Ria Sharon

pondering creativity, process, and making art

Magic starts here

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art-supplies

Clockwise from top left: @marjoleinvbm, @honeycomb, @squiggleandswirl, @pixieposie

This is where magic begins… with one step, and then another, and then another. Check out these lovely artists who are walking the walk. I give you permission to do it too.

The thing that makes your heart skip a beat, the thing that lights you up doesn’t have to make sense. It doesn’t have to be purposeful. You can do something just for the sake of doing it — just because it looks like fun and feels good. I promise you, if you go with that feeling, it will feed your soul.

This is what soul food looks like to me. Ask @marjoleinvbm, @honeycomb, @squiggleandswirl, and @pixieposie how it feels to play in Sketchbook Magic! ;P

Beyond Reason: Day 1 of Sketchbook Magic

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sketchbookmagic-day1(clockwise from top left) @mommakatmack @mszobeck @tacrowder @jhjmilner

These are just four of the wonderful pieces that students have shared in Sketchbook Magic on Skillshare.

One of the benefits of approaching art-making in this way is that it disables our thinking mind. As much as we need our right brain for all sorts of things like… oh, logical and practical reasoning, it is often the death of creativity. So in the case of beginning an art project or art practice, we need to sneak past the part of ourselves that questions whether any of it makes any sense!

In the process of pushing that critical mind aside, we allow our more playful, whimsical side some airtime. Fun!

FUN is exactly what I’m observing in Day 1—lots of fun, lots of spontaneity, creativity and innovative ideas. Students have used toothbrushes, pipe cleaners, corks, even flowers to make their marks. It’s just the beginning as we begin to explore and open up to new possibilities. What can you create with readily available materials?

Check out the back story behind each of these pieces in the class gallery and so many other wonderful sketches. Join us anytime!

Sketchbook Magic: Start and Feed a Daily Art Practice

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Sketchbook-blog

I was invited to teach a class on Skillshare. So for the last month, I’ve poured my heart into creating Sketchbook Magic, an experience for you my friends who yearn to come alive with a creative pursuit, to feel paint on your fingertips, to experience the unparalleled delight of making something.

This class was born out of my commitment to myself to make art every day. For me, art is self-care… more than a long bath or a day at the spa. Yes, life is busy!

Yet, this “busy-ness” is the very reason that it’s essential for me to do this simple thing for ME! If I add up all the hours of the day I devote to what it takes to keep life humming along, including taking care of other people or doing things for other people, it seemed rather ridiculous and awful to not be able to commit to 10 minutes on something that is simple, pure JOY.

In this class, I share my secret tips for making time and space for art while busy with my job and my kids and my relationships and… my life! ;P

If you are ready to claim some me-time, self-care, join us. It’s self-paced, it’s 10-min a day for 5 days. No previous art experience required! Just an openness to fun and a little magic.

This link gets you a FREE month of Premium Membership on Skillshare for access to my class and unlimited access to hundreds of other awesome online classes.