inspiring art
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Increase your Creativity through Art

May 23, 2022 Comments Off on Increase your Creativity through Art Inspiration

art increases creativity

Increase your Creativity through Art

How do you increase the creativity in your life? How do you feed yourself to inspire and make ideas pop? This has always been a mystery to me.

Living with empty walls is boring and uninspiring. It makes sense that when walking into your home, art is there to remind you of vibrancy and life. The story of your life reflected to you through art lets you escape. It gives you the inspiration to live a bigger a life. A life of self reflection. A life that reminds you to keep going.

Increase your creativity with Art in the Workplace

What about your workplace? How do you increase you creativity? Do you work in a cubicle or office that has empty walls? Are you having meetings in a conference room that is stifling? Are you going back to work in the office and dread it? Now is the time to rejuvenate and to find a window of escape.

It has been found that art reduces stress in the workplace,  increases creativity and encourages expressions of opinions. It gives us the courage to look at things a bit differently. Most importantly, it reminds you that there is life beyond those four walls that you sit in for 8 or more hours a day.

Studies have shown that Art enhances Innovation

In an article in Forbes titled “The Impact of Art in the Workplace”, statistics showed that there was a 32% increased in productivity by people who worked within an enriched environment. Therefore, it should be considered how the environment encourages inspiration. As a manager, are you thinking about the workplace and how it encourages your people to stay a bit longer? How it makes everyone think bigger and with more thought?

Art can do this. Such a simple idea to hang something on the walls that reminds you to think bigger. Thinking creatively means to think outside the box. To speak your mind and express your opinions.

According to a recent study it was stated that “aesthetic in the truest sense means energy giving which is what a workplace needs, rather than a bland industrial environment”. It makes sense!

Art does not distract, although many think this may be the case. In fact, looking at art engages us in an intellectual way that reminds us about innovation. Most importantly,  it reminds us of an escape.

Looking for prints and available originals see www.memoryartgirl.com

 

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Positive Thinking and Art

March 13, 2022 Comments Off on Positive Thinking and Art Inspiration

positive thinking and art are brought out with a woman walking in flowers

Positive thinking and art are intertwined.

The interaction with art can enable you to have a moment of escape. To be able to experience a moment of innocence, ease, hope, tenderness and light. Key pieces to being human and surviving a world that seems to be upside down, and full of images of despair.

How to remain positive?

Focus on the good things. Remind yourself of that which is good and not the challenging. This is how positive thinking and art complement. An image, colour, moment, are all pieces of art that takes you to momentary respite. It can remind you to be strong. To take on the beauty and use it to fortify your resolve to step into the day with an attitude of change and strength.

Art engages you with hope

The approach to creating my art is focused upon this engagement with hope, lightness and love. Each image has a bit of whimsy, a touch of memory and nostalgia that takes you to another place and time.

In the piece highlighted, titled Thing of Beauty the image has an aura of strength and determination. The figure walks towards you with a smile and confidence. Surrounded by blossoming flowers, this pieces has a context of positivity.

Looking at confidence and brightness reminds us of our own place. And in this place is gratitude. So much time is spent focusing on our loss. In reality, understanding how lucky we are and how difficult life can be for others needs to be a daily ritual. By doing so, we are able to manage the onslaught of the negative.

Building resilience by thinking positive.

It seems that these times means that we need to have an armour of resilience. In order to build this armour, you have to push back.  The trick is to know how little acts can help our mental state.  To withstand the depletion of the positive, the first step is to activate the positive.

There are several ways to build the positive. Being grateful,  surrounding yourself with people who are positive, open yourself to humour and whimsy,  and starting your day on a positive note are just a few ways. In my opinion, making your home a place of joy and lightness is key to this.

A good place to start is to look at images that bring you happiness.

Check out my print store at https://www.memoryartgirl.com/shop-art

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Growth Mindset defines your World

February 11, 2022 Comments Off on Growth Mindset defines your World Inspiration

Wonderful World creates place to be

The power of mindset.

The question is how do you maintain and insure that you have a growth mindset and not a fixed one? How do you insure that the negative does not affect you?

The difference between growth and fixed is one of looking at the future. To have a growth mindset means that you are learning and looking to the future. The people around you, your family, your home are all part of this process.

Life should not just be followed. You need to challenge the status quo.  You need to control your mindset and be aware othe negative imagery, films, conversations, news that we are exposed to. In fact, the ability to grow, and be positive is directly linked to your environment.

Your Surroundings influences your mindset

The past two years have shown us how being in one spot creates a paralysis of action. The lockdowns, the lack of travel, have made our world very small. The result, is the feeling of  sadness- the lack of looking at the future and looking at life with a view of light and brightness.

