I spent two weeks in an exotic local... the creative brain spaces of several of my friends. I asked you all to give me your ideas of what to paint for a contest; and while it seemed a lark, and a fun way to get my web site and fan page out there as I grow my business, in the end, it turned out to be quite a growth experience.
As many of you know, I am part way through a 365 challenge (DAY 142 to be exact) of creating a painting a day. It seemed easy enough, until those days when I can't get in my studio until 11:00pm, or stuck in a hotel room with no art supplies and forced to paint with make-up. I thought that about this time I may be running out of ideas, so this contest seemed like a good solution. Well, the brain is pretty fascinating. I have found that I am comfortable in mine. It's messy, full of useless information (such as the floor plan of the Brady Bunch home), however it includes some exciting and vibrant locations in addition to the safe and peaceful beaches. Navigating into the unknown creative spaces of my friends' brains can be quite scary.
Given a charge to paint the Northern Lights- which I've never seen, is specific enough... but paint something Monet-ish or how about a random object in the sky? (I chose an orange Converse.) Maybe too specific would be to paint a vineyard with orange in the sky and a blue bird with just a touch of brown on it's wing... etc.. or illustrate a sermon about some poor, hungry baby bird... This is challenging. I know that my friend may have an entirely different vision of what her idea looks like. Am I afraid to disappoint? You bet! One thing is certain, I can be thankful that my days are not spent doing this sort of thing on a regular basis, working for some crazed art director who lives in a different world ("Make the sky a bluer shade of pink, or you're FIRED!").
But, then again, I can also choose to be thankful for this two week brain stretch. Without it I probably never would have painted a peacock, or cotton candy. I wouldn't have been given the glimpses of what my friends value as beautiful and paint-able. Bonds of friendship deepen. Ideas are exchanged and maybe modified. God still gets the glory.
As with most vacations, it was a great ride, a change of scenery, fun with friends, and created memories; but it's good to be home to my comfy pillow and familiar beach surroundings in my own brain sweet brain.
As many of you know, I am part way through a 365 challenge (DAY 142 to be exact) of creating a painting a day. It seemed easy enough, until those days when I can't get in my studio until 11:00pm, or stuck in a hotel room with no art supplies and forced to paint with make-up. I thought that about this time I may be running out of ideas, so this contest seemed like a good solution. Well, the brain is pretty fascinating. I have found that I am comfortable in mine. It's messy, full of useless information (such as the floor plan of the Brady Bunch home), however it includes some exciting and vibrant locations in addition to the safe and peaceful beaches. Navigating into the unknown creative spaces of my friends' brains can be quite scary.
Given a charge to paint the Northern Lights- which I've never seen, is specific enough... but paint something Monet-ish or how about a random object in the sky? (I chose an orange Converse.) Maybe too specific would be to paint a vineyard with orange in the sky and a blue bird with just a touch of brown on it's wing... etc.. or illustrate a sermon about some poor, hungry baby bird... This is challenging. I know that my friend may have an entirely different vision of what her idea looks like. Am I afraid to disappoint? You bet! One thing is certain, I can be thankful that my days are not spent doing this sort of thing on a regular basis, working for some crazed art director who lives in a different world ("Make the sky a bluer shade of pink, or you're FIRED!").
But, then again, I can also choose to be thankful for this two week brain stretch. Without it I probably never would have painted a peacock, or cotton candy. I wouldn't have been given the glimpses of what my friends value as beautiful and paint-able. Bonds of friendship deepen. Ideas are exchanged and maybe modified. God still gets the glory.
As with most vacations, it was a great ride, a change of scenery, fun with friends, and created memories; but it's good to be home to my comfy pillow and familiar beach surroundings in my own brain sweet brain.
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