Creative Practice: Setting Yourself Up For Success In The New Year

The creative process is as nourishing to me as the air I breathe or the water I drink.  The more I create, the more complete I feel.  However, even for me creativity does not come without its challenges.
Recently I decided that I would make a new committment to creative practice--to being in my studio EVERY day.  I made no further plans, trusting that allowing for creative time would be enough to make something interesting happen. Indeed, it has been true that just setting the time aside to create has been incredibly empowering. However, I have found that in my intention to enact a daily creative practice, I need a little more than just  time.

I know a lot of people make committments (dare I say resolutions?) for the new year. Of these, I think that developing a creative practice could be one of the most positive, even life altering resolutions one can make.  To this end, I'd like to demystify a bit of what it takes to start and maintain a daily creative practice.

Four Simple Things You Need In Order to Set Up and Maintain a Creative Practice:

1. Inspiration: I'm starting with the big one, because I know some people think that this is a big magical thing that certain people have and others don't.  I'm not sure that's true, though I do know a few people who seem to have been born without that creative gene.  However, YOU are reading this post, and so YOU are not that person! You may not know exactly what your inspiration is just yet, but if you have the interest I really truly believe that is all you need to start with.  If you have the interest, and you set up the time and the space (see below), the inspiration will come.  And if it doesn't? Well, that's why God invented Pinterest.  I will be devoting another post soon to inspiration prompts, but you really don't even need me for that.  There is pinterest, there are a million artist and art teacher posts and blogs, and creative ideas are a dime a dozen on that thing called the internet.  For that reason, I'm bowing out of this one, and asking you to trust me on this.  Set up the next three pieces, and you will be well primed when inspiration comes calling.  And if it doesn 't come calling?  Go look for it.  Its out there. Google it. I promise.

2. Time: Probably the biggest barrier to maintaining a creative practice is finding the time to do so. Making time is really about shifting priorities.  If you think you have no time, there is really nothing I can say that will shift that perception.  But if you, like me, want to make time (or need to make the time), the best suggestion that I can make is to plan it in advance and set it up like an appointment. Figuring out the best time for your creative work is very personal, and it also takes a bit of introspection.  I know that my best time for innovative work (large painting, writing, developing new ideas) is the morning, in my studio, but my best time for maintenance work--lower key work that requires less creativity but more technique like sewing or small scale drawing, or developing my website is at night, in front of the tv. This is different for everyone, but I do think it is essential for whatever you do to figure out when you are at your best, and set that time aside for your work. If you are just starting out, or strapped for time, you might also identify where in your schedule you can fit in a small amount of time for creativity.   It could be at night after the kids go to bed, or very early in the morning.  I think  30  minutes a day is a reasonable amount of time to set aside, but if that sounds crazy to you, even sketching on a piece of scrap paper for a few minutes a day can be satisfying.  You may find that if you make this a regular practice, you can get a lot done in a few minutes--and you may eventually start adding more time without even really thinking about it.

2. Space: For some projects all you really need is a cleared kitchen or dining room table.  I do have a studio in my basement where I do all my really messy or larger projects, but when I just want to sketch or work on a small watercolor, I find I prefer to work on my dining room table so that I am near my family.  This way, if the kids are busy playing around me, I can actually be present and creative at the same time. I also have space set aside for supplies.  For me this is primarily in storage bins and shelving units in my studio, but I also keep some basic supplies in a cabinet in my kitchen. I pull these out whenever I find that I have a few minutes or an idea that I want to work on.  These are usually "dry" supplies--pens, markers, oil pastels and paper, but lately I've also been keeping a watercolor tray and some paintbrushes available so that when I want to create something its not such an intense process to get my space ready.

3. Supplies: This is a big one.  Depending on what you want to do, supplies can be as simple as pencils or markers and paper.  If you are serious about making this work, I suggest investing in good quality sketch or mixed media paper or an art journal and some good drawing pens. I personally almost never use pencils, especially for quick sketches and doodling--I prefer not to get caught up in trying to make something perfect and doing a lot of erasing. I draw with pens or markers,and allow for happy accidents.If I don't like the way something looks, I keep drawing and adding to it until I like it better.  Or, in some cases I throw it out (gasp!).  If that is not your style, you can substitute some good drawing pencils and a kneaded eraser for the markers. Below is a more extensive list of the types of things I always have on hand. Obviously this is based on the type of work that I do regularly, so see it more as a suggestion, and take from it what you will.

