Things I learned today…

Hi friends! Today is a development day (AKA trying all kinds of things and hoping at least one idea turns into something LOL!) and during today’s creating I learned a few things…

1. Simplifying an idea is harder than making it more complex. I think it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote “Sorry for this long letter but I didn’t have time to make it shorter.” Ain’t that the truth! Distilling something down to its powerful essence takes time and we should allow ourselves that time.

2. When your brain hits a block move your body! I was stuck trying to paint a magnolia in a very simple loose way and every try was worse than the previous one. I was restless and antsy so I put down my brush and hopped on the treadmill (A walk outside would be better but it is just to darn cold in Maine, someone didn’t get the memo that it’s April LOL!) and during my walk a solution to another creative problem became apparent.

3. Sometimes cheaper paint is better. Some of the small paintings I was working on today are for a workshop I am teaching in June (more details to follow when enrollment opens) and I was working on Indian handmade paper with the Aquafine paints I teach workshops with. Just for fun I tried one of my demos with Daniel Smith watercolors to see how different it would look and on the Indian paper that is rough and has less sizing than American paper the paint feathered and bled and was not as vibrant. To think I was worried I might be having a worse result with the less expensive paint but actually I was getting a better one! *This is because student grade paints have filters that thicken the paint and keep sitting on top if the paper rather and seeping in an feathering on papers with less sizing.

What have you learned today? remember to try something new because you either succeed of you learn and if you are lucky you might just do both:) Happy crafting!