| Be a good steward of your gifts. Protect your time. Feed your inner life. Avoid too much noise. Read good books, have good sentences in your ears. Be by yourself as often as you can. Walk. Take the phone off the hook. Work regular hours. ~ Jane Kenyon |
Isn’t that a great reminder? It’s easy to get caught up in what we have to do on a daily basis and not carve out time for what may be called “self care” today. A little bit of practice regularly to keep our creative (and other) gifts strong and available.
- This week’s artist is Stefan Baumann – whose YouTube channel I have been devouring this past week. He has painting demos (from his TV show), art instruction, and business-of-art tips all included on there. Check out his work on his gallery page, get his free ebook, or generally learn more about him on his website.
- Tired of listening to the normal sounds around you? Try out a different soundscape.
- Local First, BID, and the Chamber of Commerce have partnered with local businesses to provide an online marketplace. It’s (a)live! We’ve put some art supplies in there…
- Today would have been Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday. Let’s give it up for 568 years!
- The Spark Series by the Durango Creative District has gone virtual! Join them on Zoom tomorrow (Thursday) from 6-8pm to discuss “Taking the Jump: Starting a Creative Business.” More info available here.
- Artist Keri Smith is posting a daily creative prompt, if you need some inspiration.
- Looking for more instruction than inspiration? Then Artists Network has you covered with these free art tutorials!
- SASO has an art contest! You can use any medium. More info available here.
- This week’s book recommendation: Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon. I like all of Austin’s work and would recommend any of his books. In a timely twist, Keep Going seems to also work as a “work from home” manual. It’s a quick read but contains good advice. You can get a paperback or kindle version.
The opening quote comes from this article, which has a great story (and some fun illustrations to accompany it). Other than quoting half of the story, I can’t add anything to it, so do take the time to read! It will encourage you to nourish your creativity – and you need your art!
Cheers!
Matthew & the Art Supply House crew
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