Create More Light: #30mandalas : A New Project.

All artists have creative ruts. Some have specific reasons, some have possible reasons, and some unfortunately present themselves with no reason at all.

For the past year almost, I have been experiencing one of the largest creative ruts ever. I create things here and there, but am feeling utterly uninspired. This one has all the types of reasons mentioned above, which I will get into in a later post I am sure, once I sort out all of my thoughts.

But, I feel like I have just been letting it happen. I've been busy. I've been tired. I've been absolutely broke.

I've been making excuses.

Art is my passion, yet I cannot find 30 minutes to even doodle something on a piece of cardboard I have hanging around? I cannot make a collage using the hundreds of books and magazines sitting on the shelves right here in my studio? Oftentimes, artists emerge from creative ruts naturally. They let them run their course, then move on. Mine has been out of control, so I am taking action with a challenge.

My challenge is The 30 Mandalas Project, or #30mandalas for those following on social media. I got the idea from an amazing artist named Lauren Bergold, who I met through Instagram (@llaurenb - check her out!). She is a fellow mixed media artist who loves collage and doodles and mandalas and color. She also creates almost every single day. There were days that I would look at her work and wonder how she has time to create so many beautiful things. I slowly realized that it's more about making time, not having time.

One day, she posted a mixed media collage mandala that she created, inspired by my style. It looks like this:

I was in LOVE. Inspired by me?! I hadn't created much at all and felt so un-inspirational. I couldn't get the image out of my head. I began to buzz with ideas, inspired by her (inspired by me.... isn't this called a Mobius Strip or something??) and all of a sudden realized, "Holy crap, I am inspired."

I began jotting down the ideas of mixed media mandalas I wanted to create, itching to bring the first one to life. And that is how #30mandalas was born. I am working on creating 30 pieces, all mixed media, on 12" x 12" watercolor paper. I am inspired. I am creating. I am so overjoyed to have overcome this insane rut, and am so thankful to Lauren (she also has a blog - find her here!!) to have sparked the fire that I have been missing so much.

Here are the first five creations from The 30 Mandalas Project: