Category: For Artists and Creative Folk

Doodling

On By Ashley GatewoodIn For Artists and Creative Folk, Healthy LivingLeave a comment

Flushing the Psyche

I’ve been doodling. Nothing planned out or precisely executed, just whatever lines come out onto the paper in whatever fashion they choose to reveal themselves. Sometimes I get tied of thinking. Doodling is actually good for cognitive function. Doodling helps to find things we’ve lost along the way, cognitively, through the process of subconscious memory recall. Don’t take it from me, there’s a nifty little article by the Harvard Medical School about the thinking benefits of doodling.

“Spontaneous drawings may also relieve psychological distress, making it easier to attend to things. We like to make sense of our lives by making up coherent stories, but sometimes there are gaps that cannot be filled, no matter how hard we try. Doodles fill these gaps…”

I think I’m trying to tell myself something that I’m not yet aware of, searching for a key that’s dangling on edge of my understanding. Doodles are like dreams unfolding as they call up strange markings from seemingly out of nowhere. It’s such a relieving activity that the feeling itself is indicative of undergoing a cleansing process, shifting what’s not necessary out of the way as the ink deposits the marks on the paper. The flushing leaves more room for better cognitive functioning. Even the doodle itself doesn’t contain the answer, it’s only the path, acting as a bridge to something unknown.

The Process of Exploration

Plus it’s just enjoyable. It’s like giving yourself permission to not care about the outcome, not care about whether the entire doodle comes out or doesn’t in the end. The benefit isn’t in the final product, it’s in the process of making it. The existence of the doodle, though fascinating, doesn’t hold as much weight as the benefits of the action to bring it into existence.

No matter what it makes in the end, it always speaks. Like flushing out all the gunk before getting to what you’re really trying to find, lost in the recesses of the subconscious.

What I really enjoy experiencing is when the doodle upgrades, through no preplanned initiative of my own, and becomes a mature drawing. It transforms and surprises. As if I am connecting to a reservoir of language that’s finally forming a coherent structure.

When that happens, (and you have to be listening to the lines), you slow down, become more deliberate with your application and arrangement, and help the doodle move into the greater state it’s telling you it’s ready to mature into.

NFT Art and NFT Collections

On By Ashley GatewoodIn For Artists and Creative Folk, Technology & HumansLeave a comment

NFT Art Collections could go two ways:

1. Those involved in NFT acquisition will be left holding the short end of the straw in 5-10 years when something goes wrong with the value of the technology and/or the exaggerated hype of the movement striving – but not attaining – relevance as a historical and genuine art movement.

2. Everyone else will be left shaking their heads and wondering how? when those who bought NFT’s make bank and the artists make history.

It’s all to incorporeal to me; I like art to be tactile. I like most things to be rooted in a reality I can experience manifest, in the good ‘ole third dimension. NFT art is like cooking on T.V. that you can’t smell.

But, if we look to the far off future, isn’t the reality that we know all moving into the Metaverse? I truly hope to not be here when that happens. But as the generations move forward, they will certainly not want to be on Earth, but in the digital world. And maybe NFT art will hang on the walls of their digital NFT homes.

So NFT Art Collections may not be legitimate contenders for art history until some one-hundred years have past.

Isn’t that the way art appreciation goes? And who will need a physical art work when we’re all plugged into the Metaverse having attained Singularity?

Some extra NFT fun All My Apes Are Gone

Featured Image by jens schwan

Balancing Social Media for Creative Introverts

On By Ashley GatewoodIn For Artists and Creative FolkLeave a comment

The Struggle Between Being Social and an Introvert is Real

One of the aspects of being a creative person that tends to slow me down is social media; specifically pertaining to marketing, social interacting and promotion. I don’t always want to be in the public’s eye and I’m not always feeling social. If fact, I’m much more reserved and introverted than perhaps my posts would reveal. I have a hard time with it. There are times when I just disconnect totally from social media – I find peace and relaxation during these times. They are necessary part of my creative endeavors and staying mentally healthy.

Introverts Have a Love-Hate Relationship with Social Media

I love helping people and offering an encouraging word to keep them inspired. I do enjoy getting good feedback when I show my artwork. There are times though, that I feel I’m only interacting when I have something to show or share and the time in between is just ghosted. I feel bad about that in a way. I also know that I’m not obligated to constantly interact with people on social media.

I’m sure there is a happy medium somewhere but my predominating personality trait is to isolate and create. Then I come outside to see everyone and get my social meter back up. This pattern works for me, but I don’t want to isolate others in the process. That’s how followers are lost – or so I’m told on social media. And I’m not sure how well it works for promotion – people don’t want to be sold on something, they want to get to know the artist. This is hard too. I’m a private person yet having to show my life more publicly due to the nature of my business.

It’s a tightrope walk for me and probably many other creatives as well. We are mainly introverted and atypical socially.

Since the whole 2020 pandemic debacle, I haven’t felt much like painting – or maybe I fell out of the habit. I had a rhythm down which was working. But I’ve made a ton of life changes since this time last year and the pattern fell away. I feel bad about that but the problem with creating is: if you don’t have much inspiration for it, it’s hard to do it.

Consistency vs. Creativity vs. Working

And I’ve moved on to writing for now and focusing on that. I’m not the best at multitasking, and I don’t feel bad about that at all. Want to live a convoluted reality? Go ahead and multitask your life away. How can I ever give my full attention to anything and make progress if I’m constantly distracted by 10 other things? It makes no sense really. Even so, I should make a goal of at least getting back into completing one painting a week. That wasn’t so hard. I think at the time it was a pressure release from work.

Sometimes I think I struggle with consistency, and maybe so. But I also am sensitive to going with the flow – if something is going to work better then I’m not resistant to try it. I think these things can work in tandem, I just need a bit more practice with the balancing.

Creatives can also be a little all-over-the-place 🙂 Hopefully I can branch out again into the painting soon. I do miss it. And I’m still unsure of the direction of this blog. I really am not interested in becoming a professional blogger – too much time and money invested for little results. If people like my work and want to connect, I’m here. That’s about all I can offer right now.

Have a great week everyone~

Featured image by Patrick Tomasso

One Pebble at a Time

On By Ashley GatewoodIn For Artists and Creative Folk2 Comments

I paint on a tight schedule. One finished watercolor per week is what I am trying to achieve and unless I get better at it quickly, it’s going to be only one per month. Patience and persistence are key and I’m working on both of those.

I’ve had two paintings in the past two weeks not turn out. I learn a lot by making mistakes but it’s a frustrating way to go. Of course one can also learn by reading and studying. I’m not sure which takes more time in the long run, but it certainly feels a lot better to learn and execute successfully without making the mistake in the first place.

Albeit, the best skill to know how to execute quickly is forgiving oneself.

So the above painting doesn’t work, even though I still like it. Each one has their own personality and I don’t really have much to do with that, oddly enough. But I clearly made the mistake of running the mane down over the shoulder – and purple isn’t easy to control for some reason. So I over did it big time. Not to mention I don’t always plan ahead where I want a brushstroke 🙂 I should get better at that.

If horse manes were mullets….

I traced the composition and started again. I was satisfied with this outcome but the personality is different. Even though it’s the exact same composition, the expression changed. Anyway, I have SO much to learn! And so many ideas in my mind I want to do but don’t have the technique down yet. His adorable perky ears are endearing…

Though he kinda resembles a Manga comic…lol! Must be the spiky mane~

Make it a great week beautiful people~