We’re almost two weeks into January. You may have already abandoned some of your resolutions, if you made them at all, and now I’m here to tell you to make more. I should have started this newsletter in September. I’ve always felt that September is a superior time for new goals and projects. Even if you don’t have children, there’s big back to school energy in the air, and my birthday is at the end of August, so new beginnings are always on my mind at that time.
But it’s not September. It’s January. It’s cold and gray and dark and we’re all tired, but I’m going to make you set some goals and make some art. Let’s go.
Creative Goals for 2024
I want you to set three creative intentions or resolutions or whatever the fuck you want to call them for 2024. I want creativity and art to be a central part of your year, even if it never has been before. I’m guessing you want that too if you’re reading this. (Thanks, by the way.)
They don’t have to be huge, life changing goals. (Although if you have the urge to dream big, go for it.) Just three ways you’re going to incorporate art into your daily life this year. Here are mine:
I’m going to spend this year shooting film. I put my dSLR in the closet and pulled out my Nikon F100. I also asked my husband to fill my stocking with film this year (which he did - thanks, John). I first fell in love with photography in my high school’s darkroom in the late 90s. As I’m trying to find my creative spark for photography again, getting back to basics and the thing I first fell in love with - film - feels like an obvious move.
I’m going to take a ceramics class. I’ve dipped a toe into lots of crafts and hobbies, but I’ve never tried ceramics. Last summer I had the urge to create little bud vases for the flowers in my garden, but I didn’t know where to begin. This year I’m determined to give it a try. I’m hoping to find a ceramics class in late winter or early spring, so I can have some bud vases ready to go when my garden is in bloom again.
I’m going to draw every day this year. I’m happier when I make drawing and painting a priority in my life. Unlike photography, which has been my career for the last decade and a half, drawing (and painting) is something that’s always been just for me. Even if I can only spend five minutes before bed with my sketchbook some days, that’s ok. A quick scribble or doodle counts. I’ll keep you updated on how this one is going.
Your turn. Take a few minutes to set some goals - I want you to actually write them down somewhere. And if you’re so inclined, I’d love to know what they are, so feel free to share them in the comment section:
Art Prompt #1
Finally! Our first prompt after all this talking, talking, talking. Actually, I’m going to talk at you for just a little longer and then I’ll get to it.
This is the part of the newsletter that’s been the most difficult for me to figure out. I don’t want to feel limited by what prompts I can give you, but I also recognize that you may not have an entire closet dedicated to art supplies. I don’t want anyone to have to spend money to do these prompts. I’m going to share the supplies I’m using, but you do not need the exact same things - if all you have is your kid’s box of crayons, guess what, you’re doing this week’s prompt in crayon. Once more for those in the back: DO NOT go out and buy art supplies you’re never going to use again because I use them one week. (Honestly, I’m also talking to myself here because there’s nothing I love more than going wild in my favorite art supply store, and I will ABSOLUTELY use this newsletter as an excuse to do just that if I don’t preemptively set some rules against it.)
I’m going to tell you how I would do the prompt with the supplies I have, and then you’re going to do it with whatever supplies you have on hand. There are no rules here. Tweak it to make it work for you. Just do the damn thing. (And if you stick with your art practice and keep your creative goals, then you can upgrade your Crayola watercolor set to a more grown up set after a few weeks. We’re not at the spending money stage yet though.)
Ok, let’s make some art.
PROMPT #1
My supplies: Winsor & Newton watercolor palette, Pentel water brush, Ohuhu fine line drawing pen 0.2, Sharpie, Bee Paper Company Super Deluxe Mixed Media sketchbook
Alternative supplies: Anything that has color… your kid’s basic watercolor set, markers, highlighters, etc. Any kind of pen - ball point is fine if that’s all you have. Whatever paintbrush you have on hand.
The Prompt: We’re starting off with a classic, tried and true exercise. Take your watercolors (or markers, etc.) and just make a bunch of random blobs all over the page. Any size, any shape, any color. Don’t think, just fill the page. Let things run together. This should take less than five minutes. Allow the blobs to dry. (My recommendation - while the first page is drying, do the same thing on a second page, so you’re not just watching paint dry. I don’t want you to get bored, walk away “for a minute,” and not finish the project.) Once they’re dry, take your pen and draw whatever comes to mind over the random shapes. What do they look like to you? Just start sketching over them and see what you come up with. Keep this prompt in your pocket for whenever you want to sit down and make some art, but you have no idea what you want to draw. It’s the perfect warm up exercise.
Bonus: Take one of the things you drew, turn to a new page, and make an entire drawing/painting of just that object. Take your time. Expand on the details you sketched out.
The Walk Through
Here’s where I walk you through how I did it and share my results in all their messy glory. I filmed the whole thing, and I will just be honest, when I watched it back all I could see was how dry my winter hands look. My hands need to be soaked in lotion for days. It’s not great, Bob. I swear I drink water, but I do wash my hands 1000 times a day because I’m trying so hard not to get sick this winter. I’m going to up my moisturizing routine and hopefully I can film future prompts.
Paint a bunch of random blobs. Fill the whole page. Don’t think, just paint. Here are mine:
After the page is dry, just start drawing. What do the shapes bring to mind? I started with a fine line pen, but I switched to a Sharpie because it was hard to see the pen on some of the darker colors. Go with whatever works. This is meant to be quick and sketchy. What’s the first thing that pops into your brain when you see that watercolor blob?
I ended up drawing cars stuck in traffic, buildings in my neighborhood, pineapples, a tornado, my dog’s face from the side, flowers, some jellyfish, a little underwater scene, a bird, mushrooms, a butterfly, and a snail. Here are some of the details:
Final Thoughts
You did it! I love this exercise and I do it all the time because it’s the equivalent of stretching before a workout, and that’s what this newsletter is all about: you’re going to warm up with me, get the muscles moving, and then go run the mile on your own.
I love the buildings I drew - I looked out my window and sketched what I saw across the street. I think I’m going to take that part and turn it into a bigger piece. I also love the little mushrooms. Those will end up in something down the road.
My goal for every prompt is that when you’re done, you flip the page and start working on another piece, because the prompt will have woken something up in your brain and you’ve just got to keep going.
PLEASE send me pictures of your work! I would love to feature reader creations in future newsletters. And if you found some value in this exercise, I hope you will share my newsletter with your friends.
Thanks for being here. Take care of yourself this week. (I’m going to drink water and moisturize my hands.)
xo
Katie Jane