Thursday, April 20, 2006

Renewing Creative Energy

Here's a list of things to do to keep the creative energy flowing. When you're dealing with brain block, it's time to trigger artistic idea flow by trying a few of these:

Seek, Expose, Explore
* See things differently (pay attention to details and see the big picture)
* See different things (travel, take a walk, see a movie)
* Learn (take a class, study a subject)
* Get out of the comfort zone (do something out of the ordinary)
* Break rules, push boundaries (artistically speaking of course!)
* Brainstorm (make word associations, lists, create think links)

Creative Imersion
* Take the first step (pick up that pencil or glue stick)
* Practice (get the feel for it)
* Research (review other artists' work)
* Awareness (keep reminders nearby)
* Set goals (track time and progress)
* Join others with similar interests (like Illustration Friday, GAG, SCBWI, etc.)

Set the Mood
* End distractions (or if needed, get distracted!)
* Visualize (see your accomplishments and goals)
* Get organized (clean out the cobwebs)
* Starting ritual (coffee or tea, a favorite song?)
* Exercise (get the blood flowing)

If anyone has additions to this list or examples on how they stay creative or renew their energy, please share!

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Saratoga Sampler

Mary Ann Cook, writer of the column Saratoga Sampler in the Saratoga News wrote about my current exhibit at the library. The article was featured in the April 5, 2006 newspaper. Here is what she had to say:

ON ART WALL: The artwork of Michele Bolton and Stacia Leigh is featured at the Saratoga Library this month. Bolton lives in the Santa Cruz mountains, and her work is bold and colorful, often depicting families.

Leigh is an illustrator/graphic designer whose company is Espial Design. She is writing and illustrating her first children's book for early readers. "I find inspiration through textures and words." Her technique includes paper and digital collage.