Detail shot from 8/31/18 page spread of my Paris/Basel travel journal—the final page I’m working on at Creative Sandbox Retreat this year. Painting this goofy pic of my husband has been really fun! I’ve never considered myself “good at drawing” or certainly at drawing or painting people, and although this varies quite a bit from the photo, it still captures enough of his likeness as to be recognizable. It’s been a delight to have at it, and in PEN and WATERCOLOR, no less! Unforgiving media if ever there were any!
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This is the gift of playing in the Creative Sandbox, where there is no wrong (That’s Guidepost #1 of the Creative Sandbox Way™, in case you haven’t read my book yet), and where the goal is to think process, not product (that’s Guidepost #2). 🖍
Here at Creative Sandbox Retreat we endeavor to live by ALL the 10 Guideposts. To let ourselves make crap. To release our inner 4-year-olds and love ourselves up, instead of beating ourselves up all the time. To laugh a TON, and learn from each other. Would that the rest of or lives could always be like this, too!
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Right now the next Creative Sandbox Retreat is scheduled for September 11-15, 2019, though I’m itching to hold another one before a year is up, so there may be a Winter or Spring retreat—stay tuned, and let me know if you’d like to get on the list for a spot. 🖍
In the meantime, for a taste of what these experiences are like, join me at a Creative Sandbox Playday! Click the link in my profile or go to http://bit.ly/2NWuyAa to find out more and sign up—the next one is October 14th!
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#creativesandboxretreat #creativesandbox #traveljournal #artjournal #sketchbookjournal #sketchnotes #sketchnotearmy #originalart #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #originalart #doodle #moleskine #watercolor #watercolorjournal #imperfectionism

A little more detail work on the 8/30/18 page spread from my Paris/Basel travel journal, on the last day at the Creative Sandbox Retreat. I don’t want this retreat to end! But people are already signing up for next Fall—September 11-15, 2019. (Okay, technically not yet Fall, but…) So we have that to look forward to. 😊 🖍
I’m also dreaming and scheming of doing Creative Sandbox Retreats at other times of the year. Winter retreat anyone? Spring? What do you say? Wanna join me? 😊
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#creativesandboxretreat #creativesandbox #traveljournal #artjournal #sketchbookjournal #sketchnotes #sketchnotearmy #originalart #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #originalart #doodle #moleskine #watercolor #watercolorjournal #imperfectionism

This morning’s efforts at Creative Sandbox Retreat: painting this spread from my travel journal. Painting an existing page is less scary than starting a new page, so I’m easing into the day with painting. I plan to start a new page after lunch. 🖍
But it gets to be crap. I keep reminding myself — as if it’s a brand, new thought! — that whatever I do in my journal, whatever I create *anywhere* (here at the retreat or elsewhere!) gets to be crap!! After all, we need the crap to fertilize the good stuff! And this retreat in particular, we are really celebrating crap! I mean, we always do, but I made a little poster to hang on the wall with the quote, “I’m gonna get on the crap wagon!” after somebody said that at our opening circle Wednesday night.
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So hello, gremlins! I see you. I hear you. I appreciate your concern, and I know you’re just trying to keep me safe, but I’d rather grow, thank you very much. I’ve got this one covered, so I’m sending you off to get pedicures. Have fun, and I’m gonna get on the crap wagon and make art.
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#creativesandboxretreat #creativesandbox #traveljournal #artjournal #sketchbookjournal #sketchnotes #sketchnotearmy #originalart #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #originalart #doodle #moleskine #watercolor #watercolorjournal #imperfectionism

In addition to painting an already-inked page spread, and writing/drawing a half a page spread, this is what I did at Creative Sandbox Retreat today: a complete page spread in my travel journal—writing, drawing, painting! And after completing this, here’s what I have to say: WOW! No WONDER I didn’t get this done while we were on our trip! It took me 3 ½ HOURS!! We never would have left our hotel! 😆
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I had been feeling badly about not capturing the moment IN the moment, feeling badly that all the thoughts I had on the trip would be lost (and of course, many of them will be), but in our opening circle last night someone shared a story about her grandmother, who took copious notes in travel journals on her many trips. After her last trip, when she was very old, she looked at the box of notebooks and said, “You know, I wish I’d spent less time taking notes and more time in the moment.”
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So there you go. The upside of not spending as much time writing and arting on my trip as I would have liked is that I spent that time DOING THE THINGS that I’m now writing and arting about. 😊
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Plus I did have my phone with me, which I used to take lots of photos (when my hands weren’t occupied with my crutches!!), and those photos are super helpful now, to jog my memory for where we were and what we did, and what I was thinking and feeling when we were doing it.
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So it all works out. And now I’m enjoying turning the memory of the experience into art (despite what my gremlins tell me about it being a waste of time. Silly gremlins!)
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I hope you’re making time to play today!
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#creativesandboxretreat #creativesandbox #traveljournal #artjournal #sketchbookjournal #sketchnotes #sketchnotearmy #originalart #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #originalart #doodle #moleskine #watercolor #watercolorjournal #imperfectionism

This is what I’m working on at Creative Sandbox Retreat: my travel journal from our Paris/Basel trip. Letting it be crappy. Which is something of a tag line for this year’s retreat (not a surprise, since it’s something of a tag line for ME! 😊) Last night at opening circle, when I asked people to share what they wanted to get out of our time together, there was mention of “making lots of crappy art,” and someone said she was “gonna get on the crap wagon” and make a similar goal. 🖍
We all need the reminder that it’s okay to make crap. That we NEED the crap! It’s the crap that fertilizes the good stuff, after all! I seem to need this reminder CONSTANTLY! And I’m the one who’s preaching it! But we teach what we need to learn. And over and over I learn what seems a brand new lesson each time: “Hey! It’s so much more fun when I let myself make crap!” Like it’s a surprising new discovery.
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Well, okay. I’ll let myself be delighted again by that “new discovery,” if that’s what needs to happen. 😆
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Today, and this week/weekend, I will continue to allow myself to release my inner 4-year-old and make crap, and have fun doing it. How about you?
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#creativesandboxretreat #creativesandbox #traveljournal #artjournal #sketchbookjournal #sketchnotes #sketchnotearmy #originalart #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #originalart #doodle #moleskine #watercolor #watercolorjournal #imperfectionism