Really, I got this wonderful piece of mail art from my good friend (and fellow artist) Linda Germain:
Linda is a wonderful artist - and does amazing monoprints - and is also an insightful teacher. What is even cooler is that you can take her classes online, from your own home or studio, anywhere in the world, and she is right there to help you every step of the way. I love the fact that she teaches her style of printmaking that is accessible to everyone - and no need for fancy equipment. You can check her most current class out here.
Anyhow, here is a close-up of the words on the piece. (And they are TYPED, as in a TYPEWRITER - the old typographer in me squealed with delight when I saw that!)
But they got me thinking....
What if I did play for 5 minutes a day? I have used many focusing techniques to start my day in my studio over the years. I've written "morning pages", I've made to-do lists, I've used breathing techniques, I've paced - I find that things work for while, then eventually I need to move on to a different technique. Which is fine - whatever works to get my mind focused to get to work on my paintings is okay with me. So Linda's prompt gave me a few ideas.....
To start with for now, I am taking the first 5 minutes in my studio to play. Right now that means drawing in my sketchbook. Nothing related to what I am working on at the moment. It can be a drawing of something I see, something floating in my head, or even just a scribble. Then I write the first line that pops into my head - whether it makes sense or not. And there is no pressure - I won't ever show this sketchbook to anyone! It is just 5 minutes, with no purpose in mind but to "play". So far it has been great fun, and definitely helps me to get centered to start my day.
 |
| Thank you, Linda - for the gift of "5 minutes to play" |
4 comments:
Great post..but curious 5 minutes to play doesn't seem like enough. Do you find yourself going beyond your time limit? Thanks again for sharing such lush images and word ideas
Great post..but curious 5 minutes to play doesn't seem like enough. Do you find yourself going beyond your time limit? Thanks again for sharing such lush images and word ideas
So far the 5 minutes have been working for me. I am usually so eager to start painting for the day, that I feel like I don't want to take a lot of time on an exercise, even if it does help me focus! The drawing is a quick sketch - almost more of a brain dump - so I really don't want to get to involved or over worked.
Thanks for your comments!!
I like that! 5 minutes to play! For me, I just take my canvas and start to put the layers of paint on. Maybe that is just a way of me releasing and getting started? I don't think I have any rituals? I will sketch something out, if I have something specific in mind. Love the mail art!
Post a Comment