Tag: being an artist

Expressive Flowers

Artist Tips of the Year

Mireya

Practice for Flow Not Perfection

Blue Flowers in a Blue Vase

Practice isn’t about getting good or great. Practice is about letting go. At some point, there’s this voice and you realize it’s there, always has been. I have sat and sat for hours trying to paint something. Nothing happened. On this occasion, I had one color, one damaged brush, and five minutes.

Paper Collage is a Great Way to Learn About Color

Collage pink flowers and lettering the words free soul in Spanish

I’m putting together a creative exploration course with a paper collage. Sometimes I go into the process knowing that I’ll be creating flowers but it’s nice to just use random tools to stamp and blend colors. Then I’ll get an idea and start cutting and arranging. The idea blooms right before my eyes. That’s what happened with the letters M and L.

Social Media needs my attention and consistency

Various papers painted with vibrant orange and pink tones

I like to experiment and paint. I occasionally post on Pinterest. When I do the results are awesome. At one point I had 80k monthly views. I had no plan but to share my work. It worked. I am still learning about SEO. I have ideas. Here’s to more traffic.

Focus on the Moment

I know I’m the artist and I get attached to my work but I shouldn’t. I should only be that spiritual connection that comes as I create. I’m not the end result of my work. Nor am I entitled to the fruits of my labor. My best ideas come when I focus on the moment. For example, I many times have the opportunity to paint with my students. I set up the paint and brushes and wonder what will come of the dried-up dollar store palettes and beyond-bent shapeless brushes. These thoughts have nothing to do with me, my spirit. What is me is curiosity? I’m always curious about what everyone will paint? And every time before my eyes, the children mix up interesting colors, and awesome textures and they are artists. No one gives them permission. They just pick up the brush and go for it.

Expressive Flowers

You are blooming

Mireya

This morning was sweatshirt cold. Barely sprinkling, it felt like fall. I walked past white, pink, red, and yellow roses. Even in this type of weather, the roses were blooming with color. Sure some of the roses had brown petals. But the glimpse of color was enough to visualize spring.

And of course, this idea reflects my personal thoughts. Sometimes I write like someday I will bloom. Sometimes I feel like I’m stuck in the I’m not good enough phase. I try too hard. Overthink. Over apologize. I am a fan of EttaVee, James Victore, Ana Victoria Calderon, Carrie Schmitt, Corita Kent, and Morgan Harper Nicols and my favorite artwork of all is School of Athens.

Am I a fan of my work? I read Road Trip. I hand-wrote the words. I drew the illustrations. The story made me laugh. I like my blooms and my peacock. These projects make me say wow, there’s so much more I can do. Think of all the ideas yet to be painted. It feels good to say I’m blooming. I’m growing. Every part of the process is growth.

I am living, breathing, and always blooming. If I create from that place–when I create from this place it’s amazing.

You are bloomg. What a great addition to the wild thoughts flower paper collage book. Your turn. Make a collage flower and write a message. Give yourself the advice you seek. tag me @creatively.hue

Siempre,

Mireya

Creative Exploration

What is Creatively Hue?

Mireya

It is a creative place where you can be free to be curious and explore ideas. It’s simply making and in the process of making you learn to listen to the voice inside you. Creating is my meditation.

Creatively Hue Is

you conquering the inner critic

you working on the idea

you allowing your curiosity to play

you making

you Making

Creatively you is you, the kid who made art because you wanted to. You don’t think of yourself as an expert. You don’t think of money. Maybe you think about how mom would love it but most importanty you just made it because you wanted too.

It’s you and you can only be you when you get rid of the noice.

Creative Exploration

Fun + Art History + Creativity

Mireya

These are some of my supplies. The old Crayola educational set is now filled with Mission, Grumbacher and Cotman. I’m in the process of organizing a new paint palette. Today I didn’t work on the book. Instead I worked on a project for the creative exploration class.

The assignment was to choose an art painting and create variations. I chose Bridge over a pond of Water Lilies. I love nature and I wanted to use various tones of green and pink to convey the majesty and warmth of nature. I mixed up the galleria blue with the green acrylic. It was amazing.

Why this painting exercise? What does this have to do with Road Trip? Adolfo Serra instructs his classmates to play. Gather up as many supplies as you can and create variates of the art. Art is open for interpretation. There are many ways we can choose to express if only we allow ourselves to play.

Today I timed myself for 45 minutes. I sketched with just a pen to observe the shapes. My phone battery was also dying so the screen blanked every 30 seconds. Still I drew. Then I painted. I painted a second variation. I mixed paints. I used a make-up brush to cover up some mistakes. No pencil. No thinking except to choose a tool. I just painted. More importantly, I painted my love for nature.

I realize that I need to take a step back and allow my self to develop, to come into my style. I can do this and I will. Now that I’ve relaxed and had some fun I’ll be ready to finish the book doodles tomorrow.

Creative Exploration

Color tells such a story

Mireya

Today I had to test out this new tube of acrylic paint. Oh the pinks, yellows and oranges I could create-perfect for the around the world little project I had in mind. Who new mixing up a little red with this pink would create such a beautiful peach. Mixing color is a great way to learn about the element of color.

Around the world is another fun project. I need a few in between projects while publishing books. Learning about art has enhanced my appreciation for culture around the world. The colors excite me so. I love color!

Right now there’s sketching for Road Trip to be done. Then it’s Ellie. Yup, I need to repaint the book and the cute characters too. Wait, I need to work on the collage art too. I’ll put that on hold.

Tonight I need to get the paperwork started for the Live Your Story paperback. And finish the sketches for Road Trip. The illustration method will come to me.

Creative Exploration

Dreamcatcher

Mireya

Ha, I didn’t sketch with a pencil first. I had a color scheme in mind and let my creativity lead.

The first time I painted this, it was a total disaster. Anyway. I looked over my first book dummy for Road Trip, I thought and thought. Everything leads back to enjoying the process. Oh and having the right attitude is important too. But enjoying the process is having the right attitude. Again Shantell Martin’s words appear. There are no mistakes. You have to love the process. I do. I really really DO. 

Writing books and painting them is all I want to do. Even the tedious stuff is worth it. Nothing ever feels forced. Yeah… I painted this dreamcatcher as reminder that your beautiful mind and your heart has to drive out the evil.

Ok so next week,start the illustrations for my book, do some more watercolor exploration, and read more. Oh That’s right, my ebook officially launches July 17th.