I have met some really wonderful kindred spirits in this art journaling community. One of these lovely spirits is the delightful Natasha White, who’s work (both paintings & writing) I adore! She always manages to inspire & get me thinking & her blog posts always make me smile. So when she asked me to take part in this blog tour of course I said Yes!
There are 4 questions to answer…just 4 little questions? I thought, that will be so easy! Then I read the questions…<gulp> & got a little nervous as they are real artist-like questions! A label I am still trying to settle into. But I will try my best to address these creative issues from my perspective.
1. What are you working on?
Oh my gosh, way too many things right now! Aside from working in my journal everyday, I am enrolled in Connie Hozvicka’s 21 Secrets & Painting the Feminine Spring. I also belong to the Documented Life Planner group & work in my Moleskine planner (although that has been the subject of much neglect lately). A few other workshops here & there, but pretty soon I am cutting myself off to go workshop free for at least a month! 
This painting above (acrylics) was in response to the Cycles prompt in Painting the Feminine which I painted last week. It might not yet be finished – I have a feeling I will revisit it. I have dedicated my {luscious!} Fabriano Venezia journal to that class, which I also took in the winter & I love seeing how much my work has progressed. My main goal with this particular workshop is to learn how to paint more intuitively which s something, despite all of my art training, I have never explored. I am hoping to find my voice using this medium. Here are a few more paintings from this workshop. All were done last week. 
I also track my creative thoughts & color combos that resonate with me in my Right Brain Planner (Teresa Robinson’s brilliant system & another beautiful kindred spirit!. I find it brings out subconscious messages & hints about myself & where I’m headed. A glimpse from April:
2. How does your work differ from others of its genre?
I don’t even know if my work fits into a genre! If I had to put it in a genre, I guess it would be art journaling? I think the things that make it different is that my work is done from my lens, my perspective, my experiences that influence me. I know that I don’t like to copy current trends that are out there (I.e., the formula scrapbook look, etc.)… my goal is to find my own voice, so right now I am trying a whole bunch of things to see what resonates with me. Lots of it will be not great, but I have to get through that muddy/junky phase before my voice/style can shine through. Lately I can certainly feel a shift happening which feels really good!
3. Why do I create what I create?
It’s the best way I know how to express myself & get my feelings out. Plus…and this is a big one…it keeps me calm & happy. I cannot go a day without doing some kind of art,even if it is just 15 minutes. It’s part of who I am.
4. How does your creative process work?
I wish I knew!! Lol! I get inspiration mostly when I am not looking for it! It could be from a certain color combination I may see in my travels, anything from flowers or even a sign on a passing truck! It could be from patterns in nature or architecture. More often than not, ideas always come when I’m not {consciously} looking for them! Once I get an idea, I’ll quickly sketch it out in my idea journal, let it marinate in my mind & then start laying down some paint in my art journal. Or…I just start playing around with paint & see what happens. Sometimes I find pictures & text in magazines that I am completely attracted to but cannot even say why, so I cut them out & paste them in a composition notebook for future reference. I’m actually not really sure that I can adequately explain my creative process. I know I am currently obsessed with the creative process of others & will read anything I can get my hands on about it. I recently read Stephen King’s “On Writing” as well as Creative Habit (Twyla Tharp) book & was fascinated by both!
And that is about it! I, in turn asked 3 people to participate in this next week, but unfortunately they were all swamped & were unable to do it. Should things change for them I will update here…(why do I feel like the party pooper who was unable to continue this little tour. But, I tried! 🙂
MagentaMatters 
Ah, definitely not a party pooper! You’ll pass it on to three bloggers sometime, just not this week. I’m searching for my own style too and seeing some elements creeping in that seem to be more ‘me’ but exploring other’s styles is good . . . it helps you work out what does and doesn’t fit.
I loved reading your answers and watching your work developing Patricia . . . keep going!
love your answers to these questions. Natasha and I chatted back and forth about taking these questions and applying them to our work as artists. challenging but so beneficial. Each step we take toward owning ourselves as artist is a brave and wonderful step.
Thank you for your reflections.
I love how bright and colorful the colors are especially the first one is. It’s like all the seasons spring summer fall and winter!!!😎😏
Loved this quote from the interview, “I cannot go a day without doing some kind of art,even if it is just 15 minutes. It’s part of who I am.” I totally get that!
Oh wow, your list of classes and projects is great and looong, I’m impressed. I feel like I’m not doing anything right now, maybe I too should look for a fun class. I like your answers, and you are a great artist, no hesitation.
Thank you, Hanna!!
So busy. I wish I had creative routines sorted. I thought I had and then other priorities take over. I guess I need to make that a priority too. I have wanted to read both of those books. In fact one I have on my kindle and the other on my bookshelf!
Thank you for doing this. 🙂 Sorry I was so late to get here.
No worries!! Time goes by way too fast…everything s a blur…I can barely keep up with myself!