Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Gifts of Imperfection

Hello all! I am currently taking an ecourse with Brene Brown, based on her book, The Gifts of Imperfection. It's a great book, dealing with issues of vulnerability, why it is good and necessary for us, and all the things that get in the way of it. I myself never understood what vulnerability really meant, that it did not mean that you were weak in some way, but rather a way for connection and openness. Considering that I still struggle with creating walls, it is no wonder why this is important work for me.

The ecourse focuses on chapters of the book, while using art journaling to connect with them more deeply. The art assignments are geared towards the beginner, but I just do my thing with them. We created a "permission slip", and I created mine in a fun style (channelling Dana Tanamachi) with chalkboard/vintage style lettering. We also had to take a self portrait with the words "I am imperfect and I am enough" written on our hand. I admit, I spent too much time worrying about the photo, did I look good in it, and wondering if I had missed the point completely. From what I have heard, I am not the only one. The assignments may seem simple at first, but they still challenge and sometimes they come easy, other times I strain against them. So far this is a good class for me. Creatively light and manageable, but also allowing me to learn and be challenged.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Sketching Fun

Here is a little sketch I did of my gallery wall during Open Studios. It was a fun way to record the culmination of all the prep and hard work and a great way to remember the event.