A bunch of eager creatives came together for boldly coloured imaginary landscapes & kisses on everything, even dumplings.
We had a great time during a few creative encounters & just like that another school holiday flew by too quickly. It's always a pleasure to have the energy of young minds around me as I adore the insights & wit kids bring to the table during a Play & Paint Session.
Did you know? The Play & Paint Sessions used to just be called art on Wednesdays, until people started asking for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays... you get the picture. Anyway, it was simply easier to name it Play & Paint as most adults who joined in soon realise how much fun it is to paint with others.
Consider this your invite to come Play & Paint with me
You can have fun, I give you permission
Learning from the kiddo’s Play & Paint Session last week at the Heyfield Community Resource Centre, I gained new insights from the kids into what it means to have creative freedom. So often we as adults put ourselves into categories like "I can't draw or paint", the worst of that statement is we've held this belief for far too long & open up to the possibilities.
The watercolour postcards serve a double purpose. Firstly, to gift yourself with a few moments away form work/life & secondly, to have a physical item to send to an unsuspecting friend in a SNAIL-MAIL message. Believe me, they will absolutely love what you've created anyway!
Not feeling that idea? How about just keeping it as a reminder of your creativity. Leave it inside a book, place it in a frame to brighten up your desk or just stick it on the fridge...
We have a practice run on a regular page first & then we jump into the postcards.
It's so much fun to see it all come together... messy, glorious fun!
With an all-girl session, we painted beautiful swatches to test out the watercolours & warm up for the postcards. Followed up with amazing interpretations of imaginary landscapes & of course the girls didn’t have to try too hard to get me to do one more postcard demo... they all wanted to try a floral design, andso we took the last 15 minutes to paint some quick, no pressure wobbly florals.
By now the girls had a good handle on things as quickly showed them the images below & explained that they were only blobs of colour & brush marks. Before we knew it, they just went for it. In a couple of strokes they each had a flower on a postcard.
I would have loved to put together a photo collage of everyone’s postcards, but we were already in overtime & had to hurry to sign their rewards cards & give out the mini one-page watercolour sketchbooks & bird stickers I made as small gifts for the girls.
The young ladies had an abundance of creative fun & during our hairdryer break, almost everyone gathered at the window to wave at the little kindies, or kindergarteners for those of us who don't use the capped Aussie vernacular. Oh my gosh, those cute little ones were so tiny as they played on the slide near our window. It wasn’t long before they gathered together to blow kisses & stare back at the bunch peering through the window. How precious the whole experience was as we all had a few moments of joy throughout the session. Again reminded of the moments that bring us joy. Just getting out of your head space & into creative mode can do that for you - isn't that what play is all about?
Time swings by like a whirlwind as the morning came to a standstill just shy of the lunch break. I have no idea what the ladies were cooking in the kitchen as the aromas tickled my hunger bug & it started a rumbling of ideas for what the two of us were going to munch on.
Pot-stickers came to both of us as we exclaimed it in a choir of laughter. A quick stop at Aldi’s to pick up some supplies & off we went on our way home to see how many of our dumplings came out of the pan with a crispy bottom & totally intact...
I’m happy to report that all the dumplings survived their steam bath & quick fry.
With the munchies sorted, excitement settled & supplies packed away once more, it was time for me to sit down & write this Blog Article.
I had many ideas on what I wanted to share, but I also remembered a comment by someone who I looked up to. He always said: “Keep it simple stupid!” The words of the very inspiring mentor, Graeme Stevenson will linger with me for many years as I regularly remind myself to implement the K-I-S-S concept to tell the many stories of my creative life.
We so often regurgitate our feelings instead of just telling the story as simply as possible. It connects right back to the campfire days when elders told tales of life to paint pictures for Dreamtime. Much like the fairy tales, we can build our imaginations into a frenzy or simply hold a loving thought. This over complication can lead to stress as the contents can be too much for some. In stressful moments the information is swept out of their minds at once & the panicked frenzy begins... Bring it back to simplicity & see how a simple change in thought patterns can regulate the runaway mind.
So, what else can we keep simple & easy?
I believe any day can have an array of memories, but the moments of joy is sure to linger much longer. A quick self-care session at home with Watercolours & a Sketchbook can help you find happy moments as you reconnect to yourself. It takes a few minutes to treat your creative centres before the mind starts dictating your day & as an extra bonus, it soothes any worries away when we add creativity into our days.
Have you taken the Sketchbook Retreat Workshop? It's free & here is where you can find it: Sketchbook Retreat
For inspiration, we only need to look at the imaginations of kids & the element of constant innocent wonder. They inspire me to be kinder to myself, make room for play & give positive feedback to my own work along the way. As I glanced over to take a look at everyone’s mini landscapes & floral postcards, all I could see was how beautiful all the small artworks were.
We rounded off the day with air-kisses through the windows while wishing we could stay to Play & Paint more.
If you have a feeling today to gather the kids & just paint something imaginary, I’m sure your job, your boss & any other distractions can spare you to have a moment to create some messy art. Taking some time to nourish your Soul with bold colourful mixes of paint & imaginary things so you can appreciated your beautiful creative life today.
Fill your days with joyful moments my friends & remember to K-I-S-S everything!
Love Tanya
xo
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