Pumped Up Mondays

If Saturdays are the beginning of your playday, Mondays are usually the beginning of your work week.

For me they are also the beginning of my creative week. I always start off wanting to write, craft, paint, and research. Quite a busy start to a retiree’s week.

Yesterday I took the (not so big) step of signing up for Peacock, the NBC version of Hulu or Netflix. A majority of shows are free, but it’s not because I was in need of something to watch. I came across what I was looking for:

Face Off.

Five season’s worth.

I happen to LOVE that TV series. Every week a group of artists create masks and faces and outfits based on the weekly challenge theme.

The things these “ameteurs” come up with are amazing.

I realize they are experts in their field. I’m sure you know someone — yourself, even — that could come up with a short story, a quilting pattern, knit a scarf, or paint a painting or a calligraphy sign in competition time. That’s how good you are.

But it’s just the process — the intuitive, inventive way their mind thinks that gets me going.

I get the same feeling watching cooking competition shows. How could these average “Joes” and “JoAnns” cook something like that in less than an hour?

The first and most important reason is because they love doing what they do. They all may be auto mechanics or beauticians or grade school teachers in their “other” life but they are artists in this one. They may even be full-time creators.

I come back from these shows with a new sense of energy and purpose. And I try and share it.

I have one friend thinking of starting to write a book on her and her father’s experiences. So exciting! Another friend went to a quilting seminar this week for a few days. How great! One of my good friends went on a scrapbooking weekend not long ago. Nothing but talking and scrapbooking. How can you lose? Another of my friends is coming to my state  (not far from me, it seems)  to do some sort of crafting seminar/conference/get together. How great is that?

I’ve done an art gallery on Face Off, and could probably do a dozen more. So it is with you that do ceramics or computer design or photography. My good friend from my old work is a photographer AND graphic designer — what great things he comes up with!

Find something that fuels your passion and go for it. Let someone else’s work inspire you — not to be them, not to do what they do, but let their work encourage you do try new things and go new directions.

Make practice fun. Make mistakes fun. Make success even MORE fun.

Let me know what you are working on so I can continue to get pumped up in the Art World.

Feels Good! You ought to try it!