Summer Creativity ~ Be Inspired

Hello, I am Jeanne Oliver and I am the owner and designer behind Jeanne Oliver Designs.  I have a clothing and bag line that I release twice a year.  I am also a mixed media artist and I am grateful to be able to travel around and teach art classes.

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When I was growing up I could often be seen drawing in the yard, being the director of a neighborhood play, making up stories or painting art for a friend’s birthday present.  As an adult it took me many years to get back the love of creating just for the love of creating.  As a child THAT was what summer was all about.  There is no reason we have to lose that.

I know that summers are busy and for those of you that don’t have children home in the school year…I know you think that you don’t have as much time to be creative in the summer but you need to look again.   I like to think of summer as your time to dip your toes back into your childhood.  I homeschool my children so they are usually with me.  If I had to wait for them to be gone to create I would never get anything accomplished.  Just like the children love to cuddle up at night and listen to me read a book…so do your children love to be led into your creative world.

I think summer lends itself to more relaxed creating.  More sketching, experimenting and more spontaneity.  You can create art anywhere.  When was the last time you sat under a tree, opened a brand new sketchbook, looked around you and just relaxed….and created?  No purpose.  No outcome.  Just for you.  Just to grow and explore.  If you have the freedom to do this without the children I highly recommend it but if the children are with you don’t let that stop you.

You can’t create if you don’t carry the right tools with you.  I carry a  journal with me everywhere.  It fits in my purse and I always have pencils and pens handy.  If I see something that inspires a new idea I write it down.  If I think of a new dress I sketch it out quickly.  If I am talking to a friend and her words make me think of a new piece of art I pull out my journal and record those thoughts.  I would hate to think of all the little things I would miss without carrying my journal around.  All the ideas I would never record and make a reality.

One of my favorite create escapes in the summer is to take a few hours for myself and drive. Just me and my camera.  I don’t do this nearly as much as I would like.  If you are anything like me you have music going, children talking, computer open, making dinner etc.  I have to get out of the house to truly give myself time to think, reflect, hear my heart, ponder new ideas.  Some of those drives have given me some of my favorite photos and time for me that I really needed.

A child doesn’t wait for everything to be perfect to create.  They just do it.  They just pull out their crayons and paper and sit down anywhere and create.  We could learn a lot from them.  Summer is a sweet time to slow down and remember all the things that were wonderful about your creativity when you were younger and to bring those things back into your life.

I hope there a few new sketchbooks purchased this week:-)