I hope you all had amazing and joyous holidays that were filled with OH so much giving and laughter and delicious food, and sugar and fun and “Oh Be Joyful” (the family nog) and tender moments and music and twinkly lights and EVERYTHING your heart desires with just a teeny sprinkle of family nuttiness and a dollop of home made whipped cream (extra vanilla) to top it all off.

And now it’s time to begin a fresh NEW year! YAY!

Here is a goofy idea to kick off the good times. My brilliant, talented and beautiful pal Margo and I wanted to begin a little give and take, find and share, LOOK,SEE,DO spot where we can celebrate yummy visual goodness and delicious creative acts that inspire us and make us want to move our hands and engage our curious minds. Just two dopey friends, who live across the country, who want to chit chat and share things that we find exciting.

I say we start with a little somethin-somethin I am going to call “The Ditty of the Day” Margo said her new years resolution was to play the guitar 300 out of 365 days this year. I love that! Don’t you love that?? So this is a starting place to keep us in the game. Now, I am not saying which days this will happen, haaaaa, but at least lets let the dialogue begin!!

Also look for our new blog called lookseedoo.tumblr.com. Follow the fun

Hiya!! My favorite art teacher once told me that anything you are interested in will blossom if given a little time. Just because you are not a master at first, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it and enjoy it! In fact, it is supposed to look a little “off” at first, so relax and have fun with the process.
(my iffy video skills are a great example)

There is nothing better than learning and the gift of watching a new, wonderful thing unfold.
The creative act itself is just another way that art enhances the world!

Move your hands, play a song, learn a dance, bake a cake, try a new painting technique!

Here’s to making stuff and enjoying your day!

with lots of love,
xoxoxoxoxxooxoxoxxoxooxxoxoxoxoo

found these on the side of a mountain this summer, for freeeee

So I asked myself…..”What do I love best?”

(then I realized I was smiling, because this is fun to think about…..try it….)

I sat outside with iced coffee and pencil and quickly wrote it down.

Here is my “Stuff I love, so I want to do it most everyday” listylooooooo:

1. Outside coffee and drawing time (I am on pretty Park Ave writing this) check!

2. Yoga time, with a side of spiritual yum, aka a little meditation (been lax here)

3. Music making (there are no calisusss on my fingers, say no more, I love it and it’s past time)

4. Art making time, I live for this

5. Outdoor drawing, designing and painting time!! (my favorite thing and it’s happening next, as soon as I am done writing)

6. Laughing and goofing off with great people and loved ones time (this includes John, family, the furs as well as the brain trusters and all the fun peeps we know)

7. New projects: aka LEARNING! I love that and it shows up as GROWTH, and as forward movement, discovery, play and excitement all wrapped in an eagerness to see and feel things unfold. good stuff.

8. Enjoying MONEY!! Spending and sharing it freely and watching it roll in effortlessly :$

9. Checking out cool STUFF! For me that is great design, artwork by interesting artists, wonderful clothes, cute purses, good looking houses, beautiful outdoor spaces, beautiful images, books, you know, the overall appreciation of beautiful and artful things!!

10. All this wrapped in a happy healthy-ness, which means eating well and moving easily, gracefully and outdoorzy along the way!!

Ok, poor you! This just turned all “lifetime movie-ish”

I get that this is kind of dopey, but it’s really how I see my day and the first step is writing it down. Also, I share my daily listylooo with a good friend during the week, just to keep myself accountable. It’s a funny email thing we do and it would make a hilarious book. I will work on that

Whats on your plate? Favorite stuff? Or nasty, crusty old stuff that you really don’t enjoy. Write it down and then serve it up the way you like it!

Sending love!

found this ring of mushrooms on recent bike ride

Have fun today,

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxooxox

your goofball

My last outdoor show of the season was yesterday!

Looking towards new projects and cracking open the next creative chapter!!!!

We just finished the last show of the season! It was an amazing summer with shows and trips all over our pretty country. The beloved fur people even went along for the ride when we went to Telluride Colorado, which was a total treat

Life is good, there are so many wonderful things to see and do and taste and enjoy and try, that I can’t wait for this new chapter to begin. And it begins TODAY!!!!

