#artmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

Less. {22} ___________________ Today I realized two things. One, I am going to make it. I am going to finish this challenge. It has been hard but I see a light at the end of the tunnel and I am proud of the thought and time I have put into thinking about things and how they apply to me and my art. And two, I am worrying about the control less every day. ___________________ Two weeks ago I would not have been able to share this way on Instagram. And maybe I never will again, but it is a milestone. I have less worry and stress over being vulnerable, about being open, about just being me. I have learned that the LESS I worry about what others think the more productive and happy I am. So goodbye to the self doubt and hello to being a real person. ___________________ Real. Now that is a good word too. That means that I will have to embrace the days that the art doesn’t come easy, and the days that I feel unsure and scared about things. That means I won’t always be pretty or happy or energized for the world to see. But it does mean I will be real and honest about things. And it means that even on the less than wonderful days I will have learned to take them in stride. Head high, full of grace, eyes wide open and ready to take on whatever the day brings. ___________________ And I am going to try to be real about art too. LESS worrying about the judgement. More sharing of the real and raw. That is real life, real art. And the more I accept that for the reality it is, the less I will try to control the uncontrollable. ___________________ Thinking you’d like to give this challenge a try? Trying working in a small Pocket Journal(link in profile) and then join in on my newest Art Marks Challenge! These are fun {FREE} art challenges. Tap the link in my profile to grab a list of my prompts. You can also read more in my February 1, 2018 IG post and see how I am choosing to begin this challenge. Work at your own pace and enjoy the uplifting Art Marks community here on Instagram. #artmarksandwords #raemissigman #februaryartmarkslove #artmarkschallenge #artmarks30daychallenge #raesartmarkschallenge

[vkellieart]

Day 2. Decide. #artmarksandwords #februaryartmarkslove #artmarkschallenge #artmarks30daychallenge #raesartmarkschallenge #sketchbook #ink #interiorpaint #oilcrayons #washitape #markmaking #confetti #splatter #drips #abstractart #abstractartist #artstudio #arteveryday #createeveryday

[heartscrawls]

Day 10 “quit” I need to quit all the negative self talk! #februaryartmarkslove #mixedmedia #collage #artjournal #junkjournal #abstractart #art #artmarkschallenge #raesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

Learn. {20} So many great words so far this month, but learn is a big one. I really crave learning new things. I am learning that I can study something new and not feel obligated to mentally record it verbatim. I am learning that I can research and investigate and read and watch and listen and just take away from the lessons what speaks to me as a life long student. And I am learning that no matter what I need to make time to just BE. I need to sit still and wind down and think and not always be going and doing and acting. But...Despite all that I have been taught, I have made mistakes in the past. BIG mistakes. Life altering, life changing mistakes. But I always kept putting one foot in front of the other. And maybe that is the biggest thing I have learned to date- that sometimes we learn the most from our mistakes. So I think while learning is important, so is messing up. If we didn’t fall down once in awhile we might never ever discover the good things that can and do come from the consequences sometimes. There are exceptions to every rule, good and bad, but I know that the mistakes that I have made in life, mistakes that I thought I would never rebound from, well those are the ones that got me here and that means I learned ALOT along the way. Art is no exception. I continue to learn and I continue to mess up. Like alot. But I know that for every “mistake” I make I have an opportunity to build on that and to learn from it too. (Like this green today- what the what? But I let it lie. I am learning to let go and that is a big deal.) Excited to learn something new? Trying working in a small Pocket Journal and then join in on my newest Art Marks Challenge! These are fun {FREE} art challenges. Tap the link in my profile to grab a list of my prompts. You can also read more in my February 1, 2018 IG post and see how I am choosing to begin this challenge. Work at your own pace and enjoy the uplifting Art Marks community here on Instagram. #artmarksandwords #raemissigman #februaryartmarkslove #artmarkschallenge #artmarks30daychallenge #raesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