One of the main sources of being positive is your home. Its different rooms, has an influence upon your mind. The colours, light, comfort all play a role in how you feel. Art has a big role in this.

Happiness brought to you with Art

When creating the Happiness Series, I was aware that the imagery provided a positive view. A hopeful view. Each piece presents a story of joy, escape and a place where there is an optimistic outlook.

In the piece highlighted, Wonderful World, is a story of hope, future and joy. The figures are from vintage ads with the text referencing the song What a wonderful World. The outlook is being positive and cherishing the moment.

To see the full Happiness Series, click here. 

 

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Beginning of a new era.

January 21, 2021 Comments Off on Beginning of a new era. Uncategorized

cycling together brings in a new era of love

A new era of love

“When the day comes, we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid. The new dawn blooms as we free it.

For there is always light.

If only we are brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it”

Amanda Gorman; Inaugural Poet

We are in the beginning of a new era. A time when we register that our world needs more love, light and understanding. A time when empathy and consideration is at the forefront.

These ethereal ways of being may be effervescent and full of hope but it starts in our daily life. It begins with honouring the love we have for each other, our neighbours, friends, colleagues. For the past year, we have all shared in the loss of so much. The collective experience of this loss has made us realize the essential. The need to be grounded in love, care and empathy.

Art, Love and new beginnings

How does art play a role in this?  How does art play a role in the new beginning of an era? As demonstrated at the Inaugural address by the young poet laureate Amanda Gorman, love is the core piece of our legacy. Although she spoke to democracy and the core elements of building a society of equity and respect; these are the pieces that must begin in your living room. It can begin with the consumption and promotion of art, words, imagery and thoughts that inspire you and empower to be in the light.

The light of love and consciousness.

As an artist, my creativity is all about distilling the outer world. The painting highlighted titled “Flying Free” speaks to the celebration and connection that this couple has on the bike. Moments that are shared that are not about parenting or working; rather it is about the sensation of experiencing life together. Being in life and love in a moment of time that builds for the future.

Celebrating the fact that “Love becomes our Legacy” as Amanda Gorman would say.

 

To see prints and great selection of “love” imagery see www.memoryartgirl.com

 

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Why Art is Important

October 30, 2020 Comments Off on Why Art is Important Inspiration

why art is important because it reminds you of escape. With a vintage camper, this pieces reminds you of escape.

Creating is to give you vision.

Why art should be part of your life? Are you looking for inspiration? For escape? For distraction? So many reasons we look towards an image, a piece of music, p0etry, theatre or film. So many ways to look at something that reminds us that there is more. More than the everyday stresses and pressures.

How does art make you feel?

How do you relate to images around you? What does it mean to you? Does it empower you? Does it distract you from life or remind you that life is bigger than right now?

Creating pieces of art is more than just making a pretty pictures. Selecting the subject, putting the pieces together all, layering different elements of color, composition, tone all make a piece about a feeling. Yes, a feeling. An emotive space that speaks that moment that gives you power to learn about yourself.

Ultimately that is the most important piece. Artists think of big ideas that speak to a vision. One that is not set in the present moment, but one that speaks to the wider experience.

When adding art to your home do you think about matching a couch colour, or do you think about what it says to you? Obviously, the story that the art creates in your mind is much more fulfilling than the colour matching. Inspiring, questioning, provoking curiosity, excitement and outrage are just a few effects that art makes upon the mind and soul.

In a time when technology has been the main conduit of communication, there is an appreciation of how art can convey history, culture and traditions. Looking at nostalgic images plays right into this vein. Being reminded that the image reminds you of a time that seems more colourful, romantic and connected enables you to deal with today.

Life is more than today.

Despite undergoing a lot of hardships, or being surrounded with information that is about hardship, art gives you the courage to keep going.

The truth is that art is more than just a practice – it is a way of life. Art is more than just a skill – it is a passion. Art is more than just an image – each one tells a story.

To see prints and a full inventory of originals see https://memoryartgirl.com

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What is your perfect day?

June 24, 2020 Comments Off on What is your perfect day? Inspiration, Uncategorized

a perfect day with three cowgirls being sassy

How to decide on what is a Perfect Day?

What is your perfect day? A day where everything lands just right. Have you gone through the process? From the beginning till the end looking close to the things and actions that make it perfect. Your breakfast, your work, your day to enjoy the outdoors, the perfect dinner. All the things that take you into the world of the perfect.

Is this all there is- making of the perfect day? Are there not pieces in this perfection that speak to trying to achieve goals?

How do achieving goals become part of the “perfection?”

What about your goals? The things that make this perfect day work so well are the things you work towards. The radical goals; like making the world a little bit more meaningful, or making the world a better place to live in, helping others so the world is less bleak and blocked. This last piece seems to be the trend lately. The marching in the streets,  the call to action for change.

