Weekly artist dates fire up your imagination. Get down and whimsical. Do things totally differently than how you usually do. Let your imagination and your body play. Feed your creative self by filling up the well of ideas. This week, look around your home office, studio or wherever you hang out when you are art-making, and see if there is someplace you can hang a line of ideas. Use anything for the line and clips. Read on for ideas for your idea line.
Tag: inspiration from nature
April Calendar is a Peaceful Montana Sunset
These monthly calendars are a gift from me to remind you of your heart’s connection to the Earth. They’re free, downloadable for your desktop or your (actual) wall. I usually post these calendars the first day or two of each month. Please download them for your personal use — you can print the calendar if you prefer, or make it your computer wallpaper. There is also one for iphones. Please tell your friends these are available. Thank you! May you always feel loved.
Let Go of What Holds You Back
In our spiritual tradition, we give away whatever is holding us back — whatever is troubling us — by sitting beside running water and letting the negative feelings, thoughts, or obstacles go. We imagine the obstacles flowing away with the current, like a leaf or twig.
My Hometown: Color Hunt in the Rain
Even when Nature is putting on her less-brilliant winter colors, there is color if you know how to look. When the rain comes, go outside with your eyes and your camera — take a closer look at the subdued landscape and you’ll see a tapestry of brilliant colors. Here’s something I might have missed if I hadn’t been looking where I was stepping today.
Learning to Observe Nature with kids
Kids love to investigate natural objects. To help children develop a strong, respectful relationship with all of life and the Creator, give them object lessons whenever you can. Here’s an activity to get kids interested in scientific inquiry. What could be cooler than a dissection? Despite the “ewwww-factor,” Ema and Adia were enthusiastic about dissecting an old wasp nest. We observed with our senses of smell, sight and touch then took nature notes and guessed about the stories of the wasp colony.
Art from Nature: Inspiration and Links
Nature is the source and content of most of my artistic and creative work and it’s right outside our home. In Helena, it literally takes just a couple of minutes to get from “town” out into a more natural environment. But even right in town, all I have to do is get down on my hands and knees with my eyes, my camera, my sketchbook, my sense of wonder… to find something inspiring and worth using in my artwork. Not only am I inspired to draw/paint/photography and write when I take in Nature’s sweetness — I also know when I look closely and pay attention, that I am part of Nature. Try it — it feels so good!