A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life. Living in this manner – continually and stubbornly bringing forth the jewels that are hidden within you – is a fine art, in and of itself.
~ Elizabeth Gilbert – in “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear”
What your life looks like, I think, depends on your outlook. Exercising your “creativity muscle” can serve to help you live a better life. It means that you have practice looking at things in different ways. You’re more likely to see the good side of things, or realize how those limits can actually make life better. Without creative exercise it can be easy to overlook the less obvious alternatives.
- I’m always delighted when some art from Miki Harder comes into the frame shop! The colors and textures – they’re just fun and never fail to grab my attention and make me smile. She says “I love birds.. I love being outside and I think nature is funny. I draw cartoons..” If that’s not a delightful combo (and there’s more on her about page) I don’t know what is! Check out her website to see some cool illustrations, paintings, and sculptures – and enjoy the sense of humor that sneaks into her work.
- If you want to try out some cool materials, you should join the Scrapbook Nook for one of their regular classes throughout the week! On Thursday at 10 you can make a Winter in Colorado album, then Saturday at 10 you can explore a variety of inks and stamping techniques in their Art Journal class. Finally, Tuesday at 1 you can make cards for the first 6 months of the year!
- Local creative Business spotlight – Stillwater Music – We have a few businesses in Durango that focus on supporting local creatives. Stillwater Music is “sharing the joy of playing music”. Their mission is to provide quality music instruction in a safe and positive environment to anyone who might be interested. If you or someone you know are interested in music, check out their classes, or get in touch with them about private lessons. If you have any futher questions check out Stillwater Music at 1316 Main Ave, Suite C.
- Join Studio & and Ann Salviazul on Friday the 25th from 5-9pm for Ann’s opening reception – her new show Reflections on Homelessness conveys the vulnerability of having no stable place to live. The show offers the stories of those frequently unseen – our neighbors. 10% of the proceeds from this exhibit will be donated to Manna Soup Kitchen.
- This baby draws cartoon cats – (link to the video on YouTube) I’m inclined to think that this is real, though some seem to think it’s an animatronic arm with the baby propped up and watching. Maybe it’s a precocious 4 year old dressed up as a toddler – as a 2 year old normally wouldn’t have the micro-motor skills to do this. Either way – they’re pretty fun cartoon cat drawings!
- Strathmore Paper shares some pretty awesome work on their blog. One of the on-going series they offer are Online Workshops. You can find all of them on their YouTube channel and see an overview of the 2018 series here or the upcoming classes in 2019 here (which I’m pretty psyched about!)
- We’re still accepting entries for the art contest! Share with us something you love!
- We recently started carrying some great pencil cases that come in a variety of sizes and colors. It’s one of those situations where our collections of materials needed a new home! No matter which color or size you need, they’re great quality and they work with a variety of pencils and pens! (Below is a single case, filled.)
It’s easy to think that “creativity” is only for artists. That couldn’t be further from the truth! You can be creative in the way you cook, clean, write, play cards or… anything! You don’t have to be an “artist” to live a bigger, happier, expanded, or more interesting life. Find that spark of creativity inside yourself, nurture it, and come join us on the other side! 😀
Cheers!
Matthew & the Art Supply House crew
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