Living Right Brain

Learning to let go of perfection


I love deadlines! When I used to do art and craft shows -BC (before children), I would sometimes be accepted with only 2 weeks notice and I would enthusiastically be able to pull an entire show together in time.
  I don’t do craft shows anymore but I have to say, I do miss the adrenaline rush of those insane deadlines!  If I were to really look at what a deadline does for me, what stands out the most, is that it seems to remove that perfection thing.



When I was in my bronze period I would go on forever, working the clay, working it and working it, perfection was my goal.  Then when I started to create sculptures in hand applied concrete, I was soon shown that I was not going to be given the luxury of time to achieve perfection with this medium, because once it started to harden it was done!

I had to work fast and let go of perfection completely, it was so liberating!  I was not the boss of this medium.  When the concrete was done, I was done!

  But now here I am years since I played with concrete and that feeling of needing my work to be perfect seems to be ever present!  I don’t know if I will ever truly be able to let go of the need to put out perfect work but I really feel that if we love what we are doing and it is fueled by passion, then maybe the fear of needing to be perfect can be replaced with that wonderful sense of abandonment, working purely for the love of it and the desire to share it with others.

“Why teach when you can just make it and sell it?”

I was asked that over dinner a few weeks ago when I was 
sharing how excited I was to have finally completed the 
first five of our eBooks.
“Why would you work so hard to teach people how to make 
things when you can just make the art and sell it?” 
The answer is simple, I love showing people, especially 
those who don’t believe they are creative, how truly 
awesome it can be to create something with your own 
hands. It’s as simple as that!
Of course I am still creating art, but every time I get started 
on a project I start thinking how I would love to share the 
process with you.

Let’s Make Stuff

With the abundance of flowers everywhere, I thought it would be a good time to create a fun floral presentation using a selection of glass jars, wire, and a handful of flowers leaves and branches. 
Visit our site to learn more http://tinyurl.com/d22ffke

Celebrating The Simple Things

As we go through our day, with so much coming at us it is understandable that we would become desensitized to the simple things -the things that don’t blink, buzz, or flash; those beautiful, quiet things that sit on our shelves or our kitchen window sills. Take some time out of your noisy day and find a little slice of simple beauty that you have in your life.

Morning Ritual

Do you have a morning ritual? Try adding this fun, yet powerful, mini project to your morning.  It’s a great way to motivate yourself or those you love.  Try it for a week and see what happens! 
http://tinyurl.com/d22ffke

Flowers In The Studio

Nothing thrills me more then an arm full of flowers - whether from the garden the farmers market or the local florist shop!

I am a certified floral designer, studying at the Portland Floral Design Institute. I contemplated throwing myself into floral design 100% but I have never been able to dedicate myself 100% to any of the delicious art medias I work in, so I make arrangements for my home and studio.

We are also working on a really fun book full of DIY arrangements that you can make using found objects as vases; look for that next spring!  Meanwhile, I will continue to celebrate the floral abundance until fall comes upon us - my absolutely favorite time of year!

Wool In The Summer Time

Working on our first line of eBooks, “Felted Wool Crafts”, makes me wonder how the people who work on magazines do it-shooting photos of Christmas in July, or  surrounded by Halloween decorations in August, while everyone else is running around in summer dresses and flip-flops!
I do love working with this material and as long as my models (my teenage daughters and friends) don’t mind being wrapped in thick wool scarves for a few photos, it’ll work just fine! Then we start in on spring designs this fall!

Outside of the studio door

Look at these dense green, mossy images - can you believe this is what it looks like outside my studio door the first week of July!? Oregon is known for its rain but I think it should be known for its moss!! Lush green moss and ferns everywhere… it reminds me of when I would go to England to visit my dad.  Streams with ancient trees and huge boulders all covered in moss and ferns, it had this amazing smell of nurtured earth.
The moss will be gone by August, turning into a golden dusty wool, clinging on until the rain comes back, then it will start all over again.

Cleaning Up

The studio was buzzing with three projects at once this last month so of course it was torn to shreds! It felt so nice to get it all cleaned up and ready for our next project. Art can get messy-
When my girls were small I used to do all my work in our dining room; I would feel so bad when my projects would destroy the house, but to this day when I drag a project into the house and create a bit of creative chaos they always tell me how much they love when the house is covered in art, that it makes them feel cozy – so sweet!

 

 

So Many Projects!

June was such an amazing month of creativity, I can't wait to see what July brings!
Take a moment and see where you can bring a bit of creativity into your life, a fresh flower arrangement, rearrange your book shelves or a new scented candle for your desk. You don't have to know how to paint or make jewelry to bring a little creativity into your life!