Balance. {19} Sitting down to make art can be tough. I know that sometimes I fight myself almost every step of the way. Why is that? I love color and pattern and marks so much and I have been creating for years so why is that I second guess what I am doing? It is easy to see the balance I have created over the years in my work, so why is there doubt? I think a lot of that self doubt comes from forgetting that I am creating for myself first and others second. I have to love it. That is all. If someone else enjoys looking at my art that is just the proverbial icing on the cake. I think that this same kind of self doubt rears it’s ugly head off and on when it comes to how I treat myself too. I am really tough on myself when it comes to taking care of me. I give so much all the time that I forget I am in need of things too. A two hour bath would be nice instead of a five minute shower haha! All kidding aside though, I am really working on slowing my body down as well as my mind. I am learning to find the balance in giving and taking. I am learning that if I balance my time well I can easily find happiness in my art, and my life. Balance. Such a great word. I love how all of my marks are similar but different in this piece. They resemble one another in their shape but their differences in sizes and in color really make them shine through. Looking for some balance that allows you to create just a few moments a day? Trying working in a small Pocket Journal and then join in on my newest Art Marks Challenge! These are fun {FREE} art challenges. Tap the link in my profile to grab a list of the prompts. You can also read more in my 2.1.2018 post and see how I am choosing to begin this challenge. Work at your own pace and enjoy the uplifting Art Marks community here on Instagram. #artmarksandwords #raemissigman #februaryartmarkslove #artmarkschallenge #artmarks30daychallenge #raesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

The signs of a great day in the art studio. _____________________ Pocket Journal, mono prints, and lots of Art Marks. Sometimes it just takes a few minutes to unwind and get into an art groove. So happy I had a few moments to get my paint on today. Looking forward to more of the same tomorrow. _____________________ Hoping you all have time for what makes you happy this weekend! _____________________ #layersoflove #dowhatmakesyouhappy #studiotime #pocketjournallove #markmakeroverhere #markmakingismystyle #markmakingmakesmehappy #artistsoninstagram #artjournal #mixedmediaart #mixedmediaartmarks #artmarksarewhatIdo #artmarks #raemissigman #workingsmallisthebest #maketimeforwhatmatters #maketimeforwhatyoulove #maketime #justmaketime #makinganewmarkthisyear #artmarks #artmarks30daychallenge #artmarkschallenge #raeschallenge #raesartmarks #raesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

Rest. {27} And so finally my word makes an appearance. REST is the word that I have chosen to guide me this year. I love this word and find it funny that it found a place so far down the list of prompts. I wonder if having so many other great words come before it I was building up to what I knew I really needed to work on this year. Rest is a big word. For me the biggest. I have mentioned many times in earlier posts that REST does not come easily for me. There are a million reasons that it doesn’t, some of them trivial and others much bigger and scarier, but I am working and I am learning and because of that I am finally resting too. I will probably never climb into bed at 8 or 9 o’clock every night, but I have found a system that works for me and I am both reaping and enjoying the benefits of slowing down and sitting still a little bit each day. In resting I think more and control less. These are good things for me. And I am even learning to let my art rest too. I don’t have to be in love with it all. I can let it sit still too. I can let the art rest too. Who knows, maybe if I come back to it later it will tell me something new or different. Interested in taking the Art Marks Challenge? Trying working in a small Pocket Journal and then join in on my newest Art Marks Challenge! These are fun {FREE} art challenges. Tap the link in my profile to grab a list of my prompts. You can also read more in my February 1, 2018 IG post and see how I am choosing to begin this challenge. Work at your own pace and enjoy the uplifting Art Marks community here on Instagram. #artmarksandwords #raemissigman #februaryartmarkslove #artmarkschallenge #artmarks30daychallenge #raesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

