CreativeLife update: a special sale, finishing a challenge, and December

 Hey there creative friends!

With life still grinding at a pace I can hardly keep up with, am I happy to report that I have finished the Novel November challenge. It feels like a huge achievement, and on some level it is, but with everything going on, it is just that much bigger, you know?

To celebrate the completion of the draft manuscript of my tenth novel in the Nations of Peace series, you can get all the published books in the series (and a few others) either free or 75% off by using the coupon code below.

The coupon is only valid until midnight on 1 December - all time zones.

And only on the Smashwords website. The link will take you directly to my ebooks. Please share this post with everyone, since the coupon is only for readers of my blog. You don't even have to subscribe - seriously!

The annual Smashwords sale is still coming, so you have another chance to perhaps gift someone with an ebook - there are many authors taking part in this sale.

So December is almost upon us, and I am looking forward to a good break. I still have a stack of work to finish, but it suddenly doesn't feel so heavy with the break as the carrot for a year of hard work.

I have a miniature or two to build, a coloured pencil drawing to finish for the Derwent competition, but the lack of work pressure is the one thing I am looking forward to the most.

What are your plans for the upcoming holidays? Any projects you have been looking forward to? Please share in the comments!

Until next time!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé

CreativeLife update: resurrecting an old computer, Novel November, and the December book sale

Hey there creative friends! 

   My tenth novel is behind schedule...I might have mentioned that in a previous post. Well, I wrote it a while (years cough cough) ago and when it came time to edit for publication, I was bored to tears from about halfway. Only one solution for the problem: rewrite the boring half.

   But I have more writing experience now, so the boring half expanded and lots of things are now happening that Anoré and Allyson have to deal with, including their relationship. Of course, constant action is exhausting, so there are still few quiet scenes, but at least I wasn't falling asleep anymore. Hopefully, neither will my readers, once my friend, and professional editor, has had her red pen in my words.

What I read this week

https://donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/my-self-improvement-framework

   With a workload heavier than ever, I decided to go out for breakfast and/or coffee when I could to work on the book. With only a desktop computer (and a work laptop) my choices were limited to an iPad. I hate typing on the iPad and I wasn't in the mood to drag a Bluetooth keyboard around. Then I remembered my tiny Samsung netbook.

   I dug it out, charged the battery, found an old flash drive, and it is working. I had to setup the BIOS again to get to work though. But after remembering the password (surprise!), getting to the BIOS to set it up (real surprise there!), it was working.

   But while fiddling with the BIOS settings, it told me that i bought it in 2010. Fifteen years on and it is still working with good battery life too. Of course, updates are not possible so, the first thing I do is to disable the Wi-Fi to prevent it even trying.

   So cuteness aside, it has really helped me to work on the book, via the Novel November challenge. I am slightly ahead of the target, and I mean slightly, but at least  the book is getting finished...one work at a time.

What I watched on YouTube this week

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfaL_3V3lXo

   I’m also excited to announce that all my books, will be available as part of the Smashwords 2025 End of Year Sale! This is a chance to get my books, along with books from many other great authors, at a promotional discount.

You can find the promo here: http://smashwords.com/sale

   If you wouldn’t mind lending a hand to me and the other indie authors taking part in this sale, you can share this promo with your friends and family. Just share this post with anyone who would love a chance to find their next favourite book!

Thank you for your help and support! 

PS: You will probably see this promo again in my next post - sorry about that.

Stay creative, until next time!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé

CreativeLife update: Laughing my ass off making art

 Hey there creative friends!

   This past week I finished the Creative Reset course with Louise Fletcher. One of the exercises we had to do was to draw blind selfies. I share a few below, but I laughed so hard when I saw the results. Some people had a really hard time doing this exercise. While I understand the difficulties people might have, I had no problem staring at my face (no make-up) to do the assignment.

                         

   Blind drawing, in case you don't know, is to draw while looking at the subject, but not at the paper. I used a mirror.

