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August 4, 2023
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That is a good motto!! And so true -- we really can’t rush anything, no matter how much we may want to.

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Thank you for this. I definitely can feel the ebb & flow of my own creativity, and have begun to accept it as tiny seasons just like the microseasons of nature, which happen every few days. I love getting to see all of your creative layers!

I took an intuitive painting class last year that was amazingly effective at helping me get over my fear of artistic perfection. We began by finger painting with our eyes closed. The freedom!!! Later, after choosing colors that I loved, and a lot of fun brushwork and mark making, I really loved what was happening with all the colors and layers on the canvas. I could start to see where it was going. Then, the teacher asked us to now switch canvases with another artist in the room. What?!? That took everything to an entirely new level of creativity.💥❤️

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Micro seasons of nature -- I’m going to have to look those up! It sounds fascinating!

That intuitive painting class sounds like a lot of fun! Was it hosted by Flora Bowley? I know she gets her students to switch canvases with another artist as a way to stay free & unattached to the outcome.

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I took the class with a local North Carolina artist, Heather Gerni. Here's a link to her course descriptions https://heathergerni.com/courses/

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I go through fallow times all the time! To keep my creativity alive, I'll usually try to work on one of the songs in my backlog of ideas. Sometimes just mindlessly playing the piano or finding new synth sounds can get the spark going also.

But lately, really the one thing that has been keeping my creativity steady is Substack. Writing and releasing a song every month here has put me in a routine that's helped keep it around. And I'm really grateful for that.

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Having an idea file is such an important piece of the creative process, isn't it? Also mindlessly playing the piano, or in my case, mindlessly moving the paint around without worrying about the outcome, can really help to get us unstuck. As can routines! I am also finding that the routine of writing on Substack each week really helps me to think more deeply about my art and creative practice.

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How cool! Thank you for sharing your process.

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You’re welcome! Hope you enjoyed watching it :-)

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I did. And I liked the step by step photos at the end.

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