5 Ways to Practice Self-Love with Art | Guest Post by Katie of KR Creative | Redefining Self-Love Series

I have had a love for art all of my life, especially in high school. My high school art teacher suggested graphic design to me as a career option and it was a perfect fit! I took a few years off after high school and then I did finally go to college for graphic design… just like I had planned. Studies of fine art go hand in hand with graphic design, so I got the opportunity to learn some different mediums in college as well. It wasn’t until Christmas about 4-5 years ago that I received the best gift ever. My husband bought me an easel, paints, brushes, and canvases. He wanted to see me get back into creating with paint. From then on, fine art has also played a major role in my life.

Yes, it’s true, art is a way of practicing self-love. It has been a major stress-reliever for me in the past several years since that Christmas day. I started painting, learning different techniques such as oil painting, watercolor painting, acrylic painting, and my favorite… mixed media art. I can’t get enough! There are online classes and workshops, video tutorials, books, and an online world of creative people to connect with on Instagram and other social media sites. I have connected and shared art with many people that way. I even teach art classes at my own little shop now. Dream. Come. True.

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” 

- Pablo Picasso

Here are "5 Ways To Practice Self-Love With Art" just like I do!

1. Art Journaling - This is a wonderful way to take some time for yourself and get out what’s inside your head or write down some encouraging words or quotes for yourself. A lot of people use a moleskine journal or 110 lb cardstock and 80 lb mixed media paper to create in because of the thickness of the paper which will withstand the layering of paints, inks, collage, etc. Create a background first (so relaxing), and then collage with papers, magazine cutouts, or just doodle on the pages. Write positive messages to yourself, inspiring quotes, or journal.

2. Attend an Art Class - Make some time for you & attend an art class. I have taken several online art classes and gone to some in person. I now teach art classes so I can share the benefits of creating art with others. Even teaching art classes is a way of practicing self-love for me. Sharing art with others & seeing how excited they are about it makes me feel great. Find my class schedule here www.krcreativedesigns.com/eventschedule

3. Making & Trading ATCs  - I discovered what an ATC (artist trading cards) was a few years ago and have been creating mini masterpieces ever since. An ATC is a small artist trading card size 2" x 3" and can be created by using any medium you choose. For me is was a much needed break to take the time from my busy schedule of taking care of my family, working a full-time job, and running a growing business of my own. This tiny piece of art takes little time, but is a huge stress reliever. The little messages that I include are positive messages for myself & others. It gets even better... you can share your art by giving it away to someone special or trading with someone. I found many swap buddies on Instagram. Search #ATC or #artisttradingcard and you will find so many people who might want to swap mini art with you.

4. Solo Art Project - Relax and spend some time doing something just for fun. It's okay if you don't have a large chunk of time, too. I sometimes start a project by first working on the background one night and finishing it up another night. My favorite is mixed media art. You can find inspiration on Instagram or Pinterest. I have many Pinterest boards I use for inspiration as well as some of my own art and design projects. Follow me on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/kradke/ if you would like some creative inspiration for yourself.

Related Article: "I can't tell you how big of a hypocrite I feel like writing about self-love. I'm only a few posts into it and I already want to abandon this project altogether because I don't know what the hell I'm doing! That's the fear talking." [...] 5 Ways To Practice Self-Love Part 2 | L I N K » http://bit.ly/1fznoPS

5. Read Art Books - I have found some amazing books on Amazon. I have found them to be very inspirational and a great resource for learning different techniques. I have acquired a pretty large collection over the years, but my favorite is "Taking Flight: Inspiration & Techniques To Give Your Creative Spirit Wings" by Kelly Rae Roberts.

How do you stay creative and practice self-love with art?! We'd love to hear from you in the comments! 

Katie Radke of KR Creative is a graphic designer and website designer located in Nebraska City, Nebraska who works with clients worldwide. For the past 11 years Katie has created graphics and websites that give business owners a competitive edge and the confidence to move their business forward. Find KR Creative on Facebook www.facebook.com/krcreativedesigns or visit her website www.krcreativedesigns.com.

