Where Do I Start?

Where do I start? 

How many times have you asked yourself this when you're faced with a daunting task at hand? Or many tasks?  Where do I start?  It's often enough to freeze us dead in our tracks.  We don't know where to begin... there's just too much to do.  Overwhelm happens and what often happens next?  Nothing.  We do nothing... and stay stuck.

Yup.  I know this well.  That's one of the many reasons that I disappeared from my blog for so long.  There was so much going on that I just didn't have the time or energy, and when I finally wanted to get back to it... I froze.  Where the heck do I start?  So what did I do?  I would piddle around for a bit, then would freeze up, overwhelmed.  Where do I start?  How do I explain my absence?  Then I finally did what I should've done months ago.  I brought out my art journal.




Now mind you, during most of this time I hadn't made any art either.  I felt rusty and out of practice, but I had to get back to it.  I told myself to just start.  So I shuffled through my art papers and my folder of collage bits, and I pulled out a few things that spoke to me and started gluing them down into the journal before I could over think it. 

He who hesitates is lost.

Proverb 

Then out came the paints... 

I had to get paint on my hands... and quick.  Oh how I missed you... paint covered hands (deja vu, I think I've said this before!).  Ahh... I could breath again.  I'm me again.  

The background was done, so now what?  OK, just journal about what's on my mind a lot lately... in many ways about many things.  "Where do I start?"  How do I write a blog post after disappearing for so long?  How do I get back to my art?  I don't even know where to begin.  So back to the art journal... the answers came easy while working in my journal.  Where do you start?  At the beginning of course! Or wherever you want, wherever you are.  Start right here, there, anywhere... JUST START.  Dive in, stop over thinking it, there's no wrong answer here.

The only wrong move is to not make one, and stay stuck (man, I need to pin that to my wall... or forehead).

Easier said than done, right?  But reminding ourselves of this really can help from time to time. 

 And for those of us who finally do get started (like I did on this post), but then get tripped up by perfectionism and get stuck again...tonight my husband reminded me to "Keep it simple".  Forget perfection, etc... just get it done!

Ok, I have a lot to share with you all, but to keep this from turning to the longest post ever (isn't it already?)... and to keep me from freezing up while trying to write this, again... I will give you a very short-hand version of what I've been up to lately and fill you in with PHOTOS and whatnot in upcoming posts.  Deal?

OK...

*Had an art show.  Yay!!

*Went camping up in Kern River 

*Went on a month long trip to South Australia to visit dearly missed family

*While we were over in Australia, my Mom wound up in the hospital over here for about a week and hasn't been the same since, so since we've been back I've been over there helping her out as much as I can.  I've also been researching non-stop... healing foods, recipes, etc..  This has been my main focus since getting back from our trip.  She is doing way better these past few weeks, but still has a long way to go.

Ok, so those are the main things that I've been up to.
Oh, and Pinterest.  Darn Pinterest sucks me in, but I love it for keeping all the wonderful recipes (and art) that I'm finding all in one place! Then there's Facebook... I have been updating my FB art page more often then my blog.  


So what did I NOT do this whole time?  Art, blogging, and yoga.  How did I feel?  Crappy.  

I do apologize for my long, unintentional blog break, but the thing is, I want my blog to be a place of inspiration, but to possibly be inspiring you have to be/feel inspired... and that's hard to do when your mind is on other things.  Its also hard to do when you're not doing the things that inspire you... like art, blogging, and yoga.  It's very much a catch 22!  So now I'm jumping in and getting started again, with all three of those.  I've been "warming up" my art by working in my art journal lately, but I can't wait for some time to work on my canvases again.  This is my 2nd blog post in the past 2 weeks... I could do better than that, but hey... it's a start!  And tomorrow I'm meeting with my amazing yoga instructor again to get me back to it... which to me is a huge inspiration in itself!  Yay!  Progress... and hopefully tons of inspiration to come!

Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.
Johann Gottfried Von Herder

Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.

Samuel Smiles

 Is there anything that you've been stuck with lately, and you don't know where to start?  Try to remind yourself that the only wrong move is to not make one, and stay stuck!  Now get started!  You'll feel so much better when you do!

