ART CHAT – named and explained!
Art Chat is a new blog series – kinda like a mix of show and tell and coffee chats about all things art related.
Last month I wrote a post to share my latest artwork with a plan in mind to do more similar posts in the future. I struggled to know what to call these posts. I was going to call them Arty Farty or something similar but after googling Arty Farty decided against it (it’s all explained in that post). So, I just called it ‘Latest Artworks’ and that felt kinda boring.
Since then, lots of different art related blog post ideas have been flying around in my brain – not just sharing my latest art works. So, I’ve decided on an ‘ART CHAT’ series. These posts will be published sporadically – when ideas and time permits (no more than once weekly).
I went back and renamed that last post, now the first in the new series so it is now called ART CHAT #1 – Latest Artworks.
BACKGROUND
For anyone who stumbles across this Art Chat series here’s a bit of background on me and my journey with art.
Since I left my corporate life back in 2012 I’ve been on a journey of discovery trying to work out who Min is and what she likes to do. I started blogging in September 2012 and it has been fabulous for helping me find Min! Sounds weird doesn’t it, but when your life has been all about others & obligations for so long, you tend to lose yourself. Amazingly, here I am all these years later (it’ll be 10 years of blogging for me in September this year) still blogging!
I dabbled in photography. I even did a course and obtained a Diploma in Professional Photography. I loved photography (and still do) – particularly nature and natural light photography, but when I felt pressure to make something of it, the passion disappeared.
One day I decided to explore art. I always had this gut feeling there was a bit of an artist within me hoping to get out, but I never had the time to explore it and find out. I signed up to some Art Mentoring classes with Natalie of Studio Yellow. These modules are like taste testing different art mediums and along the way you can discover what you like and what you don’t like and you learn so much more as well.
Soon after I started with Studio Yellow I decided to embark on a 100 Day Project. A girl I’d met in class had been doing one for her block printing and I thought that maybe I should do it too to help me make art more of a habit. I had not been doing any art except at art class. At this point I still had not found my inner creative and was hoping to gain some confidence and more clarity about what kind of art I enjoyed doing.
The 100 day project was quite the commitment but worth every bit of it. Doing art every day loosened me up and led me to the discovery that I could draw and I could paint and that I quite liked combining ink and watercolour. You can see my 100 Day Project posts here.
I hope you will enjoy this series and please, if you have any ideas of what you’d like to see as part of this series, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
By the way, the art within this post is from art class today. A bit of fun play and exploration with watercolours, tissue paper, words, and a water sprayer!
Ciao for now,
Linked up with Denyse Whelan Blogs for #LifeThisMonth
10 Comments
Hi Min – I love how retirement frees up our time to explore new areas that we didn’t know we’d enjoy. I loved following your 100 day art project and watching your style evolve. I’m still having fun playing around with collage (despite the glue-y fingers!) I post a little slideshow of what I’ve been doing on my end of month catch up posts as a way to keep a record of how I’m progressing.
Hi Leanne – I’m loving more free time for myself too, though a bit less of it for me these days. I loved my 100 Day Project and am seriously considering either doing another or something similar because since I’ve stopped I’ve lost the momentum and confidence that it brought me. I’m glad you’re still enjoying collage. I do like collage, I just have a frustration & patience problem with all the little bits and fiddliness of it. Hopefully I’ll catch one of your slideshows soon to see your latest creations. I’ve not kept up with the blogging world as much lately – since spending 1/2 my time over at Mum’s etc.
It’s great that you extended your range and ability in a purposeful way. I do think we don’t know what we like until we try it out…lovely work. Very pretty colours and soft visuals #Lifethismonth
Thanks Lydia – I think it’s good to give all things a go. You never know what might feel good or right or spark a creative idea. I’ve been very surprised often since doing this!
yes it’s great to get creative in our retirement years!
That’s for sure!
I like the sharing and how you have explained what and why of your art. I love learning new things via my on-line classes but at times just starting can be a challenge. Thank you so much for linking up your blog post for the FIRST #LifeThisMonth Link Up on Denyse Whelan Blogs. I do hope you return for the next one: Monday 11 April 2022. Warm wishes,Denyse.
I agree on the ‘just starting’ being a challenge Denyse! Ever since I stopped my 100 day challenge I am having a problem with this. I always ‘just need to do this and this and this first”. Like I need all jobs done before it’s ok for me to sit and do art. Looks like I need another challenge in order to get me going again!
I’m sorry you lost your passion for photography! But I see what you mean about when you feel the pressure to do something with it, I’ve had similar experiences with other things. Good you’ve got into art though. I’ve enjoyed seeing your 100 projects so far. I look forward to seeing your future artwork!
It’s the weirdest thing – about my photography. I was getting quite good! I loved it so much! I was obsessed. I finished the course, got my diploma, did a couple of jobs for people – photography what they wanted – put the pressure on myself to start some kind of business with it … and then whoooooosh – the passion just up and went. It was meant to be a hobby – something I did for me. It was never meant to be a business for me. You live and learn. I am amazed that I finally got into some art. I resisted for a long time thinking I just didn’t have the time or patience for it. Goes to show that you never fully know what talents you might have within until you try!