My Basic Studio Supply List:

• Computer paper or scrap paper---I don't waste my good paper on sketches or doodles, so I always have lots of cheap paper around. I also tend to turn my grocery lists, to do lists, old flyers and used envelopes into small drawings as well.  
•  Mixed Media Art paper (sizes 9x12 and 11x14)---they come in pads, and I always have some around for whatever small drawing or watercolor projects I want to do.
• Watercolor trays--for beginners I like Prang--they are inexpensive and the quality of color is actually very good.  I also use tubes of Grumbacher watercolor paint for my professional projects, but the Prang trays are good enough for quick projects.  
• Oil pastels---these are great for quick sketches, and I also use them in a lot of my mixed media work.  I add them as detail to my acrylic paintings, and I use them in watercolor resist.
• Acrylic paint-I use Liquitex. I suggest having some basic colors plus a lot of white to start (cadmium red, pthalo green, ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, cadmium orange, cadmium yellow, naples yellow, dioxanne purple, burnt sienna, white).  You can mix these to create lots of other colors and shades.
• Pallette for mixing paint and cup for water
• Paint brushes---I use synthetic acrylic or watercolor brushes in three general sizes.  If you have a small, fine tip, a medium fine tip, a medium square, and a larger tip brush, you should be Ok to do most of what you want.  
• Markers--I really like the the Pitt artist brushes, especially the Big Brush black india ink pen.  They don't last as long as I would like--or maybe I am just really hard on them.  but a new one makes an amazing line that I have not been able to find in any other product.  I replace them regularly, and at around $8 a brush, it can be an investment.  But I really like the result, so it is worth it.  I also have a box of art markers that I have collected over time.  In my box I have prismacolor art markers, lots of colored sharpies, and some brush markers in different colors.  They are useful to have around, but I don't use them a whole lot.   
• Glue, painters tape, mod podge, varnish--you know, for putting things together and finishing them off. A lot of my work has collage or mixed media elements.  Mod Podge is amazing for those projects. I use cheap foam brushes or cheap painters brushes from the hardware store to apply the mod podge.  I always seal my work with a quality artists varnish that works for both acrylic and oils.  
• Sewing supplies---this may just be for me, but since I've gotten into making art dolls I find these sewing supplies invaluable--I use them for my soft sculptures, but also sometimes with my mixed media paintings:  good scissors, different colors of multi-purpose thread, lots of different fabrics, needles, polyfill stuffing.  

I really do believe that everyone could do with more creativity in their lives.  Adding a creative practice to your day or week is a great way to increase positivity  and its cheaper than therapy!  Do you have a creative practice?  What helps you make it happen?

What Your Living Space Says About You

What do our living spaces say about who we are?

 I have always believed that our living spaces say a lot about who we are and what we value.  When I was a teenager, I would curate my bedroom, particularly my bookshelves, and imagine what someone would think of me if they saw my room when I wasn't around.  I even imagined at one point that my own children would come back to my childhood bedroom and see what a cool/smart/creative kid their mom was. Now that I have actual children, I realize that my kids could really care less what my childhood bedroom looked like.  That bedroom is of course long gone since my parents have moved, and who I am as their mom now, and what I'm making for dinner, is far more interesting to them than the fact that I had an Edna St. Vincent Millay book of poetry on my bookshelf (obviously I wasn't all that cool to begin with).

It turns out, this impulse to make my mark on my physical space, and to use it to tell a story is not all that unique.  Dr. Sam Gosling, author of Snoop, writes that “Essentially, what your home does is distil a very long history of behaviours and choices,” 

“If you meet someone for a short period of time you only have a very short sample of their behavior. But the items in their home reflect persistent and repeated behaviours and choices (whether deliberately or subconsciously), carried out time and time again. This makes them a very reliable way to gather information about that household.”

In his book, Snoop, Professor Gosling explores how when it comes to the most essential components of our personality—from friendliness and flexibility to openness and originality—the things we own and the way we arrange them can say more about who we are than even our most intimate conversations. “One way to think about it is that there are lots of ways we betray our personality in day-to-day life, both deliberately and inadvertently.”

