CreativeLife update: reflections on the 100 day project, a new month, and Zen(tangles)

 Hey there fellow creative!

Did you had take part in the 100 day project? Congratulations and well done if you had stuck it out to the end. Finding time to create can be a challenge, but doing it 100 days in a row..now THAT takes courage and commitment.

This year I had a plan, well a better one than last year. It didn't make the commitment easy, it just helped to make it manageable which I think is the more important thing. While I did finish last year, the struggle was less this time around and a win in my book. With a book that needed final editing, proofreading and then all the stuff for publication, the plan had helped to manage that with a daily drawing slash painting to do as well.

Would I do it again next year? Absolutely. 😀

June is also the time for a few local art competitions - deadlines on the 30th - so the fun is not stopping. I take part because of the challenge and the deadlines. As I am writing this post Hubs is printing the details of one of the comps for me so that I can get started. I am thinking gouache, but haven't made up my mind yet.

With the book out, you might think that I would be taking a break from writing, and normally I would, but not this time. I am itching to finish the prequel to the 3rd Lords of the High Council book, so that I can tackle the second book in this sub-series. As I told a friend the other day, once the bug got me it hasn't let go of me yet!

At least I am over the cold. I do still cough when it gets particularly cold. It is winter here, but I suspect it is the dry air that taxes my lungs rather than the temperature.

With watercolour month coming soon, I picked an alcohol marker project for my art group this month - with Zentangles. I love drawing the tangles, and discovered a lovely YouTuber in May who did 21 demo videos to do a garden with floral Zentangles. You can have a look a Kelli's channel here. So why not have a look and join in the fun?

If the bug bites, there are many Zentangle channels and many more designs than you might like to learn too.

I have two competition paintings to do and not a lot of time to do them. So I wish you a creative week ahead.

Until next time!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé

CreativeLife update: reflections on the A-to-Z challenge, the 100 day project, and life

 Hi there creative friend!

This post was planned for last Sunday, but I got sick and writing a blog post was the last thing on my mind. To honest the only things I could think about were tissues, and when can I go back to bed?

I did spend most of Monday in bed, and as the week progressed I went from 70% on the feeling crap scale, back to 100%. Although today, Saturday, I would say I am at the 50% level. Hopefully this is an indication that the fourteen day suffering is close to the end. As someone who almost never gets sick, this is as much a frustration, as time of feeling crap.

With that complaining now out of the way, let's get down to business. The A-to-Z blog challenge had been fun, and I even got a shoutout from the captain of the team which was absolutely kind of him - Thanks Lenni!

On the non-blogging side of life, the 100 day project is getting close to Day 100. This post will go live on Day 85 of the challenge. As with a challenge of this length, some days were easier than others, and getting sick did not help either. But keeping it small, did help so I am still on track.

Before another coughing fit completely overtakes my ability to write a sentence, I will say goodbye for now.

Until next time!

💜🇿🇦 Linzé

PS: Guardian of Dreams will be released on 21 May, so only a few days left before the price goes up if you want to take advantage of the preorder/presale special.

A to Z Blog Challenge: Z is for...

Zentangle

 I don't follow the 'official' zentangle designs, but like to incorporate some of them in some doodling art. It is fun and something I like doing while waiting for food in a restaurant.

I carry a small sketchbook and two sizes of ink drawing pens for exactly that reason.

The drawing here was also done with pen, one black, and one dark blue. I used a sketchbook that I bound myself for this type of drawing.

Since this is the last letter of the alphabet and the last post of this year's A-to-Z challenge, I just want to say thank you to everyone that visited and left a comment.

It was a fun challenge, but now it's time to return to the normal schedule.

Until next time!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé

A to Z Blog Challenge: Y is for...

 Yes!

Okay, I am a bit boring, because I couldn't think of a Y-word for this prompt. The internet hadn't provided any inspiration either. Who thought that could happen? 😏

But with the end of the A-to-Z challenge in sight, I thought you might like another challenge to learn about mixed media art - it's only two weeks and from past experience I can recommend it to anyone who might like to try.

