Hi John,
Our dog can be the biggest lollygagger on walks.
She sniffs everything, there's no hurry in her world, and we rarely make it beyond eye-distance from our home.
On one of our walks this week (honestly, I should put "walk" in quotes at this point), she was poking around under a redwood tree, smelling all the things.
Sometimes I'll use this time to to think, ponder problems I'm noodling on, or take notice of what's around me.
And I noticed the redwood tree we were milling around was growing bright green tips.
They were beautiful.
Redwoods are known to live upwards of thousand years, with sturdy trunks that endure centuries of growth.
This tree, clearly thriving, was shooting out new tips while remaining grounded in its strong trunk and branches.
A sturdy base with fresh growth.
This got me thinking about the art-making process.
Our trusted, familiar methods are like the trunk and branches, giving us a solid footing to rely on.
This might be having a trusty sketchbook, a favorite pen, or an understanding of which papers work well with which paint.
Add in the new ideas. These are like the bright green tips. They're innovations that we can layer on top of our reliable foundation.
Maybe it's trying collage in a sketchbook for the first time, experimenting with different pen strokes, or making art with different papers from the recycling bin.
- What would you consider your creative foundation? Hold onto that!
- What new ideas can you bring to your art? Try them out next!
Building on the foundation,
P.S. I've been sending these almost-daily emails for the past three weeks, though I missed one yesterday. May-hem is real if you're wondering why 😜 I'd love your feedback! Click the link below and share your thoughts ⤵
