Just because you create daily or even semi-weekly, doesn't mean you have to complete the entire project. i think sometimes we consume ourselves with being finished that we don't enjoy the process. i am of the belief that we should lose ourselves completely in the journey. i am not saying we shouldn't be proud of the end project. Of course we should derive some satisfaction from a job well done. But the focus on finishing shouldn't consume us so that we don't find utter happiness in each step.
So here i am today telling you it's totally okay to have some unfinished projects that you will complete...someday. i have lots of art journal pages and other pieces in progress. i do come back to them from time to time, helping them evolve here and there.
The above page started off with excess strips of book pages and gesso. i left it for a while and then came back to it when i had little bits of fabric leftover and some tissue paper. Days later i carved a new stamp and tried it out on this page. You can see it's a slow progression. i am not sure if it is done or not but i am loving the journey.
Most of my art journal pages don't start from beginning to end in one setting. It's that slow build and i will flip to pages in my book to see which one is calling for completion that day. This page is a result of leftover paint that i just cannot waste. who knows when i will complete it or what direction it will go. it makes me excited to just look at it.
i tend to gesso up pages when i have my jar open, so as i am working on other projects i will lay open my journal and add gesso in random swipes across the page. the blue on this page is over spray from the right page. it totally works for me. i am not sure where the pinky/purple color comes from. The image was created by cleaning off my stencil by smooshing it onto the page.
this page is one of those ones that started off with a stencil & gesso. Then i layered on some paint and totally did not like the direction it was heading. here are some thoughts that rattled around my head while creating.
"whoa color overload"
"insert white paint. phew, that looks better."
"maybe a pop of color, red is always good."
"whooaaaa, too much red. this page just needs to sit"
"hey i like these painty circles on this tissue paper, maybe it will tone down the red."
One day i will finish this piece or maybe i will look at it and feel like it's done. Right now it's in the unfinished category. You get the idea. Projects don't have be finished all in one setting. I think too much pressure kills creativity. The idea of "just get it done" diminishes the idea of "i love to create."
Have you created something this week? Anything goes...an art journal page, doodle, scrapbook page, card...just something creative. Share a link at the bottom of this post with the inLinkz button. Just leave a link to a specific blog post or image on flickr, rather than a general url. This way we can see your stellar creation.