Grace. {21} ___________________ True story. This challenge has been tough for me. Making Art Marks is what I love and that part has made me smile every day, but the words, the self care, the slowing down and thinking about my actions has been hard. ___________________ But I made a pact with myself to see this through. Difficult or not I wanted to see this through. I knew going in that this is what I needed, but it has been a real eye opener to rest a bit each day and really get to the heart of each prompt and think about how it applies to me, my art and my self care. ___________________ Grace is such a special word. “Courteous goodwill” is part of the definition. Yes. I want to be known for my grace. I want to take the time to reevaluate myself and my actions and make sure that on any given day I am showing courteous goodwill toward myself and others. It is not easy to always have a sense of grace about ourselves. We fall down, we get mad, we ignore what our bodies are trying to tell us, we fall short, and we fail to be kind. But for every time we are faced with failing to be kind to ourselves and our loved ones we are offered the opportunity to be courteous, to show grace and goodwill. I want to take a breath each and every time I am in a position to be kind. I want to make the right choice, both for myself and for those around me. ___________________ My art is an outlet and it offers me the chance to get some of the ugly stuff off my chest without hurting those I love…because let’s be honest, when they hurt, so do I. So I will keep making art, and I will keep trying to be a better version of myself. One that is known for her sense of kindness and grace.   ___________________ These are fun {FREE} art challenges. Tap the link in my profile to grab a list of my prompts. You can also read more in my February 1, 2018 IG post and see how I am choosing to begin this challenge. Work at your own pace and enjoy the uplifting Art Marks community here on Instagram. #artmarksandwords #raemissigman #artmarkschallenge #markmakeroverhere #artistsofinstagram

[raemissigman]

Unfold. {12} Unfolding is something I rarely do. I am not comfortable letting people in, showing my whole self, even to those closest to me. It is not always a good thing, but it is definitely a big part of my personality. I want to work on that this year and through this challenge I am making headway. I have felt myself unfold in so many ways already- sharing about self care being the biggest one for me. I just don’t share on that level. With anyone. Ever. And yet here we are. And I have been sharing art I don’t love (at all) and art that I haven’t allowed myself to “fix” or make pretty. (Isn’t the whole point of becoming better at anything the forward progress- often times through the bad and the ugly?) I feel myself unfolding in ways that make me feel less than comfortable and yet I persist. Today these Art Marks remind me of how chaotic the unfolding or learning to open up can be. I see it in my work lately and I hope that means that good things are to come. Want to unfold yourself and try something new? Try my Art Marks Challenge! These are fun {FREE} art challenges. Tap the link in my profile to grab a list of my prompts. You can also read more in my 2.1.2018 post and see how I am choosing to begin this challenge. Work at your own pace and enjoy the uplifting Art Marks community here on Instagram. #artmarksandwords #raemissigman #februaryartmarkslove #artmarkschallenge #artmarks30daychallenge #raesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

Change. {11} I feel the change. I am experiencing the calm that comes with the simple act of slowing down. I am not going to fib, it is hard for me. Slowing down. I am a go go go kinda girl. I multi task to the point of being a blur. It’s just who I’ve always been. And while that might have been acceptable to my mind and body 30 years ago, I know that I can’t continue with that pattern forever. I don’t feel my age but I am smart enough to know that the sense of constant urgency I feel will catch up with me some day. I want to change how I do things each day so that I can still have time for everything I find important, but also have time to rest. I want to feel a sense of accomplishment in my tasks and my to-do lists but I also want to not feel dead butt tired come 9 PM. I want to watch a movie at night with my much better half and not fall asleep ten minutes in, and I want to wake feeling energized and ready for the new day. I am making great progress and find it utterly amazing that my random choice of words for this set of challenge prompts has been building seamlessly and with such perfect transition. I was tempted (in the beginning) to change the final prompts into a list that “made sense” but decided against it and look what happened leaving it all to unfold organically? That is more than amazing. That is progress. And that is me CHANGING by letting go of the control I always feel over myself. Just like I won’t allow myself to change these Art Marks into something “more beautiful” today. I have to let go sometimes. I have to decide to change by letting go of changing things all the time- even the art. Especially the art. Want to change things up a bit? Try the Art Marks Challenge! These are fun {FREE} art challenges. Tap the link in the profile to grab a list of my prompts. You can also read more in my 2.1.2018 post and see how I am choosing to begin this challenge. Work at your own pace and enjoy the uplifting Art Marks community here on Instagram. #artmarksandwords #raemissigman #februaryartmarkslove #artmarkschallenge #artmarks30daychallenge #raesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