To be notified when new Redefining Self-Love posts are available, sign-up for updates from Wayfaring Wanderer HERE and “LIKE” the Wayfaring Wanderer Facebook page to get connected! Interested in writing a guest post for the Redefining Self-Love Series? Shoot me an email with your ideas on ways to practice self-love at wayfaringwanderer[at]gmail[dot]com!

{ RELATED LINKS }

» 5 Ways To Practice Self-Love (Part 1) & 5 Ways To Practice Self-Love (Part 2)

» Food As Love: 5 Ways to Love Yourself w/ Food (Guest Post)

» Redefining Self-Love w/ Celebrate You Sessions

~Love Notes~

Here is the first photo I told you about in the last post, which talked about me experimenting with photoshop.
The idea spawned from the background I used for the ArtCard shown below in this post.
The paper reads Je t'aime, which as some of you may know, means "I Love You" in French.

I knew I wanted those words merged with a photo.
Although I didn't know which photo they would work with, but after a little searching, I found one.
By itself, the photo was uninteresting.
After the additions, or let me rephrase that in photoshop talk, the layers really added a lot of interest to the TtV photo - in my opinion.
I really am in love with this photo now........hence the title "Love Notes".....

Update: This week has been somewhat of a blur........
I'll go ahead and confess now, instead of waiting until the end of the month......not just one, but two days this week went by without me taking a photo.
My first excuse being, I reminded myself before I started getting ready for bed, but somewhere during the brush my teeth, hair, yada yada drill......I forgot :(

The second excuse........yesterday was very rough and stressful for me......I'll spare you the details, but when I got home, I had a headache and was just exhausted! I passed out on the couch as I was resting my eyes around 6:30........I woke up somewhere around 7:30 and moved to the bed.......Cody woke me up at 9:45 to eat dinner......I stayed up till 11, then went back to bed.........Strangely enough......I woke up tired!?!?! I very rarely come home and go to sleep, my problem is usually going to bed too late. Last night was probably my body's way of saying, "Slow down, take it easy!".......

I'm so happy that tomorrow is Friday!! And am looking forward to some quality R & R this weekend. Sleeping out in the woods would be ideal.......we've been thinking about going camping. Who knows, we'll see, maybe the forecast will cooperate?






There is a pretty clear theme running through this post.
I'll let you decide what it may mean to you.
But I'll tell you how it started for me........
Do you remember me telling you about my new prompt for making ArtCards?
The Fortune Cookie Affirmation?
Maybe?!
Well, on top of amassing the cookie fortunes, I started saving the tabs from my yogi tea bags to put in the pot as well.
So that's why the piece of paper on the back of the card, is not rectangular like a fortune cookie fortune - in case you were wondering.
So this was my interpretation of the affirmation I pulled.
I know it's very Valentine's Day-ish, but that's just how it all came together in the end.





Shall we compare our hearts to a garden -
with beautiful blooms, straggling weeds,
swooping birds and sunshine, rain -
and most importantly, seeds.

~Grey Livingston~

Fortune Cookie Affirmations

View Large On Black
Your talents will be recognized and suitably rewarded.


It's been some time since I've made an Art Card, mostly because the lack of motivation to do so has overwhelmed me. That was until I came up with a better idea of prompting myself when I feel like creating one. For a little over a month, maybe longer, we've been saving our fortune cookie messages on a window sill in the kitchen.

Initially, I wanted to save them to use as a background on an Art Card, but that quickly changed. After gathering a handful, I picked one out, and thought, "This is a good message", then thought, "Now, what can I do with it?". Which is why I decided to make an attempt at interpreting the 'fortune'.

Upon reading the message for the first time, I immediately thought, cha-ching!, and dollar signs came to mind. Of course, that's how I would like to be rewarded, with lots of monies!!! But then, I said to myself, come up with something that isn't shallow, and dig a little deeper. So I did.

This is how I interpreted the random fortune I drew from our growing pile of mini messages.



It sort of pairs with the little message I wrote to go along with the last photo I posted in "Window to the World". Holding on to a belief that if you work hard enough, and keep trying, you will get to where you want to be. My aspirations are running wild, and deep, but picking a place to start is the tricky part. Although there are a few things going on right now that I'm excited about, although I'm not yet ready to spill the beans - I don't want to jinx it!