The last few months have made many to take pause. To reset and look a bit more closely at their life, goals, the  way time is spent and what their perfect day looks like. There is just so much energy in a day- so learning where to put this energy to achieve the goals is the first place to start. As we stopped, there is an assessment of what is important.  In other words, now is the time to think in the silence and feel what is right, feels good, and helps others.

To work towards a goal is to add to the perfect day.

To find this perfection- this place where we are fulfilled, challenged and working towards a goal of a place of idealism is always about the first step. The first step to change. As this step is taken, then the vision starts to become clearer.

Perhaps this is where things get tricky. What about the “universe” and its power to help you achieve this perfection. I am a believer in serendipity. The blending of the different people and events combine to make goals happen. When you take the first step, a goal is about to be achieved. As a result, perfection begins its journey.

Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho has a theory about why this is the case: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

How have you pushed towards this better place?

In my small world of making art I have looked closer at the message of my art. The way the story invites the viewer to reflect upon their own life and how it firstly inspires and secondly empowers them. Two ways that keep you moving forward to finding your perfection.

In the painting featured, titled Sassy Girls, there are three cowgirls standing with an attitude and looking straight at the viewer. All of the pieces in this painting bring together the message of strength and making things happen. It is a piece of art that reminds you to be inspired and to not back down. Almost a way that so many of us feel today. Moreover it is time to step forward and take the action to achieve our days of perfection.

To see more art and prints see www.memoryartgirl.com

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Time to find your joy.

May 2, 2020 Comments Off on Time to find your joy. Inspiration

time to find joy as the dancing in the home continues. Normalcy of life. Dancing couples.

Your Home is your Place for Delight.

Is it time to find your joy? What delight are you finding in your home? What are the things around you that is bringing you pleasure? A comfortable chair, an old photo of your family, or looking out the window with the greening of the outside from the burst of the spring. These things can have a great impact on your psyche.

The concept that the tangible object- the soft pink blanket that you wrap around yourself to escape the day, the vase of fresh tulips on your dining room table with its call to spring, or the painting you look at everyday are intangible objects that give us a sensation of escape, or enjoyment.

There is a deep desire for a moment of rapture- a glimmer of the lightness and beauty in an item around you. Not necesarily “happiness” which can be defined as how we feel about our work, the people in our lives or the meaning we may embed into our daily life. Joy is more of a moment. A flash of the good. The focus upon a brief second of pleasure.

Register the Sad to find the Joy

Most importantly, recognizing the depth of sadness, frustration and loss in our times of today is part of this. However, by doing so, does not mean that the grasping onto the beauty of a moment is irrelevant. There is a contrast. Understand the feelings of sadness, and take this in stride in order to search for the moment of pleasure.

As the time of The Great Pause continues, there is an avoidance of  reality. A sense of being numb to the news, the avoidance of connecting to reality seems to be happening the longer this continues. However, numbness also denies the celebration of  beauty. As Spring blooms, the birds are chirping, the sun is shining and the air feels warm. Registering this is a form of healing. A place in which our  mind goes into a space of a high. Savouring the beauty, understanding that there are short moments of sadness, and then there are the highs of enjoying the beauty. Both experiences are part of maintaining a balance.

Gratification makes us more Resilient

By understanding this balance we become more resilient. Registering the moments of gratitude, and joy, gives us a deeper engagement and meaning to the events today. By knowing this, we are enabling ourselves, and gives us the permission to enjoy the good that surrounds us.

And of course, to see a way to celebrate the good have a look at my online store on my website!

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Is Art Dead?

October 10, 2019 Comments Off on Is Art Dead? Inspiration

place to escape, umbrellas by a pool reminds us of a mid century party place

Is the power of art dead?

Does art still have power that it used to have? Is art dead? Do we care about the handmade or the one of a kind? Does it have the same power that art had in the 17th and 18th centuries? Although it does not have the same power as these times, art is very much alive. In fact I would make the argument that art is even more important because it is it is so pervasive and accessible.

Although the handmade item seems to be disappearing, there is still the focus upon the uniqueness of the idea. We are now in a time where we look towards how the digital transforms our ideas and puts them in a new context.

Digital creates a new concept.

In fact, in this digital age, the translation of the image into different types of materials actually puts another layer of meaning on it. For many years, I was all about just the Original. Anything that was printed or created on another substrate, was not, in my opinion, as valuable as the original. I’ve now changed my mind. I have reproduced my work on acrylic glass and it takes on an entire whole other layer of meaning. Respecting new materials, understanding how a print can be valuable in its uniqueness are now part of the landscape. It is using the same idea, but translating it creates another way of understanding the image.