Think. {4} Today I am thinking about things. Things like how beginning and deciding and leaping into action will affect my art. This will be interesting. I both excited and afraid. I am excited to see if taking more time to recharge will help me to interpret things differently. Excited to see if my art changes and how it might morph and reshape itself as a direct result of me taking time to rest this year. I am also afraid. Afraid that my art WILL change and be something I don’t recognize or worse, don’t love. But at the end of the day I think that taking care of the things we love, like our families and ourselves must come first and that the creative consequences will just be what they are. Art marks and color for the win today. All those repetitive little dots and dashes make me so happy. And who else likes it when their work takes a turn for the toddler years? Like this giant funny flower shape? Think you might want to give this new Art Marks Challenge a try? These are fun {FREE} art challenges. Tap the link in the profile to grab a list of the prompts. You can also read more in my 2.1.2018 post and see how I am choosing to begin this challenge. Work at your own pace and enjoy the uplifting Art Marks community here on Instagram. #artmarksandwords #raemissigman #februaryartmarkslove #artmarkschallenge #artmarks30daychallenge #raesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

This Pocket Journal. It is literally my favorite art Journal ever. The first time I made one of these I knew I was hooked. There was no going back. The mix of assorted paper pages- all sizes and shapes and the size. So yes. I’m forever in love with this little afterthought of an Art Journal . _____________________ And I am adding more my Art Marks cards in today. I love adding Marks and Words to these. These were a limited edition and sold out in hours! Can you believe it? So thank you all for the love! What is your favorite art journal? _____________________ #layersoflove #favoriteartjournalever #dowhatmakesyouhappy #studiotime #pocketjournallove #markmakeroverhere #markmakingismystyle #markmakingmakesmehappy #artistsoninstagram #artjournal #mixedmediaart #mixedmediaartmarks #artmarksarewhatIdo #artmarks #raemissigman #workingsmallisthebest #maketimeforwhatmatters #maketimeforwhatyoulove #maketime #justmaketime #makinganewmarkthisyear #artmarks #artmarks30daychallenge #artmarkschallenge #raeschallenge #raesartmarks #raesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

For me it all starts with a mark. And why do they make me so dang happy? Some days I am not even sure but I will have 28 Days to explore them beginning February 1st. _____________________ Get your Pocket Journals ready and create alongside of me- the art is fun, the challenge is {free}, and the community here on Instagram is uplifting! _____________________ #artjournaling #beingokaywithmyself #pocketjournalcollection #pocketjournallove #markmakeroverhere #markmakingismystyle #markmakingmakesmehappy #artistsoninstagram #artjournal #mixedmediaart #mixedmediaartmarks #artmarksarewhatIdo #artmarks #raemissigman #tinyartjournal #workingsmallisthebest #maketimeforwhatmatters #maketimeforwhatyoulove #maketime #justmaketime #selflove #selfcare #artmarksandwords #makinganewmarkthisyear #artmarks #artmarks30daychallenge #artmarkschallenge #raeschallenge #raesartmarks #taesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

Invent. {23} I am always looking for ways to re-invent things. I want a new twist on everything and it is encouraging when things work out. My own self is no exception. I mentioned in an earlier post that I am famous for going non stop all day long, from the time my feet hit the floor until the middle of the night I am on hyper drive. I like multi tasking. I like being busy. I like having many hats in this big crazy family of ours but I also know that I was not resting enough. I don’t just mean sleeping. Yeah, well that too. I don’t sleep much, but that is nothing knew for me. Just ask my mom, I have never been a sleeper, but I am a thinker and I have been thinking a lot lately. About inventing. I am inventing ways for myself to slow down. It doesn’t come naturally for me so I am giving myself ways to make it happen- like setting a timer so I get out of the studio before midnight or reading a book while I eat lunch. These things are simple, but for me they are working and it is a bit like re-inventing myself to see them working to make me a happier healthier person. As far as art goes. There is constant invention and reinvention but for me it is all about staying true to who I am as an artist. That might mean my art is never beautiful or heart stopping or nail worthy but it does mean it is real and honest and most of all ME. Thinking you’d like to give this challenge a try? Trying working in a small Pocket Journal and then join in on my newest Art Marks Challenge! These are fun {FREE} art challenges. Tap the link in my profile to grab a list of my prompts. You can also read more in my February 1, 2018 IG post and see how I am choosing to begin this challenge. Work at your own pace and enjoy the uplifting Art Marks community here on Instagram. #artmarksandwords #raemissigman #februaryartmarkslove #artmarkschallenge #artmarks30daychallenge #raesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