   Then I noticed the Mont Marte September challenge on Instagram. Since I do have a few materials from Mont Marte, and enjoy a challenge, I decided why not? And guess what the first prompt was? Yup...do a selfie. This was no blind drawing challenge, so I had to have a think about which photo to use. What style I want to use. And of course, the medium.

   Oil pastels won, since I have been working on improving my skills with this medium. Since winners are chosen randomly, my chances would be closer to zero than anything else, I thought...let's just go for it.

   It's not a very good likeness, but it was fun nonetheless. What do you think? My profile picture on Instagram is the real me if you want to have a look and compare. Be nice, please.

   So now it's back to the paintings for an actual competition. I have one finished already, one is in progress, and the plan is to do a third since they allow three entries.

  Unit we chat again, have an awesome creative time!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé

CreativeLife update for August - life, art, and feeling overwhelmed...again!

 Hey there creative friends!

I have been planning to post for weeks now, but when I blink the weekend was gone and I had to tackle my tasks for the week.

https://books2read.com/u/3yyG5

But this week I sat down and made the time to write this post. Work is crazy and the feeling of being overwhelmed grabbed me and dragged me to the floor a few days ago. I didn't like it at all. But when I got one job after the other done, I basically showed a finger to the feeling and amazingly it worked!

Of course, just pushing through is not a good choice long term, since that tended to make things worse. I took time for myself on Friday and with recharged batteries I can now face the coming week without that terrible feeling hanging onto my mind.

A bit of painting and some writing also helped, and a general sense of spring coming in the warmer weather is nothing to be sneezed at either. We do expect at least one more cold spell, typical of the area where I live, but the longer days are here. So is the new growth in the shrubs in my garden - and plants know about these things. LOL!

I am looking forward to two art courses this coming week. I am particularly excited for The Creative Reset course by Louise Fletcher. I even got all my materials already prepared and ready to go for when the first email lands in my inbox. I have done her free courses in the past, and look forward to it again this year.

Another busy week then...oh well. I do have to say that I hate being bored, but will spend some time today to do plan the next two weeks, where I normally only plan one week.

Have an awesome and creative week!

Until next time,

💜🇿🇦 Linzé

I'm back! CreativeLife updates since my break

Hey there fellow creative!

Taking breaks are necessary for all of us, and we shouldn't forget that as creatives we need to do the same. Mine was about two weeks, until the itch to create got hold of me once more. I worked on my next book most of the time, until watercolour month started on 1 July.

As with the 100 day project, I thought to post my paintings here and only share once a week, since posting everyday requires time that I don't always have available. Then I couldn't log into my blog. After sending Google two emails, and not getting a response, I decided to post on my Substack instead. Which I have been doing everyday for watercolour month.

About a week ago I got a comment here that required moderation - it was spam, but then I could log in. So here I am. Yes!!

I will continue to post on my Substack for the remainder of watercolour month 2025, but I will need to have a think about a theme going forward. There is simply no point blogging to two websites. If you have any thoughts on creative topics I could post about on my Substack, please leave a comment. I would love to have a few more ideas.

Here is my favourite painting done for watercolour month 2025, so far.

Until next time!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé

The 100 day project Week 15 (Day 99 and Day 100)

Hey there creative friends!

Are you as gobsmacked as I am? I made it! At the start of the challenge I was enthusiastic and got going with loads of energy. The enthusiasm is still there, but the energy not so much. But it will return after a short break.

What has been your experience of the 100 day project? Did you finish? Will you do it again? What skill do you think you have improved upon the most?

As mentioned I am taking a break, but my blog will be back to it's not-so-usual schedule of posting once or twice a month unless there is a book feature.

The promised Instagram posts will feature later this week. Thank you for visiting my blog and sharing in my 100 day challenge.

Until we meet again!

💜 Linzé

Day 99 and 100

And this is it. I chose to write these last two days, since it was the best use of the little time I had available.

