The Imperfectionist Manifesto No. 2

Sometimes I need to be reminded to simply 

Show Up and Do The Work!

Visit me on Instagram to see

The Imperfectionist Manifest No. 1 and follow me: denise_riches

Learn more about Living a Creative Life on 

Melissa Dinwiddie's website HERE. 

Studio and Attitude Adjustment

I don't think I ever posted a photo of my revamped art table which was actually, oh... about a year ago! So after re-reading Pam Carriker's book "Art at the Speed of Life" I decided to truly get organized and serious about getting some art DONE!!! I'll post about how motivating her book was to me another day and keep this one about the studio. Wanting to keep costs down I salvaged from all over the house. I bought a door from the hardware store and set it on top of a wire storage rack I had in the garage. It's the perfect height for working while standing or for a tall stool. It's big enough to layout several projects at once and after being secured to the wall, it's very sturdy. At one end of the table I have a small bookcase storing my art books and reference materials with a paper towel roll mounted to the side (you can kinds see it up there in the bottom right corner). Little cubbies and drawers hold all my supplies so they are accessible and I've labeled everything so I can find just what I'm looking for. I even spent time sorting and organizing so things I completely forgot about now have labeled homes. 

The wall above my art table has a storage shelf that I found in another room not being used. The newly labeled baskets hold extra supplies, texture tools, emphemora, old cards, and paint mixing supplies & bottles. There's vintage jars holding sponges, paint brushes, and button. And I keep my sketchbooks handy for reference. 

This end of the art table has a roll out card I keep my paints and miscellaneous supplies in. I have Stampington & Company Publications, Cloth Paper Scissors and Professional Artist magazines on the files along with my ever growing collection of UNFINISHED WORK. I seriously want to stop this habit of starting a project and then NEVER FINISHING IT! I either get annoyed with it or I should say frustrated with myself or I get distracted by some new technique I want to try and I move on to yet another project. I honestly have 40 to 50 pieces started...just sitting there...feeling neglected and forgotten...hoping to be re-discovered one day.  

Inspiration Banner

I picked up this cute little banner at the Portland Saturday Market while I was there last weekend. She had many pre-made banners with saying or you could buy the letters to spell out your own. After much deliberation, I decided on the word "CREATE" to keep me motivated and inspired. I placed it right above my art table where I can see it all the time. You can check out more of her photo banners here. Enjoy and make it a great weekend!

Be You

"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."

-- Joseph Campbell

Inspiration at Work

I have been seriously blog challenged lately lacking ideas, new work, or time to get anything up here. It's been weighing heavily on me, so I thought I would simply add some photos of things that catch my eye at work. I work on the Sales Floor at Michael's Arts and Crafts and have the opportunity to roam the store and check out all the cool stuff. Even if I don't know what to do with lots of it, it's still fun and inspiring to imagine the possibilities. I take stock of shapes, patterns and the way things are layered. Often there's so much information, it just puts me on overload. So here's a few items that caught my eye yesterday. Enyoy the Day!

A Recommended Read - The Alchemist

photo from Stillwater Free Library

Just finished reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I thoroughly enjoyed this book not only for its simplicity but also for its inspiring story. This book is a must read for anyone on a journey of their own to discover their path in life, to realize a dream or to better understand who they are as a person. It's filled with wisdom about discovering the treasures within ourselves and about listening and following our hearts. It encourages us "to realize one's Personal Legend" and that "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it" if you can read the signs and open your heart to it. So many quotable and thought provoking passages...such as "Because I don't live in either my past or my future, I'm interested in only the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man." And "That's what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too." Definitely a book that will stay on my bookshelf forever.

Inspired Again...Thank You Artful Blogging

Now that the latest issue of Arful Blogging has arrived in mailboxes all over the world, how many blogs are experiencing a higher number of posts than usual? I know mine is. With every uplifting story, every beautiful photo, every carefully selected word my heart beats faster with delight and inspiration by these lovely ladies sharing their wisdom and passion. Pam Carriker made the point that Short and Sweet gets the job done and I couldn't agree with her more. I find myself skipping over blog posts that are too long and I need to keep that in mind when I'm crafting my own. I struggle with expressing my feeling in words. I want this blog to chronicle more of what I feel and experience everyday in this life...this is my story, told by me. I want to find that quiet whisper within me and give her a voice.

My Inspiration

Three back issues of Artful Blogging arrived in my mailbox yesterday. I couldn't wait to dive in and read every word. Though I had no intention of starting a blog, at least not for a while, I still enjoy reading about how blogging changes lives, or connects people who would otherwise remain strangers or inspires artists/crafters to create. By the time I got to page 20 of the 2007 Premier Issue I had decided to start a blog. I was reading about Kerri Posson's "Adventures in Art & Life" and she wrote "...my blog has become a tool for documenting my creative journey for myself." It was her words that helped me realize I could begin my blog now, for myself, with no expectations to meet. I don't have to tell anyone about my blog until I'm ready. I don't have to make it look beautiful right away. I don't have to plan it all out beforehand. I don't have to write what people will read, I just have to be me. I may not be as funny, or as insightful, or as creative, or as talented as other bloggers, but I do have a story to tell...Mine!

I am not a writer nor am I a journaler (although secretly I wouldn't mind being both). I am, however, interested in learning more about who I am. The art journals of Judy Wise captivated me about a year ago and I've tried to be like her, but it just wasn't working for me. I guess I don't have enough discipline or enough time (three kids can do that to a person). I still love the art journal idea though. I also like Julia Cameron's morning pages philosophy. The thought of spilling everything onto the page to free up my mind for other, more creative tasks totally make sense. Well, guess what...not so good at doing that either. Perhaps taking pieces of both methods and putting them together to suit my style will work better for me. I just need to figure out how to do that. But for now, documenting my creative journey on this blog is a good place to start.