A guest post by Carolyn Dube
What’s the #1 reason why I create art? It’s not to make a canvas or complete an art journal. It’s for creative ways to play. Why is play so important to me? Sure it’s fun, but it does something else for me. It chases stress away.
I used to be one very stressed out soul. Little things that I knew shouldn’t bother me drove me up the wall. The big stressors created a whole lot of gray hair. I wasn’t happy living with that much stress so I began a journey to find a way to let it go, to play.
It’s been a adventure learning to let go and embrace the play. Along the way, I learned ways to make it easier for me to let myself play. Here are three creative ways to play, in no particular order.
#1. Use trash. If something was going to be thrown away, there is no pressure to make it “perfect”. There is no fear of ruining it. It was already going to be trash so what is there to lose? Gelli printing® on the insides of a paper grocery bag lets me be free to play since there is no fear of ruining a canvas or art journal page.
#2. Use neglected supplies. Art supplies, especially paint, will not last forever, so when I am using up something that has been sitting on the shelf or buried in a drawer for years, I am not risking a thing. I had these floral marbles for eons and decided to get them out and use them by turning them into word pebbles, as you can see in this video.
#3. The 3-Second Rule. If I find myself stuck making a decision, I give myself three seconds to make a decision. That isn’t a lot of time. You can see how that helped me keep this canvas moving forward in a video here.
If it ever feels challenging to let yourself play, try one of these three ideas so that you can get back to the joy of creating!
Carolyn Dube is an art adventurer and educator. Get in touch with the creativity inside yourself as she inspires with entertaining tutorials that invite you to play and laugh along side her. Join Carolyn on her blog, A Colorful Journey, on Facebook, and at Google+. Her stencils are available at StencilGirl Products and check out her four new DVDs from North Light!
For more playful techniques with Carolyn, check out these video products:
