Let's Make a Cake...No Baking Required!

Let's Make a Cake...No Baking Required!

This little cutie is one of my favorites!  I made the whole thing (pretty much) from stickers and papers I purchased at our new Hobby Lobby.  I hadn't purchased single sheets of paper in years, but it was so fun picking out the papers to make cakes!

 There's nothing quite like the solid dimension of a thick, wrapped canvas to make my heart sing.  I loved punching out pieces of old paper with a circular punch, cutting them and placing them around the sides of the canvas to add to the decor.  

 This whole cake was painted on the canvas (sort of willy nilly) and I used a sticker for the "I love my life," part.  When I bought the stickers it seemed like a good idea, but the first one I put on a piece got ripped back off because I hated the shine from the sticker that make it all too obvious that it was a sticker.  Cut to a few months later, and I've learned a trick I'll tell you now.  If you have stickers that you want to put on a piece but you hate how they end up looking WRONG in the middle of your wonderfully painted piece....because of the shine of the sticker....go over the sticker with Elmer's glue.  Just paint a layer of it over the sticker smoothly with a brush and let dry.  The sticker above had that terrible shine to it that separated it from the rest of the piece until I added the layer of Elmer's glue.  Now it looks like a piece of vellum that I just collaged on.  It gives the piece a totally different look....one with which I am much more satisfied.  Try it!!!

Another thing I did when creating these cakes was to search on the internet for cute little cake sayings.  Found a bunch I liked and some I made up in the process and wrote them all down to use in future pieces.

Some of you might be like me, and have bought just a ton of scrapbooking embellishments over the years because they are so cute and you just can't help yourself!!!  I have done this for many a year....and have quite the collection.  Making these cakes has given me an opportunity to make use of the gazillions of letters I've collected and more.  (I knew I'd find a good use for them one day....SOME DAY!!!)  I even used wallpaper for the bottom layer of this cake shown above.  Painted it the light blue color and then went back over it with a piece of yellow ochre chalk to bring out the raised details (the raised print of the wallpaper.)

This last one is still a work in progress, but it gives you an idea as to my process.  I love adding the falling dots with daubers...it's like, "sprinkle it with fabulous!!!"  

I even started adding little cakes to the journals I hand paint....thinking they would be a lovely addition to the kitchen where you can glue stick your dessert recipes (or any recipes) for future reference.

OK.  That's what I've been up to...how about you???

Thanks for letting me share, 

Cynthia

Life is Tough...Bring a Helmet!

"Life is tough...bring a helmet:)"

Life can be a real challenge....sometimes it might seem like an overwhelming challenge that we just cannot live up to.  As it turns out, we can deal with life on life's terms, one minute, one day, one challenge at a time.  We can be the 'best' version of ourselves...it just takes work;  and we must be willing to do the work.

But with the challenges and the work comes the great sense of accomplishment;  a feeling of self worth.  As we step forward and do the "next right thing," life inevitably gets better.  

How about all the fallout we've caused?  Damage we've done?  To others?  What about those relationships?  

We can try to restore trust through our actions.  We can be patient...lord knows others have had to be patient with us. We can try to be the best we can each and every day...and when we don't rise to the occasion occasionally, we can shake it off--remember we are only human--get up tomorrow and continue on knowing that ALL YOU NEED IS RIGHT INSIDE YOU.  

(By Cynthia Anderson Brock, 2014)

I have recently embarked upon the life adventure of "getting my life back and truly living it!!!"  You see, I am one of these people that can do great things, if I can stay focused on the positive and not let the sadness and sickness in the world get me down.  All too often I see things going on that effect me so greatly ...in my inner being.  Circumstances, situations and things, coupled with physical ailments, as well as, mental ailments (like depression- which is so prevalent these days) can compound upon a person and make them feel like totally giving up and self medicating until death. Obviously, this is not the answer, though it may seem like it at the time.  

