Hi! I’m Becky, a former shop owner & independent artist, currently reclaiming my creativity & living a slow, nerdy life. I love sharing small businesses, chatting about crafts and hollerin’ about books.
Come hangout in this silly, cat-photo-filled, creative space!
Be Gentle with Yourself
* Get at least eight hours of sleep!
* I cannot stress to you how important sleep is. Check out any episode of Life Kit about sleep.
* Get a physical and ask about regular bloodwork
* Sometimes there’s a physical reason you’ve got brain fog. I have to take vitamin d supplements in the winter and I can tell when I need them!
* Think about therapy or bring it up to your therapist.
* Talk therapy on a regular basis is amazing! Sometimes just getting it out at being validated can open a new door for you.
* No negative self talk.
* Don’t be the villain in your own story. It’s so easy to spiral, but please be gentle with yourself.
Things to Try
* Go to a museum, or browse a museum’s collection online.
* Pinterest is full of AI slop, so sometimes you have to go straight to the source. Being around the physical work can give it a whole new meaning. Seeing the brushstrokes and taking in the scale can impact you in ways you’d never imagine. I saw Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi in person the other day and I’m obsessed.
* If you don’t have any museums near you, browse the online collections of your favorite spots. These are great because you can see works that they don’t have out, too. Get lost in a rabbit hole of modern and ancient art!
* Bring your sketchbook, camera and/or a friend and take your time!
* Go take a walk in nature.
* This is not groundbreaking and I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but it always works.
* If you can’t get outside (our high as I write this is 15 🥶), I suggest finding a botanical garden with a greenhouse! The walk in might be rough, but it’ll be toasty warm inside and you’ll be surrounded by beautiful plant life. There are also florists and plant stores if there’s nothing else. But maybe don’t settle in for a long visit there lol.
* Bring a sketchbook or camera (single-use, instant film, fancy camera or just your phone) and record what you see. If you bring your phone, maybe you can print out your photos on one of those sticker paper printers. I want one.
* Make your home the studio.
* Grab a bouquet of flowers at the grocery store or a cute new plant at the local plant shop and bring it home (if you don’t have a cat like Sprinkles who eats every plant I’ve ever bought 😑)
* Thrift some items to make a still life. Pressed glass vases, vintage books, toys from your childhood, a letter case full of trinkets, a table setting of beautiful china. Sari shows us that still life paintings can be anything!
* Draw your subject from different angles. Paint flowers each day as they wilt. Dry the flowers and hang them and draw them again. Sculpt your still life out of air dry clay and make a 1:1 replica. Use paper mâché to make a giant version of your subject. The possibilities are only limited by your brain. And as long as you’re not using genAI regularly, you probably still have a brain to use!
* Go to YouTube University!
* Pick a medium you’ve always wanted to try and find an instructional video on YouTube. Grab your supplies, make the time and get ready to suck at it!
* Try it at least twice so you can learn from your mistakes and keep trying. You don’t have to show anyone and you can chuck after you want. This is just to stretch your creative muscles in a new direction for a bit.
* If you’re feeling sassy, invite a friend over or do this with your partner or kids!
* Junk journal or collage.
* This is an easy way to use the things around you in a new way. You don’t have to buy anything, unless you want a new sketchbook. I’ll never stand in the way of an artist and new sketchbook.
* The point here is get creative with things around you. This is nothing you’re going to monetize. It’s just a way to cut and paste and play for a minute. Get out of the day to day and don’t force it to be good. Just like Jen Perkins says, “Glue stuff to stuff”.
* Bonus, you can make this as easy or difficult as you want. Get some paper and scribble on it. Make your own textures and colors. Or just use what you’ve got if you don’t want to mess with it.
♡ Becky
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