It is called Mastering Mixed Media hosted by Tamara Laporte. I have been taking part in this (free) event since 2023 (maybe earlier 🤔) and have learned at least one new technique every year. Tamara's sessions are the best, but there are other artists too whose sessions are worth watching.

For me it will also provide inspiration for the 100 day project and the 100 tiny treasures quest.

Here are two projects that I painted from one of the past sessions.

(portraits are not my strong point, but I keep trying different styles to work on my confidence and skills...maybe one day 🤣)

Until tomorrow!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé

A to Z Blog Challenge: X is for...

 X-tra special post 😊

Since I finally managed to finish proofreading the manuscript (it took me 7 days!) it was ready for publication late last week.

But for my patient readers, and blog visitors you can get the book early before publication on 21 May for a massively reduced price.

There are two options:

1. Get the ebook at @ $1.50, or

2. You can sign up for notifications about new books, then the book will be $0.99.

(I had to sign a long list of things promising that I won't spam you, but that's okay, I hate spam will not do that anyone else)

https://www.smashwords.com/cart/presalesAck/2006312/_

Until tomorrow!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé

A to Z Blog Challenge: W is for...

 Watercolour Month (July)

With day 100 of the 100 day project on June 1st, I will take the month off, so that I can do the watercolour month challenge in July.

The book is now out for pre-sale, and I can focus on art for the remainder of the 100 day project. This challenge was becoming tiring (today is day 65), but with the book now off my schedule, I have a bit more control over my schedule and can also pay attention to the tiny treasures project.

For watercolour month I usually paint larger pieces and am looking forward to tackling the list of watercolour projects I want to paint.

Here are two of my favourites of the challenge in 2025.

Until tomorrow!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé

CreativeLife update: being a dog parent, changing my mind, and planning something new

 Hey there creative friend!

With the A-to-Z blog challenge ending this week, I for one am grateful that the end of the month is in sight. The past two months have difficult to say the least. I mentioned the struggles with a broken geyser in past posts, but I haven't mentioned losing a dog. She died at home while I was alone and my husband was away. It was hard, but a good friend of mine helped which made the whole event less traumatic for me.

Then two weeks ago, on the eve of my husband having an obligation away from home, our only remaining dog got sick. He had not been himself the whole day, so we decided to take him to the vet. Initial prognosis? Heart failure or poisoning. It was a shock to say the least, but the vet kept him overnight for blood tests and an X-ray. Turns out he contracted pneumonia of all things. Apparently something rare for a dog.

But his heart is fine (very grateful for that) and obviously his blood work was okay otherwise. He stayed at the vet's for three days. I went to visit while hubs was away (we decided he should go after the diagnosis) and then we both visited him when hubs returned home. He came home on the Sunday, and we are being careful to care for him given the nasty weather the past few days, and restricting his physical activities as best we can. He is doing much better, but he is not a young dog so we are still careful to make sure he gets the best care.

Of course, he is loving all the attention, and just wants to play with his ball. 😂💜

What I am learning this week YouTube

I have been contemplating writing a guide book for the Nations of Peace series. I like having my characters appearing in multiple books, although the individual stories are standalone. But in my writer's brain, their stories are one big story happening in episodes. The plan was to write the guide after publication of the 10th novel (which has now happened) and make it available for free. But I changed my mind.

Two newly bound sketchbook/junk journals and embroidery on a piece of card
(as if I don't already have too many sketchbooks 🤦🏼‍♀️ LOL!)

Instead of writing a book, I thought to rather do a blog series about the origin of the characters, the planets where they live, and things like that. Since it is a fiction series, and fantasy, their universe is purely a figment of my imagination. I don't know if it will be of interest to anyone, especially if you haven't read, or plan to read my books, but to me it will be a living history of the novels that I have written, and will write in the future.

The current plan is another ten books, but we'll see how it goes.

I don't know when I will start the blog series, but I am excited about sharing more about the stories and process of writing a series across multiple genres.

There are a few more posts coming in the A-to-Z challenge this week, and then my blogging schedule will revert to the normal one or two per month.

Until next time!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé