Weeks 2 and 3

with a message from Arcturians and Andromedans

part of daily drawing meditation from 18th of January 2024

I realized I better sit down and write this blog post or time will speed up again and I’ll be posting only a fraction of what went on who knows when, sometime in March or April :D

This time I will talk about my Danielle Donaldson e-course called Down To Earth and how it went for me. I mentioned it in the last paragraph of my Hello 2024 post and it needs to be addressed since I made a promise there. Down To Earth is not the only course I have from Danielle because the moment I took one, I was enamored with her use of colors and watercolors in general. Her style is very cute and quirky at the same time and I was really drawn to it. She apparently likes the same things as I do so it really wasn’t weird at all I resonated with her and her ways so much. I loved the way this class was put together and let me tell you, it was a HUGE struggle to NOT get myself involved with her all year long class where she will be drawing something really close to my liking but … you will see why I resisted later on.

my practice sheets from DD’s class

It’s interesting that I usually cannot bring myself to draw the final lesson, like the final piece that everything before was actually explained for. I did practice sheets - quite new for me but really fun and yeah, one does learn stuff, imagine that! :D - and I drew quite a bit of mushrooms in pencil but that was it. I did want to do a big piece because I have this new watercolor pad but I just couldn’t. And so I didn’t and I pondered about what the heck was going on, why don’t I want to do it. It turns out, I have this huge repulsion of copying other people’s work. It is because I know their influences already do sneak into our work after we’ve seen how they do what they do, and if we really like that, chances are we are going to internalize a lot of it. And I have mixed feelings about this and I think I took enough from her classes already. Sometimes I see people post these sort of pieces and they forget to mention “where” they came from and I really, really dislike it so I don’t want to do it. I might get inspired to draw something completely different inspired by her class and I’ll mention that but for now, this is all I have to say about this topic :)

15.1.2024 sketchbook meditation

I binge watched, in two sittings, one of Alisa Burke’s monthly classes (there’s a short lesson every day for 30 days) about all sorts of “non-formal” printing techniques. I did printing a long time ago when I took a two semesters long printing course at the local gallery and wow, that was fun! Seeing what you pull off a plate was pretty much in the same range of excitement as seeing what develops on your Polaroid photo when it comes out of the camera. It’s magical! And when it comes to the class, that was it. I didn’t try out any of the things because I wasn’t moved to do so at all. It was fun to see her work, as always, but that was it. I do have one printing technique I would love to try out but she didn’t mention it and I will have to do with what I learned from an online friend of mine :) Would be really cool to do it together via zoom or something similar though.

daily sketchbook meditations from week 2 and 3

Daily sketchbook meditation/centering practice, as I wrote in my previous post, is still going on and I am very pleased with this fact. I don’t particularly like the size of this sketchbook for this practice as it’s way too big and if I want to fill up the entire page with colors and all then it takes quite a bit of time but I started drawing a border on my spread and it does makes things a bit easier. I’ll just continue and see where it takes me. It is interesting how I adapt to the sketchbook/paper I am using and just do what I can. Because this practice is more about settling in, grounding, becoming present and less about the end result - although I admit, I do like to have a “nice to me looking spread” at the end of it. But all is good and my practice continues.

I did invite you, and still am, to draw along and share your daily doodles/sketches/creations under my Monday’s Chat posts. It’s nice to have others witness your creations and maybe get a conversation going. I am totally here to answer art supplies questions, inner critic questions, other things…. Just drop in and ask away. You can see my previous chat posts under the Chat button up in the menu on my Creating With Nini main Substack page. It would be rather useful if these buttons were visible right here, on Post pages, but I guess this has everything to do with mobile app compatibility or … who knows.

a new project on the horizon

The news about this year’s 100 Days Project reached me via my lovely creative friend Shalagh from Shalavee, and I of course felt all excited about jumping in right away. I came up with what I’d like to do - learn to use gouache, finally - and how to go about it - in my last year’s style where I drew over already marked papers - BUT. Yeah, There’s a but here. I got nudged (by Universe I feel) to finally shoot a new Skillshare class and to do it asap. Because it’s about making needle felted hearts and I know Valentines is around the corner but I don’t think I can’t pull it off so quickly? These hearts can be used for anything really but the timing would indeed be perfect these days. So you see, I’m in a bit of a jam and I should better get off of my butt and see what I can do and pull off in the next two weeks. Wish me luck please. I already figured out that I’ll do a three part series of the heart class so all I need to do now, is make the first ONE. Easy peasy, right? :) And then I can join in the 100 Days Project and see if guache really is as good as I think it is.

Oh and I just have to share about this interesting “encounter” on January 19th. I went out by myself, for a stroll across our local field, and when I was returning I “noticed” a rather interesting shape hoovering above the ground. It was like an island with trees on and other unknown to me shapes and I immediately knew it’s a space ship, as I’ve seen them around before. I asked in my mind “Who are you guys?” and received an immediate answer, two words at the same time, “Arcturians” and “Andromedans” and that just put a big smile on my face. It’s funny how I sometimes exchange a few “words” with them and then completely zone out and totally forget about their presence. This time I was particularly amused because a friend of mine has a super cool bond with Arcturians and I knew I had to tell her all about it.

When I came home I continued drawing this portal/vortex that I begun drawing before going out and for which I just had to use two layers - now I know why lol. It seems to have some codes in it as well and now I’m sharing it here because if it made my friend happy, chances are, it will make you happy too :)

And now I’m really off :) See you soon-ish! Meanwhile, enjoy play-dates with your creativity too.

With much love,

♡

Nina