From the (soon to be) Determination Series
It’s been a few weeks since my last post. The impassioned, post-election calls-to-action on my Facebook wall are fewer and farther between. And it’s that time of year when the days are literally so dark (Seriously, it must be bedtime already. Oh wait…it’s 4pm.)
All this has got me thinking about the long haul – that part of the creative process when the flame of initial inspiration has faded away, the finish line is still too far to be seen, and the only way forward is to commit to one slow, (sometimes infuriatingly) small step at a time.
It’s not the most glamorous part of the process, but if you intend to create anything worthwhile, the long haul is unavoidable. So, I thought for this week’s challenge we might as well embrace the long haul, flex our determination muscles, and practice taking it one dot at a time. And then, let’s carry that mindset forward as we tackle the many small but important steps it will take to create the world and lives we envision.
Art Challenge
Time: At least 1 hour (I’ve spent 1 1/2 on mine so far but it’s not done yet)
You Need: Paper (choose your size based on how intense you want your long haul workout to be!); some dot-making implements (I used paint and q-tips, but markers would work fine too.)
What to do
- Create a design using only dots. Check out these links if you need some inspiration
- Painterly dots by Angelo Franco
- Aboriginal Dot Art from the Japingka Gallery
- Mandala Dot Rocks by Elspeth Mclean
- These beauties by Julie Wallez
- Flex those determination muscles and keep going until you fill the whole page!
- Optional (and awesome!): Share the fruits of your determination on instagram with #makeartlifedots and it will pop up in the feed below so we can all enjoy it!