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.

The 100 day project Week 8 (Day 50 to Day 56)

Hey there, creative friends!

When I started this challenge, I just hoped that I could keep up with a daily creative practice, but this week started with Day 50. Mind blowing that we are halfway already!

I do have a problem now, with the next novel which is scheduled for release at the end of the month, my time is getting really limited until I finish working through the edits.

Any painting, or writing words for the next book, have to wait until the edits are done.

But I did manage to finish the Raven drawing, and did some more sketchbook work to start the second half of the 100day project challenge.

Until next week!

💜 Linzé

Day 50

A small (10cm x 10cm) canvas done with acrylic markers. The sun looks more like a fire than our star. Oh, well. 😏

Time: 30 minutes

Days 50 to 53

I got the final edits back from my editor on Thursday last week. With the release date at the end of the month, I had to commit my time to working through the edits and the comments she had made to fix some issues.

Visitors to my blog have the opportunity for an exclusive discount and getting the book before it is officially released on 30 April 2025.

Use this link to Tiger Gold - the Strike Masters, to see if it might interest to you. Please note there is an email requirement. I don't have a mailing list anymore, so there won't be any spam from me.

Day 54

And it's done. A challenge for sure because of its size, but I loved doing it. Graphite is one of my favourite mediums, so I will definitely do another big drawing. But my next big project is an acrylic / mixed media painting on canvas.

Time: 30 minutes

Total time: 16 hours 30 minutes

Day 55

I made tags from tags attached to some socks I bought.

They are small and could easily be used for spine dangles on a junk journal or to decorate a bigger tag, or something else. I haven't decided yet where they will end up.

I also finished another sketchbook. It had just one spread left. Stickers and collage spreads only - no drawing or painting.

I picked two spreads to share.

I made the sketchbook using craft paper. It is 6cm wide and 9.5 cm high. It is now filed with the other full sketchbooks. Awesome feeling! 🥳

Tags: 1 hour

Sketchbook: 20 minutes

Day 56

An abstract coffee cup painted with gouache in my TBS sketchbook. Only three pagers left.

I really enjoy painting with gouache so it will be great if I can finish this sketchbook soon. 

Time: 3 hours

Cheating the Muse - Letter Q

Hey there, creative friends!

Thank you to everyone who has visited my blog. If I missed your question when I wrote this post, I promise to answer it in the comments.

So here is Lissa's question: "Why is your blog named 'Butterfly on a broomstick'? This could have an easy explanation. But I'm curious if there might be something special to it."

My reply: To be honest, Lissa, it took me a while to remember 🤦🏼‍♀️ because once I created the blog in 2011, I didn't think about it again. Until today. 😃

Although the dragonfly is my favourite insect, it is a predator and not quite the image I wanted for my blog. I do like butterflies and picked them for the aesthetic side of creativity. The broom can represent many things, but when it comes to creativity, to me, it represents the "work and effort" side of things. Not in a negative way, but art or any creative project requires some effort to make it happen.

Thank you for your question, Lissa, and the reminder of why I chose the name.

Don't forget to visit for the Letter S post (Tuesday, 22 April 2025). I have a special surprise for my blog visitors.

On Wednesday, I will share a few tips that have helped me improve my artistic skills - in the Letter T post.

Until Monday!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter P

Hey there, creative friends!

Having a studio inside the house can be a pain, mostly because I don't want to make a mess since some materials will leave a permanent mark. But I have watched a few YouTube videos with junk journalers using a box to spray inks onto their projects because they have to film it for their channels. And I thought: I can use that!

I used the biggest box I could find; I often keep the packaging from things we buy and cut it down to make it shallower. Then, I lined it with layers of newspaper for the purpose of pouring paint projects.

You might have seen those; some people do the most amazing things by literally pouring paint onto a canvas. Me? I don't make paintings like that. I made a few small ones to get a feel for the fluidity of the paints, but not as a complete project.

I do pour paint. And lots of it too, but to colour the background for a painting, especially mixed media paintings. I have one hanging in my office as a reminder that it still needs to be finished - it's a seascape. But the box works! If Hubs is busy away from home, I use his garage to set up the process. It has more space than my studio, but I am still using the box. Then I make a mess with my hands and on my apron, but it is loads of fun.

