Looking Back at 2014 ... Creative Journey

Wow ... I look back to last year at this time and I feel such a change in my atmosphere, my thinking, my goals, my accomplishments, and most of all my creativity.  

I was introduced in an online way to Christy Tomlinson in 2013 but it was once I went to one of Christy's "She Matters Retreats" that my world changed and my need to stay creative and to grow in my creativity really took off.  And THEN I also found Dawn Pritchard from The Inked Stampers and her wonderful mixed media classes keep me inspired to continue to learn.  
I became addicted to Instagram - thanks to the awesome quick tutorials from Christy, Chrissy Gardner and Margie at the retreat.  And I opened up my creative world by diving into the world of mixed media artists, and art forms of all kinds.  I started to figuratively really stretch my inspired creative wings. 

 I have take some awesome online courses from Christy, Margie Romney-Aslett, Danielle Donaldson, Junelle Jacobsen, and wonderful Jeanne Oliver - who opened my world up to many more artists both of this time and those long gone - with her wonderful "Studying Under the Masters" course.  I have participated in the Documented Life Project with The Art of the 5th gals - Robin-Marie Smith, Sandi Keene, Barbara Moore, Rae Missigman and Lorraine Bell .  
I participated in a in-person class this fall from the talented Christy Riopel - fun to go to a class like that and learn tips and tricks of doing something you love to do, which for me is Art Journaling.

I have taken many courses with Dawn from The Inked Stampers - she introduced me to the Dylusions journal, and all sorts of new and lovely products I have never tried before and I love her mixed media classes ~ Some inspired by the amazing Dyan Reavely - also through Dawn's store I have also taken in person classes from the amazing Dina Wakley and Donna Downey.  So MUCH Fun - and learned so much! 

We as a small group at Inked Stampers are working through the lovely Jamie Dougherty's online workshop "Blooming through the Seasons" - looking forward to finishing up the second half of these classes monthly with my Blooming group ha ha, and have fallen in love with my Blooming girls stamps and stencils.  A lot of the online workshops I have signed up for I still have a lot of delicious information and projects to get through - which I so appreciate when the Artists give us 1-3 years or sometimes forever class times- and at reasonable prices too.

 
It has been a busy creative year - I have filled my hurting seeking soul with Art and have come out of it feeling stronger, clearer, more at peace with my world and hungry to continue to learn and grow.   I have pictures and pages that I want to share from all these experiences - but working full time, trying to have a family life and friends, AND digging into my creative side leaves me with little time and I find blogging is where I drop the ball.  I don't usually make resolutions for a new year (as I find resolutions really should mean - plans made that never come to be ha ha) - but I really want to try and blog more regularly.  Maybe shorter blogs - more snapshots of my creative life will be something I can handle?

I started this post as a looking forward to what already I have planned creativity wise in store for 2015 ... but as I was writing realizing all that I have touched in 2014 has been amazing and had to write about that first.  Through Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Online classes, I have learned so much and have followed and sampled so much amazing art work in all forms - from not only established artists but so many other creative souls that are doing amazing and cool forms of art.  I have just "touched" on it all. 

I have sampled and tried out new art mediums (to me) - such as metal stamping and bracelet making from Christy to pan pastels from Donna and Jamie - to learning how to use mediums I have in new ways - stamping and paints from Dina to watercolour works from Danielle.  I have been introduced to many different techniques different styles and through learning and watching I am starting to feel my own creative voice starting to squeak ha ha - and it is exciting to listen to and know there is just so much more out there I want to try. 

 I sincerely thank all the amazing artists above for inspiring me through their talents and to start a healing in my soul.   And through your works and collaboration with others have opened up my creative world to following and inspiring me to seek out more artists ... Now I just need a fairy godmother to give me about 2 or 3 extra days to the weekends lmao.  ;)

A creative world is a great world to be in.
Thank you - hugs and kisses
Cheers
Sherri 

*****Oh and I should add as a postscript that the reason I first started to write this blog was because of looking forward to all the upcoming artists I have yet to get to know and projects I am exploring - such as Life Book 2015 with Tamara Laporte - Willowing Arts and Effy Wild - Love & Glitter - and tonnes of other artists, The Journal - with the Art to the 5th gals, Journaling with Suzi Blu on "Paint and Chronicle" and more ... BUT that's another blog post for another day.  :)