100 Day of Shalagh : Days 41 through 60

I’ve passed the halfway mark for my 100 Day Project aka 100 Days of Shalagh 2021! Hooray. This project seems something that would be daunting. Except the further along I get, the more I look forward to the daily creations and the easier it becomes.

I’ve also noticed that my skill with this medium is increasing. How could it not? 

Practice is the key to getting better at anything. So now I’ve added watercolor pencils to the repertoire of art supplies I’m not intimidated by.

To see the beginning of the project, Days 1-20, go here.

To see Days 21 through 40, go here.

Stay tuned for the next Forty more days.

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100 Days of Shalagh : Days 21 through 40

The 100 Day Project for 2021 is rolling right along. This is the second fifth of the project or the next 20%. Almost halfway done. And much like the others I have done, I enjoy the excuse to stop and art. I even did it during my daughter’s birthday party last weekend.

As I’ve said, this is not a medium I have ever used before. Watercolor pencils are completely new territory for me. But I love watching as I get bolder and I find techniques that work for me. I read the packaging and it said I shouldn’t dip the pencils into the water. I began to do that about ten days ago.

I think it’s sometimes better to not know what the right way is. That way the inner child doesn’t have to play by any rules.

I also have a new appreciation for my house and the vignettes and beings within it. All subjects have been very obliging and I have begun to take pictures and will display the picture and the art side by side. Remember, this is a process not a product.

See the first 20 days of my #100daysofShalagh and the 100 Day Project 2021 Here. And you can follow along with my process on Instagram of Facebook if you like.

Interested in reading my future thoughts on Creative Soul Living?

Enter your name into the subscription box in the sidebar to the right and subscribe to my bi-weekly posts via your emailbox.

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I love community, soulful candid conversation, and being in touch.

And as always, thank you for your visit.

The Start of the 100 Day Project 2021 : Days 1 through 20

I started 2021’s 100 Day Project on January 31^st. I assume they moved it up from its usual April starting date because, well, there’s nothing better to do this second year of pandemic plague lockdown. And most of us truly need to have a reason to create every day to offer us some relief from our anxieties.

This is my 4^th 100 Day Project. Two years ago, I found the magic of this challenge when I recreated objects in my house using pencil and pastels. This year I am recreating views from with my house using watercolor pencils. I found my rhythm and talent then and I’m searching for it currently in this different medium. And what I also gained from this perpetual daily project was a self-trust and meditative practice that brought joy to my heart.

I am currently working on a way for the world to share in the joy of the art and discoveries of that and this projects so that they may open their hearts to an understanding of their own creativity that goes further than just showing up whenever the mood strikes.

Meanwhile, here are the first 20 pieces I’ve created thus far for #100daysofShalagh and #the100dayproject2021 .

Interested in reading my future ponderings on Creative Soul Living? Subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my weekly posts via your emailbox.

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I am a community kinda person and am always practicing Intentional Intouchness.

I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

You Don’t Have to Be Called “Artist” to Create, You Just Need to Create

You recognize that you’re a creative person. You make stuff all the time. And yet you aren’t comfortable calling yourself an artist. You say, “Artists devote themselves to their crafts and are really really talented. That’s not me.” I’ve been there, done this too. But I say, it’s not about calling yourself an artist, it’s about crediting yourself with your unique and constant creativity. About choosing a label you are happy with like Maker or Creative.

I started by calling myself an artist with a small “a”. As I said yes to creative projects, I began to see myself as more talented through the eyes of the other participants. And when I was introduced to the idea of calling myself an Uber-Creative, I knew I liked that definition way more than Artist. Read my thoughts about this in my post on Life as an Uber Creative.

It’s all about giving credibility and voice to your inner creative child. We have taken on the voice that says that creativity is unproductive and unnecessary. We all expect women to create children and homes and systems to raise them in. From the meals that we make to the ways that we parent our obstinate offspring, a woman’s world is perpetually creative.

So I invite you to see yourself in this new light of permitted creativity. We makers need to stick together and show off what we make. To be seen and to see what we may be capable of making too. Join me on Instagram, a fairly straightforward social media app, by posting a picture there, describing it in the description area, and typing #ourcreativeselves and @shalaghhogan there too to connect with us. This will be an amazing first step to acknowledging your creativity and joining a community of creatives.

Interested in reading my future ponderings on Creative Soul Living?

Enter your name into the subscription box in the sidebar to the right and subscribe to my biweekly posts via your emailbox.

Find me on Instagram to see my daily pictures,

friend me or like my page on Facebook.

Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too.

I am a community kinda person and am always practicing Intentional Intouchness.

I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thank you for your visit.

The Our Creative January Project Kicks Off

We are well into the “Our Creative January” project. Thought maybe it’s time to return home to my blog and begin a new year on this amazing creatives’ community foot. Such diversity, such enthusiasm, and such positivity.

I am co-hosting with Nina Spolar so we can continue to support a creative community together throughout the year. She’s focused on creativity’s positivity and raising the vibration of our world’s around us and I’m focusing on noticing and crediting ourselves with everything creative that we do daily.

All sorts of creativity and positivity has flooded the #ourcreativeselves hashtag, an original hashtag I made for the very first creative challenge. I feel like I wear a warm blanket of community when I see it all happening.

Here’s my first 9 pieces in a grid collage I made. And below is a gallery of them.

I have set an intention for this year to bring me JOY, my word of the year. And creating to connect is a huge source of joy for me. Like some people love bookclubs or swim teams, I like a creative team because supporting our individuality and our creativity makes us feel good.

Interested in reading my future ponderings on Creative Soul Living? Subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my weekly posts via your emailbox.

Find me on Instagram to see my daily pictures,

friend me or like my page on Facebook.

Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too.

I am a community kinda person and am always practicing Intentional Intouchness.

I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.