>> Tomorrow, we have the Letter Q. I will use it to answer any questions you might have. Please leave your questions in the comments below. Thank you! ☺️

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé 

Cheating the Muse - Letter O

Hey there, creative friends!

Today's post is something I think we all can relate to. You know, when you go, oops!

We all make mistakes: at work, at home, in life, with a creative project, nearly anything we do. It invariably happens when we do something for the first time.

My question is: since no one is perfect, why do we expect our creative projects, the paintings or the sculptures, to be perfect?

Yes, I am an engineer, and my brain has a distinctly logical way of thinking, but I am also an artist and a writer. And my engineering brain tells me to stop overthinking the perfection narrative and to just get on with it. Practice it if it's not something I am skilled in. And try again if the result is not right the first time. But perfection will never come from my drawing or writing pen, so why worry about it?

Oops! Yeah, I say that a lot, and then get on with it anyway. Okay, sometimes the oops sound more like f**k, but you get the point. Making mistakes is what we do, but not learning from it is the real disaster in my opinion.

Do you agree?

Thank you to all the lovely people visiting my blog this month.

A surprise for you (exclusive to my blog visitors) is coming with the Letter S post. If you like reading fantasy for adults, it might be just for you. (Hint: it's my new book, Tiger Gold)

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

PS: On Saturday, we have the Letter Q. I will use it to try and answer any questions you might have. Please leave your questions in the comments below. Thank you! ☺️

Cheating the Muse - Letter N

Hey there, creative friends!

Today's post is about something new. Try out new art material, or dig in your stash and use one you haven't played with in a while. Or you can try a new type of art.

Have you tried collage art yet? And not using magazine papers or other preprinted materials. Instead, make your own papers and cut them or tear them up to create something new.

How about drawing a building if you usually draw people? Or do a landscape in oil pastel instead of oil paint.

The options are endless. Trying something new or different can inspire you to get out of that creative rut. Or inspire you to start a new project.

If you're a writer, how about a short story if you're a novel writer? Novels can be disheartening since they take much more time, but short stories are so satisfying, too. Or, if you write contemporary stories, why not try something in the fantasy genre? Or a historical novel? Just be careful of the rabbit hole called research. Trust me, we've all gotten lost in that one.

What have you always wanted to try? This could be a good time to cheat the muse and recharge your creative juices.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter M

Hey there, creative friend!

Happy halfway, A-to-Z blog challenge day! If you are taking part, well done so far. I have visited a few blogs, but will get to more in an about a week's time. I have a book deadline keeping me busy.

Do you like to make things? I do. Bookbinding is a favourite, but so are the models I have on my bookshelf. I have a lot of books, but we are fortunate to have a room in the house dedicated as a library. Loads of engineering textbooks, photo albums, lever arch files with the materials of courses we did, and then my fiction books. Hundreds of books. So, the bookshelf in my office has space for the models I built over the years.

The next model I plan to build is a Da Vinci clock and an apothecary cabinet. The clock is a model I bought, but I plan to make the cabinet from scratch and will have a blog series about it.

Unfortunately, this can only happen after April since I have a novel coming out on 30 April and lots of stuff to do for that. I don't do much marketing, but if you like fantasy books for adults, click the links on the eBook tab above to have a look.

I hope you're having a lovely, creative week.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter L

Hey there, creative friend!

Yesterday, we arrived at the halfway point for #the100dayproject, and tomorrow, we will reach the same point for this blog challenge.

We challenge ourselves to learn something new or to expand our skillset. The question I am asking myself at this point is: what did I learn so far?

The answer to that question is two-fold:

1. A daily practice of art or creative writing helps to get things done. Projects that take time can be finished earlier than planned.
2. I have also learned to improve how I manage my time because of this commitment.

A surprising, or perhaps not, thing also happened. The Raven project, which took many hours so far, is not as good as I could make it. In one or two sessions, I was rushing and made a mistake. When I realised it, it was too late to fix it. I am experienced, so I could adapt my drawing so that the error is not visible to the viewer.

This doesn't mean that I am happy that I had to change it. Lesson learned. I love large and complex art projects, and I will take this lesson with me when I work on the next one.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

PS: Just scroll back one post, if you are curious about the Raven project I mentioned.

The 100 day project Week 7 (Day 43 to Day 49)

Hey there!

Are you struggling too? This week has been particularly rough with everything that I needed to get done, so finding creative time turned out to be my challenge.

