Steal Like An Artist

Steal Like An Artist is an 140-page easy read, full of awesome advice, quotes, pictures and doodles, by writer and artist Austin Kleon. I'm a sucker for a cool coffee table read with a catchy title. I got this book from an arts & crafts store at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD. When I brought it to the register, the guy was all "steeeeal like an artist ayyyy?"lol...don't judge me stranger guy. He was really nice though, and we got into a conversation about the kind of art we do and like.

About the book. No, it's not encouraging you to plagiarize or straight up steal ideas...just borrow ideas from a couple different people, morph them into your own, and give them credit. That is, after all, how inspiration works. You learn by studying and practicing what you see and then branch out to do your own thing. Austin made a great point in the book about "newness"...NOTHING IS ORIGINAL. This is very true. Everything that exists is just a newer form of something before it. He even quotes the bible verse Ecclesiastes 1:9, "There is nothing new under the sun." You better go Austin lol.

Creativity365 Day 32

Today's Instructions: Work only with numbers today. You could make an image using numbers, make something into number shapes, do something involving a calculator, or...?

I was inspired by the typography. I made a heart stencil by cutting a heart into a piece of construction paper and I used different size number stencils that I purchased from either Michaels or A. C. Moore. The numbers were made with a sponge and some acrylic paint.

"You are the one..."

Typography

Typography is the art of using type to make language visible through font type, font size, style and arrangement. The different styles in this art form are endless.  

Here's some pretty cool typographic art via the blog Funandmania-Creatives... 

Creativity365 Day 31

Today's Instructions: Mail art! Take an existing postcard and alter it, then send it to a random address (or anonymously to a friend), after documenting it, of course. 

EXTRAordinary People | Tiffany Gilbert

TIFFANY
GILBERT

THIS woman right here is AMAZING!! I'm beyond blessed to call her friend. Tiffany is from Washington, DC and owns and operates an all-natural hair care and bath & body care business called Jungle Portfolio. She is extremely creative, hardworking, encouraging and most certainly an inspiration. There's no doubt she is EXTRAordinary. Ladies and gentlemen...TIFFANY GILBERT!!! 

Everyone's An Artist | Wrap It Up

Today, I'm going to show you how to make a piece of artwork using fabric and some canvases. I literally just finished this like 5 minutes ago lol. This wasn't hard to do at all. You're just wrapping fabric, pinning, and then stapling.

Tadaaaaa....

Creativity365 Day 30

Today's Instructions: Create flip-book animation in the corner of a notebook or book.

FLIP-BOOK FAIL!...well, I gave myself a semi-fail. It kind of worked. I gave my brother the job of flipping while I recorded. It's supposed to be a dancing daisy lol. The flower emerges from the ground, then the leaves are supposed to shimmy up and down and then "THE END" is supposed to scroll up, but the pages kind of got stuck here and there. I probably didn't make it long enough but this seven seconds is a good 40 pages of drawing. This is the 9th take lol...

Photographers Needed

Source: stephaniecorfee

I spoke about Servathon in my Changemakers post >> here. In short, Servathon is a HUGE day of community service in the Washington, DC metro area. For you photographers out there, HandsOn Greater DC Cares is looking people to help capture this day of service.  It’s an awesome opportunity to use your skills for a great cause. Doesn’t hurt the resume at all lol. If you’re interested in participating, email Erin at ederosa@greaterdccares.org for more information.

Spring Cleaning

Cleaning out your physical environment is definitely a good thing to do come springtime, but it’s also important to take the time to declutter your mind, body, and spirit. So, here are a few tips on how you can do that.

You Should Go | Torpedo Factory

Torpedo Factory | Old Town, Alexandria, VA

I mentioned the Torpedo Factory before in this post. It's where I participated in the March Madness Art Show BUT you only got to see the Target Gallery portion, which is one of six galleries in the building. The Torpedo Factory is literally a whole factory of art, jewelry, sculptures, accessories, and then some. It's three floors full of artisanal goods from over 165 artists working in 82 studios. These studios are open to the public so you get to speak with artists and even watch them create their masterpieces! It's really cool, especially if you're struggling with a technique yourself or just want some advice from a more experienced artist. They also sell their pieces and there's a lot of cool stuff in there. I didn't really check the price tags however, so I can't give you any figures lol.

Inspirational Bits | The Beach

I know spring just got here buuuut summer is approaching and the beach is my favorite place to be!!!! Can't wait :)! These pictures make me happy and clearly I need to go to Hawaii because most of the pictures I love of beaches are from there.

Creativity365 Day 29

Today's Instructions: Make a bookmark. Bonus: Leave it in a book at the library for someone else to find.

Creativity365 Day 28

Today's Instructions: Make a puzzle or make something using pieces from a puzzle.

Changemakers | One Brick

A couple years ago, I decided that I wanted to do more meaningful things with my life…with my time. One way was through volunteering. I searched and searched the internet until I came across my volunteering match made in heaven…ONE BRICK!!!!! Their slogan is “Volunteering Made Easy” and that is the truth. They are a non-profit organization that acts as the “middleman” between volunteers and other non-profit organizations…a community service broker of sorts lol.

March Madness Art Party Recap

A week ago today, I told you all about the March Madness Art Party I would be participating in here. It was this past Friday and I just wanted to show you my artwork and some other artwork that I liked. This event is held annually at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA to fundraise for the March of Dimes and The Target Gallery (the gallery where the art was shown inside the Torpedo Factory). There were over 200 pieces of art featured on 10" x 10" square panels designed by local artists and students from T. C. Williams High School.

Creativity365 Day 27

Today's Instructions: Make a puzzle or make something using pieces from a puzzle.