Whittle. {13} Does counting the days until something is over and done with count as whittling away? All kidding aside this challenge has been hard for me on many levels. I am finding that the more I chip away at the things I want or need to change, the more of myself is exposed. That is really hard. I feel like in changing myself to be a healthier better person I am shifting on many levels - both mentally and physically and I wasn’t quite prepared for how it would feel I guess. I love that I am sticking with the two main goals I have for self care-slowing down and resting more. I am feeling the benefits of both of these simple, yet for me, BIG changes. As I whittle away at my list of “hope I can accomplish these this year” I am finding that the more exposed I feel the more my art feels raw and ugly. I keep telling myself that this is part of the process of becoming better. I am breaking it all down to rebuild it again, hopefully into something much more lovey and real and rested. I think whittling is hard. I want the word today to be “rip it off like a bandaid.” I think I would do better that way. So yes. Today was hard. But one foot forward in all things. I got this. I want to get rid of all the stuff that is getting in the way of how I take care of myself. Worry, self doubt, self criticism, urgency, the feeling of falling short or letting someone down. I am working hard to chip these things right off the palette of my life. For good. How about you? Let’s whittle away at something new together! Join in on my newest Art Marks Challenge! These are fun {FREE} art challenges. Tap the links in my profile to grab a list & then make a Pocket Journal. You can also read more in my 2.1.2018 post and see how I am choosing to begin this challenge. Work at your own pace and enjoy the uplifting Art Marks community here on Instagram. #artmarksandwords #raemissigman #februaryartmarkslove #artmarkschallenge #artmarks30daychallenge #raesartmarkschallenge

[raemissigman]

Quit. {10} Making art is hard sometimes, especially with so much inspiration available to us all on the internet. I am happy to say that today’s prompt is nothing new for me. I told (and made) myself a long time ago that I was going to quit looking to the rest of the world for inspiration and just trust my own gut. I was going to quit second guessing that my art was something everyone else would love and just make the darn art. Because who was I making it for-the rest of the world or me? Once I answered that question honestly I quit all the self doubt and began exploring the real me when it came to art. I want to do that with myself this year too. I want to quit telling myself that I can go days without a good sleep or down time. I want to quit letting the worry take over and let my faith reign. I want to quit thinking that I am less than good enough when I know better. Art for me is always an experiment. Even when I go into a page or project thinking I have a plan I can expect to deviate and find a new path. Like this page that is scarily close to monochromatic for me. I almost added that white paint I love so much and started over but that would be too much like quitting. And so I choose to accept it for what I was able to give to the page today. Oh- and for those of you who missed out on the washi tape (more is coming soon) this teeny circle stamp reminds me of it so much- love that I can color in the tiny circles. It’s part of my Boxy Bloom Stamp Set. (link in profile) Let’s quit saying we can’t and just do it! Try the Art Marks Challenge! These are fun {FREE} art challenges. Tap the link in the profile to grab a list of my prompts. You can also read more in my 2.1.2018 post and see how I am choosing to begin this challenge. Work at your own pace and enjoy the uplifting Art Marks community here on Instagram. #artmarksandwords #raemissigman #februaryartmarkslove #artmarkschallenge #artmarks30daychallenge #raesartmarkschallenge