5 Reasons To Sketch and Draw

“Learning to draw is really a matter of learning to see – to see correctly – and that means a good deal more than merely looking with the eye.” Kimon Nicolaides

Even if you think you can’t draw, getting started with simple line sketches can get you in the groove. All you need to get started is a pencil, paper, and a little courage to make mistakes. And don’t forget to have fun along the way.

According to the dictionary, the difference between a sketch and a drawing is:

draw: verb… produce (a picture or diagram) by making lines and marks, especially with a pen or pencil, on paper.

sketch: verb…make a rough drawing of …

Here are my top 5 reasons why we should all experience sketching and drawing:

1. Draw to experience greater freedom of expression. Drawing is like adding another language, after all art is a visual language.
2. Draw to develop the right side of your brain, the creative side, which will help you view things with a different perspective and enhance problem solving skills. This is like working a muscle.
3. Draw to expand your perception and awareness. Drawing teaches us to see differently. When we draw we begin to have more of a sense of awe and wonder because we see more of the usually unnoticed details.
4. Draw to unleash and enhance your imagination which will allow you to be more daring. Expanding your creativity adds value to all aspects of your life.
5. Draw to just have fun! Drawing can help you relax and relieve stress by getting lost in your drawing. It gets your mind off the stressful things previously occupying your mind.

Reconnect With Your Creative Self! ~Maria

 

Nature in Black & White

Photographing nature and borrowing its beauty and form to create these images using FX Photo Studio.

Get Help Where You Need it

Even as someone with an art and publishing background, I have found that I really needed help with so much if I was going to take my “art & passion” to the next level. I have come to slowly but surely rely on talent around me to get the social media presence I need and want.

I am surrounded by talent! I needed a video interview of myself….my son Erik Gatling is a videographer…. I made a phone call to him and now I have it. I needed some profile photos as well as a couple of banners to rotate on my site….my daughter Nicole Gatling is a photographer/designer….I have some great photos and banners.

Mostly, I needed someone with a creative mind who also had a strong marketing and social media sense. I needed someone who really got what I was about to pull all of this together, look at the bigger picture, and help me create that image. Linda Battson of Vision Hitch has done that for me. Her publishing company, Slow Burn Books, published my second edition of “Be Inspired! Create Something Everyday”.  She gave me advice on launching my FB page, Be Inspired To Create, and brainstormed with me to find a unique hashtag: #Bi2C. On this site, she has made improvements and has given me priceless advise and tips.

Do what you do well and get help where you need it most.

Until next time, “Be Inspired to Create!” #bi2c ~Maria

What is an Impresario?

You guessed it….I am still going through all my favorite excerpts in Seth Godin’s “The Icarus Deception.”  This definition of “impresario” is something to consider for whatever you do in life.

“An impresario is someone who organizes, who invents, who creates art projects, who spins something out of nothing, using insight and connection more than money.”

“The impresario puts on a show, weaving together nothing and ending up with everything. The first impresarios put on opera performances. They found the talent, booked the theater, hung signs, and sold tickets. No impresario, no music.”

“The impresario is a pathfinder. She’s the person who figures out what to do next – and then does it. She improvises.”

“When someone cares enough to connect and lead and initiate, it doesn’t matter where she works or what her job title is; she’s doing an art project and flying higher than the rest of us……The impresario takes what’s available and makes magic.”

“It’s not necessarily about the money or even a business, and it’s certainly not about building an industrial empire. It might merely be about the joy of doing art.”

“No, we’re not all entrepreneurs, not at all. But we are all able to be artists, and all artists are impresarios.”

So start something today…..Figure it out…make connections….make the calls….ask questions…..learn from it….Repeat!

I hope this inspires you to make some magic happen in your life!

Until next time, “Be Inspired to Create!” #bi2c ~Maria

Six Daily Habits for Artists

Let me say this again…I love “The Icarus Deception” by Seth Godin. I’ve been writing down some of my highlighted excerpts from the book. It’s a way for me to retain this information. Here’s something from his book that I found inspiring.

“If you want to find yourself making art, set up some new habits.”

Six Daily Habits for Artists:

1. Sit alone; sit quietly.

2. Learn something new without any apparent practical benefit.

3. Ask individuals for bold feedback; ignore what you hear from the crowd.

4. Spend time encouraging other artists.

5. Teach, with the intent of making change.

6. Ship something that you created.

What are some beneficial habits you’ve developed?

Until next time, be well, sleep well, love well, and create something every day! ~Maria