So today was an art date with a lovely lady from Book of Days as we were both a bit behind in March’s lessons and not wanting to stay stuck for any longer. It was great fun! Despite not being in the same time zone, or being able to see or hear each other we arted together, at the same time (6pm for me and 12 midday for her) and it felt like I wasn’t arting alone.
We had a lovely chat afterwards by messenger and shared our art too which was fabjubilous!
The lesson was an awesome lesson with Marieke Blokland. It was a challenge for me because I am working so much in watercolours everything else I feel clumsy and new at again. It was great fun and although this isn’t a pretty or accomplished piece it has a lot of feeling and thought and processing of ideas and stuff behind it for me…..it’s what I want art journalling to be like.
It has more layers than a croissant and my Posca paint pens did not want to work. It started with the idea of ‘just be positive and smile’. This is one that just doesn’t work for me. Relentless positivity in the face of everything, think positive, be positive, smile…it’s not real for me. It feels false and stressful if I were to try. I really believe that accepting my emotions, sitting with them, the feeling of them (without spinning negative stories in my head) but feeling the feelings is healthy. It’s not squashing them or ignoring them, or denying them or trying to positive them away. It’s working with them, through them, past them. Integrating them into me, into my story. And it is hard. Really hard sometimes.
I took that idea and worked in lots of ways over it with the idea of ‘it’s OK to be not OK’. It’s hard to say to the world, no I’m not fine- but it shouldn’t be. It should be OK. It shouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
At the end I was drawing these whimiscal sort of flowers and then started drawing tears…and I was pondering why. I think maybe because feeling your feelings and accepting all the ways you have of being and working with that helps you grow.
So not my most beautiful piece but one I am happy with because it contains lots of meaning.
I also did more of my Boaramagonafly and did day 6 of #100daysofmindfulwatercolours…..
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