The weekend was great, then Monday arrived and life interfered more than usual. But as the week progressed, I got more of a handle on my todo list and things got better. And my list of creative things, was worth its weight in gold this week.

Do you have weeks like this?

Until next time!

💜 Linzé

Day 43

Progress is slow but it is closer to being finished.

Time: 3 hours

Total time: 16 hours

Day 44

Still transcribing the words from my notebook. Almost caught up.

Time: 3 hours

Day 45

All handwritten words are now caught up. The story is not yet done, but the ending is now in sight.

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Day 46

Not much time today. Managed a few words though,

Time: 40 minutes

Day 47 and Day 48

Made a few corrections, and then worked some more on the bird and background. Not yet finished, but the end is in sight.

Time: 5 hours

Total time: 21 hours

Day 49

More watercolour numbers in my tiny sketchbook.

Time: 1 hour (excluding drying time)

Cheating the Muse - Letter K

Hey there, creative friend!

It's the weekend, so we can make a bit more time to be creative. Today, I am pulling a linguistic trick (LOL!) and using the letter K in my native Afrikaans. In Afrikaans, creativity is spelled 'kreatiwiteit'.

It even sounds much the same in both languages. 😄

Being creative is often associated with art or writing books, but it is so much more. A friend mentioned that since learning to draw, she has started to view the world through different eyes. She has also come to view problems and potential solutions differently. And that is the creative mindset.

While I believe anyone can learn how to draw, a creative job is not for everyone, but a creative mindset is.

Have a fantastic, creative weekend.

Until Monday!

💜 Linzé

PS: I am still participating in the 100day project challenge. Why not pop around tomorrow to see what I have been up to this past week.

Cheating the Muse - Letter J

Hey there, creative friend!

If you have visited my blog a time or two, you will know how much I am in favour of journaling. The benefits outweigh any negatives, etc. etc. But today, I am not going to talk about journaling, as I usually do.

Nope, today I am enthusiastic about art journaling and junk journaling. These are not about words but paint, paper, glue, metal, wood, fabrics, thread, string, plastic, ribbons, lace, practically everything except words.

I have made a few, making at least one more, and having hours of fun with no pressure. Art journaling has nothing to sell, no intention of showing it to anyone else. It's a safe space to explore any style, medium, and expression.

Because there is no pressure, you can be as messy as you want. Draw or paint or glue whatever you want because no one has to see it. Creative block?

Why worry about it? There is nothing to produce. No one to judge. So, what is holding you back?

Go! Paint something.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter I

Hey there, creative friend!

You might have heard the expression that the muse needs to find you working. Professionals get stuck in, while amateurs wait for inspiration to strike.

Inspiration does happen, often at the most inconvenient time or place. However, professionals just getting the job done have much more merit than you might think.

You can also seek inspiration to help if you need it. Today, I am sharing inspiration for writers. And no, this is not me, but people who do this for a living and can be of much better help.

I got this document in my inbox because I subscribe to the website, and you can too. It is not your usual advice, so why not check it out? It could just be the inspiration you need to keep writing.

Happy writing!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter H

Hey creative friend!

Have you ever asked for help? Or have someone ask you to help them? Of course, you have. Everyone does because we cannot do everything we want to get done. The same applies to our creative endeavours.

Three weeks ago I had a problem. The book I am currently busy with is getting long, and I was stuck between three options for the ending. I liked all three options, so it was nearly impossible to choose. I asked a friend. She is a fantastic writer, editor and the perfect person to ask what would work best.

To be honest, while I explained the three options, I just knew which one would be the best. Did she agree? Yes and no. Because of the length of the story, a long, drawn-out ending would frustrate the reader. However, the story also has a second book, which makes one of the endings seem like a bad idea. So, in the end, the choice was pretty obvious, but I just needed someone to help me think through the process.

Feedback for a story or a piece of art does not require a friend but a knowledgeable friend who can give you the right feedback to help the project be better.

Do you have someone you can turn to for constructive feedback?

Thank you for visiting my blog today.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter G

Hey there, creative!

Today, we are getting practical. And it has worked for me many times in the past. It is my go-to for #the100dayproject when things are not working out, and I don't have the time or the energy to do a "project". So, I go small.

In some instances, small is time. Five minutes tops. Other times, it is literally a paragraph in the manuscript I am writing.

