Century Plant doodle on watercolor wash background. Inspired by the blooming aloe vera Century Plant at the Spring 2019 Creative Sandbox Retreat a week ago. I’m already longing for the next retreat! Not too far away—it’s at the end of January. 😊
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These doodles are so satisfying to do. My gremlins say, “What are you wasting your time on this for?!” But my inner 4-year-old is utterly delighted. In that competition, it’s always best to let the inner 4-year-old win. 😊👍 She knows best what leads to health and happiness!
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#doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron #watercolor

Critter doodles on a 3×5 card to start the day.
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Confession: I’ve been struggling to get some art into my days for the past several months. Yes, it happens to creativity instigators just like everyone else. I took a course that threw off my morning routine back in April, and have been having a devil of a time resynching it. Daily creative sandbox time was part of my morning ritual, and when that finely tuned morning ritual was pulled apart, everything went to $#!@.
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This is reality. Humans are, well, human. Life happens. We stumble. We fall off the beautiful wagons we build for ourselves. THAT is not actually the problem. The problem is beating ourselves up for falling off, and not getting back on.
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The solution? As always, it’s my Golden Formula: self-awareness + self-compassion = the key to everything good. 😊
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In other words, what happened? What do I want? What do I not want? What works for me? Why doesn’t work? (That’s the self-awareness piece.) Notice that I am human, forgive myself for being human (I’m not the first person to have stumbled in this way!) And how can I treat myself with the utmost gentleness, kindness, and care? (That’s the self-compassion piece.)
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Right now I’m working on figuring out a new morning routine. It’s going to take awhile to get it right, I know that. Trial and error. But I also know that getting creative sandbox time in there is ESSENTIAL to my health and happiness. This is progress.
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I will stumble again. This I know. I will fall off the wagon many times. But that doesn’t worry me. Because the most important practice is simply getting back ON the wagon. With gentleness and great self-compassion. If I can do that, I’m golden.
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#critterdoodles #knotdoodles #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron #selfcompassion #creativesandbox

Kitty doodles! It’s been awhile since I’ve done #critterdoodles. I’m not sure why, because they’re so fun! And kitties always make me happy. 😊
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#doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron #catdoodle #kitty #kitties

“Century Plant” doodle on plaid watercolor background from the Fall Creative Sandbox Retreat. 🖍
I miss everyone. I’m glad to be with my cat again, and to sleep in my own bed again, but re-entry is hard. .
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#creativesandboxretreat #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron #watercolor

Mixed media “Century Plant” doodle started at the Creative Sandbox Retreat that just wrapped up yesterday—number 9. #graphite #watercolor #pigmamicron 🖍
Earlier at the retreat, I created another piece like this, simply asking “what would happen if…” (Ask, “What If..?” is Creative Sandbox Way™ Guidepost #6 😊). I wasn’t crazy about it, but during evening sharing everyone oohed and aahed, and told me what they liked about it, which convinced me to keep pressing forward, keep asking “what if” and see what might happen.
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This is one of the things I LOVE about Creative Sandbox Retreat! We share our work in progress every evening to a generous, supportive, loving audience. NOT an art school critique group wolf pack out for blood! 🐺 🖍
Creating in isolation often results in a warehouse full of UFOs (un-finished objects), because we let our gremlins take charge. Creating at the retreat helps soften our hearts towards ourselves so we can let our tender inner 4-year-olds out to play. We learn to recognize the gremlins and send them off to get pedicures. 💅
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It’s hard to believe, but the Winter retreat will be number TEN!!! I’ve been running these retreats since 2013, and it took four years for them to hit their stride. Now they have a rhythm and a culture all their own, and instead of just once a year, I run them three times a year: Fall, Winter and Spring. 🖍
Fall 2020 is already sold out—everyone from this year snapped up spots in next year’s retreat—but Winter and Spring still have some spaces available. 🖍
“I learn so many new things about myself, about my playmates, about art, and techniques.” -Jennifer
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“I’ve found my tribe. The people who come together for the retreats are the most welcoming, generous group!” -Amy
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“[I love] the amount of time there is to go through and overcome creative obstacles and the freedom to choose your own adventure.” -Josiah
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Link in profile if you’re interested in experiencing Creative Sandbox Retreat
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#creativesandbox #creativesandboxway #creativesandboxretreat #doodle #doodles #doodleart #doodleartist #doodlesofinstagram #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram

Another “Century Plant” doodle from Creative Sandbox Retreat. 🖍
And that’s a wrap. My husband is driving us home from another successful, open-hearted, laughter-filled Creative Sandbox Retreat (there’s a reason retreatants refer to the Creative Sandbox Retreat abs workout! 😅😉).
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Everyone from this retreat has already committed to next year’s Fall retreat, which will be in November, so the Fall 2020 retreat is already full. But there’s still space available in the Winter and Spring retreats.
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Link in profile for more info. 😊
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#doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativesandboxretreat #creativeplay #pigmamicron #watercolor

“Century Plant” doodle at Creative Sandbox Retreat. .
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#creativesandboxway #creativesandboxretreat #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativeplay #pigmamicron #watercolor

Close up view of one of the items on @annagoldsworthy aka @possibility.detective’s Visual Bio. .
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#visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers #pigmamicron

Page 2 of the Visual Bio I made for @annagoldsworthy aka @possibility.detective
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#visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers #pigmamicron #design #vizthink

The principle of “Think tiny and daily” at work. (That’s Guidepost number 4 from The Creative Sandbox Way™, in case you’re keeping track! 😊)
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Here are 11 #dailydoodles spread out on my bed. Individually, they’re not that impressive, perhaps, but in a group they start to carry a bit more weight. Now imagine a month’s worth, or a year’s worth. That becomes a body of work. THAT is the power of “Think tiny and daily.”
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#doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a Doodlecam, but on Monday I posted one on my blog over at melissadinwiddie.com. It’s part of a series for #ElulUnbound, and will got out via email on 9/2, but you can get a #sneekpeek at http://bit.ly/2zsRFNG right now! 🖍
I talk about how to get over fear of the blank page, how I make my improvisational art, and doodling as a spiritual practice. Oh, and letting my inner 4-year-old inhabit the tip of my pen! That’s KEY! 😊👍
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Check it out and let me know if you try it yourself!
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#doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron

Index card art. Made while listening to @rebekahnemethy’s #artink podcast. (Such a cool concept: each episode is a story based on a piece of art. Check it out! http://bit.ly/33WJdnw)
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#doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron