The moment I took this picture, I only Iiked the way it looked.
But, later on, when I shared it on social media, I wrote: I create better when I am not thinking. What do I mean by that?
The Story
The plastic, blue garbage bag would cover my toddler son’s table for painting his acrylics. I paint there, too (next to him).
After finishing our paintings, I hang the bag outdoors to dry out and reuse it.
From the first moment, I saw that this plastic bag was an artwork we had made without realizing it.
Plus, hanging it outdoors gave it a great look.
The above example confirms that it is easier to be my creative self when I am not thinking about results or how my work seems.
And it always works.
(Otherwise, my critical self comes and stops me or makes me look dull).
Writing
I enjoy writing, and that is because I do it without thinking logically.
In other words, I write to express a certain feeling of mine (pain, anxiety). Most of the time, I have no idea what I write. Words come as a necessity to give my feelings a voice and shape so that I can see and understand them.
And it is very comforting. I create a story in which things start dark but find their way. In the end, I would discover my favorite words shining: acceptance, compassion, and love.
At that moment, I feel relief. I can go back to sleep or be present in my daily duties.
(The best metaphor I can use to describe my feelings of tranquility at the end of the story is what my body felt the moment of my baby’s delivery).
The edits come very later. The structure makes me panic.
Artwork
I do not describe myself as an artist or a writer. I do not have the credits or the professional skills for that.
But I adore reading and writing, enjoying the artwork, and creating art.
I love and need it so much, as I choose to do it instead of sleeping sometimes.
Painting
I like painting, but it is hard for me to be present. I believe I lack the skills. Yet, I feel the need to decorate my stories.
- So in some cases, I painted the characters and placed them in nature. The landscape became their font.
- I borrowed my son’s watercolor paintings to make the fonts in the story Daisy.
- My coloring books gave me an idea about how to create the Gosling and the Owl.
I do not describe my experiences as an ideal way to create art.
Still, I want to say that my need to express a picture made me find a satisfying solution.
Photography
I would love to stay in a world of fantasy (an imaginary world full of beauty).
So, when I discover little treasures like autumn leaves,
old or new toys,
and other small, cute things,
I like to photograph them (usually outdoors).
I care for the sense of calmness and joy they give to me when I look at them.
Some of them found a place in my stories or posts.
And I must say, I have no idea about photography techniques. I do not worry if they are correct. I care if they look cute to me.
Mixed technique
As I have said before, I love to enjoy art. One of my favorite things when traveling is visiting museums and galleries. There apart from admiring artworks, I also take inspiration. And I am thinking, why not try it at home?
In this case belong, fabrics, threads, collages, and contemporary paintings.
More specifically, in my story, the Wise Teacher, I used fabrics to create the bridges and one of the hearts.
In the same story, I mixed the collage method with painting (in the first and last images).
I also used Acrylics without water directly on paper and fabric.
Finally, I ended it with watercolors, pencils, and pastels.
In Wise Teacher, the images might seem unrelated to the plot. But, I am happy as I managed to express my feelings.
And to experiment with new tools.
I had no idea about how text and images would look in the end.
Credits
My favorite teacher is my toddler son. I watch him paint and learn from him to focus on my project and play with it.
Living to the present is one of the greatest lessons all kids offer to us. And it is worth accepting it. 🙂