I Can’t Draw a Straight Line
I’ve heard so many friends admire art and then say that they couldn’t do anything like that because they couldn’t draw a straight line.
Let Me Tell You a Secret
I can’t draw a straight line either or a perfect circle. Somehow my squares and triangles are wonky. My creations might make a geometry teacher’s toes curl.
I love it!!
May my lines never be straight and may my shapes always be wonky.
Life is not about perfection. Perfection is an illusion.
When I create, it’s about how I’m feeling. Sometimes I go off a memory. I don’t plan too often.
Straight lines and tight symmetrical corners are not organic to me.
Don’t Over Think It
I’m not saying that I couldn’t pull out a ruler or a set square and create something. I can and I have. I tried some illusion art recently which required planning and straight lines. Waaaay out of my comfort zone but I did it. I’m happy that I tried it. I don’t think it’s for me but that’s okay.
As a creative person, I do whatever blows my hair back in the moment. I lean into it and whatever that creative journey produces, is just fine with me.
Experiment with Different Ideas
My philosophy goes beyond drawing. I don’t want to think in a straight line either. I’ve had some crazy ideas.
Recently I saved all the purple cabbage from my salad. I don’t like it, so I pick it out like a fussy child. I soaked them in rubbing alcohol and dyed paper with it.
Why not right? Just go for it. What do you have to lose? Veer off the straight and narrow a little.
I don’t like all my art. I’m not going to lie, but I always enjoy the journey regardless of the outcome.
I experiment a lot and some of my best ‘inventions’ were born when I fouled up an original idea.
By the way, a combo of cabbage and rubbing alcohol, has a strong ‘interesting’ odor! My sense of smell is on strike. It’s probably nervous that I might try something even more odiferous.
I felt woozy for a while after layering the paper into my flower press. It was a little trippy, but the paper is gorgeous.
I layered some leaves between the paper before I put it in the press. The alcohol pulls some of the leaf colors onto the paper.
Live In the Moment
I used to doubt everything and then doom my creativity in the process. Nowadays I live with reckless abandon.
I mean, cabbage and rubbing alcohol? Seriously?
Who does that? Me! I do that because I can and now, I have gorgeous cabbage eco-dyed paper to use in my junk journals.
If an idea works, great. If my idea flops, I feed the trash can and start over.
Don’t limit yourself. Try, maybe fail, and try again.
Just in case you were wondering. The paper does lose the smell.