If you are struggling in life, reach out and ask for help.  If you seek real and true help, you will find it.  Know that there are so many out there struggling as well, and we can each help the other.  Get out of your mind, get out into the world.  Start to remember all the things you love about life...all the things you truly enjoy doing...and do them!  Go to a support group, make friends, ask people out for coffee or a walk.  Get some exercise, and by all means, FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE.  Let go of that old movie playing in your head...and every time the negativity monster tries to take over your thoughts...ABSOLUTELY DON'T LET THAT THING IN!!! Remember, YOU ARE THE BOSS OF YOU!!!  You can allow your mind to run amok and ruin all the fun, or you can turn it off, put in a new tape, and make the best of whatever comes your way.

Choose today to be happy.  Choose today to be grateful.  Choose today to get up and live your best life.

OK...an artful post is coming up next...so don't miss out on the fun! I'm making cakes....and it's soooooo much fun!

Peace out,

Cynthia

15 Things to Give Up to Be Happy with Your Art

I have to give credit to Balzer Designs, Handmade Art, by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2014/09/15-things-you-should-give-up-to-be-happy-art-version.html.  Saw this posted today and thought a lot of people I know could probably use it!  The original article was created by Luminita D. Saviuc, as stated below by Julie.  Enjoy!

"A friend recently sent me a link to a great article by Luminita D. Saviuc, called "15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy."  As I read down the list, I started to think about how the list was filled with things that I tell my students all the time. So here is Luminita's list, with my comments on how each one can be related to art-making!"

"1. Give up your need to always be right.

You guys, art making should be fun!  Needing to do it "right" can be very inhibiting to the creative process.  I believe that coloring outside of the lines and using materials in ways that feel good to you -- even if they're "wrong" -- is awesome.  

2. Give up your need for control.

Watching every brush stroke and needing the finished piece to look like the image in your head can be very discouraging.  I work very hard at embracing "mistakes" as creative opportunities.  I try to let the art take me where it wants to go.  I believe that spontaneity is vital to art making.

3. Give up on blame.

We all wish we had more time, more talent, and more supplies.  I think that when you get rid of that blaming talk and embrace what you do have, you're a happier artist!  Do the best that you can with whatever you've got and be proud of yourself for it!

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk.

Tell the voice in your head to shut up.  Mine is very loud, so I crank up the  music in my studio so that I can't hear it.  Someone once said to me, "People are always going to tear you down.  Why would you give them a head start by tearing yourself down first?"  You are an awesome artist!  Say it every day and one day you'll start to believe it!

5. Give up your limiting beliefs.

I have heard so many people say, "I can't draw," or "I'm not an artist."  I've said those things myself.  They're not true.  I always felt that because I couldn't draw a photographic representation of something that I wasn't an artist.  I've learned two things: that's not the only definition of an artist and I am a better draw-er than I thought, especially with disciplined practice.  Whatever belief is holding you back from being the artist you want to be -- let it go!  You can fly!

6. Give up complaining.

Complaining takes away energy and focus and makes the arting process less fun.  Focus on what you love about your studio, your supplies, the art you're creating...all of it!  I once read a happiness study that blew my mind.  They tested people's happiness and then divided them into two groups.  Group one was left alone as a control group.  Group two was told to write down five things they were grateful for every single day.  Guess what?  At the end of the study group two was markedly more happy than group one!  Focus on the positive rather than the negative and you will be happy with your art making!

7. Give up the luxury of criticism.

Criticism and critique are two different things.  Looking at a piece -- yours or someone else's -- and analyzing what you like and don't like about it and why, is a good thing.  It's a learning experience.  Simply criticizing art -- yours or someone else's -- is a negative experience.  I believe the trick is analyze why something works for you or doesn't.  If you can't answer why, it's not useful feedback because the issue can't be fixed or learned from. 

