Last weekend — only about week after I joined the studio collective — Atelier No 5 participated in Offene Ateliers Köln (Open Studios Cologne). The once-a-year event invites art studios throughout the city to open their doors and artists to share their work.
We held a reception on September 8, and despite having little to show given my move and limited time in the studio before the event, I was thrilled to sell two pieces (above, bottom left). While my personal art journals aren’t for sale, I was also proud to showcase several years’ worth and speak about the process of creating them (in German!).
I am exceedingly excited to share that I joined a shared studio space at Atelier No. 5 in the south of Koln. This opportunity allows me to connect with the artist community, build new relationships, and spread out and get messy (without the threat of curious cats).
Over the weekend I took part in a Creative Hour conversation with Caylee Grey, Meg of Meg Journals, Claudette Hasenjager and more than 100 other art journalers. Caylee is the founder of Get Messy, and Claudette, Meg, and I are three of thirty artists leading this year’s Messy May, a free daily art journaling project.
Connecting with other creatives is something I treasure. Sharing processes, challenges, inspiration, and habits reminds me both of how deeply personal creating necessarily is, and also how universal and innately human creativity is. I am always humbled and inspired, and leave more curious about and committed to my creative practice.
Thank you to all the participants for joining, and to Claudette, Meg, and Caylee for a fantastic conversation.
PLAY in Messy May
For me, creating is a practice of tapping into childlike wonder and intuition. There is no room in my art journal for criticism or perfectionism — only curiosity, joyful exploration, and reflection. As a Messy May featured artist, I encouraged participants to let go of expectations and tap into playfulness and possibility.
Check out the video above for a time lapse of my process, and some additional creative prompts to encourage playfulness.
And below, just a few of the many, many responses to the PLAY prompt. Click on any image to be taken to the artist’s feed. (If you decide to give it a go, please tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see what you make.)
On Tuesday, I joined A Work of Heart‘s Under the Influence Art Journaling class as a featured artist. I spoke about my background, inspiration, and artistic process, and then participants explored elements I use in my own work — collage, energetic mark-making, and bright colors and splotches — as they created their own pieces.
It was a wild experience and quite a gift to see my work through others’ eyes. One thing that’s stuck with me most, though, is a conversation we had about one of my core beliefs about creating: it’s critical to embrace making “ugly” art.
A few participants found it challenging to leave the background peeking through, like I often do in my own work. Host Andrea Chebeleu used a color she doesn’t often reach for, purple. I didn’t love the spread I made (above). Making pieces you’re not entirely happy with, though, means that you are trying something new or are learning something new about your practice.
Create, notice what it is that you don’t like about it (or any elements that you do), and then turn the page. Or, you could do what I did: paint over the busiest parts and add more collage and mark-making on top.
Here’s the finished piece:
Editing your own artwork can be another step the creative process, a response to your own voice and what you have on the page.
The Under the Influence Art Journaling series is a great way to learn new art journal skills, expand your artistic comfort zone, and dive into new creative techniques (and, if you want, purposefully make lots of ugly art!). While my live session is over, registration gives you access to all of the previous sessions on-demand and five weeks’ worth of live artist-inspired workshops still to come. You can sign up here.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you register through them, I will receive a percentage of the cost of purchase.
I’m excited to share that I will be a featured artist for this fall’s Under the Influence Art Journaling, hosted by Andrea Chebeleu of A Work of Heart. Not only will you get to explore my particular way of art journaling, but you’ll get to meet me virtually!
Andrea has hosted this series for years. She leads participants through nine weeks of art journaling exploration, focusing on the unique stylistic approach of one artist at each session. Participants make their own creations inspired by each artist.
What I love most about this concept is the exploring. It’s so easy to fall into a creative rut; to explore other techniques and modes of artistic expression (and to sometimes hear from artists themselves about their process!) is such a beautiful spark that can set you off on a totally new artistic journey.
Andrea writes:
Each session starts with connecting to the featured artist and their work … I then guide you through an art journal spread incorporating some of the “flavors” of our featured artist. This practice gives you practical experience translating what you see and enjoy into your own art journaling process.
What an awesome way to boost your creativity. The series kicks off on October 11 — register here.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you register through them, I will receive a percentage of the cost of purchase.
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