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