Textured Painting: Just Be

Just Be.  Just be what?  Well... let's brainstorm a bit shall we?

Just be_____________.  (Fill in the blank)

still, silly, interesting, silent, loud, motivated,  unique, artsy,  spontaneous, strong, vibrant, juicy, magic, constantly growing and evolving, comfortable in your skin, bold, daring, humble, childlike, fearless, free, a bit of a loon, etc...
















Just be... whatever you want to be.  Even if you have to pretend.... even if just for a few minutes here and there.  Example #1.  If, when I said Just Be ________, you thought "The Queen of England", then go ahead and get or make your self a crown and pretend to be the Queen.  Grab a chair/throne, announce to anyone in the room (your royal subjects) that you are the Queen and you are not to be bothered, unless they are going to tend to you or entertain you...etc...  Go with it.  "Pardon me, Rick, but would you please spit shine my shoes and bring me a spot of tea?".  Now I'm not saying your royal subjects will be as entertained with this as you are, but they'll probably get over it.  Eventually.


Example #2.  If you thought "A real artist", then go and get your art supplies (if you don't have any then go buy some, or a pencil and paper can work just fine) and pretend that you know exactly what you're doing and just have fun.

Oh, by the way, you are a real artist.

We all are.  Everyone is born as such and just needs to find their confidence and particular medium that helps them to express themselves and get back to the childlike sense of wonder they had at the beginning stages of their life.  But that's a whole different post in itself.

So once again, just be.  Just be what?

 Just be...

YOU

New Year, New Art: Make it Count

Hi there.

It's already time for another Paint Party Friday!

Man... a week can go by very quickly!  Well, weird thing is it seemed to fly by, yet it took forever for Friday to get here.  Hmmm...  anybody know what I mean, or am I the only crazy one around here?  Wait.. what am I saying?  You're a bunch of artists too so enough said!  ;-)

I've had several art pieces done for a while, just waiting to be shared but I just haven't had the time post them.  I was going to explain all this in an Orloff household update, but decided to make that a separate post so as not to bore all you PPF peeps!  So today I'll just share this one painting and bore the rest of you later!

I started this piece on New Years Eve as inspiration for 2012.  Last year was an interesting one, so I'm rather happy for a fresh new year all full of possibilities.  

To start this piece, I printed out one of my photos and glued it down onto a 7"x9" mat board.  I added texture with heavy gel medium by Golden, and once dry I used a pen to draw over parts of the photo to pop some details out.  I then used Golden fluid acrylics to blend with the colors in the photo.

I used paint to stamp out the words "A fresh start, shiny and new.  Make it count", and glued them to the canvas using the heavy gel medium.  I added a bit of the same colors around the words to blend them in a bit... and voila!  Done!

This piece came together rather easily for me.  I love when that happens!  I hope it inspires and reminds you (and me!) to really take advantage of this new year and "make it count"!

Happy Paint Party Friday everyone!  To join in with your own painted projects or see the list of links for who else is painting along, click here.

Puddles of Inspiration

Hi there.

I have a new journal page to show you.  

It rained here in Southern California all day on Sunday, which inspired me to paint the rain.

First I painted the clouds and added the rain and puddles with my white Sakura Souffle pen that I think I'm now re-addicted to!  I love the sheen of it against the matte background.  I wanted to add a quote about rain, but I couldn't find one that I liked, so as I was adding more rain and puddles I came up with this phrase...

"Fresh ideas

 Pour down like rain

Leaving behind 

Puddles of Inspiration"

But what good are puddles if you don't have galoshes? 

 Don't worry, I added some fun red ones that you can use!

So what are you waiting for?  Go ahead... put these on and jump on into your own "puddles of inspiration"!

Buried Treasure : Potential Unleashed Again

This was originally posted On March 7, 2011.   I'm reposting it for the Buried Treasure collaboration, which is hosted by the very talented Seth Apter at The Altered Page.   We are asked to dig through our own art blogs and repost a favorite post of ours.  Potential Unleashed is a favorite because I was not just deeply inspired while creating the art, but also while creating the post.  So here it is...