For me, bookshelves have always held a special significance.  When I moved into my dormroom in college, and my first apartments after that, the first thing I always set up were my bookshelves.  After that the art on the walls.  In the early years, before I was creating art as regularly as I do now, I would create specific art for the walls of any new place I lived.  I still have the painting of flowers I made for the walls of my first college apartment, and the oil pastel drawings I created for my temporary summer home my first year in New York City.  The art and the books gave me comfort, but they also reminded me of who I wanted to be. This best version of myself was one who read poetry and classic literature, who studied art books and who was creative and smart and loved color and had something to say and share with the world. 

 I remember even in those early days of young adult independant living, I loved having people over.  Before anyone would visit, I would take stock of the art I wanted to share on my walls (this was before facebook and social media, so my walls were actual walls), the flow of my living space, even the pillows and blankets on the couch said something about who I was and what I wanted to share. 

 As my Jewish identity took hold, that part of my life became as important to me as the artistic part and the bookish part.

Today I am an artist and educator, a mother and a wife.  I share my home with two crazy wonderful children and a sports loving Rabbi husband.  As I look around, there is no doubt about who lives in my home today.  

From the mezuzah on the doors, to the menorahs that double as art in our wall unit, to the kiddush cups and challah boards, to the books in the bookshelves to the kippahs on the children, to the double everything in the kitchen (for meat and dairy, a kosher kitchen) this is a Jewish house. 

The colors of my home are warm---burgundy/plum and golden brown, with a blue couch and bright pillows, and warm wood floors.  

Along with my books, photographs of my family and small souvenirs from trips line my bookshelves and wall unit. My exteneded shelf in the kitchen, hidden by a wall is cluttered with school projects, calendars, sports schedules and birthday invitations.  

My walls are lined with art (mostly my own, but some created by others), and I have chosen furniture that is both functional and artistic.  My dining room light fixture made out of collanders and kitchen utensils is a highlight, alongside our handmade art ottoman and metal sculpted Edison lamp.  

These are all the artifacts that I have collected that make up my home.  But Dr. Gosling doesn't stop there.  He writes that in addition to these choices we make consciously, there are subconscious ways that we affect our space:

"Like Sherlock Holmes looking for evidence of criminal behaviours, someone’s home shows evidence of normal everyday behaviour, which can tell me something about who they are. I call this ‘Behavioural Residue’.

“It might be the way that books are arranged, a ticket from the theatre, a postcard, travel book or memento. Or it could be a reflection of personality: all the cutlery isn’t properly organised in the tray, all the DVDs are alphabetised in their cases, or perhaps there are plenty of spare toilet rolls in the bathroom cabinet. It all reflects things that have, been done to the space and choices that have been made.” 

"For example, if you go into a kitchen and someone has a calendar, it tells you that they’re trying to be organised. It tells you that they aspire to plan ahead, but the most important thing is to look as to whether it’s used.

“There are plenty of people who want to be really organised and they go out and buy a certain calendar or organise their books or DVDs in a certain way, but they never get round to continuing the behaviour. It’s more of an aspiration. And it tells you they’re not a naturally organised person but aspire to be.”

I have been in many homes (haven't we all?), and I think that to a certain degree, this we all want our homes to reflect our best selves.  We want them to say something about us, to convey our uniqueness.  Some homes are clean, pristine, others are messy and lived in.  Some are clearly taken over by the children and their toys. For a long time our tiny space required our living room to double as a play room and art studio. Even now in our larger home we are messy--there is no denying that. Though we clean up well, I think you could definitely look at certain spaces in our home and say---Aha! This is a person who hides the mess (or, thinks she is hiding the mess, but really--look at that desk!)

I don't know what the mess says about us, but like it or not, it is as much a part of our house as the artwork, the books, the toys, the Judaica and the throw pillows. I personally like the saying that a good mom has sticky floors, a messy kitchen and happy children, but that is just me.  

I'm curious---what do you think your house says about you?  

Starting the Year Off Right!

Its my birthday! I turn 36 today.  The number 18 in Jewish tradition is important as it symbolizes Chai: (Life)and traditionally significant/spiritual numbers in Judaism come in multiples of Chai (18), so at 36, I am double chai. Didn't follow that? don't worry about it!(You can click Here for some more info on Chai if you are interested).

In any case, today I am double chai--and, as I'm a big believer in living with intention, I plan to start my double chai, 36th year in the way that I want to live the whole year long.

Here are my intentions (plus one gift for you!) on my 36th birthday:

1. Spending quality time with my family.  I love them so much.  I remember this always, even if I'm sometimes a bit louder about other things.

