Inspiration

Your Creative Journey is like Candyland đźŤ­đźŤ¬

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}
Sunrise by Eileen McKenna - Acrylic on Canvas
Sunrise by Eileen McKenna – Acrylic on Canvas

I’ve always thought about creativity as a journey not a destination. I sometimes visualize it as the Candyland board game, where there are stopping points, like the Peppermint forest. The creative journey stopping points are subjects and mediums. Mine were things like seascapes, linocut carving, surface pattern design.

Remember in Candyland, those “shortcuts” where you jump ahead on the board? They remind me of times of growth when you notice a big change in skills or technique. I remember when I started using an ink pen on my watercolors and white gouache on my seascapes. It’s helpful to reflect and recognize the twists and turns and periods of growth in our journeys.

Weekly creative inspiration ~

Weekly tips on watercolor and creativity and more!

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We all start our creative journey with different skills and ideas at different stages of our lives but with similar thoughts. The thought may be the reemergence of a statement from our childhood, “I want to be an artist.” More likely, we tone down the dream in our minds. Mine started with, “I want to be able to draw something realistic.” A few years later after a few classes it was, “I want creativity to be a regular part of my life.” I wanted to explore all possibilities and find my “thing.”

After several years of sticking with my goal, and knowing what worked, I turned my journey into â€śCreative Exploration.” Follow the process in the book to add creativity to your life, and find the subjects and art mediums that excite YOU.

I was and am ecstatic that creativity is part of my daily life. I can’t believe over eight years ago I made such a big change. Who keeps a resolution for that long?!

It brings me so much joy. But I am not unique – Creativity is for everyone. “Talent” is just a starting point.

Start your creative journey today…

Learn more here!

Here’s what to do when it’s cold outside…

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Read by the Fire🔥

It’s 14 degrees out, but feels like 5! Lately, I’m snuggling up and reading a lot, including “Family Business” about life and crime in NYC’s Chinatown from the perspective of Detective Linda Chin.

“The Hunting Party” a modern Agatha Christie tale, about Oxford friends that takes place in the wilderness of Scotland. “Everyone’s Invited. Everyone’s a suspect.”

My work in "365 Days of Art" - Eileen McKenna
My work in “365 Days of Art” – Eileen McKenna

“365 Days of Art” – I’m having a lot of fun with the daily art exercises in this book. Great way to get your creativity flowing! 

If you are struggling with what to focus on, I just recommended a favorite to my friend, and I’ll recommend it to you – “The Crossroads of Should and Must.” I loved this book!

Learn more about all these books (and more favorites) here.
Stay warm!
Eileen

Explore your Creativity – Click here!

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Planting Fields Arboretum and Coe Hall

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}
Planting Fields Arboretum
Planting Fields Arboretum

Last Sunday, we visited the Planting Fields Arboretum and Coe Hall in Oyster Bay, Long Island.

Planting Fields Arboretum

The grounds are beautiful, we had visited last year, but this time we booked a tour of Coe Hall. It was so interesting. There are pieces of stained glass that originated in Anne Boleyn’s childhood home! And a weird light box in the bathroom that was an invention of Dr. Kellogg (like the cereal).

One of the things I loved the most, were the murals by William Chanler. One of Chanler’s original murals is in the breakfast room and depicts Buffalo in Wyoming, where the Coe family also resided. Chanler built up the layers of paint, giving the buffalo a 3D effect. He added gold metallic paint too. It’s really cool.

A replica of another Chanler mural is in Mai Coe’s bedroom. The mural is a silvery tropical scene of birds and palm trees. The most interesting part, is the fine layer of lace painted on top of it.

I also loved the dining room with tall windows on all three sides. That’s where some of the Anne Boleyn stained glass is. The beautiful candelabras were refracting the sunlight and creating rainbows all over the room.

Planting Fields Arboretum
Greenhouse Planting Fields Arboretum

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“LOOK! UP IN THE SKY!”

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

I love the ocean, but I’m also fascinated with the sky. The colors at sunrise and sunset are unbelievable. Every morning when I enter the high school parking lot I’m greeted by a wide open view of the sun rising over the trees. It’s a great way to start the day.

When I look up at the sky, or down from an airplane window, I’m amazed at how the clouds remind me of the ocean. Sometimes there is so much movement and power, other times it’s calm. 

If you are struggle with the question of what to paint – just look up!

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https://mycreativeresolution.com/2020/09/18/14-creative-fall-project-ideas/

Setting yourself up for Creative Success

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

I’m excited for Inktober, excited to get back to daily creativity. I’ve adjusted to my new work schedule and am ready to fit drawing and painting in. This is how I’m setting myself up for a successful October and how you can too!

Inktober check off calendar – Eileen McKenna

Organize your supplies. I’ve selected the tools I’ll be using for daily ink drawings – a sketchbook that isn’t great with watercolor but the smooth white pages are perfect for ink. I have enough pages left for all of October plus a few warmup pages. I even dated all the pages to make sure. And I have my favorite ink pen ready – a Uniball signo.

Find something or someone to hold you accountable. I printed a small calendar for daily checking off. I plan on posting my daily work on Instagram. When we feel we have to check in with someone or something (like social media) it helps keep us on track.

Schedule creative time. Pick the time of day you plan on creating. For me it’s early morning before work. It’s a nice relaxing way to start the day. If something gets in the way, I can always catchup later in the day.

“Creative Exploration: A Six Week Process for Introducing Regular Creativity into your Life"
Creative Exploration: A Six Week Process for Introducing Regular Creativity into your Life”

Make a plan. The more detailed your plan the better. I recommend in my book Creative Exploration that you start simple – pencil and paper. Each week after that you can try out different mediums. I’m participating in Inktober so I’ll be using an ink pen. When the mood strikes I’ll add watercolor. The benefit of some kind of plan is to prevent you from either not sitting down to create because you don’t know what to do or from sitting down and not having any direction. In Creative Exploration I recommend keeping a running list of subject ideas to refer to when you need it.