Potential.  We all have TONS of it.  Yet how many of us truly live up to ours?  How do we tap into it... and unleash it?  What holds us back?

We do.  We hold ourselves back.  Oh yes... we have our excuses, but that's all that they are.  Excuses.

Hidden gems revealed

We all have these wonderful gems that we've been given...our true light... I say stop keeping it all locked up inside and let it all come exploding out for everyone to see!  Let your light pour out.  It's time!

I struggled with this painting, perhaps because I was struggling with coming to grips with my own potential.   I've been an artist my whole life.  It was never a secret to any who knew me, but I didn't think I was any good for the longest time...in fact most of the time.

I thought I had come to terms with it, but I still held myself back until something finally snapped in me a year or two ago.  I realized that God gave me this gift, and I thought I was using it, but deep down I knew better.  I finally realized all that I had, all that others saw, was kept in my tight grip.  I was so afraid of messing up and so wanted to please people.  What if they didn't like what I made?  What if I proved that I really wasn't any good...just like I thought all along?

But what I realized was in doubting myself I was doubting what God had given me.  I mentioned it before, but it must be said over and over until it sinks in for you too.  God doesn't make mistakes, so if you doubt your gifts and your potential, then you're doubting Him.

Our true selves and struggles are released onto the canvas...each one a self-portrait of sorts.

To sum this up way better than I could, here is one of my all time favorite quotes.  This is so darn powerful.  It gets me EVERY time I read it.  Copy it.  Paste it where you can read it everyday.  Let it sink in.  It will change you.  It will help you unleash.  Let it.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

--marianne williamson

Stalled

"Whatever God's dream about man may be, it seems certain it cannot come true unless man cooperates."

                  --Stella Terrill Mann

Just a quick post today.  This is a photo of my beautiful, happily used water container that I use for painting.  I put a butterfly sticker on it months ago... I can't believe it's still hanging on!  In the background you can see a bit of a work in progress... a tree painting.  I need to finish it.  I love it but haven't had much time to work on it (and truthfully have been avoiding it lately).  I have worked on other things but this is the one that calls to me most...yet I avoid it.  I need to stop thinking and start doing.  I need to get back into the habit of creating everyday... it's the best way to fend off perfectionist fears.  

"Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot 

attain it in anything."

                    ---Eugene Delacroix

Potential Unleashed

Potential.  We all have TONS of it.  Yet how many of us truly live up to ours?  How do we tap into it... and unleash it?  What holds us back?

We do.  We hold ourselves back.  Oh yes... we have our excuses, but that's all that they are.  Excuses.

Hidden gems revealed

We all have these wonderful gems that we've been given...our true light... I say stop keeping it all locked up inside and let it all come exploding out for everyone to see!  Let your light pour out.  It's time!

I struggled with this painting, perhaps because I was struggling with coming to grips with my own potential.   I've been an artist my whole life.  It was never a secret to any who knew me, but I didn't think I was any good for the longest time...in fact most of the time.

I thought I had come to terms with it, but I still held myself back until something finally snapped in me a year or two ago.  I realized that God gave me this gift, and I thought I was using it, but deep down I knew better.  I finally realized all that I had, all that others saw, was kept in my tight grip.  I was so afraid of messing up and so wanted to please people.  What if they didn't like what I made?  What if I proved that I really wasn't any good...just like I thought all along?

But what I realized was in doubting myself I was doubting what God had given me.  I mentioned it before, but it must be said over and over until it sinks in for you too.  God doesn't make mistakes, so if you doubt your gifts and your potential, then you're doubting Him.

Our true selves and struggles are released onto the canvas...each one a self-portrait of sorts.

To sum this up way better than I could, here is one of my all time favorite quotes.  This is so darn powerful.  It gets me EVERY time I read it.  Copy it.  Paste it where you can read it everyday.  Let it sink in.  It will change you.  It will help you unleash.  Let it.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

--marianne williamson