Time: 3 hours

The 100 day project Week 14 (Day 92 to Day 98)

Hey there creative friend!

How are you doing this week? Are your completed projects piling up? 

I wish I could say that my project list is getting shorter, but no. It's not happening. At least not at the moment. Of course, I am not going to tear up the list, it is just going to get done a bit later. LOL! I'm writing and boy, this story is surprising me in almost every scene. I just noticed that I misspelled 'stasis' but that is what editing is for.

I did do a bit of arty stuff, but not as much as at the start of the 100 days. I have been ticking off the days, and can you believe the end is just two days away?

But below is what I had been up to this past week, but I will see you again on Tuesday.

PS: look out on Instagram where I will be sharing (in a nutshell) what I have been up to for 100 days. 

💜 Linzé

Day 92

I had so much fun doing the collage grid last time, that I did another page. I added a bit of gold pen here and there. I also included a scrap of watercolour painting I did a while back,

Time: 3 hours

Day 96

And here is page 3!

I switched colour scheme and wanted to do black and white backgrounds. Then realised that I don't have B&W papers. Lots of B&W ephemera, but not what I wanted. So out came my stamps and ink pads.

At the end I had gluey black fingers, but it was loads of fun anyway. 😂

Time: 3 hours

Days 93, 94, 95, 97, and 98

Words this week.

Time: 4 hours

The 100 day project Week 13 (Day 85 to Day 91)

Hey there fellow creatives!

Do you see the light at the end of the tunnel growing bigger? Yup, the end is rushing closer. And so is my break. But overall the experience was not a bad one, only a tiring one. I will be looking at my list to see what I still want to do, and if it doesn't get done by day 100, then that is okay too.

What has your experience been like? Good? Educational? Let me know in the comments below.

But back to the current, or rather last week's, creative efforts.  

Until next time!

💜 Linzé

Days 85, 86, 87, 88, and 90

Words seem to flow like a river at the moment, so I am along for the ride. The manuscript is now just over 50,000 words, and I am still enjoying the characters and their story. A good thing in my book! 🥳

Time: 7 hours 45 minutes

Day 89

Working on the book drawing. I made a proportional error with the book, which is difficult to erase because I am using carbon pencils. I thought to adjust the background to cover it, but might actually have to start over. I am still thinking about my options.

Even if I start over, it won't be time wasted. I've learned something valuable about drawing proportions and sketching the outline before jumping in to draw. 😏

Time: 4 hours

Total time: 6 hours 40 minutes

Day 91

I forgot that in autumn the aloes start to bloom. This week I've noticed the aloes in our garden and made a quick drawing in my phenology journal for the month of May. I don't know the names of the aloes, but this one always blooms first.

This past week it has also been getting colder, which I don't mind so much as the shorter days. We don't have daylight savings time in South Africa, but we definitely notice that our days are two hours shorter than in the summer months. 🤔

Time: 40 minutes

The 100 day project Week 12 (Day 78 to Day 84)

 Hey there, creative friends!

What a week! Work, writing and trying to finish the competition painting before the deadline. Then trying to figure out how to submit a picture of the painting, finding the registration form, and then filling it out. It was a challenge all of its own. Maybe it's my age, but seriously why not just tell people what they had to do? Anyway, I got it done.

It's been a writing week again, but I did do some other arty things aside from the competition. I started a new canvas on Friday, but will share more about that in my next post.

Lastly, I am seriously looking forward to the end of this challenge, I really need a break.

Until next week!

💜 Linzé

Days 78, 79, 82, 83, and 84

I am not sure this is the exact word count, since I wrote a lot of words by hand this week. Once they are transcribed in my file, of course I will know how many I did write. 😂

Time: 6 hours

Day 80

I spent most the day to work on the competition painting to make sure it is completed in time. I will share a picture once the judges have made their decision.

