Sometimes color makes me sick. It makes my throat tighten in the same why it tightens when I think about Cinnabon. Sickly, overstimulated, fake, cheap even. When this happens, it is hard to make art.
My friend’s 8 year old daughter had the solution. “Sometimes I just pick one color, just one colored pencil and I draw a peace sign or a Creeper from Minecraft” (if you don’t know what a Creeper is, you are not around kids).
You know how good salad can be sometimes? Or properly prepared greens? So clean and simple tasting, so healthy. The vegetables in my art box are black ink, water, and white crayon. When I need to reset, when I am overwhelmed and scattered, I return to the ink.
I love ink and wet paper, because I am not in control. The ink takes over, makes a mess, but sometimes the swirls and webs it creates make sense, have order and beauty. I can dance with the ink, quietly, in a meditation.
My friend and I painted last night. First we listened to a guided meditation, and then worked quietly with ink, water and paper. Later we added some color. Here is what we created:
If you are longing for a refreshing “art salad”, rejuvenating and healing, limit your colors, and use water. Let go, go deep.
If you are looking for a place to share your work, where you won’t have to deal with negative bullshit, I have a private Facebook group. Share and reflect, connect with others using art making for more than crafts or decoration.