10/15/18: weak.
This doodle felt very weak to me. I don’t like it. I didn’t like it while I was creating it on the live, streaming Doodlecam (which you can watch on my Story for the next 24 hours, or on my IGTV channel). But it’s not about whether you like it or hate it, it’s about DOING IT! It’s about letting your inner 4-year-old take the reins for a bit. Muck about, not try to impress anyone. Did you try to impress anyone when you drew with crayons when you were 4? (Or if you were any overachiever, if you were 3. Or 2.) NO! You did not! You were simply exploring! Asking yourself the question, “What would happen if..?” 🖍
This is what it means to play in the creative sandbox. This is what my Creative Sandbox Way™ Guideposts are designed to help you do! To let loose! To make messes! To free yourself from perfectionist paralysis so you can CREATE and get back to having FUN again, without worrying about whether what you’re creating is “good enough.”
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Who the ***** cares if it’s “good enough”??? What the heck does that even mean, anyway??? This doodle is a big, ol’ mess. My gremlins are horrified and embarrassed that I made it, embarrassed I’m sharing it, but you know what? My inner 4-year-old had a blast making it! And THAT is what matters!
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So who are you gonna listen to? Who are you gonna take direction from? Your gremlins? Or your inner 4-year-old? I can tell you which one will lead to greater happiness, and it’s not your gremlins.
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Rant over.
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#creativesandboxcommunity #creativesandboxchallenge #inktober #inktober2018 #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #originalart #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #doodlebot #creativeplay

The last third of Creative Sandbox Playday, after finishing one page spread in my Paris travel journal, I debated about taking the rest of the time to just doodle and muck about with line, shape, color—no attempt to make *things* that look like anything. But ultimately I decided to plow ahead with another page spread, because hey, I was on a roll, so why not? The only time I’m probably going to work on this is at a Playday or a Retreat, so why not just do it, right?
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I didn’t finish this spread—not even half way there—but you know what? I had so much fun doing this! It utterly delighted me to paint this, try to figure out *how* to tackle the various elements, and to let it be imperfect!
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That is the greatest lesson and gift of this entire travel journal: just doing it—in pen and watercolor, totally “unforgiving” media!—is giving me great practice in intentional imperfectionism! My drawings of photographs don’t look like the photographs, and whereas 30, 20, even 10 years ago that would have terribly upset me (so much that I probably wouldn’t have even made the attempt at all—can you say “perfectionist paralysis”?), today I really *enjoy* my wobbly inaccuracies! Now they *delight* me, because I see that they are what give my drawings character.
It also doesn’t hurt that this journal is of our trip to Paris, where we saw paintings by Matisse and Modigliani, et al, *whose portraits did not look like photos of their subjects*!!!!
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I’m not interested in being a camera. I have a camera for that. I’m interested in capturing *feelings*. And it delights me that my journal does that.
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#traveljournal #artjournal #originalart #creativesandboxplayday #intentionalimperfectionism #moleskine #watercolor #pigmamicron #artistsoninstagram #artistsofinstagram #creativesandboxway

I think I’m going to call this page spread done. About 90 minutes of painting time today, plus some painting time already invested last month at my Creative Sandbox Retreat. 🖍
I wasn’t going to work on my travel journal today. Why not? Fear gremlins, of course! But they disguised themselves as “Oh, you’re past that now, on to other things,” and other, similar thoughts. The reality, though? Fear of not being good enough. That’s what it essentially boils down to. Or fear of wasting my time—after all, why spend time on a stupid travel journal??? What’s the point??? (Yes, my gremlins STILL harangue me with those thoughts!)
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But right now, in this moment, with all the goofy imperfection of this page staring back at me, my main feeling is one of delight. Pleasure and delight that I DID THIS! I busted through the fear, stuck with it, persevered, sent those gremlins off to get pedicures, and DID THIS! And whether anyone else likes it or not, I LIKE IT! Because I made it, and it’s a memento of my trip. 😊
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I’m here at the 2nd Creative Sandbox Playday in Palo Alto, California, feeling SO HAPPY that I made this happen! And so happy that the next one is on the calendar! Come join us on November 25th! Link in profile, or go to http://bit.ly/2NWuyAa
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#traveljournal #artjournal #originalart #imperfectionism #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #creativesandboxway #creativesandboxplayday #moleskine #pigmamicron #watercolor

Work in progress from Creative Sandbox Playday—coloring a page from my travel journal. It’s so great to get a day to play with this! In community, not in isolation, where it would NEVER get done. Here, out of the house, with other creators, I’m actually doing it, and it feels GREAT! 😊
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Join me at the next Creative Sandbox Playday on November 25. Link in profile, or go to http://bit.ly/2NWuyAa
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#traveljournal #artjournal #watercolor #pigmamicron #originalart #creativesandboxway #creativesandbox #imperfectionism #creativesandboxplayday

I completely forgot today’s Inktober prompt, “unguarded,” while doing this Doodlecam (which you can watch in my Story or IGTV channel). But unguarded is exactly how we want to be while approaching our work in the creative sandbox! Let whatever comes out come out—“mistakes” and all. Don’t try to fix them, just flow with them. Treat them as offers; accept them and build on them.
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That’s a foundational principle in the world of improv: accept and build. Often referred to as “Yes, and…”, it means to accept the reality of what’s in front of you, and build on that reality. When you can do that in life, at work, in your art, you are unstoppable!
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And by the way, have you noticed that these doodles take under 10 minutes? “I don’t have time” is NOT AN EXCUSE! Pick up a pen, folks. Anyone can do this!
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And if you’d like a longer dive into the creative sandbox with me, join me at my upcoming Creative Sandbox Community Virtual Playday! 🖍
It’s a birthday celebration 🎉 I’ll be making art and sharing my process on live, streaming video for TWO HOURS, so you can watch and listen, and make your own art right alongside me, and ask any questions you have. And it’s FREE! 🖍
You do need to register in advance, though. See link in my Instagram profile, or go to http://bit.ly/2CEGAwg
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#creativesandboxcommunity #creativesandboxchallenge #inktober #inktober2018 #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #originalart #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #doodlebot #creativeplay