Time: 5 hours

Day 81

I bought a Colour Block (the B&W version) a while back. It looks like cardstock bound like a pad of paper (80 sheets, 220gsm, 15x15cm squares). The top sheets are black, so I pulled out the arcylic brush markers I bought from Temu, and had a go. The markers are very nice, but the black stopped working before I actually had a chance to use it. Very disappointed, but I have other black acrylic pens, so it's not that much of a tragedy.

Note: The link is only for information.

You need to have a look at your local art stores (South Africa) if you want to try it out too.

Time: 40 minutes

The 100 day project Week 11 (Day 71 to Day 77)

Hey there, fellow creative!

After multiple weeks of two, three, and four workdays, it is almost unreal to get back to the reality of a five-day work week.

Not much to share in terms of art this week, since I have been writing almost every free minute that I have. I love how the story is going (up and downs for my characters) but they are making my life interesting, that's for sure! 🤦🏼‍♀️

With the end of the challenge on the horizon, I am still enjoying myself, and looking forward to taking a break at the end.

Wishing you a creative week. Until next week!

💜 Linzé

Days 71 to 74, and Day 77

Lots of writing on the story.

Time: 6 hours 45 minutes

Day 75

This is one of the projects of the Mastering Mixed Media taster course hosted by Tamara la Porte. It is based on the lesson by Jessica Swift.

Acrylic markers on 10x10cm canvas.

Time: 2 hours

Day 76

Playing with collage in an A4 sketchbook. Paper and glue with a bit of ink here and there.

The butterfly was coloured with acrylic markers and a gold Gelly Roll pen.

Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

The 100 day project Week 10 (Day 64 to Day 70)

Hey there, fellow creatives!

During April I wrote 26 blog posts for the A-to-Z blog challenge which amounted to 4663 words. It was fun to share my tips for overcoming creative block. But now it's back to focusing on the 100 day project.

And here are my creative endeavours of the past week.

I hope you enjoy them too. Until next week!

💜 Linzé

Day 64 to Day 68

I have been writing most days. I also started a painting which I cannot share since it is for a competition.

Once the winner is announced I will show what I painted.

Writing time: 5 hours

Day 69

Before Easter I bought this cute box shaped like a house filled with treats. I love chocolate. Then I got an idea: why not make a tiny doll's house room with the box to practice for the wooden apothecary cabinet I want to make?

Although I have spent hours on it today, there is not much to show yet. The wooden frame will be one of the windows.

I am still contemplating the theme while making the elements.

The lab was closed today for a long weekend, so I had a bit of time to play to my heart's content.

Time: 6 hours

Day 70

I wrote a few words today, but spent most of my free time working on the Easter box model. A door and a book case in progress. I'm using a pre-made window frame to support the smaller wooden pieces while the glue dries.

Time: 2 hours 20 minutes 

Cheating the Muse - Letter Z

Hey there, creative friends!

Welcome to the last letter of the A-to-Z blog challenge 2025. It's been a journey, hasn't it?

Did you find any of my suggestions to cheat the muse of any help? Please let me know. And you are very welcome to add your top tips to overcome or even prevent creative block. We can always learn from each other.

My last tip is the trusty Zentangle. It's not quite a traditional drawing but more than just a doodle. I like to draw the odd Zentangle, especially when contemplating new ideas to draw or paint.

And the last thought from me for this theme: zero excuses. I have shared many ideas, but these are not the only ones. They may or may not work for you, but having a backup list of ideas when the muse goes on strike is my go-to to keep the creative juices flowing.

I will keep blogging on my 100day project challenge projects if you want to visit again.

I wish you a joyful and creative life. Until next time!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter Y

Hey there, fellow creatives!

Welcome to my 1000th post!

When I saw the numbers at the beginning of the challenge, I thought that it couldn't be real. And yet, here I am. Fourteen years, and still going. The going is stronger in some months than in others, but you know how it goes when life gets busy.