Today, and every day, I want to appreciate them, and love them, and just be grateful that these amazing, crazy people are in my life.  

2. Making more time with friends.  With little ones and work and being so busy all the time, its easy to forget to make time with and for friends.  My kids are getting bigger, my work is streamlining (in some ways), and there is no more room for excuses.  I will be seeing friends this weekend (yay!) and will make more time during the year.

shoot--I have no good recent pics with my friends~  this is very telling.  I will  fix that in the current year. 

3. Creativity! Ive committed to being in my studio every day this year, and on this weekend, I want to put what I make out into the world.  36% off everything in my store.  use the code  bday36  at www.etsy.com/store/juliewohlcreations

 

 

4. Me time!  I'm getting a pedicure! and I might buy myself a sweater.


That's it for today! I'm off to enjoy my day.  I hope you have a wonderful day too!  don't forget to use code bday36 in my etsy store this weekend for 36% off EVERYTHING!

Confessions of a Wannabe Luddite

Luddite: a person opposed to increased industrialization or new technology

I took a selfie!  because: not a luddite. 

Ok, Ok, I'm not really a luddite. I am not completely opposed to new technology. I am active on social media, I am writing this blog, I even have a smartphone.  (Though admittedly, this is new for me, possibly making me the last person of my generation to own one).

I am not afraid of technology, and I use it often in my work as an educator and curriculum writer. And yet, when I am not working, I am inextricably drawn to making things in a decidedly non-techy way.  I am sort of in love with the idea of being a luddite, even if I don't exactly fit the mold.  

This past weekend I went home for Thanksgiving break. (Is it telling that even though I am a married woman with two children, having lived outside of my hometown for over 15 years, I still "went home"?)

While there I discovered that two stores that I worked at during high school and college--Michaels Arts and Crafts and Barnes and Noble Booksellers, were out of business. I felt the shock accutely--not only in terms of nostalgia for my misremembered youth, but also in terms of my current lifestyle. Those places, filled with the paint and paper, canvas and clay, ideas and inspiration, poetry, novels, magazines, journals and coffee of my youth remain the primary comforts of my adulthood. I love to create, to read, and to rub shoulders with others who do the same.

And though I know that the absence of these stores does not mean the absence of these influences, I can't help it. I am saddened by the loss of these spaces. I do know that neither of these companies are out of business nationwide, but I am concerned about their futures. It is not surprising that they are the types of stores that struggle in a web based consumer society.

And while the rest of the world moves ever faster into the digitial world, I find myself more and more drawn to the concrete and the physical.

As a mixed media artist, I have resisted the digital tools that have infiltrated the field. I quite literally cut and paste, paint and draw, in real life, with real tools. 

Over the past year, in addition to painting, I have become obsessed with the creation of soft sculpture art dolls. I am intrigued not only by the final product, but by the very act of sewing. I find it to be relaxing, exciting, even meditative. Every time I pick up a needle and thread, I feel connected to the past, even as the work that I create is strongly influenced by modern imagery and contemporary art. I am connected to the act of creating,as much as to the final physical product.

I don't think I'm alone. I can only imagine that the new found popularity of adult coloring books is about a very real need amongst adults to do something creative, to make something that is tangible, real, that they can hold.

And so, while occasionally I worry about becoming a dinosaur before my time, I am more and more comfortable with my countercultural embrace of the physical and material.

I love reading real books I buy actual magazines.I write in a journal. I find no digital comparison to the act of scratching pen on paper and creating using real paint on canvas. I love the feel of fabric and the act of sewing, of creating something from nothing.



Am I a luddite? probably not. But one day, I hope to become one.

A Place For Everyone At The Table...We Are All Created B'tzelem Elohim

We Are All Made בצלם אלהים Btzelem Elohim

This past weekend I worked with approximately 150 children and their educators at Temple Israel Center (TIC) in White Plains New York on a special project celebrating and learning about inclusion and the connection with the concept of being made B'tzelem Elohim (In God's Image).  

For this project students studied three Jewish texts that teach us about being made in God's image, and importantly, what this means for us as humans--what are our responsibilities to ourselves, our planet, our neighbors?  