Find a creative space. Having a designated creative space makes a big difference. Years ago I took over our dining table and leave my supplies out. It makes sitting down to create so easy. No setup needed. Sometimes when I want to get back in the zone, I spend time organizing my supplies and space. By the time I’m done, I’m so ready to get to work!

Be kind to yourself. No one is perfect. Missing a day here or there isn’t the end of the world. Forgive yourself and pick up your pen or paints the next day. Don’t let one day turn into a week.

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October is Inktober

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}
Let’s Get Excited for Inktober by Eileen McKenna

When I think of October I think of Fall colors and black ink lines. October is InkTober! For several years I’ve participated in Inktober, a daily challenge to create in ink. In the early years of my participation, I was a purest, only drawing in ink. But it’s hard for me to stay away from my watercolors for a whole month! In more recent years I’ve blended the two – creating fall themed illustrations with ink outlines using my favorite ink pen.

Inktober illustration by Eileen McKenna

There are optional Inktober prompts – which I don’t follow. Prompts are great, but I prefer to paint what inspires me. There are tons of creative challenges online. It doesn’t matter which one you follow or if you follow all the “rules.” The point of these challenges is to inspire and motivate us to create more regularly.

I’m adjusting to my new work schedule and am ready to fit in daily creativity – so Inktober comes at the perfect time for me. What about you? Are you ready for Inktober?!

Learn more:

Learn more about Inktober
find out where I met the creator of Inktober,
and read my Inktober supply checklist:

just click here!

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Savoring Summer

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}
Painting summer. Watercolor sketchbook.

I originally planned to write about looking towards fall, but after scrolling through my photos I was inspired to paint a seascape and sunset. Thankfully, even though we are away, I had my supplies with me and some time to sit and paint. I haven’t painted enough lately and it felt SO GOOD.

In NY the weather has been spectacular. Without the oppressive heat and humidity we’ve had some beautiful “top notch” beach days. And what’s more inspiring than standing in the surf watching the waves roll in?

Soon enough the blue, green and brown color palette will be replaced with red, orange and yellow. For now I’m holding on to summer a bit longer.

Summer inspiration – standing in the ocean watching the waves roll in.

Seascape Painting Lessons in pdf or video format

Watercolor seascape PDF tutorial
Watercolor seascape video lesson

September Routines and Creative Goals

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

My friend asked me the other day how it was going with creating every day in August. I looked at her blankly until she explained that I had written in my newsletter that I was going to create every day in August. Red faced I admitted that not only had I failed in that goal, I had also forgotten about it.

September Routines and Creative Goals

what I’ve learned while pursuing a “creative life”

  • Goals motivate us
  • Keep your goals realistic
  • Be kind to yourself when you don’t meet your goals

When we falter in our regular creative practices, we need to brush ourselves off, adjust our focus and expectations, and try again. September is the perfect time for this!

I’ve always loved September- it has the fresh start feeling of the new year. Life gets back to more of a routine, especially if you have kids. I always use September as a chance to reassess my goals, projects and routines.

This year I’m starting a brand new job so everything will change in terms of my schedule. Up until now my schedule has been very flexible. I mostly work from home and teach at a kids art studio several afternoons a week. With my new schedule I will really have to prioritize to get stuff done.

One painting or illustration a week

I’ve decided that painting every single day isn’t going to be realistic for me. My September goal is to create one painting or illustration a week. When possible I will sit and paint. I truly believe even 10-15 minutes of painting makes such a difference!

As usual, I’ll paint what is inspiring me. Maybe I’ll paint within a theme each week. I’m sure the upcoming fall season will play a role. At some point I’ll dive into all the photos I took this summer. These projects will take a few days to complete, so while I won’t be painting every day, I’ll be painting a few days a week.

Any illustration work will not count towards my weekly painting project. I have to have some rules for myself.

Sharing with you

I also want to keep up with my blog and newsletter. I’ve been sharing my creative journey on this blog for almost eight years! I love thinking and writing about creativity and painting and collecting interesting links. If you aren’t signed up for my newsletter – sign up here:

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When I first made “My Creative Resolution” – the blog was what held me accountable each week. I had to create and post finished pieces – otherwise I would be revealing myself as someone who lost motivation and didn’t finish things. That was in fact what I was, but the blog helped me change that.

If you are looking to introduce regular creativity into your life check out my book Creative Exploration. I turned my journey into a process for others to follow. Creativity has brought so much joy and opportunity into my life!

Learn more here!

Immersive Van Gogh

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

This week I went to the Van Gogh Immersive in NYC. The Immersive is a series of rooms where the walls are screens. Van Gogh’s work has been made into a moving animation. On the screens his paintings and elements from his paintings move and pulse and transform from one to another to music. The movements sometimes makes it feel as if you are riding in an elevator. You are surrounded by the images on all four sides and in one room the images are also projected on the floor!

The projection plays on a half hour loop. We walked in to a bizarre screen of illustrated flies buzzing around. I immediately thought, “Well this is trippy.” We watched the projection two times, from different rooms. My favorite scenes were the sunflowers, the irises and a brick wall, that was made up of a rainbow of colors. 

watch my highlights from the immersive

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Read “PAINTING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS”

READ “PAINTING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS”

Ready to get started in watercolor?

Try my â€śBeginner Watercolor Exploration Guide” where I walk you through the fundamentals of watercolor with exercises and projects. Learn by doing. Discover a love of watercolor today –> Learn more here!

Beginner Watercolor Exploration Guide

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