ART for ART's sake

Janus

Janus

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Anyone else need to make art? I have to. But i do know the problem of getting started even though I dream all day everyday and am ecstatic when i DO something and love myself and the world. I find it so helpful but have trouble DOing some times
 
Some people have found this book very helpful for getting going with their art (though it's not for everyone):
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Janus said:
Anyone else need to make art? I have to. But i do know the problem of getting started even though I dream all day everyday and am ecstatic when i DO something and love myself and the world. I find it so helpful but have trouble DOing some times
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I love to sketch, but find it very hard to get started. At least in part it is because I know (or think I know) the result will not be what I picture it in my mind what I want it to be, and I tend to be a perfectionist. I cannot draw where there is clutter, either, and that is what my table tends to be like because my condo is so small. I just keep saying "one of these days"!
 
I write. I've got two novels in progress but yes it is hard to set aside the time and really get down to it. When it starts flowing though it is like being on the best drugs in the world. I don't need food or sleep. It just pours out.
 
Not sure this is technically "art" but, I make jewelry, do calligraphy, cross stitch, and make hair fascinators. When i get the notion I decoupage things and paint the interior of the house whatever colors suit me at the time. Thank the lord my husband doesn't care what i paint the cabinets or walls. lol!!!
I have to stay creative or i will go crazy. It just comes out in all kinds of forms. Anything pretty i see on pinterest gets recreated
 
Aloha, Pricilla, Whatever you can do/want to do. that is the key; Well that's my attitude. I love hearing what you do. I make sculpture, Mostly welded found metal. But love to work with concrete, plastics, wood. Paint etc. I use house paint. I paint the house as I feel like in the moment. And glue things together whatever. I am working on a piece now of colorful yarn being glued to cardboard and some beads. You know? When it flows I am moving and stuff gets made. ecstatic joy. I want to post some pics of my piece right now of records. Yes vinal records .. All over my outside fencing.
 
Janus said:
Aloha, Pricilla, Whatever you can do/want to do. that is the key; Well that's my attitude. I love hearing what you do. I make sculpture, Mostly welded found metal. But love to work with concrete, plastics, wood. Paint etc. I use house paint. I paint the house as I feel like in the moment. And glue things together whatever. I am working on a piece now of colorful yarn being glued to cardboard and some beads. You know? When it flows I am moving and stuff gets made. ecstatic joy. I want to post some pics of my piece right now of records. Yes vinal records .. All over my outside fencing.
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I love it!!! Show us your work!!!
 
Well I try to keep busing doing various things.

I'm trying to start water color painting, but I haven't had the place to do. Other activities I enjoy are building with LEGO bricks (real & LDD), making fishing lures, writing poetry. I've also tried writing short stories and novels. I have ideas, but I'm not the best at putting them on paper (text). There are many types of art I would like to try.
 
Nope, I've never even heard of them before.

They look interesting, I may check them out. Maybe they will get me inspired to go HSMF! :)
 
I like those a lot as well. It is more fun to me with the pencils and then some water and a brush or variations there of.
 
I draw or paint nearly every day and MOST of the time I don't put it off because I am afraid of letting the gains I have made through practice go down the tube. That is THE big motivator.. But mostly I do art because there is a real chance I will feel better. And if I don't do it there is a real chance I will feel worse. Watercolor pencils are great. If you have watercolor pencils you have no excuse, since they aren't messy and with a little spit you can make beauty. In my small space I am always fighting the mess. Besides The Artist's Way there is another book I like named Art and Fear by Bayles and Orlando. The back cover says it is "about the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way." For everyday sketching I use computer paper and #2 pencils and turn out LOTS of disappointing sketches which I throw away. But I would rather do bad sketches than not do any at all!When you get right down to it, art making has helped me out a lot in life.
 
I've been trying to re-learn music for about two years now. My clarinet playing is starting to come along. I'm sort of practicing some repitoire and pretending like I can play swing. I'm just now getting comfortable. It's hard to start again once you've completely lost it. The truth is that I'm probably better now at clarinet than I ever was, all things considered. It's just my brain forgot how to make music, and you gotta re-train it.
 
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Gee, I am so glad to know that you have music and are working on the clarinet because who knows what kind of fun you could have EVEN while you are going through these times you think are going to be so difficult. Maybe you could play in a group and maybe there would be a woman or two or three ... Music can be so sociable besides everything else it is. If you can PRETEND to play swing, you must be getting pretty good!
 
Once I'm done with grad school, I hope to get back into violin and voice lessons! I miss music so much, but I just don't have the time. My de-stressers are running and horseback riding, which are not art-related (well, I think dressage is certainly art in its own right).

I also like creative writing, which I try to do in the summer when I have free time.
 
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