The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women

Last week I joined The Next Chapter book blogging group for The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women. Each week we read and write about a book chapter and what it means to us. The first chapter is titled, "Acknowledging Your Creative Self". My blog was created specifically to find my creative self. I have felt the pull toward art for many years, but it is just now that I am fully responding to that pull. I have been doing some mixed media art and have recently become interested in abstract art, which I wrote about in my previous post. I am at the beginning of my creative journey, and right now I am enjoying the process of learning. The scrapbook page I included here I did last year and it showcases my interests including art, travel, flowers, crochet and birds.

Abstract Creativity

I have become interested in abstract painting so I read Abstract and Colour Techniques in Painting by Claire Harrigan this week. It is not a step-by-step instruction book. Instead, it gives narrative on how the artist makes decisions about her paintings. All of the painting in the book are Claire Harrigan's work and they are gorgeous. I especially love her use of bright colors, reminiscent of Matisse. She inspired me to start sketching to get some ideas for an abstract painting of my own. I used a photo I had taken at Shenandoah of a leaf on a fallen log for my sketches:





In the first sketch, I tried to incorporate too much detail. So in the next two sketches, I tried to simplify. I like the last sketch the best. I also drew a sketch of Belle sleeping:

Virginia Wildflowers

Since I am starting the Master Gardener's Volunteer program next month, I put together this layout of wildflower photos I took last spring. I tried my hand at the layering of elements, but I'm not sure I completely like the result. So what, right? This is what creativity is all about. Trying new things!!

Dream

Not much creativity today, unless you count wrapping and storing Christmas decorations. That is one joyless task, no doubt in my mind! I doodled last night with my girl. The result is Dream, something I try to remember to do. To hold onto my dreams of living a creative life.

Today's Creativity

I printed The Rules to put in my kitchen. Yeah, I'm a dreamer, aren't I?


I started another digital scrapbooking layout last night and finished it this afternoon. When I saw the background paper, I immediately thought of that photo of my children. It must have been the colors from the sunrise.

Angel in a Box

So it's another digital scrapbooking layout for today. I love this photo of our kitten, Angel. She likes to sleep on top of my printer in the box I keep my paper in. As you can see, she is getting way too big for the box!!

Snow Play

Today begins the challenge to be Creative Every Day of 2009. The theme for January is "play". My first creative endeavor is a digital scrapbooking layout. I really had to be creative to find background papers to blend in with the pink and the red of the photos. I tried all kinds of colors and settled on a "pinkish red". (My blog post title is clickable and will take you to the gallery where my credits are listed.) The photos were taken last January as we have yet to have any snow.