I did decide not to post on social media in April, except for one post about my book on Instagram. I have also shared a few A-to-Z bloggers' posts to X, but many blogs don't have a sharing option activated. Some don't even allow for comments. It's a shame, but it's not something I have control over.

Did I pick a theme for today? I did: yellow. Because it is a happy colour, the closest to gold (for my achievement 🎉), and colour is always something we can play with.

My current 100day challenge large project is another drawing. But I am itching to write, so it might take some time to get back to it. But with the writing muse on a high, who am I to argue? 😏

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter X

Hey there, creative friends!

X is not an easy letter on the best of days. Then, I learned that woodblock printing is also known as xylography. LOL!

I have never done xylography, although I have watched several YouTube videos of masters of the art doing their thing. It is incredible. I don't have the tools to try it, but I like a similar kind of craft - linotyping. I have used erasers, polystyrene and lino sheets to carve and make stamps.

There is one more thing I want to try with a lino sheet that does not involve carving. Unfortunately, it will not be soon, but I will definitely post about it when I try my idea. Will it work? I have no idea at all. And that is part of the fun of experimenting—the unknown outcome. 😏

Until tomorrow, when I reach a milestone on my blog.

💜 Linzé

 

The 100 day project Week 9 (Day 57 to Day 63)

Hey there, creative friends!

How is your 100day project going? If yours have been like mine, you would have had ups and down along the way. I remind myself, daily, that I am doing this challenge for myself and that is why I can keep going. But will tell you this, once we get to day 100, I am definitely taking a break.

Lots of people tell you that you have to draw or write every day, but it can be exhausting. Creative work involves a lot of decision-making and that requires mental effort. Even though I have already written more than 50,000 words so far this year, have a novel coming out at the end of April, a novella coming out in July, and have made several artworks, I don't create every day.

So here are this past week's projects.

Until next week!

💜 Linzé

Day 57

Mini books to use in a junk journal. I plan to put them into pockets on a tag which I still have to make.

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Day 58

I found brass clothing things in a PNA this morning and just had to try and use it in a paper project. So I made a tag. The metal thing is at the top of the tag - the ribbon is tied to it.

Have no idea how it's used in sewing. 😏

Time: 1 hour

Day 59

I started a new drawing with carbon pencils. They are darker than graphite, but remain matt. I used both Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black and Faber-Castell PITT pencils.

Time: 2 hours 40 minutes

Day 60 to Day 63

I spent most of the week writing. On Thursday (Day 61) I had to have my car's windscreen replaced, and decided to wait while they did the work. I did watch while they removed the cracked glass, but not when they put in the new one. The removal process wasn't something I had seen before.

The rest of the time, I worked on the story.

Time: 8 hours

Cheating the Muse - Letter W

Hey there, fellow creative!

Today, we are talking about our WIPs, the unfinished works in process. I have a few of those lying around, and I'm sure you do, too. A WIP is not a problem because it remains a WIP until a creative project is done.

But sometimes, they don't get finished because we lose interest or it simply doesn't feel right. That is okay, too. The question is: what do you do with that unfinished project? Do you keep it? Tear it up or cut it to pieces? Or you could put it away somewhere and return to it after a period of time.

I am a fan of the last option. It is not always the solution, but a little distance and perhaps time helps to get some perspective. The insight can provide clarity or finalise the decision to start over or get rid of the project. I am more in favour of reusing a canvas, but you do you.

Stay creative. Until Monday!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter V

Hey there, fellow creatives!

Do you hoard your expensive art supplies? I confess that I do to some extent. In my previous job (I am now self-employed), I earned a massive salary for which I am grateful even to this day. That salary allowed me to buy the best coloured pencils, watercolour pencils, and watercolour paints that I cannot afford today.

Back then, I bought the sets, and since these highest-grade materials are available in open stock, I can replace only the colours that I use up. But I haven't used up anything except acrylic paints and acrylic mediums. My acrylic paint brands are not recognised outside of this country, but we are fortunate that they still are of high quality.

