hellooooooo friends!

It is so hard to leave—until you leave.
And then it is the easiest goddamned thing
in the world.
- John Green, Paper Towns

hello long lost loved ones!! :-)

When I decided to take a little break from everything

in early August, I needed it.

I was feeling pressure to blog (instead of joy),

a duty to paint (instead of inspiration)

and just plain tired of everything,

including the pressure to be everything on social media.

           

Especially that last one…

Sometimes, a few weeks away from things

really helps to get a new, fresh perspective.

During the past few weeks,

I disconnected from social media almost totally.

I watched very little TV.

I walked.

I listened to good music.

I dabbled in a bit of art, but really very little.

I wrote and I read more than anything,

for my own pleasure and nothing more.

As I get more comfortable

with the fact that I am an introvert,

I've decided to make a few changes

concerning social media.

Facebook is out. Total waste of time for me.

Pinterest is in. (visual candy!)

Twitter’s not out the door yet, but it’s close.

Instagram. I’ve yet to use Instagram seriously.

I logged in, took a few pics, and then never touched it again,

but I do understand its value, and I love taking photos,

so I’m giving it another try. Soon.

Blogging is IN!

(Yay again!)

 this watercolor began as a half handsome man...

and ended up looking like Chief Dan George! sheeesh.
Talk about ending with something so different
than what I had imagined.

 and then this came out of left field...?

ok, so where was I...

oh yeah - I also read this during my time off

and I just think it's something

we all need to hear now and then:

We hear “do what you love” so often

from those few people who it did work for,

for whom the stars aligned,

and from them it sounds like good advice.

They’re successful, aren’t they?

If we follow their advice, we’ll be successful, too! […]

We rarely hear the advice of the person

who did what they loved and stayed poor

or was horribly injured for it.

Professional gamblers, stuntmen,

washed up cartoonists like myself:

we don’t give speeches at corporate events.

We aren’t paid to go to the World Domination Summit

and make people feel bad.

We don’t land book deals

or speak on Good Morning America.

- Rachel Nabors, DON'T do what you love

She may sound a bit bitter,

but there's a lot of truth to this.

I still believe it’s important

to try to weave in what you love

as much as you can in your day,

but we’re often led to believe

that if we do what we love,

the money will follow, and sadly,

that’s not always the case.

That's not even often the case.

It works for some, but not for everyone.

Doing what you love shouldn’t be

about making money.

It should be about making you happy

while you’re doing it.

(You know this by now, right?)

 So speaking of happiness...

I’m happy to be back here

(even if I may slowly ease into it)

and I will make it a point to visit some

of your blogs at least once a week.

As much as I love writing on my own blog,

I also love the connection with all of you.

I love seeing what you’re all up to,

in your own little corner of the world.

My well feels full again.

My path much clearer.

Yeah. 

Bring it on, baby. 

(acrylic on paper)

Rainbow skies and

ice cream cones to all of you... xx

it's August - over & out!

hi everyone!

It's summer here in eastern Canada,

and a beautiful one at that.

The beaches are full of tanned bodies.

I've been in a slump lately

and since i believe we can all use a little down time now & then,

i'm taking a break from making art.

Today is the first day of August,

and I'm thinking I'll take all of August

to just float for a while instead of paddle.

To allow myself time away from the studio - guilt free.

without that little voice that says:

you should be blogging

you should draw something

you should write

you should paint...

Whenever the "shoulds" start creeping in,
I put on the brakes.
Whenever I start to feel like writing or making art is a chore -
it's time for a change or at least a break.
Pressured art = bad art.
At least for me it does.

I understand my creative cycle by now,
so it's easier to accept it.
Earlier in my career as a designer,
and then later as an artist,
whenever I'd hit a creative slump,
I remember feeling 
that maybe the well had gone dry.
Maybe I had no more ideas.
Maybe i'd never write anything
that made sense anymore.
Maybe I was done as an artist.

 I'm wiser than that now.

Art cannot be forced.
I love this quote by Paul Cézanne:
A work of art which did not begin in emotion
is not art.

Sometimes, we just need breathing space
& to give ourselves permission to say
"I'll do it when my heart feels like it".
Sometimes, we just need a change of focus.
A change of scenery.

So I've decided to do this: Susannah Conway's AUGUST BREAK.
A different perspective.
A new way of seeing the world...
I love how relaxed this whole thing is.
I suck at commitment,
so this is just perfect for me.
Snap a picture every day - or once a week - 
whatever your little heart desires.
Share it on Instagram - or not - whatever you want.
Post it on a blog - or not - it's up to you.
This is my kind of monthly challenge. ;-)
Absolutely commitment free.
It's a wonder i've ever accomplished anything in my life.
(I have!)
I'm starting to think
that perhaps we accomplish more
when we apply less pressure...

So there you have it.
I may end up posting again in 3 days,
or I may not.
If i disappear for a while,
please know that I haven't deserted you
and i'll be back when my muse calls again.

When I have something
that is worth sharing,
i'll share.
In the meantime, i'll be giving my heart and head
the space they need
to make stuff worth making.

Wishing you ALL a wonderful August...
Thanks for being here.
xx