Cheating the Muse - Letter L

Hey there, creative friend!

Yesterday, we arrived at the halfway point for #the100dayproject, and tomorrow, we will reach the same point for this blog challenge.

We challenge ourselves to learn something new or to expand our skillset. The question I am asking myself at this point is: what did I learn so far?

The answer to that question is two-fold:

1. A daily practice of art or creative writing helps to get things done. Projects that take time can be finished earlier than planned.
2. I have also learned to improve how I manage my time because of this commitment.

A surprising, or perhaps not, thing also happened. The Raven project, which took many hours so far, is not as good as I could make it. In one or two sessions, I was rushing and made a mistake. When I realised it, it was too late to fix it. I am experienced, so I could adapt my drawing so that the error is not visible to the viewer.

This doesn't mean that I am happy that I had to change it. Lesson learned. I love large and complex art projects, and I will take this lesson with me when I work on the next one.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

PS: Just scroll back one post, if you are curious about the Raven project I mentioned.

The 100 day project Week 7 (Day 43 to Day 49)

Hey there!

Are you struggling too? This week has been particularly rough with everything that I needed to get done, so finding creative time turned out to be my challenge.

The weekend was great, then Monday arrived and life interfered more than usual. But as the week progressed, I got more of a handle on my todo list and things got better. And my list of creative things, was worth its weight in gold this week.

Do you have weeks like this?

Until next time!

💜 Linzé

Day 43

Progress is slow but it is closer to being finished.

Time: 3 hours

Total time: 16 hours

Day 44

Still transcribing the words from my notebook. Almost caught up.

Time: 3 hours

Day 45

All handwritten words are now caught up. The story is not yet done, but the ending is now in sight.

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Day 46

Not much time today. Managed a few words though,

Time: 40 minutes

Day 47 and Day 48

Made a few corrections, and then worked some more on the bird and background. Not yet finished, but the end is in sight.

Time: 5 hours

Total time: 21 hours

Day 49

More watercolour numbers in my tiny sketchbook.

Time: 1 hour (excluding drying time)

Cheating the Muse - Letter K

Hey there, creative friend!

It's the weekend, so we can make a bit more time to be creative. Today, I am pulling a linguistic trick (LOL!) and using the letter K in my native Afrikaans. In Afrikaans, creativity is spelled 'kreatiwiteit'.

It even sounds much the same in both languages. 😄

Being creative is often associated with art or writing books, but it is so much more. A friend mentioned that since learning to draw, she has started to view the world through different eyes. She has also come to view problems and potential solutions differently. And that is the creative mindset.

While I believe anyone can learn how to draw, a creative job is not for everyone, but a creative mindset is.

Have a fantastic, creative weekend.

Until Monday!

💜 Linzé

PS: I am still participating in the 100day project challenge. Why not pop around tomorrow to see what I have been up to this past week.

Cheating the Muse - Letter J

Hey there, creative friend!

If you have visited my blog a time or two, you will know how much I am in favour of journaling. The benefits outweigh any negatives, etc. etc. But today, I am not going to talk about journaling, as I usually do.

Nope, today I am enthusiastic about art journaling and junk journaling. These are not about words but paint, paper, glue, metal, wood, fabrics, thread, string, plastic, ribbons, lace, practically everything except words.

I have made a few, making at least one more, and having hours of fun with no pressure. Art journaling has nothing to sell, no intention of showing it to anyone else. It's a safe space to explore any style, medium, and expression.

Because there is no pressure, you can be as messy as you want. Draw or paint or glue whatever you want because no one has to see it. Creative block?

Why worry about it? There is nothing to produce. No one to judge. So, what is holding you back?

Go! Paint something.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter I

Hey there, creative friend!

You might have heard the expression that the muse needs to find you working. Professionals get stuck in, while amateurs wait for inspiration to strike.

Inspiration does happen, often at the most inconvenient time or place. However, professionals just getting the job done have much more merit than you might think.

You can also seek inspiration to help if you need it. Today, I am sharing inspiration for writers. And no, this is not me, but people who do this for a living and can be of much better help.

I got this document in my inbox because I subscribe to the website, and you can too. It is not your usual advice, so why not check it out? It could just be the inspiration you need to keep writing.

Happy writing!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter H

Hey creative friend!

Have you ever asked for help? Or have someone ask you to help them? Of course, you have. Everyone does because we cannot do everything we want to get done. The same applies to our creative endeavours.

Three weeks ago I had a problem. The book I am currently busy with is getting long, and I was stuck between three options for the ending. I liked all three options, so it was nearly impossible to choose. I asked a friend. She is a fantastic writer, editor and the perfect person to ask what would work best.

To be honest, while I explained the three options, I just knew which one would be the best. Did she agree? Yes and no. Because of the length of the story, a long, drawn-out ending would frustrate the reader. However, the story also has a second book, which makes one of the endings seem like a bad idea. So, in the end, the choice was pretty obvious, but I just needed someone to help me think through the process.

Feedback for a story or a piece of art does not require a friend but a knowledgeable friend who can give you the right feedback to help the project be better.

Do you have someone you can turn to for constructive feedback?

Thank you for visiting my blog today.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter G

Hey there, creative!

Today, we are getting practical. And it has worked for me many times in the past. It is my go-to for #the100dayproject when things are not working out, and I don't have the time or the energy to do a "project". So, I go small.

In some instances, small is time. Five minutes tops. Other times, it is literally a paragraph in the manuscript I am writing.

Or the tiniest sketchbook I have, where drawing anything bigger than half a credit card is physically impossible. Yup, I have really tiny sketchbooks for just that reason.

I also have tiny palettes but for a completely different reason. LOL!

Until tomorrow!

💜Linzé