Is Scarcity Blocking Your Creativity?

Dear friends, 

We are surrounded by abundance and yet we still struggle with scarcity. What’s up with that? Why do we feel “less than,” deprived and even resentful when we compare our circumstances to others? Why are we blind to all the resources and gifts that surround us? It sure seems like we are all stuck in scarcity!

What is Scarcity?
Scarcity is the belief that our resources and potential are limited and that we will never have enough or be good enough. Scarcity is a pervasive feeling of lack. It is the fear that your work is not improving. It is being too busy to sit down and sketch for five minutes. It is not allowing yourself to start using real watercolor paper until you’re “really good”.

We are surrounded by scarcity. To market their products, companies tell us we are insufficient, uncool and in desperate need of the help their product can provide. No wonder we feel a profound sense of scarcity and anxiety!

How Can We Neutralize Scarcity?
My technique is a double whammy of GRATITUDE and ART! When I slow down to paint a boat, I notice the gorgeous rusty-golden color at the waterline. If you slow down, you will see the translucence of a pink peony petal or the soft smile of your mailman as he hands you three neatly stacked letters. These moments of delight are the antidote to scarcity - if we just slow down and notice them.

Creativity is another antidote. Making something by hand is a proclamation of freedom from pervasive marketing. You don’t need to buy anything to be creative. You can make art with paper and pen or a hand in the sand. You don’t need expensive supplies, just the freedom to experiment and screw up and waste paper.

How Do We Find Abundance?
When we trade scarcity for abundance - something wonderful happens. We give ourselves permission to play and create more. We don’t worry about feeling frivolous or using up those perfectly pointed crayons. We can also spend time practicing without judging the outcome or comparing our talent to others. In other words, we heal.

When we live in abundance, we start sharing more, donating time and resources to causes we care about and to friends we love. Doesn’t that sound like more fun? It is. Don’t be surprised if moving your mindset from Scarcity to Abundance changes your life. It changed mine.

To Learn More About Scarcity:

To Feel Some Extra Joy, stare at this picture of Kerrie’s kids holding the newest member of their tribe: Caleb Roy James!

Everyone Needs A Parrot

Dear friends, 

Last month, I introduced you to my inner critic Prunella.  She’s a pain.  She’s grumpy, pessimistic, judgmental - and she’s traveling with me all the time. 

Well, I recently heard the BEST PIECE OF ART TRIVIA and I need to share it with you because it’s my new solution to Prunella!

Did you know that The Artist Paul Cezanne was notoriously judgmental, perfectionistic and hot headed about his work?  He was known for making models sit 82 times for a portrait and then slashing the canvases he worked on for months. I don’t know what his inner critic’s name was, but whew - that guy had a bad voice living in his own head.

Anyway, Cezanne devised a brilliant (and funny) solution.  He bought a parrot for his studio, named it Bijou and taught that parrot to say “Cezanne Is A Great Artist” over and over again!

I can’t stop laughing and now I want a parrot!

You see, lots of people use booze and drugs to quiet their inner critic.  The alcoholic artist trope and those paint and sip places across the country are evidence that it can work short term.  But for a long term solution, Paul Cezanne chose to counter his inner critic with a strong, positive outside voice.  

He also chose humor.  And humor is the thing that works best on my inner critic.  When I don’t take myself too seriously and I laugh more, Prunella rolls her eyes, but she is quieter and sometimes even smiles.

So this month, let’s all start laughing more and get parrots!  Or at least parrot T-shirts, mugs, stuffed animals and posters. Let’s also cheerlead ourselves and each other because if we do it often enough and loud enough and funny enough, it works longer than booze!

I’m starting now: I am Awesome! You are Awesome! We are Awesome!

Want To Learn More Info About Cezanne’s Parrot?

Read Will Kemp’s Blog Post About Cezanne’s Parrot
Excellent Children’s Book Called Cezanne’s Parrot

Down With Perfectionism!

Dear friends, 
My name is Jess and I am a recovering perfectionist. I am the eldest daughter, of an eldest daughter, of an eldest son, and so on back many generations. I was raised by my mother and Martha Stewart to keep everyone safe and get everything right all-the-time.

Let me tell you - that is not a great mindset for making art!