I sincerely hope that you all have a fantastic weekend. And more California vacation adventure posts are in the works, but for now, I am slightly burned out on them so I decided to share something new.
-WW

Where's Your Green?!

Don't blow it - good planets are hard to find.
Quoted in Time

*I made this artcard without Earth Day in mind, but I figured what better time to post it than now! To me it is somewhat plain, and I have found that the cards have become bigger than I need to be working with - too much space to fill. I'm trying to break into layering, that I have a problem with because I like them to look too clean. Don't worry, I'm working on that, for now it is what it is........

For every person who leaves a comment on the blog that says, "Plant a tree for me!" I promise to donate $1.00 to plant a tree for you to the cause above in honor of Earth Day on April 22nd.

The trees will be planted by Conservancy staff and partners working in The Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The Atlantic Forest is considered one of the world's most endangered tropical forests -- only 7% of its original area remains.

Tropical forests like this one play a particularly special role in the fight to end global climate change. And this reforestation effort to Plant a Billion Trees in The Atlantic Forest will remove 10 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year -- that's like taking 2 million cars off the road.

*The above photo was taken by Cody when we were in Mt. Charleston - Las Vegas*

+ Going Green Interactive Tip Guide:
Some are easy, and some are a little more extensive. *A lot of great ideas!
+ Earth Day 2008 Events Worldwide
See what's happening in your neck of the woods. * We're having a festival that I didn't know about!
+ How to go Green Guides:
Treehugger.com


Don't Forget:

For every person who leaves a comment on the blog that says, "Plant a tree for me!" I promise to donate $1.00 to plant a tree for you to the cause above in honor of Earth Day on April 22nd.

You Never Know What's in Store

"What you see, is what you get"

When people say to me: "How do you do so many things?" I often answer them, without meaning to be cruel: "How do you do so little?" It seems to me that people have vast potential. Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks. Yet most people don't. They sit in front of the telly and treat life as if it goes on forever.

~Philip Adams


This quote is appropriate because I got mad at myself last night. I was perturbed due to the fact that once I got home from work yesterday, I sat on the couch, and basically, my butt got glued to the cushions. I don't know how on earth it happened since my to-do list is 10 miles long right now!?! I should be making final preparations for the trip, and I should be tidying up the house - so that we don't have to come home to a pig-sty...........Why?! I asked myself did I just sit there, and do nothing!. I remember complaining quite frequently about how there isn't enough time in the day to do all of the things I wish to accomplish, but who's to blame when I am wasting perfectly beautiful sunlight to sit on my rumpuss.....ME, that's who.....no one else.....ME.

I'm just being extra hard on myself right now, I don't do it all the time. I'm just attempting to keep myself motivated so our trip doesn't creep up on us like they usually do. I am a notorious procrastinator, and it really stresses me out when I allow that to happen. Okay, so, I'm stressing about low-stress........how the heck does that work?! Breathe in......Breathe out........I suppose a freak out on top of excitement is a weird combination of feelings, but it keeps things interesting, don't you think?! Enough about that.

The artcard above was made about 2 weeks ago, although I added the black and thin blue border after the fact - FYI. I really like the message this one conveys, simple yet powerful. Sometimes it takes people longer to find what's hidden beneath layer upon layer, it may be years, possibly decades before you realize a true passion or hobby or (fill in the blank)......the story I shared with you about what I've been through a few posts ago, was a heartfelt message that I was deeply compelled to share......within my story were twists and turns that I didn't expect. As some mentioned in comments, there's a silver lining and I truly do feel that everything happens for a reason.

Without climbing in the picture, I reawakened the passion that I have had for photography in an all new way. Here I am taking photos like mad, and getting positive feedback from what I produce. Even though this is not where I intended to be initially, this is where I am, and I am pleased with where I've ended up so far........as the title suggests, "You Never Know What's In Store."


What are your hobbies or passions? And did they happen by accident or.....

Today I Voted

"Rise and Shine"


I have come up with too many names for this ArtCard, so I thought, who better to help me pick one than you all. Voting is anonymous, so any lurkers can stay that way and still vote! I made this card last week during the four day period of gloomy, and dark weather we were experiencing. I try not let that sort of weather affect my mood, but it's inevitable when it goes on day after day. I was planning to post a photo today, but instead decided that I/we needed more sun since the weather isn't all that favorable outside right now. According to the forecast we are looking at the same type of weather we had last weekend. Although this time I plan to not let it put a damper on my weekend. I have been pretty motivated these past few days, and I truly hope that I stays this way so I continue getting things done.

For anyone who leaves a comment on the blog after voting with the title of their choosing, I will send them a Moo Card! Now, what's a Moo Card you ask.........well, it's better if I show you instead of trying to tell you.....click HERE to see what a Moo Card is. Now that you know, maybe you want one, and maybe you don't. But if you're anything like me, you love to get stuff in the mail!! So, once you've voted and left a comment with the title you chose, just shoot me an email with your address and I'll get one out to you. Who knows maybe I'll add a little extra?!?!
HAPPY VOTING :o)

...:::Time Well Spent:::...

"Relax"

I made this one about a week and a half ago after an Acupuncture appointment. The person administering my treatment (we'll call him N) was concerned that I don't "Relax" enough. N's right, sometimes I don't. More often than not, I feel like I should be doing something, you know. N insisted that I go home and soak in the tub, if you know me, then you know that I'm not a bath person. I feel like it's a waste of time! Go figure. I heeded his advice, and once I got home, soaked in a hot steaming bath. It was much easier for me to relax because I wasn't trying to read a book or anything. The last time I tried to take a bath was a complete disaster, trying not to get the book wet, and my feet wouldn't reach the end of the bathtub......I tell ya.....It was not relaxing AT ALL! This time was different, I was so calm that I actually fell asleep! I woke up and thought to myself, "hmmm that must have been relaxing!". Yeah yeah, I know that I could have drowned or something but whatever, at least I did it long enough to stop fidgeting! I have taken a bath since then as N instructed, although those times I didn't fall asleep, basically just soaking for my muscle's sake. I find that I am usually feeling pretty tranquil after an Acupuncture treatment, so following up with a soak is just what I need.......

What do you do to relax after a long day or week at work?

If you liked this post, check out these:

• ~My First Two~
• Tub Flub

~Next Two~

"Timeless"





"Bluebird"



These are the next set of cards that I made not too long ago. I was trying to let go a little more when I was making these, instead of everything being perfectly aligned. I have a little problem with trying to make things too clean looking and I was trying to step outside of that box. I don't think I really accomplished that per say, but I went against what I originally had planned, so, it was a step. It might have been a baby step, but it was still a step!

~My First Two~

"Winter in February"

(Very 1st one)



"Life is Beautiful"

(Second card made)

I have been pretty preoccupied lately with other concerns on my agenda, so I haven't set aside time to make new ones. These are scans of some of the little cards I've made recently, although these were done a week or two ago. I have yet to procure some acrylic paints to layer them with, but soon. So far, I have acquired some paint brushes, which is a good start. I have two others that I made just last week that I scanned in as well, I will share those with you sometime this week too.

Normally, I just let magazines stack up and collect dust since I hate to just throw them away. But with this I can give the pages new life, and it keeps me occupied in the meantime. I have enjoyed taking ideas for themes and turning them into something tangible. I feel like it's been beneficial for me to do this in order to continue generating creativity, well, it makes sense to me. I guess I feel like a kid playing around with glue and scissors, but it's nice to have some lighthearted fun now and again, isn't it?!

Don't tell him I told you, but it's even gotten Cody into coloring, hehe..........not with crayons or anything, but these neat designs salvaged from the boxes our tea comes in. Yogi tea redesigned their boxes a while back, which are really cool by the way, and inside are these really intricate henna style designs......I didn't want to throw the tea boxes away, so I've just hung on to them until I found something to use them for. I colored one for a different artcard last week, and once Cody saw, he wanted to color one too........haha I'm just itching to make another one, maybe tonight!!