in a better mood somehow.

Maybe it's because we're onto something new,
or we feel like it's a chance for a new beginning,
or we've looked at the past year
and realize we're gonna be ok after all.

Something about January feels 
hopeful to me.
And lord knows
we'll take all the hope we can get.

So I have a few things to share with you.

For a while now,

I've been thinking about teaching on-line.

I've taken several e-courses

and I've learned a lot from each one.

So I'm currently doing an e-course

on how to teach e-courses!

Yes, it's a brainteaser :)

I am loving every bit of it so far,

and if all goes well,

I'm hoping to have my own e-course

out in the world by April or May 2017.

I still haven't decided what I'll be teaching,
nor how I'll be teaching it,
but I do know I have something to offer
and I feel that there are people out there
ready to embrace my offerings.

It'll somehow be about art
and connection
and courage
and words
and having fun
and becoming more confident
about who we are
and where we are in life,
and carving small moments in the day
for something that makes us happy.

It'll be about listening
to our own voices
and exploring
and expressing
and discovering
and healing
and accepting
and truth
and there will be NO room
for perfection.
Nope.
Sorry perfection, no room for you at the Inn. ;)

So I'm in the early stages of brainstorming ideas
about what I'd like to share and teach,
and how I'd like to do it in a way
that makes it fun and non threatening
and without the pressure of becoming
a "talented" artist.

So there are many unknowns right now,
but this is all so exciting.

And speaking of unknowns...

the bird painting earlier in this post (the orange and teal one)
was done in about an hour and a half last night.
I painted slowly and filled the circles with white
and took my time with the lines
and added orange and teal here and there.

And in the end, it was just ok.

So with the leftover paint,
(because you know it can't go to waste!)
I opened my small journal
and painted this one in about 5 minutes,
adding a yellow.

I knew it would be abstract
and I knew it would be quick,
because i basically just wanted
to use the leftover paint.

Then I added a few squiggly lines
with oil pastels...(inspired by Tara Leaver - thank you!)

And i loved it!

So the TIME you spend on art
is irrelevant to how you'll feel about it.

It's irrelevant to how it'll "move" you
or someone else.

1.5 hours = meh...
5 minutes = LOVE!!

Lesson of the day:
You don't need huge chunks of time to make art
or huge canvases
or an art studio
or expensive materials.

You just need to sit yourself down
and do something.
Anything.
And who knows?
Maybe it'll make your heart
a little happier than it was
just moments before.
xox