Power of the Original

That still leaves me with the concept of the Original. This piece of creativity will never lose its power. The way the piece is made, the magic of the moment of creativity by the hand of the artist. The signature of this creativity are critical pieces to the power of anything reproduced by the artist. It is at this moment of the “original story” that makes the depth and power of the piece. It is never to be underestimated.

In the piece highlighted, Let the Sun Shine, the magic of the moment of sun and escape is apparent. What makes this pieces so unique is the way the viewer can contemplate the moment of peace. The moment of escape and the beauty of the light. The same idea works on the original and the print level. Of course, knowing that this piece was touched and created by the artist makes this one of kind. However, it still has the power of the idea. The idea of escape, the idea of the past and the idea of seeing a unique idea.

 

 

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Know your history to know yourself.

August 20, 2019 Comments Off on Know your history to know yourself. Inspiration

Know your history by looking at old photos. This couple walking beside a cafe in paris

Know your History

Learning about ourselves, to know your history,  gives us deeper understanding of who we are. Knowing ourselves with the knowledge of our past, with the understanding of where we come from, can enable our lives to grow. Looking back at our ancestors, the people in our lives who made us, give us a clearer assessment of where we are today.

This should go without saying. However, too many times we often forget where we came from. At least, in my life, I always seem to push forward. To keep setting goals. To keep moving forward. Yet sometimes, it is just good to stop and look back. To look at where it all started.

When I was a Child

My father was an artist. I grew up with the creating, selling and constant marketing of art. It was a a childhood of setting up shows, and watching my family survive from the art made by my father. Today, I am not far from this childhood. Although I create my own art now, my goal is to market and send out information about my creativity everyday. Social media has come a long way from distributing thousands of postcards door to door which my father did.

The value of Stories

Some say holding onto the past means not looking towards the future. I don’t believe this. In fact, I truly believe learning the stories of our families gives us a starting point for the present and future;

“The goal of yesterday will be our starting point to-morrow” Thomas Carlyle

As we look at images of our past, like old photos of your parents walking or weddings or family gatherings,  or little pieces of paper of birth announcements, or postcards written and saved, the life lived becomes apparent. The lives before you, from where you came from inform your present. It should’t be underestimated the value of these stories.

What would we be without knowing about the challenges and courage of our ancestors? We would be floating through life without an anchor. Without an understanding of who we are today.

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Surround Yourself with the Good

January 4, 2019 Comments Off on Surround Yourself with the Good Inspiration

surround yourself with the good by having the happy image of a bike riding girl with vintage flowers surrounding her ride

Surround yourself with the Good

What does this mean? The “good” is the positive energy we get when we look or experience the positive. How do we introduce the positive into our life? We surround ourselves with good people. Mentors who tell us that we Can Do It. Most importantly we should make our environment enable us to have hope. That’s where  my Art comes in. Surround yourself with the good things of  the lightness of colour, the ideas of generosity, the beauty of the image into your home.  All things that inspire our view. All things that reminds us, on a daily basis, that life is Good.

As life throws us challenges we are often in a place of discouragement. The pushing through to activate and make things happen takes on more effort. The voice in our mind that “it’s just not worth the energy” to keep going is constantly there. How do you battle the negative? How do you push away these thoughts that there is no point to keep pushing? Discouragement is a motivator of inaction. If you just sit on the couch and not engage then nothing will happen. Your life is one of action so it is imperative that you create a life that is full and rewarding.

Build a connection to What Makes you Happy

Certainly activating change takes energy. You must first identify what is lacking in your life. I often go through my days, like a hamster, just producing and making things. At the end of the day, I summarize my list and look at what was finished. This makes me happy. Being a self employed creative person means that self discipline is a cornerstone piece of mental health. When I delay and procrastinate I have guilt. The feeling that I failed. So to avoid this, I have to make certain I look at my list and just check something off.

However, this does not address deep happiness. The stuff when you are hanging out with your partner and having a laugh. The stuff when you drive your teenager to school and have a moment of being let into her life with a funny story about a friend. Little things that I register in a moment. The things we take for granted. That taking the time to share a moment will reward us to be happier.

How Your Home Makes you Happy

My work brings clients that share personal stories. I have had several clients who want my work to remind them to be strong, to be active in their change in their life, and most importantly, to improve their happiness. Consequently, they see that they need change and my Art draws them to this need. This type of visualization is the key. Above all these clients look at my paintings and it brings them a moment of where they want to be. To be positive, to be resilient and to be satisfied.

In the painting highlighted, titled Into The Daybreak, the woman cycling is full of life. She rides into a world full of energy, hope and love. These small details of beauty creates an image that makes the viewer stop and register. That’s what is important. Look at your Art so you can  judge whether it inspires you. If it doesn’t then maybe it’s time for a change.

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