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Friday, September 23, 2011

Radio PPF

I had a strange week.  I was feeling out of sorts and disconnected.  I was mired in old anxieties and making lists of my inadequacies .  In the words of the great writer Anne Lamott, I was listening to the radio station KFKD (K-fucked).  It wasn't pretty.

Prompts and challenges floated around me, creating more anxiety than inspiration.  Mythical creature theme at the Butterfly Effect this week?  I'm SO not a unicorn/pegasus kind of gal.  Paint Party Friday was rapidly approaching and I laid down a few half-hearted layers on canvas hoping to be inspired, but I wasn't feeling it.  Maybe I'd be sitting this one out.  Even my beloved index cards were coming up short.  (Television?  Manila Folders?  I don't know....)

The only good part about my week was starting Jane Davenport's "Supplies Me" class.  I was almost 2 weeks late to the party and I'm still scrambling to catch up, but so far I'm loving it.  After the first series of videos I was drawing faces.  Faces!  I don't draw faces.  But here I am, drawing faces and not hating them.  



In spite of this, the funk continued.  Was I in a bad mood because my art wasn't working?  Or was my art not working because I was in a bad mood?  I kept plugging away, trying to have faith that my good mood and inspiration would be back at any moment.

 The shift away from the dark side started with this textured background in my journal: masking tape, dryer sheets, tissue paper circles, gesso, water color crayons, stencils and spray ink.




I decide to try coloring that face and adding it as a focal image because I think it might count as "homework" for my class:



Suddenly it dawns on me:  SHE is my mythical creature.  The ridiculous standard I hold myself to. The one that makes me feel like a failure when I can't live up to her expectations.  She's the master DJ on KFKD and I need to give her a name so I can tell her to shut up once in a while.  

And with this flood of inspiration, (and 90 minutes of long-distance BFF therapy) I was out of the funk and back in the groove.

So here you go, my mythical creature journal spread, just in time for paint party Friday, with some manila folders thrown in for good measure.
The text reads "Perfect Woman:  Helps Everyone.  Needs no one.  Never gets angry.  Never makes mistakes."

Now turn off that radio and go enjoy all the great art going on at this week's party!

(and take a look at the upper left corner of the blog - I've linked the people who played with my brown/turquoise background challenge.  Make sure you leave me a comment if you played along so I can put your link up there too!)

33 comments:

  1. AWESOME...amazing how art can draw us out of a funk and into fantastic! Love it! POP ART MINIS

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  2. so nice how this evolved out of the funk! nice work.

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  3. What a great post. We all get this way, glad you fought your way out of it and on to a terrific journal spread.

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  4. Great! It's always good when you can pull yourself out of the mire, and you have done this well! Hope next week is better, hugs and sparkles, Valerie

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  5. Amazing! I have been in a creative funk for...ugh, I hate to admit this...THREE MONTHS! Honestly, it's awful. You have my sympathies and I'm glad you managed to climb out of yours so quickly!

    Also, I can't faces...or shoulders.

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  6. That is a perfect mythical creature. :) I'm so glad it got you out of the funk.:)

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  7. Loving your mystical creature and that fab textured background, methinks you are well on your way to happiness once again. Happy PPF, x

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  8. I listen to that negative radio station a lot too... I'm so glad that you were able to work through your funk :)

    I think your take on a mythical creature is genius!!! (And wonderful therapy too!)

    (I love, love, love the way your face looks on top of the newsprint!)

    I really enjoy your blog :)

    xo
    Kristin

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  9. well if this came from a funk it certainly was worth it,,beautiful,, I love her eyes, they look like she's saying, " I have it all!"

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  10. Amazing ~ expressive and textured and Wow! ~thanks, namaste, Carol (Share the Creative Journey) Happy PPF

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  11. Yay for you! Awesome background textures, your creature´s expression says soooooooo much.

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  12. You prevailed...through your art muse.....how lovely is that?
    Gorgeous journal pages and adore the mythical creature's gazed dreamy look.

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  13. i really love your entry today. Seriously you are not alone girl and definitely you are helping yourself to be stronger so I salute you on that. As artist we will be having those creative road blocks and uninspired souls. I had many of those already and in fact I have created a post previously just like yours where I turned that uninspired day into something else. Yours is very inspiring. It's how we control our mind and just choose to do what we have to do. We cant guarantee it to end but one thing is for sure, we are not giving up and giving in to anxiety or any negativity. So stay strong and creative! :)Lovely page!

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  14. She cuts us all off at the knees sometimes. She is why I am going to the the Byron Katie School of the work. I am sick and tired of her. I like what you created after breaking through

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  15. Isn't Anne Lamott great. Mythical perfection, ah....great spread in your journal. xox Corrine

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  16. Glad you are enjoying your class!

    Love the way your mythical creature journal spread turned out!

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  17. To be a mythical creature said valuable things ....Saludos

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  18. Great that Mr. Mojo came back full force to visit you! Don't let him get away! Patsy from
    HeARTworks

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  19. Hi, I'm loving Jane's course, I'm learning so much... I love your journal pages... sometimes our mojo goes...it's a fantastic feeling when it comes back... see you in class :)

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  20. i'm glad that whatever the reason for your funk, you worked your way out of it and were even inspired to create a face who turned out great! ilove the background and the wry notion that such a perfect woman exists (despite thecelebritynotion that is always there to taunt us mere mortals!)

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  21. Oh my gosh, I sooooooo loved this post! You sound like me,lol! This made me laugh and pulled me out of my own stupor!Your pages came out spectacular! I love the texture, it made me want to just caress the paper! Beautiful colors too! Hugs, Deb

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  22. i love this post too. and she IS a mythical creature.

    thank god. or i'd have to hate her.

    xx,
    amy

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  23. Understood totally of the KFKD of Anne Lammont ... (I love her work) ...

    You're doing well. Keep breathing and knwo that everything is fine.

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  24. I love the girl you drew and how you used her to snap yourself right out of that funk! Great page and she is indeed a mythical creature.

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  25. Love that you were able to put aside your mood to create a fun drawing. Life is good, but it does take work. Have a great week.

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  26. how wonderful that you are enjoying 'our' class. Wonderful piece. I love how art can help us feel better to great. See you in class and thank you for your visit to my art blog.

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  27. What an interesting post. Younhave verbalized what so many of us go through.
    Love allmyour pages.

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  28. I really empathize with the down time and it's so nice to see you work through it and come up with this fantastic journal spread. it's all good or should I say PERFECT! lol Love Dawn xx

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  29. That;s a good question there! Sometimes thing's don't click, but this time your page turned beautiful

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  30. How did I miss this post? Really delightful. Your pages turned out super. Love how you used the stencils. It adds depth (but probably not texture), but the other stuff adds the texture. I love the face. You do paint faces well. Do some more. Looking forward to this week's PPF to see what you have done. Faye

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