I'm revisiting the theme from Wednesday...in a new way. Today, I made a love letter puzzle. Mushy much?lol Well, I am a little mushy, but you have to be a special kind of individual in my life to know that. This doesn't even have to be a romantic love letter. You can make one of these to give to a friend or a family member. Here are some pics...

Top of box.

Mean Green

Source: glesmarketing

Tomorrow, hundreds of people will go out into the streets donning their green attire in light of St. Patrick's Day. Wearing green is cool, but having more green in your pockets is cooler. Money...not drugs lol. Say no to drugs. The 2012 theme for my church is "Moving Forward" and a couple weeks ago, we learned that moving forward requires getting your finances in order. I just wanted to share a few simple tips I've learned that will help keep more money in the bank!!

EXTRAordinary People | Casey Renae

   CASEY
          RENAE

It is with great pleasure that I introduce you all to the talented and ambitious, Casey Renae. She is a graphic designer and future educator (WOOP!) from Prince George's County, MD. She's responsible for my awesome blog banner, she has done some business cards for me, and she has designed my logo for future business endeavors...yep, she's my go-to-gal for all things graphic lol. She has skills folks and her work and passion for what she does inspires me! Without further ado...

Other Cool 365 Projects

What's a life if you're not enjoying it and making the most of every day?!! I was going to say I didn't know where this new-found energy and enthusiasm in my life came from but, it's what I prayed for and God has been reaffirming it to me in His Word through verses like "So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is why we are here! No one will bring us back from death to enjoy life after we die. (Ecclesiastes 3:22)" and "To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life--this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past. (Ecclesiastes 5:19b-20)" and "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10)"[NLT] So yea...that's my source.

Creativity365 Day 26

Today's Instructions: Make a puzzle or make something using pieces from a puzzle.

New Artwork

Fresh out the lab lol...I did this yesterday. It's not me...I know someone is going to ask. I think I'm going to call it what it is...Beautiful. It's acrylic paint on an 18" x 24" canvas. I LIKE!!!:) A lot of times when I paint I hit this point where I lose faith in my original idea because things aren't going how I imagined and I consider starting over or doing something else all together. I have to kind of be my own hype man in these situations lol. I'm glad I pressed my way through this one.

Disney's "Up" House...From Movie to Reality

In the movie...

In reality...
source: hookedonhouses

Inspirational Bits | Spring Forward

"If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control." 

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation."
-Brian Tracy

"Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer." 
-Denis Waitley

"The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you've come."

-unknown

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

-1 Corinthians 9:24 

March Madness Art Party!!!

Creativity365 Day 25

Today's Instructions: Work only with, or be inspired by, measuring devices today, such as rulers, tape measurers, and measuring cups. 

Slowing My Roll

So after about 24 days of creativity365, I've come to the conclusion that I don't really have the time to do it 365 lol. I'm definitely creative everyday, but I can't do projects out of that specific book...everyday. I have other goals relating to art that I'm trying to accomplish so I have to cut back some. Starting next week...well now really...I'm going to do the creativity365 posts Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'll still have plenty of artisanal goodies throughout the week however...you'll hardly notice lol.

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!!!!:) 

Everyone's An Artist | Color Blocking

Hey there! Do you have a blank wall in your house in need of some color?...Or maybe your office decor is a little bland? Well, this D.I.Y. project will give you a quick and easy fix!

Creativity365 Day 24

Today's Instructions:  Make a paper pop-up.

The Heidelberg Project

Source: heidelberg

Girls Night Out!!

Source: lastheplace

Creativity365 Day 23

Today's Instructions: Create a portmanteau and use it. Bonus: Illustrate it! Extra Credit: Get others to use it as well.

Art is Everywhere | Architecture

Amazing architecture around the world...

Creativity365 Day 22

Today's Instructions: Cut holes in the pages of a magazine or book so that what you reveal beneath creates something new.

Inspired Art for DC SCORES!!

DC SCORES is a non-profit organization that motivates kids to lead healthy lifestyles, do well in school, be creative individuals, be team players, and get involved in bettering their communities. They provide after-school programs for over 800 low-income DC youth as well as free summer camps through their “Couch to Camp Campaign”.

Creativity365 Day 21

Today's Instructions: Work with only the classic tangram shapes.
Tangram: A classic Chinese puzzle composed of seven flat geometric shapes, which can be rearranged to make a variety of images, usually provided only as silhouettes. All of the shapes fit together as one large square and are often stored that way.

Creativity365 Day 20

Today's Instructions: Make a postage stamp or make something out of stamps. Bonus: Mail it! (Be sure to put real postage on there too, so as not to annoy the post office!)

Creativity365 Day 19

Today's Instructions: Use bones, skulls, and/or skeletons as your inspiration today.

I drew this...it's how I feel.

Creativity365 Day 18

Today's Instructions: Create a visual definition for a word chosen randomly from the dictionary. Try choosing a word you don't already know!

EXTRAordinary People | Charis Jones

 

    CHARIS

                                           JONES

Ladies and gentlemen!!! It is with pleasure that I introduce you to Ms. Charis Jones...a talented, amazing singer from Prince George's County, MD, a public health consultant, an awesome friend, and an all around extraordinary person.

Creativity365 Day 17

Today's Instructions: Create a Mad Libs-style story (remove nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and other parts of speech and replace them with blank lines), and have a friend fill it in.

Painter's Playlist

If you don't know by now let me just telllllllll you...I love music. This is some of the music I like to listen to when I paint...the instrumentals. A lot of my paintings look like they would sound like this lol.Oh, and if you click on those rectangles across from the volume control under the video, you'll be able to see the playlist with the rest of the songs.