Key 2 - Inspiration

Inspiration hit me in the shower, this time. It happened after my first 'session' of using water color markers. Trying them out, getting a feel for what they do, how to use them. Taking baby steps, no rush, no pressure. That little corner of yellow and pink was the result.

First baby steps...

The next morning, while taking a shower, it was the shower curtain that caught my eye. Not that it is a new one... it's been hanging there for a little over two years. Having used the water colors, it occurred to me that, this was something I might be able to create too...?!

More baby steps...

Back to my markers, more babysteps, but no magic. I felt myself getting more frustrated by the minute. Not a good mood to be in. I stepped back from it for a while, retried, just experimenting again. Wetting the paper first, then applying the color. Even wetting the marker itself. The frustration level started to decline, I must say, yet I didn't feel that good either yet.

As it was dinner time that was a good moment to just let it be. Literally feeding myself with nice food got me over that bit of a cranky feeling that was lurking to get me.
There was time left for me to get back to it after dinner. Watching the paper with the water color experiment, fighting the urge to just throw it away, I took the middle way: I turned it over...
Then took a few minutes to breathe, get to that more peaceful state of mind, to listen to my inner whisper, looking for a little nudge in the 'right' creative direction. From this meditation I started all over again. About an hour later there were these: water color papers.

They are digital works, reminiscent of the water colors.
You see, the whisper from my inner voice was: "do what you love, use what you know, go back to where your heart lies".
In my case, that means I turn on the computer, fire up Photoshop, switch on my hard drive full of my pictures (flowers, clouds, trees, landscapes, rusty things, textures.....).
Using that, I can let go of everything. It's like taking out brushes, paints, stamps, papers, blending brushes, scissors. They are just not physical, they are in my computer.
So I flipped through the contents of my treasure chest, picking gorgeous blue hydrangea, soft pink tulips, deep pink peony. Added sunset pictures, with fluffy big clouds set on fire by the sun.
The flowers, clouds and scanned in papers I layer, rearrange, using different blend modes, so they eventually melt together, Soft brushes take away the harsh edges. Little by little the 'magic' then happens.

After this exercise I finally felt peace again. Filled with energy. Bubbling with ideas for more papers...
Isn't it beautiful how this all works? I mean, without the water color markers, without Bonita's e-course, these papers may very well have never come alive.

And the water color markers you may ask? Well, more baby steps to take. I'm sure that I will learn lots of new things from my friends in the e-course. I haven't given up on them, or should I say: I haven't given up on me?

Wishing you lots of inspiration for your creative undertakings

XO
Maureen