8. Give up your need to impress others.

Man, oh, man, this one is tough for me.  I want people to love what I do.  On some level Ineed people to love what I do.  I have to remind myself daily that my worth as an artist is not tied into blog comments and instagram likes and Facebook comments.  It's difficult.  That said, some of the best art I've ever created was when I let go of doing what I thought was "cool" or would sell, and did what I wanted to do.  

9. Give up your resistance to change.

It's so easy to get stuck in an art rut.  Something works so you keep doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it.  Remember, you learn more from failure than from sucess.  I believe that to grow as an artist I must keep taking risks and doing things that make me uncomfortable.  That's why I love my art journal so much!  It's a super low risk forum for exploring new ideas and materials.

10. Give up labels.

People ask me all the time what kind of artist I am.  

I'm the kind who makes art.  

I'm also a crafter.  I'm also a scrapbooker.  I'm also a beader.  I'm also a quilter.  I'm lots of things and having to shove myself in one box is silly.  It makes me feel limited.  Labels are limiting.  Why do we need to define creativity? 

11. Give up on your fears.

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself."  Or how about, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to overcome it."  Fear is a self-imposed limit.  Don't limit your art.  What's the worst thing that can happen?  And even if that terrible thing did happen, we're not talking a life and death situation, right?  I say, kick fear in the pants and keep pushing onward!

12. Give up your excuses.

Sometimes it's easier to find a reason why you can't make art than to go into your art space and get going.  I'm a great believer that you'll find time to do what is important to you.  If art making isn't important to you, that's 100% okay.  Excuses are guilt-inducing.  Art is guilt-free zone.  Seriously, it has no calories!  ;)  And, anyway, we all go through phases. There are plenty of times that I don't feel like making art.  Rather than make an excuse, I embrace my mood and go do something else I enjoy, guilt free!

13. Give up the past.

So you were told that you couldn't draw or you weren't creative. So what?!  This is now.  

So you tried art journaling or scrapbooking or crochet and you weren't good at it.  So what?!  This is now.

Don't let the past dictate your future.  Art making is a practice like any other.  Practicing daily is the key to getting to where you want to be.  Looking back isn't helpful.

14. Give up attachment.

If you take away one thing from this list, please take this one.  The single biggest leap in my art has been from letting go of the preciousness of things I liked in my art.  By being brave and covering it up, cutting it in half, or "ruining" it, I have created works of art that I love love love!  I have grown and flourished as an artist because I don't let myself get attached.  When I teach, I call it "killing your babies."  Sometimes in art, you have to kill your baby.  It will be okay.

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations.

There are plenty of people who smile sympathetically when I tell them I'm an artist.  In fact, I recently went to an event for "professionals" -- doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, finance people -- and was made to feel very useless and very small because of my profession.  After I left I had to shrug it off.  I love what I do!  Let's not lose track of that fact!  Oh, I gave up one being a good housekeeper years ago.  I'd rather spend that half hour in my studio."

I thought in light of the things I had recently been discussing, this was a nice addition to the mix.  

As always, today and everyday,

Go out and be the best you can be.

Go out and be an inspiration.

Go out and LIVE!!!

Love Each Other & Peace Out....

Cynthia

Instant Gratification....Have a Little Patience, Faith

It's so hard for me...to be patient.  I want results in the flash of an eye, and if it doesn't happen...."FAILURE."  I still have WAY TO MUCH invested in what I think other people are thinking.  I see how it effects everything I do.

I don't post photos of myself online...because I am ashamed of the way I look.  I make excuses NOT to go out of the house, not to attend events because of the shame and lack of vital energy.  What it boils down to, is that I no longer have any FAITH in myself.  And isn't that a sad place to be.

(I wrote the above passage last night.)  And then this morning I walked into my studio, looked at the painting I had been working on yesterday and realized...I have come a long way since I first started to dabble with painting & art.  And how have I reached this particular point?  Consistency over time.  Would I be much better now if I'd have dedicated more time to the effort?  Of course.  But I can see progress...and that is a very good thing.

