Go create!

Hello my dear friends,

Do you have any idea how much time we use up with art-related things without making art ourselves? Be it the hours we spent on pinterest or instagram in search of inspiration, or watching how-to videos on youtube, visiting inspiring art blogs and spending hours scrolling through their wonderful articles and photos, or getting excited over an online art workshop (buying the thing and never get to finish or even start with it). Any idea?

May be I even don't wanna know the answer for myself, because my goodness could I have used a big portion of that time to actually DO something with all that inspiration! Here's a great quote I found on the blog of Roben Marie Smith:

“The potential to be an artist is there in each of us - consistent creation is what helps unleash all that possibility.

— Roben-Marie Smith

Read her awesome article about creating art consistently HERE.

A great tip is to get offline more often and search for inspiration in other things than pinterest or instagram.

In my case, nature is my muse. I know that my soul gets more alive when wandering through a beautiful landscape and soaking in the majesty and paying attention to the small details.

What's yours?

Get out there, be inspired, and go create!

You already know what to do and how to do it.

Now do it.

(I'm so talking to myself here as well!)

Wishing you a beautiful day,

xx Wen

Whispers of the soul

Do you ever feel like you're stuck? Lost for words? Searching your way through thick mist in your head? Knowing that you have so many ideas and options but just can't find them anymore? You try to grasp one and poof! it's gone...

I feel like that for a while now. I know I have tons of inspiration, but it's like all these nice ideas that I have, are like fragile butterflies fluttering around in the mist. I can't catch them. I chase them and they just keep flying away from me.

My mind is misty. It goes blank several times a day.

When I try to read a book or text, the words dance before my eyes and won't stick with me. It's like there is already too much stuff in my brains. I can't focus.

And may be that's where the clue is.

May be I should not try to think for a while.

Just be.

Do.

Play.

Go outside.

Breathe.

Watch.

Feel.

Smell.

Listen.

But don't think.

Well, not on purpose anyway.

No analyzing. No making of mental notes.

No judging, no comparing.

No searching.

Not even trying to make sense of it all.

And may be, after a while, I will be able to hear the gentle, subtle whispers of my soul again and to carefully catch my butterflies.

How about you?

Do you ever feel this way? How do you deal with it?

xx Wen

Dear Miss Mojo, { Or: how to get your mojo back }

Fresh flowers smelling good

Dear Miss Mojo,

So you're on a vacation are you? And leave me behind with your evil twin sister Nojo (as dear Darnell calls you, lol, that's so funny Darnell!)

Luckely, my dear blog friends have helped me out :)

Wanna know what advice they gave me? Okay, listen very carefully then, as I'm going to share their advice in a minute...

Your owner,

Miss AppleApricot

Why, hello dear friends,

Are you having a lovely weekend?

Like I said, you're a bunch of sweeties.
When I ask for advice, there you are with a listening ear and some jolly good tips 'n tricks.
I'd like to share the advice you gave me, so we might all benefit from it.

So, what could you do when you're Mojo is on a vacation, without inviting you to join in the fun?
Leaving you behind with dear Miss Nojo?

Hear what my friends do:

1)   Go on a vacation too! (Good one!) Or just take some time off.

2)   Try not to see creating as a chore. It's meant to be fun, isn't it?

3)   Clean out / organize (not necessarily major, just a bit can do the trick).

4)   Go visiting your blog friends and Pinterest for inspiration.

5)   Visit new-to-you challenges for jumping off points with a sketch or colours or both.

6)   CASE a card or project you love. Before you know it, you're making this card or project your own (with credits to the person who created the original piece).

7)   Don't be too harsh on yourself (ouch...)

8)   Just create for the sake of having fun. The result doesn't have to be perfect, does it? It's the process of creating that we love, so: love it without fearing the result.

9)   Relax girl, you still rock!! (Thank you dear Kirsty, love you!)

10) Hang in there, your mojo will come back eventually.

11) Try a new-to-you challenge or challenge yourself.

12) Or avoid challenges if they're stopping your creativity.

14) (Ya, I don't like 13... lol) Buy some fresh flowers after clean up (my tip, they cheer you up).

Thank you dear friends for helping me!!

peekaboo!

I tried the clean up / organize trick first.
Which was soooo needed by the way (and still is, don't dare to show you the mess here).
That really helps! You really do feel afresh after some good cleaning up.

And then I bought me some fresh flowers. Now that's pure happiness!

Anyway, I'm very sure Miss Mojo will head back home, be it mine or yours :)

Hugs and happy rest of the weekend!

xx Wen