Text One:

 And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.' 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created him; male and female created He them. 28 And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that lives on the earth.‘    -Genesis 1:26-1:28

Text Two:

(Rabbi Akiva)would say, ‘Human beings are beloved because they were created in the image of God. It is an even greater love that this was made know to humanity, as it says, "and in the image of God were people created."-Mishnah Pirkei Avot 3:14 

Text Three:

Rabbi Hama, son of Rabbi Hanina, said: What does the Torah mean when it says: “You shall walk in the ways of the Lord(Deuteronomy 13:5).”  Can a person really walk in the shadow of God?  Rather, it means that you should imitate the ways of God… Just as God visits the sick, so you too should visit the sick.  Just as God comforts those who are sad, so you too should comfort those who are sad.   --Babylonian Talmud, Sota 14a

Each text presents a different perspective, and we used them to layer our conversation to come up with what it means to be made in God's image. We talked about being stewards of our environment, about including and loving all people, no matter how different they are, and about how being made in God's imge is not about how we look but about how we act.    

Then I taught students how to use watercolor resist using oil pastels and watercolor paint, and they created self portraits that showed how they were uniquely made in God's image.  

Student portraits included images of themselves taking care of animals, being kind to their friends, planting trees, painting, dancing, playing sports, reading and doing math amongst other things.  

They were able to demonstrate their uniqueness in a way that celebrated themselves along with God and creation.  It was a beautiful thing.  

Once the study and art creation was complete, I gathered all the artwork together and began the two day process of transforming this table into a complete work of art.  

I prepared the surface for our work (and used a hand sander for the first time!)

I cut out each and every piece of artwork, so that I could layer the self portraits and their details in an appealing way.  then I began laying out the images.  

I designed the table so that no matter which angle you approached it from, the faces would always be looking at you.  

I layered the self portraits and the special details, and used Mod Podge to seal them on the table.

I used acrylic paint to paint the sides and fill in the gaps where the artwork did not overlap.

And then, based on the conversations and text study, I used paint pens (Liquitex has some amazing ones) to detail the edges with the students' own words on the meaning of being made B'tzelem Elohim.

Here are some final close up pictures before the table gets its acrylic table top (for protection).  This table will live in this alcove, with the benches, for learners and community members to use and enjoy for many years to come.

I had an amazing time working with this community.  Thanks for having me Temple Israel Center!

Busy Busy

Its been a busy time in my studio! I've been getting ready for my solo show "Tradition and Inspiration" that will be at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art starting January 22nd.  The show, which runs until April 4th, will include 45 original works that have been mainly created in the last 5 years.  I find this time frame to be most appropriate since that has been the amount of time that I have lived in Central Pennsylvania, and the time in which I have been my most productive, and most truly embraced the idea of being a working artist.

I am excited to share this body of work with you and to reflect on this theme which resonates so strongly through my experience as a Jewish educator and artist.

In addition to the work I have been creating for this show, and the work I have been creating for commissions or for sale, I have also been teaching.  I love how the act of teaching and developing communal art projects has been so invigorating, and how that work has inspired my own work, as well as the opposite.
As I endeavor to create and to be inspired, I am amazed at how fully this cycle is self perpetuating.  I teach, I create, I reflect, I begin again. I think I need to write a blog about this!  well, that will be more work for another day.

For today, I simply wanted to give you a glimpse into the work in my studio.  The works on my walls, on my art table, and on the side table (since I am out of room on my walls and on my art table), are all works in progress.  I can't wait to see what they will become, and to bring them all together, in their final form.

And this last piece is finally done...I think.

Hayom Harat Olam, Today the Earth is Born Anew.

On Rosh Hashanah we hear the shofar blast and recite "Hayom Harat Olam"  Today the world is born. I just love this idea--this concept of renewal and rebirth.  Today we are fresh and our world is fresh.  We are filled with the potential of tomorrow, we are pregnant with all that is possible.  Today we await what will be and we are also the creators of what will be.

-Mystical Earth

I am ready for this new year. I have great hopes for myself, my family and my community. I have two nephews and a niece to love and spoil, and another new nephew on his way. We have an upcoming  wedding that will bring joy to a family that has known too much sorrow.  My own children bring so much light and joy and laughter.  They are growing too fast and it is a pleasure to witness. My husband has meaningful work and our community continues to embrace us alongside him.  My work is satisfying and I keep finding new projects to keep me learning and growing. I have some hopes too. Perhaps this will be the year that I will finally let go of the behaviors that weigh me down and the parts of my life that are not as they should be.  Who knows what will be. Today is pregnant with eternity. Today is my chance to make change.  

With Best Wishes For a Shana Tovah! Happy New Year!