Like many artists who work in a solitary way, without the benefit of others to uplift us, we become our own critics. When I find myself frustrated or depressed about my artwork, I usually walk away from it for awhile. Distance, they say, makes the heart grow fonder. When I return, I have separated my negative emotions from my art practice and I can begin working again.
Those who have followed me for any length of time know that I don’t participate on Instagram anymore. That type of community was unhealthy for me, causing me to become stuck and inauthentic. When I left Instagram and Facebook, I wandered around looking for a healthy art community. In one of these artist communities, Louise Fletcher’s Art Tribe, we were challenged to send ourselves a postcard from Creativity. I stewed over this project for a few weeks, and I wrote many journal pages that explored what a personified Creativity would say to me.
This became A Note to Self Postcard. I wrote the words first, then I used the materials and relaxing techniques I enjoy most to create the artwork on the front: granulating watercolors, my current favorite colors, an off-white Posca pen, and a playful-intuitive-abstract style.
I was so pleased with this concept that I’ve decided that I will add this activity to my yearly self-reflection practice. It will be a new year card to my artistic self.
I hung my postcard on my pinboard so I can walk past it every day and remind myself of the wonder and joy found through creating art.
Front of the Note to Self Postcard
