In late 2019 I had a go at Jen Siever’s free Mindful Creativity Challenge, which is an intro to her longer course ‘Abstract Painting: Step Into Your Own Creative Power’. I had bought her course earlier in the year but never got around to doing it. I decided that I would kick start 2020 with the course, but first wanted to give this challenge a go.
Split into 5 parts, each section had an introduction, mediation and then a task around a theme. The introduction would tell you the theme ie. ‘Slow’ and then you would listen to a lovely guided mediation around that theme. Every time I listen to a mediation I think I should do it every day, and then I never do. So I think that might be an aim for 2020, to listen to more meditations.
After listening to the meditation, you would get a task that gave you suggestions and prompts on how to execute the theme.
Then you would just paint, interpreting the theme as you felt. It was open and free and experimental. I used existing paper and sketchbooks I already had. It made me excited to use all my paints, inks and brushes again, they had mostly been packed away in storage during my maternity leave so to get some out was a great feeling.
I loved how the interpretations of each theme produced a completely different artwork. The challenge made you focus on the process rather than the end result. The outcome was quite different to the work I normally do but I really loved it. I loved the freedom, expression, pattern, textures and colour.
You can read more about what I got from her longer course HERE.