O'Keeffe Online



Summer Days (1936) Georgia O'Keeffe



If you you enjoy the works of Georgia O'Keeffe, you will appreciate this site offered by the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.  I had the opportunity to stay in a lovely inn in Santa Fe where she and friends used to gather for conversations and parties.



We also had dinner in the Georgia O'Keeffe Cafe, next door to the museum - very simple, very elegant. The museum is lovely. 



Here is the link: http://contentdm.okeeffemuseum.org/

  

Ghost Ranch gives you a sense of the beauty of isolation -- underrated in our society by today's standards.  The landscape is immense and private.  It helps if you like the desert, which I do and find it irrevocably beautiful.

Quite private in her later years, I applaud her sense of irreverance and a comedia del arte in pulling the legs of establishment-climbing critics.

The enclosed photo is not a full representation of that particular piece.



More info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_O%27Keeffe 

Today isn't doing it for me...how to stay in the sacred creative zone... x10

Oh yeah, we have all been there.  It doesn't matter if it is an art piece, a book chapter, craft...whatever, there are times when we sit in the studio and flip through a magazine -- anything, anything, rather than create.  Worse, we don't even go into "the studio".



I have been thinking about the tools I use to pull myself back into that creative zone -- the point where I actually paint or write.  It might be called looking for inspiration.  Here are some suggestions that might help you -- they work for me.

1.  First, you have to be in the physical space -- just commit to that part.  Go into the studio or space where you do your thing -- create.  If it is not at your home, get into the car and actually go there.

Wait, wait, wait...

You know what, I take back #1. Go sit on the patio or spread a blanket at the park or take up some room on your couch.  Go visit your favorite coffee shop, clothing store, museum, cafe.   


Now, do your thing.  Shop , think, eat, look, take in nature...just let your mind wander -- don't force any issues -- and just be.  It isn't inspirational to demean yourself because you aren't creating. That little demon only adds to your frustration and spiraling self-esteem.  So you are going to mentally redirect your thoughts -- if the negative pops up, squash it.  You will get back to the studio soon enough.


Typically, creative opposition is a combination of external and internal forces:

• external -- the light doesn't work in your studio, so in order to produce, you have to find a new light bulb and put it in and all that.
• internal -- self-talk in the form of, "you know, my work isn't all that great anyway."

Creativity is also about choices.  You can choose to work your way past it.  You can choose to coax yourself to work past it.

Coaxing yourself (my deal is painting, but you can apply the tips below for other arts)


1. Go online and look at other people's work.  This inspires me to create every single time.
2.  Go to several art galleries -- the atmosphere is 98% pure creativity -- you can't help but soak it up.
3.  Get together with colleagues who create and see what they are up to.  If you have a group or collaboration, get into a discussion about the illusive muse.
4.  Buy new materials...love this one.  I always want to use them right away.
5.  If you can't bring yourself to paint -- write about it -- think about your next project and put some goals (and sketches) on paper.  Don't write a thesis here, just jot down some thoughts. Draw, doodle, connect.
6.  Play.  Play with your paint on paper.  Go back to creating a color wheel of your paints.
Really, once you pick up the brush...it's all good.
7.  Paint a familiar theme, landscape, style, still-life.  This technique makes you feel good immediately -- you already know you are good at it.
8. Bring music into your studio.
9.  Change the studio environment with candles, rearranged furniture, added artwork, posted sayings...you get the idea.
10.  Take a power walk around the block with the promise that when you return, you will go into the studio and do one of the things on this list.  Exercise frees us, changes our head and gives us a new view.

OK now.  You can stumble, step, dive or slip into creativity.  Stay focused and positive even if it is coaxed or forced...you will soon move into that creative space again and naturally, easily, happily... do your thing.

Best wishes!



 

Linked In...artists...connect!


  As a professional artist, if you haven't joined LinkedIn -- you may want to do so...soon.

You will need to create a free account to get used to using it, then can upgrade from there as it fits your needs.  Go to this link http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/



Photo courtesy of Rice Agency



LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 80 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals. 

In the groups section, you can join groups that pertain to the arts community -- it puts you in contact with people in your specific area of interest.

Take a look...I am so glad I did.

Best wishes,

DCR