On The Artist's Doorstep #6: Productive Procrastination

Procrastination: (noun) the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying.

I'm still in a mode of "resting" although it might look more like procrastination to some. Come to think of it, I believe a lot of artists are good at procrastinating I know I am and I've always felt guilty about it. However, as I've read through "Steal Like An Artist" by Austin Kleon, I came to the chapter called "Practice Productive Procrastination". 

He said, "Take time to mess around. Get lost. Wander. You never know where it's going to lead you."

Scotland railroad bridge -somewhere I'd like to go again

What? Permission to not be busy but to play? To stare out the window, take a walk, scroll through Pinterest? 

I need those times to just be and let my mind wander. It's  a "refilling of my creative well" that helps me increase my creativity, find new ideas, and make the desire to create strong again. 

So that's what I'm calling it - productive procrastination. Therefore, you will find me for now in the studio, not creating, but letting my mind wander while I do the mundane tasks of cleaning, organizing, and decluttering.

Studio Reveal

 Last week, I showed you the wall we put up in the studio to make a more permanent storage area. In case you missed it, you can read about it here. It turned out great.

Today, I'm going to show you how it all came together plus an easy project to update my tired and faded fabric bins. Come on in!

After the wall was finished, I had this nice empty area for storage:

The metal shelf unit Bruce made me went on the back wall, then easels, panels, and other supplies went next to the turquoise wall. 

Eventually, I may put a curtain across it, but most is hidden from my view when I'm sitting at my work table.

One of the things I did was move my bookshelf around from the back wall to in front of the dividing wall so I have my reference and art books close by. I had several fabric bins to hold various supplies. They had definitely seen brighter days - so faded and worn looking now.

As I pondered what to do with them, I decided to just try and paint over them with acrylic and leftover wall paint. I grabbed my Liquitex Acrylic in Prism Violet and started painting one:

I then painted the handle and trim in Americana acrylic in Irish Moss. I was pleased with it, so painted one more that color combo.

Three were painted with the turquoise wall paint and the handle and trim in Liquitex Prism Violet:

The two that were green still looked good so I just painted the handle and trim with turquoise paint.

I didn't add any fabric medium to the paint but did brush watered down paint on the fabric first before adding a heavier coat. It helped it to go on and cover.

I love how they turned out!

After that, it was just putting the rest of the studio back together. Two of my trusty studio assistants helped.

My work table area is all clean too!

I love how my wall looks on the work side too! The grey showcases the art nicely. My small drafting table is in the corner next to my shelf with my books and supplies:

Here's a wider shot of the painting area - this is opposite of my work table area:

And this is the front with my beautiful windows. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my studio update. Let me know what you think! Would you have tried to paint the fabric bins? I honestly had nothing to lose so I went for it!

See you Friday for "On The Artist's Doorstep". Until then have a great week!

Cecilia

On The Artist's Doorstep #5: New Year Musings

 "Winter reminds us that everyone and everything needs some quiet time." -Katrina Mayer

Last year's surprise snow

This past Fall was a busy season for me - between Art Walks, commissions, painting ornaments and holidays I feel wrung dry of creativity. I find myself craving quiet time, time to sit in front of a fire (if only it would get cold enough here in Texas!), time to gather some inspiration, time to rest. 

commissions and ornaments

With warmer than normal temperatures, it has been hard to just relax. I need the cold weather so I want to snuggle in, read, and dream about this new year. I know I need the time to rejuvenate and find inspiration. To that end, I've decided to take up the challenge, David Tripp (click on his name to see his art - his watercolors are beautiful), friend and owner of the Gallery at the Redlands, gave - to do a sketch a day for the whole year. It will motivate me to draw. Furthermore, I received a new sketchbook for Christmas so I am set to go! I spent the afternoon in the studio creating my first sketch.

First sketch of the year

And thankfully the weather is cooperating - this evening temperatures are supposed to drop dramatically - bringing us highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s. The fireplace is ready and I am too!