So...art reflects life, and life reflects art.  I can take a lesson from this progress and grasp the understanding that my effort and consistency is directly proportional to my result.  Anything that is flailing in my life is due to neglect.  

Gosh, when put that way it seems so simple.  I guess it is simple if you KEEP IT SIMPLE!  We often get so tied up in the clutter of our minds if we do not take care with our minds.  We are often tempted by so many things outside of ourselves if we do not have a CLEAR INTENTION in our mind on which to stay focused.

So...for myself, I have begun yet again.  And however many tries it takes, you must keep starting over until you find yourself securely on your path and making progress.  Every single time you perceive you have been knocked down, see how fast you can get up and forget it.  Pretty soon, things that would have knocked you OUT....will seem only like pesky little gnats.  Pretty soon, you'll be handling things like a CHAMP.  You have to MAKE A PLAN though...and RESOLVE TO STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE....because this is the way we GROW.

All right.  Enough of that for today!!!!  Take good care of yourselves and visit me again soon!

Peace Out & Love Each Other,

Cynthia

Everything You Need...

8X12 inches on canvas board

     This was a commissioned piece and I had a lot of fun doing it.  In fact, I had never done curly hair, big boobs or a nurses hat before...so that was a fun and new challenge, and I was really pleased with the result.

     It's also kind of neat she's a nurse....because the Number One thing I need to be taking care of right now is my health.  I'm terribly overweight (a place I never thought I'd be) and have had so many health problems keeping me down for so long.  First, I have depression.  Through a succession of moves and things, I became more and more isolated, fearful.  Which made me more overweight, more isolated and more fearful. The depression is something that once you know you have it, you will always be susceptible...and you will always have to take special care with yourself.  i.e. Eating right, getting regular exercise and fresh air, adequate sleep, small to no alcohol intake.  Otherwise you are like a rope whipping in the wind...at the wind's will...not your own.  Nothing else in your life has a chance of being normal or feeling right...or growing into something great when you are on this roller coaster ride.

Now, if you don't take care of yourself, depression will start to get out of hand and cloud every action, every judgment you make, such that you act and make decisions based on the chaos, sadness and frustration you are carrying versus making clear, concise decisions that will actually benefit you.  I know.  In fact, I think that many other ailments are actually borne from having and NOT DEALING WITH having DEPRESSION.

I have also had to deal with severe anemia and iron deficiency;  talk about the WALKING DEAD!!!  These things made the depression worse....and I've sort of been replaying this LOOP to NOWHERE for quite a while.Why not just go to the doctor and get it fixed?  No insurance, no funds.  It's just not that easy to do anything when you're down and out.

So where does one turn to get relief from illness?  The internet (researching)...for more natural solutions.  The local health food store (here, the Heritage) for natural supplements that could help.  Why didn't I think of this before? Because my brain has been malfunctioning for quite some time!!!  And, I guess I didn't believe that anything but fibroid removal would help....because that's what the doctor indicated.  Hmmm.

I am so lucky right now to have time to take care of myself and get back on the right track.  So it's truly ALL UP TO ME.  Now, will there be tons of hurdles to jump?  Absolutely.  But you just have to keep on keeping on....barrel through the roadblocks KNOWING YOU CAN MAKE IT!  God gave you everything you will ever need at the moment of your birth....everything you will ever need to CREATE a BEAUTIFUL LIFE!  So get busy CREATING...I AM!

Peace and Love, Cynthia

More on...The Process....

2014 

2014

~~~~ Above is a set of mermaids that I started in August 2013 after leaving a job that had become very uncomfortable for many reasons.  Finished these around January 2014, when I added the last touches of gold leafing, which really made all the difference!~~~~~

MORE ON....THE PROCESS...

Well, I spent all of last week...or most of it, working on my studio room.  I have revamped this room many, many times, but that is what we must do, as we move along in our interests and in our perspective processes. As a mixed media artist, I have had so many desires to pursue.   There are so many wonderful crafts, arts, jewelry projects...so many different things one can do, it is overwhelming yet we cannot stop ourselves from diving in head first.  And that is OK.  We each need to do that sometimes to find our one true love, our one calling...or realize that we have many different sources of artistic nourishment in which we may carry out the finest determinations of our souls.

I think the best part of all is to realize that there is no end, there is no real destination...for a destination would put limits on powers that should be understood as limitless.  So, in other words, believe in the greatness that you are with all that has come to make you and act in such a way.  Fulfill you soul's purpose, exceed even your wildest imaginings.

And in a more tangible reality, I am continuing the process of cleansing, organizing my studio...facilitating a much greater work environment than I have ever had before.  While changing things around, I realize as well that I am coming full circle, bringing out my sewing machine and fabrics that had been tucked back into the closet because it's time to revisit some older projects with a new flair, and begin other projects that have long awaited in my minds eye to be realized.

Do I have some WONDERFUL, FANTASTICAL PHOTOS OF MY LOVELY STUDIO.....
NO!!!! Not yet.  I'm taking my time with the process and focusing on getting it all a bit more organized and workable than it's ever been before.  It's OK to take the time and "do it right."  Especially if you find you have the time to spare.

I will try to take some photos though...they make the process so much more real for those looking in from the outside.

Take good care of yourself, and come visit me again :)

Cynthia

Trust the Process

"Trust the Process," 8" X 10", 2013

     It's often a difficult thing to do....'trust in the process,' no matter to what it may be pertaining.  This little lady has a paintbrush and an empty canvas behind her;  sometimes it's hard to even START something, much less have the courage to continue on with said endeavor.  However, this is exactly what we must do in order to achieve the things we so desire in life.

    After you start a painting (for instance), and get to a place where you are really liking what has been created, there often will creep into the mind such thoughts as, "Oh gosh, I'm afraid now...I don't want to MESS IT UP.!"  I know, I've been there. But trust that if you created it once, you can create it again.  Trust that if you've made it this far, you can go the distance.  The same applies to the other end of the spectrum where perhaps you are painting something and you keep not liking it. It's just not where you want to be yet. That's right.  It's a process.  And we cannot expect a masterpiece right out of the gate.  It takes time, patience and work.  It's at this point we can either COMMIT WHOLEHEARTEDLY to the process, or we can give up...on a piece (of art we are trying to create), our health, relationships, our dream of a whole and fulfilling life.

     I have gotten so off track with my own health, not wanting to face challenges head on, that it has overwhelmed me and pushed every other part of my life off track as well.  BALANCE is KEY and when one part is unbalanced, so is the whole machine.  For instance, I am currently happy with where my artwork is headed, and quite unhappy with most of the rest of my life.  But, I am putting things in place to change those feelings and turn it all around.

     COMMITTING WHOLEHEARTEDLY may also mean more than we think at a first glance.  First, we must till the soil and make ready for a successful garden to grow.  If we start trying to grow a garden in a patch of rocks and weeds, we will be sorely disappointed with the entire process.  So: PAVE THE WAY FOR SUCCESS...set yourself up to be successful.  How?  Get rid of the rocks.  Rocks are the old resentments that we carry, the well ingrained patterns of which we refuse to let go, all the things that no longer serve us, and probably never did.  Then, get rid of the weeds.  Weeds are different.  They will start to peek their heads and grow at any time in our lives.  We must recognize a weed as a weed, pull it up by the roots and say....goodbye.  Some of my weeds have been family members, so called friends, people with bad attitudes that try and push their filth onto me, poisonous people or situations, soul suckers (workplace or wherever.)  We must not give even an iota of our precious energy to the weeds.

     So...that's where I'm going to begin...tilling the garden and making ready for a new, balanced, successful life that I adore.  I'll be writing more about this topic and keeping you updated on my progress.  There's so much out there to discover, so much to tap into, let's make the best of it.

     Let me know about your journey too.  We really are all in this together.

Love and Peace...and all Good Things

Cynthia