Today On My Easel ...

Back around early November I fell into a weird creative slump. I think the pressures of the Holidays got to me … trying to be festive and upbeat in the midst of tight purse strings and all the hectic running around associated with gift buying and parties and crap.

Anyway, I kept up on my one blog site but my other one just came to a grinding halt. I had tons of ideas but the words just wouldn’t come. I tried all my old methods for working through “writers’ block,” but nothing helped. And my painting … which I dearly love … just brought me almost to tears every time I started shopping for canvas or got my supplies out. The passion was missing.

Well, my two month+ slump is over. And I have a special person to thank and the color orange.

I met someone … a fun and caring individual … who got me thinking about all the things that just make life silly and memorable. And that’s what I write about, after all. I think I just needed a good reminder that it’s okay to look at the world a little differently than others do; it’s even better to embrace that unique viewpoint and share it with others. Suddenly, I had scads of blogging ideas. The dam had burst!!

So I decided I wanted to surprise my new friend with a painting. But I was nervous. Closer to Christmas, I had actually got my easel and work area all set up and attempted three different pieces. Each one was worse than the one before. “Had I lost ‘the spark?’ for good,” I wondered.

While I was building up my courage to try again, I decided to procrastinate and inventory my paint and brushes to see what I needed. See, my new friend loves blues and purples and I wasn’t sure if a big trip to the art supply store was going to be required. And there on the top of my paint bin … almost glowing with a heavenly aura … was a huge tube of Cadmium Orange. I seldom use orange … it’s never inspired me before. But before I really even knew what I was doing, I had unwrapped a canvas and was half way through creating a new piece. And I loved it!

Ever since that “work in orange,” I’ve started five more paintings and even dusted off the notes for a novel (my second attempt) that I always wanted to complete. I even bit the bullet and got a haircut … my first one in nearly eight months. It’s going to be a creative year!

POINT OF RANT: Inspiration comes from the strangest places!!