Or the tiniest sketchbook I have, where drawing anything bigger than half a credit card is physically impossible. Yup, I have really tiny sketchbooks for just that reason.

I also have tiny palettes but for a completely different reason. LOL!

Until tomorrow!

💜Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter F

Hey there, creative friend!

Today, I want to talk about Fear. That thing is a creative killer. It manifests itself in various forms. No matter what form it takes, it just feels like you are banging your head against the same wall over and over, and still, nothing changes.

It starts with that voice inside our heads that tells us all kinds of lies. Lies that we believe, despite the evidence that it is lying.

Lies like: you are not good enough. Or you will never amount to anything. Or you don't have the talent to be a writer, artist, or creative in any way.

All those lies are driven by fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of other people's opinions. Fear of failure.

Well, I have only one thing to say to fear...fuck off!

If we let fear in, it has won. What does it matter what others think? And will the world end if that painting is a mess instead of the perfection we envisaged?

Perfection is for people driven by fear. Fear to do anything unless it is perfect. No one is perfect, so nothing we do can be perfect. But it can be damn good if you just do it. Doing nothing achieves nothing.

But here is the kicker: practice is the only way to kick Fear in its pants and do that thing you want no matter what the outcome is. Because you can always repaint it. Edit that story to make it better. Or learn a new skill to do that thing you have always wanted.

Give Fear the finger, and just do it!

Until tomorrow! 😃

💜Linzé

The 100 day project Week 6 (Day 36 to Day 42)

Hey there creative friend!

With the A-to-Z blog challenge underway, I suddenly found myself in trouble: I forgot the date! Ouch. The A-to-Z blog posts are featuring every day of the week, and Saturdays, whereas this summary of my 100 day challenge projects, are posted on Sundays.

There is not a blog conflict, but my brain has clearly needed a reboot to make sure time for both challenges are put on my daily schedule. Now they have, so here is to smooth sailing during April. I hope! 😉

Until next week!

💜 Linzé

Day 36

Finishing the Artkula photo challenge project for March is a good way to start the new week. It's an oil pastel painting on Canson Sand Grain A4 paper. I did the tiny details with a black Polychromos pencil.

Time: 3 hours

Total time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Day 37

Transcribing handwritten words again. Many more to go.

Time: 2 hours

Day 38

Origami pocket for junk journal. Left is the pocket, right I put some ephemera in so you can see the pockets.

I was working and had a YouTube video playing as background noise. Then this came up. I grabbed a sheet of paper, and voila! I learned something new, and it's something for my junk journal. Win-win 😄

Time: 3 minutes

Day 39

I did the gouache paint a few days ago and didn't check the time. Today I was too tired to paint, so I pulled out a Faber-Castell PITT brush pen to draw the connecting stems for the abstract flowers.

Time: 5 minutes

Day 40

Another session with my big project. Lots of erasing because I made a mistake where I drew the outlines on the right bottom, but it's fixed now. Still a WIP as I am sure you can see.

Time: 3 hours

Total time: 13 hours

Day 41

And the words continue to come. 😄 I keep track of the number of words that I write and so far this year I have 46k on my spreadsheet. Not bad for just over 3 months.

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Day 42

Almost forgot that I still have some of these flowers left on my list. So here is the next one. Ink on an old dictionary page.

Time: 15 minutes

Cheating the Muse - Letter E

Exciting times, isn't it? Lots of creative things to do, a workload that could drive anyone to drink, and unlimited time to do everything. Sorry, I was being sarcastic for a moment, but I think you get the idea.

Doing anything creative is fun. Often relaxing. Most of the time, it's incredibly satisfying. And yet, it is not always easy.

Sometimes, it is downright difficult. And might even feel impossible. And yet, the urge to draw, paint, sculpt, write or collage is an inherent part of all of us.

I get excited thinking about the projects I have planned. Projects that are in the making. So why is it so hard when we feel like nothing is working? Or the effort to do something small feel too much?

Unless I am too tired to think, which does happen, or overwhelmed with my todo list, I remain enthusiastic about my creative endeavours. Then, I have to take a step back. I take a day, or even three, to rest or reevaluate that todo list.

We often feel that everything is out of control when very little is within our control. So, when life happens, I remind myself that my projects are still there, as exciting and fun as always. I need to recharge my energies or prioritise my todo list, and then the enthusiasm returns. And often the time and energy to create.

