Art Every Day is the way to play!

Play is a great idea. When we play, we have fun being creative--it's not work, it's not boring--if we're not having fun we simply stop playing. I remember when I was little, my two sisters and I would play all kinds of things: Detectives, school, bank, office, Barbies, monsters, etc. etc. It was a blast! But inevitably my eldest sister would drop out of the game and my middle sister and I, suddenly having much less fun, would soon stop playing as well. Play isn't play unless it's fun!!


Art has been my way of grown-up play. Especially in my thirties I've realized that it is something that has always enchanted me and has taken the place of those childhood games. With art you can create anything, from any point of view, and you don't have to follow stuffy rules. I like that idea. But after spending most of the last year writing about art and art-related events, lately it seems I've forgotten the idea of play and  begun looking at art as work. I don't like that so much. In fact, in the last few months I've started dropping out, just like my sister did long ago.


After realizing what is happening to my love of art, I have decided I need to make a change. I need to change my attitude and stop getting robbed of my playtime! Art Every Day Month is the perfect time for me to challenge myself to fall back in love with art and remember how happy it makes me. Sound like I'm trying to rekindle an old romance? Well, that's how it feels to me.


Tonight I'm heading to one of our downtown galleries to check out a new exhibit. The gallery is run by some friends of mine and I'm looking forward to immersing myself in the artwork. I'm sure it will be inspiring and I will be sharing my experience with you in a future post. For now I leave you with a couple of photos I took and edited during the first two days of Art Every Day Month. These apples made the recent return trip from Vermont to California. My fiance's family, who all live back east, sent these lovely reminders of nature's creativity home with us. (Man do they taste good too!!)

Vermont Apples

Vermont Apple

Intro post: Attempt #2 at Art Every Day Month

I’ll admit, yesterday my Art Every Day Month (AEDM) started off with less of a bang and more of a whimper. But that’s okay, because I’ve decided that I’m not going to put undue stress on myself this year. Last year’s effort (chronicled briefly in previous posts) fell flat after only a few days, mostly due to the insane pace I was keeping at the time, as well as the pressure I heaped upon myself to be no less than perfect. Ridiculous and unattainable, not to mention no fun at all!!


This year I’m looking forward to day-dreaming up creative pursuits, taking photos, sharing my favorite pieces, doing a little writing, and visiting some local exhibits for inspiration. I’ll be posting sporadically: Sometimes every other day, sometimes it may be more than once in twenty-four hours. All-in-all I'm expecting attempt #2 to be a more relaxed and enjoyable experience. Join me on my month-long art journey and please tell me about your own!