The imported materials pose that hoarding problem: they are available, only very expensive.

I use all my art materials, but I am definitely not pulling out the Caran D'Ache museum aquarelles for group projects or sketchbook practice.

For artwork that does not need to be lightfast, I use student-grade materials, especially coloured pencils. When I use the big guns, I appreciate what they bring to my art to level it up to the highest level.

I have learned something valuable even with student-grade materials: my skills don't depend on the price of the materials. I can draw and paint with student-grade materials just as well, and maybe even better than with the best materials, because I don't rely on the materials to create but on my skills and continued practice to keep improving.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter U

Hey there, creative friends!

As we get nearer to the end of the alphabet, choosing a theme makes the letters more challenging. Then, the word unstructured popped into my brain.

I see this as a means to explore and experiment. There is no plan. No commission. No reference to paint. Of course, a reference can be used as inspiration, but not to copy. We are going to do just that as our next project in my art group.

It is a more expressive way of painting and is difficult to teach. I will give directions to the members who want to try it, but none of our efforts will look the same even if we use the same reference.

I love this kind of painting, but we will see if the rest of the group agrees once they have tried it.

Lots of fun to do, but with an unexpected and often surprising outcome.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter T

Hey there, creative friends!

Sometimes we run out of ideas. Or we want to try something new or different. In times like these, I do a lesson or a project presented by someone else. I am sure you have done those as well.

They are fun and easy because the thinking and planning have already been done by the artist presenting the project. My favourite artists to learn from are Tamara la Porte for her mixed media work and Paul Clark for his watercolour and ink. (Their YouTube channels are linked in their names)

Last week, in the Letter O post, Lissa mentioned that she sometimes makes the same mistake more than once because she forgot about doing it the first time. I used to do that until I came up with an idea so I didn't have to remember everything. As someone who paints and draws in various media and does mixed media, I find remembering everything exhausting.

My solution: I have two sketchbooks. A small A5 landscape-bound sketchbook where I plan paintings for competitions. Competitions have themes and rules, so I plan my entry with this sketchbook. Colour palettes, composition thumbnails, and other ideas I might have. Once the painting is done, I go back and make notes on what worked, what didn't, and how I could improve the next time I use that medium or idea.

The second sketchbook is for practising a skill or making notes during an online lesson about a medium or technique. At this point I haven't created an artwork yet, so the notes (sketches or collages) will be helpful before I make a mistake.

This is not a perfect solution, but it saves time, so I don't repeat mistakes often. New mistakes are learning opportunities because I like to experiment. Although not ideal, learning new things makes for better art skills.

How do you keep track of new things that you learn?

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter R

Hey there, fellow creative!

I was not inspired when the letter R came up on my list. Until a few hours ago, I had no idea what I was going to write about. I even Googled a few ideas, but not the AI version. I am not a fan of AI for writing. Anyway, I spotted a few artists' names next to recycling art, and I went, I do that!

Most people associate recycled art with big and bold sculptures, and those can be awe-inspiring. But that is not what I do.

Nope, I stick to small things. Let me give an example. When diamond dot painting became a craze, I wasn't keen. Until about October two years ago, I decided to try a project featuring a peacock. I loved the colours.

I finished it, and it was fun, but not for me. If you had done these, you know they would give you loads extra of those tiny plastic dot things because losing them is too easy.

Stuck with the extra dots, I contemplated throwing them away because I didn't plan on doing any more diamond dot paintings. But, I decided to participate in a national art competition again, and would you know it, those dots were just what I needed.

No, I didn't win, and if they run it again, I probably won't win it either because only portraits have won. I don't paint portraits. But to get to the end of a long story, you never know what you can or cannot use in art. Even those tiny plastic dots! 

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

PS: Don't forget to visit tomorrow. I have a special surprise just for my blog visitors.