Tomorrow I give you another overview of the past week in #the100daychallenge. The blog challenge, Letter F, will be back on Monday.

Stay creative!

💜Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter D

 

Downtime. Today, I want to talk about doing nothing. Or almost nothing.

I am exhausted as I sit here writing this post. It's been a long day. I had to have my car serviced, which meant braving the traffic during peak time.

Then, I had challenges with the tests I had planned. Not problems, but the preparation time took much longer, so I couldn't do everything I had planned.

Of course, I am not letting the project slip past the planned date because I have some extra time built in. With years of experience doing this work, I have learned to add a day or sometimes two days to ensure I finish the job as promised.

But now I am home, too tired to think, and now I have a challenge to attend to. Did I mention a list? So, for today, I will pick something that won't take more than 5 minutes.

Challenge fulfilled. And that is a success in my book.

Until tomorrow!

💜Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter C

Hey there, fellow creative!

I mentioned a list yesterday. Like many (or maybe most) people, I use lists in several forms to plan. Whether it be daily, weekly, or monthly. I don't have many monthlies, but daily and weekly? Absolutely!

Since my effort last year to do #the100dayproject was such a dismal disaster, I got bored and stopped after day 10. I decided to take a different approach: I would commit to time, not a specific project.

Today, April 3, is day 40 of the 100 day challenge, and I have yet to wonder what to do. Hence, the list.

So, what does that list entail?

• The answer is simple: things I like to do—art, craft, or writing. My list does have some details, such as working on the raven drawing or editing the novella Rowan, I Dare You.
• Other items are not specific. There, I have binding a journal or making collage ephemera.
• One item on the list is something I have wanted to do for a while now: finish nearly full sketchbooks. They take up space, but a completed sketchbook is a satisfying thing. I love that feeling!

I have completed several of these but have many more to go. Am I sticking to the list? Oh no, it's a guide to help me when I am too tired to think about something to do. And that is the point of the list: it's a guide, a support for difficult days.

If you're a writer, watch for my post for the Letter I. I will share some exciting ideas specifically aimed at you.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

 

Cheating the Muse - Letter B

Today, I want to talk about creative challenges. Since 23 February 2025, I have done something creative every day for the #100dayproject. I tried to have a theme last year, and do it 100 times. Yeah, that didn't go so well because I was bored to tears by day 10.

So why mention the 100 day project, or even the A-to-Z blog challenge of which this post is a part?

The answer is simple: I don't like to fail. Don't get me wrong, neither my writing nor my art is perfect. My fabulous editor, Vanessa Wright, polishes my words, but my art is all me. So why mention failing?

The word is probably not the best to use in the context of what I mean, so let me explain. I like a challenge because I commit myself to creating something. The "fail" would be not creating that something.

This year, my 100 day project, is not a single project. Nor is it a themed project, not by any stretch of the imagination. I only committed to a daily practice; that's it. Whether it is 10 minutes, or two hours. The amount of time doesn't matter. Only the effort does. 

So far, the shortest time I spent has been 30 minutes. The longest was 6 hours. It only happened because there was no pressure. I shared my projects on this blog weekly if you want to see what I did. No pressure.

One hundred days is a long time, and if that is not for you, why not commit to once a week? I do that, too. My art group and I meet on Thursday evenings for 2 hours. We started in 2020 - yes, during lockdown, and it has been going almost without interruption.

Tomorrow, I will share some things on the list I made for the 100 day project. Yup, I made a list. 😉 Until then!

💜Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Introduction and A

I find "inspiration" as something I need to do something creative, too much effort. I usually have so many ideas that the choices are more of a problem than wondering what to do.

For this blog challenge, I am going to do the same as last year: make a list instead of trying to follow the alphabet.

This list is not complete at all. It is just my way of deciding what to do next and, sometimes, choosing a project for my art group to do next.

So here we go for the letter A - commitment and accountability 

My art group meets once a week on a Thursday evening for two hours. That time is scheduled in my calendar as a non-ending event. I am always looking forward to it. That is my commitment.

Doing art or crafts with friends also keeps me accountable to show up.

If you are a first-time visitor to my blog, welcome! Comments are welcome.

Tomorrow, I will share with you how I use creative challenges to keep the creative juices flowing.

Until then!

💜 Linzé