Week forty-three

“How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.”

I was reminded of this quote by Annie Dillard while listening to a recent episode of the Creative Pep Talk podcast*. This episode was about making creativity “a regular practice and not a someday performance” -creativity should be part of our everyday lives, not a precious venture that begins when the stars align, and placed on the shelf like a trophy when it’s through. 

It made me think about the purpose of Making Art Everyday. I created MAE with the simple goal of helping others live a life full of creativity. Its purpose is to prove to you that being creative is not restricted to the select few that were “born with creative talents.” Instead, to be creative is a fundamental human need – something everyone expresses in their own unique ways. Making Art Everyday seeks to help you overcome the barriers that keep you from spending time doing something artistic and imaginative: “I don’t know what to draw!” Here’s a plethora of drawing prompts. “It’s too much effort to get out all the materials and supplies!” That’s true; let’s do digital art! “I don’t know how to draw.” Here are helpful tutorials, and some encouragement that consistent practice will most certainly result in the drawing skills you seek. “Other people will make fun of my art!” – Here’s a supportive community, a safe place to share, and members that want to see each other to succeed. 

Create every day, or as often as you can. Each artistic attempt will contribute to your development as an artist, yes, but more importantly, will lead to a more creative life.

*If you’ve never listened to an episode of Creative Pep Talk, and you are interested in building a creative career, I highly recommend it! It’s my favorite podcast. 🙂

What to Do

  • Take a moment to consider this: What fears do you have that are holding you back from living a creative life? What do you need to overcome those fears? What fears did you have in the past that you have already overcome? How did you  overcome them?

October Prompts

genres + perspectives

I know fantasy is all about dragons, and trolls, and magic, but all I think about when I hear the word “fantasy” is Mariah Carey. So please imagine me dancing in my desk chair, jamming out while I write today’s email because that is literally what is happening right now. If you need a little pick-me-up, here you go.

Okay, back to the dragons. Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction set in a fictional universe, often inspired by real-world myth and folklore (thanks, Wikipedia). The beauty of fantasy is that you can make it be whatever you want to be! Have fun letting your imagination run wild this week!

Remember, our “plus” challenge for the month is to try to compose your illustrations with unique perspectives. Here’s the Pinterest board I made to inspire you: 

Week 43 | oct 19 - 25

fantasy

Mon: fairy
Tue: mermaid
Wed: wizard
Thu: dragon
Fri: castle
Sat: superhero
Sun: unicorn

This piece was drawn using from my Magic Paper brushes and textured canvases.

You can access each week’s prompts, with links to reference photos, at makingarteveryday.com

We’ve got a Facebook group just for participants of Making Art Everyday and all things Bardot Brush! Come join our group of supportive artists of all skill levels, share your work, ask questions, and be a part of the community!