I am ready to focus on a whole new art making experience! I am seeking new ways of sharing creativity, which could not be more exciting! In my perfect world, my days will conist of more music making, painting outside, more designing and studio time with the dogs, more writing about and encouraging creativity, my favorite fun brain storming with my pals, laughing and sharing the love!!! And that’s just the short list!

Whats coming up for you?
I think we should encourage each other!!
Xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxxoxo
Cheers and BIG LOVE!!!

Have a beautiful day!!! Xoxoox

short and sweet!!
XOXOOX
Lynn

drawing tastes good

I find my new daily drawing practice is most nourishing. There is great pleasure in taking even a few minutes each day and translating what you see or feel into the smooth line of a pencil or pen. Quick sketches where you grab shapes through your eyes and then let them pour out through your fingers, are invigorating as well as freeing. Drawing enhances your seeing, which enhances your enjoyment as you move through the world. It also helps any artistic practice, from painting to collage to songwriting. Plus its fun, and you get better very quickly, which is cool.
Recently I started a page on Facebook that was a supportive place to share your drawings and sketches and to glean information about the many ways we communicate through line, shape and mark. It’s called Daily Drawing Community, please press “like” and join in. It’s a cool, relaxed and happy place to celebrate the Power of Observation.

Cheers!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Daily-Drawing-Community/237141042969217

installation at Hidell Brooks Gallery

If I was to make a mini list of my favorite things, it might look like this:

1. Laugh
2. Make stuff
3. Play with friends
4. Talk about art and the creative process
5. Learn new things

I can’t think of a better way to do all of these things, with wonderful people in an inspiring setting, than to join together for a mixed media workshop. What could possibly be more fun than sharing ideas, techniques and time with like minded folks?? Oh, yes, and there is usually great food! In this case FOUND Gallery is right next to Zingermans Deli in KerryTown, Michigan! Holy three pound brownies, Batman, I can’t wait to enjoy these amazing treats!

http://www.foundgallery.com/category.php?category_id=98

Lately, as a teacher and an artist, the thing that really turns my ticket is the creative process itself. I am really enjoying putting my focus on what this “making stuff” looks like and how we navigate through all the steps that result in a finished piece. I believe that one of the great pleasures in life is taking the tiny seed of an idea all the way to a tangible reality…and then sharing it. YES!!

So in the upcoming workshops, count on lots of new info on how to make your creative dreams become a reality. Another thing to look forward to is a new set of design exercises. I love collage and drawing and want to take some time to discuss how important composition is in all things! Art making is such a rich and varied pursuit, lets celebrate it together!

All my bestest best!!
xoxo
Lynn

http://www.foundgallery.com/

I love this book, and I love its author Jenny Doh. We are all richer for the glorious gifts creativity brings to our lives. Jenny has collected stories from several wonderful artists, that illustrate just how transformative art can be. With beautiful images, prompts to spur on each individuals spark, and words of encouragement about the everyday encounters that are enhanced by moving our hands.

For Art Saves, I shared the story of my extroidinarly talented, funny and very busy mother-in-law, Marty Whipple. Marty has a great personality and is a creative force! For over 30 years, Marty has dazzled the world with her amazing talents showing work that included over the years, mixed media jewelery, sculpture, hand painted photography, collages, oil paintings and more. She shared her artistic life with her family, friends and with George, her beloved husband of over 50 years. George was one of the nicest people you could ever meet and his greatest joy was to support and enhance everyone in his family’s dreams. George and Marty were quite a team, while both incredibally social and fun loving, George took care of every business detail and Marty was able to concentrate on all things creative. When we lost our wonderful George, the sadness was unbearable but for Marty, her entire world shifted. Life just wasn’t the same. Very slowly, and over time, the thing that brought Marty back to life was her art. She began writing and working again in her studio, and little by little she seemed ready and able to live and thrive again. I remember George taking us aside in the hospital room and whispering in our ears on several occasions, ” Make sure she keeps on working and making art.” He was right, knew the power of art.

Thank you Jenny for reminding us in so many lovely ways of the gifts of creativity.