Art feels scary, dangerous and even subversive sometimes. There’s also an enormous amount of uncertainty and no right answers. So my need for safety and certainty crashed up against my creative desires for years - and creativity always lost.

Creativity lost because perfectionists are not good experimenters or risk takers. They think in absolutes (he is talented and I am not). They have low frustration tolerance. They want to do it once and be done. And this is a harsh environment to grow creativity.

Then I learned a magical mantra: Practice, Not Perfection

This saying (and the educational philosophy of growth mindset that underpins it) changed the way I teach, parent and live my life. When my intention switched from “be perfect all-the-time” to “practice and learn all-the-time” my creativity blossomed - and eventually grew into Slow River Studio!

Huntley, Sue and Barbara are great examples of this too! All three of these women are tenacious students who improved their sketching with consistent practice. How did they do it?

They learned to let go of perfectionism and quiet their inner critic.

We all have an inner critic. Mine is named Prunella. Sue's is Daphne. Yours might be Hildegard or Brian. Our inner critic is the cranky voice who lives in our head and tries to keep our lives small and safe by criticizing every risk we take - even if the risk is just drawing. It's perfectionism personified.

To build a lasting art habit, artists learn to calm and quiet their inner critic. They name it. They learn not to take it seriously and even make fun of it, "Silly Old Daphne." Overall, they keep on practicing in spite of their fears!

So if you want to become less perfectionistic and you are yearning for a more creative life, let us help you practice! Everyone at Slow River Studio (staff and students) is on this journey together. So say it with me:

“Down With Perfectionism! Up With Art! And Let’s Go!!!”

Creation versus Consumption

Dear friends, 

As the weather warms and April begins, I am stretching my arms wide and coming out of hibernation. Whew - it feels good to move more and change my focus from consumption to creation!

Do you feel that way? I get so shlumpy in winter. I’m more likely to scroll through facebook than visit friends in person. I want to sit and watch television with popcorn rather than stand at the easel and paint. I mostly lie around dormant and consume: food, social media, food, books, food, podcasts (please tell me you do the same thing!).

But that all changes in April! As bulbs start poking up, my energy rises. As the days get longer, so do my walks. I get my sparkle back and I transition from consuming to creating, like in this chart:

Every year I feel better about myself when this change takes place. Creating fills me up in a way that consuming doesn’t.

I am old enough now that I see this change coming and I do things to help flip my own switch. First, I start cleaning and recycling! I get excited about plein air painting by emptying out my Bucket Boss Bag (including the gross granola bar crumbs leftover from last fall). Next, I replace yucky brushes and stock up on paint.

I enjoy volunteering for community clean-up on Earth Day (Sat, Apr 22, 2023) and this year I bought fifty new green bins to organize our studio supplies. I also love recycling old magazines into new concoctions and creations. If you like doing this too, Tony and Jonti are offering the perfect classes this spring:

Finally, creating is also a great way to Protect Yourself From Overwhelm. Information overload is real and consumption can feel like drinking from a fire hose sometimes. Creating is the cure! As Ward Andrews writes, “Today’s world promotes consumption and stifles creation.” At Slow River Studio, we are trying to reverse this trend. We are hoping you will stop scrolling through facebook and start sketching instead.

So, whether you’re planting a garden, writing a letter or making some art, we hope you will spend more time creating with this month. We would especially love to do it with you, so check out our spring classes and all the free events we have coming up. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Love, Jess and the Slow River Staff

Make It and Share It

Dear friends, 
Happy Valentine’s Month! For me, February is a whole month filled with LOVE and HYGGE and SHARING! I am particularly fond of the sharing part because, as Dr. Beth Power says, “Sharing doubles joy, halves grief, and rewards loving relationships.”

We all have so much to share! Think for a minute - how could you share a bit of love or make someone’s day a bit brighter or cozier this month?

HOW ABOUT SHARING YOUR CREATIVITY?

You can make a homemade valentine’s card, share a love poem, join a sketchathon! We can say “I love you” in 2 seconds. Writing “I love you” on a post-it takes just five seconds (yep. we timed it). How about if you commit to spending just fifteen minutes this month making something to share? Then you will be both the thoughtful gift giver and the happy creator - - and that’s a double dose of joy!

Here are some more ideas to get you started:

If you have a bit more time, try one of these easy homemade crafts: