FIND YOUR MAGNA CARTA

There is power in what you love.

Everything that interests you has meaning. Every topic, theme, design, colour, material, TV show, genre - everything you find yourself returning to again and again holds a very special, very specific place in your life. All of these things, these ideas that we can’t seem to tear ourselves away from, or things that we love desperately, are what make up our own unique creative DNA. And if you can uncover these things, if you can find the strings connecting all of them, there comes a deeper understanding of who we are, what makes us tick, and where to focus our energy.

I’ve heard this referred to as our ‘vein of gold’, our ‘magna carta’ or manifesto, our creative DNA - whatever you call it, it’s the fabric that makes up how we create, however we create. It’s the reason we find ourselves drawn to books about religious icons in the pre-1400s, or constantly reading news stories about world politics. It’s the reason we love expressionist art, and can’t seem to ‘get’ sci-fi. It’s the reason we’re drawn to the colour yellow, and can’t stop staring at the night sky. And when we look closely at all these seemingly seperate things, we can see the underlying currents that draw our attention. Perhaps the interest in early religious icons and global politics hints at a deep-rooted interest in times of change in civilizations. Or perhaps your love of the stars and expressionist art hints at your love for the infinite.

When we begin to draw these connections, we can guide our energy, we can adjust our focus, we can align our lives with the things that we love.

-BRAINSTORM-

First thing to do is sit down with a big piece of paper, or a new word document open, and just start writing. Start listing everything that you love. Try and dig deep, be specific, and try to cover every aspect of your life; That one chord that always gives you shivers. The colour gold, especially with pink. Anything with a cute face on it. Every studio ghibli movie ever. The smell after it rains. 

Also another resource: TV Tropes. Enter any specific book, show, movie, and browse through the different tropes in it. Sometimes the basic underlying structures in what we love are the real things we love. Give it a try.  

If you find yourself stuck, go through your senses, and the things you love with each of them:

Touch: fabrics you love, feelings you love, weather/seasons

Sight: Colours you love, artists you like, photographs and art styles you love

Sound: Bands you love, instruments you like, specific sounds

Smell: since smell is the strongest sense tied to memory, think of specific memories and what you love about them.

Taste: think savory food you love, desserts you’ve had, etc

And then you can go through each type of media. Start big, then narrow it down:

Book genres you love (fantasy, biographies, picture books)

Types of TV shows (crime shows, dramas, romance)

Movies you love (comedies, animated, tragedies)

News/ Blog stories you enjoy (world news, DIYs, self-help posts)

Music you listen to (rock, indie / piano-based, vocals)

-NARROW-

Got a nice, long list? Great. Now look through the list and pay special attention to your body and your heart. Read each thing you’ve written, and notice when your heart seems to flutter out of your chest. The things that send your mind whirling in to deeper thoughts. The things that make your salivate, make your hunger, the things that light a fire within you. Highlight these things (or start a new document). Start to parse the list for repeats. 

Take only the things that make you glow inside.

As you look, you’ll probably realize that you’ve got a bunch of repeats along it, too. If you find yourself repeating a lot of things that don’t make your heart swell, try and figure out why they’re on your list so much. Is it something the people around you love? (Maybe you need to include that person, if there is a specific person’s interests that keep popping up). Is it a part of something bigger, or something smaller? Maybe you’ve written a lot of modern sci-fi titles on your list, but what you really love are books that examine human nature, or feature really cool ray guns. Try to flip and turn each thing so it catches the light differently.

Try to combine and refine all the mess in to the purest forms of what you love. 
We’re not looking for lists that say things like ‘anime, heavy metal, plants’. Dig deep, as deep as you can, to get to the real things you love. Anime might turn in to ‘animated Japanese myth’.

By the time you’re done this, you should have a list of hopefully at least 20 fire-starting things from your huge brainstorm. You should have a list that makes you feel like you’re flying, bring tears to your eyes, make you feel mega-inspired.

CELEBRATE

Take this list. Decorate it. Display it. Be inspired by it. Learn from it. 

Make a big ass image of it and put it somewhere you see it every day. Have it set on your phone. Carry it with you.

Be proud that you can understand yourself a bit more, and treasure the things you love. When we are guided by what we love, when we follow the trails our hearts send us out on, we are living our lives right (I mean, as long as your loves are legal and all that. Hurting people or things, in any way, isn’t gonna work out real well. But you know that).

I would love to see what you come up with - let me know if you make one.

MAKE A MOOD BOARD

It's that time of year again - time to start planning a new novel for National Novel Writing Month.

Which means it's time to start gathering as much information and tools I can to survive the month and write another brand-new draft. Which means plotting, planning, thinking, getting inspired, getting blocked, getting inspired again, getting blocked again...ah, the beautiful cycle of a writer. 

One of my favourite tools for preparing myself (but not getting overburdened with preparation) for the mad dash that is the month of November, is to make a big, beautiful, inspiring mood board.

A place where all my ideas, feelings, thoughts and information is in one place. My characters, my setting details, and even images that  I just found inspiring - all I have to do is look up and be inspired, ready to write. 

Make your own mood board - just head over to pinterest and start pinning. I usually search through the boards tagged 'nanowrimo' and various 'character inspiration' boards - and follow the trail back to other boards. I usually set a time limit, between 30 minutes and an hour, and just let myself explore.

Some things you can gather for your mood board:
- Try to narrow your novel down in to a few words, emotions or themes. For example, my novel this year is based on "Old Customs vs. Modern Girls" Put these words somewhere you can see them, whether you're printing your mood board out or not.
-  A basic draft of your plot
- A 'magna carta' for your novel - a collection of names, feelings, stories and themes that you love and want to write about.
- Character profiles
- Images of your characters and settings
- Images capturing various moods in your story
- Quotes
- Images inspiring action in your writing (ie; kisses, fight scenes and interaction)
- Pictures that set the time of your story ( Medieval clothing, vs tranquilizer guns - or a merry mix of both)
- Items / people / things important to your characters; things that develop them more
- A few wildcards that you just like.

 Now, here's where you can do one of two things - you can either choose to keep your board in the electronic realm - in which case, I would suggest captioning all your images, and sorting them until you feel happy. I'd also reccomend you pick the best images and make a collage out of them - save it as your background, have it on your phone, keep it somewhere you can see it constantly.

Or you can choose to print it out. If you choose this route, be prepared to parse through the images and pick your best ones. Whether electronic or printed, I suggest doing a speed-pick, giving yourself no more than 10 minutes to choose your favourite images. Impulse is a great tool, and you'll almost always pick the best and most helpful images under a clock.

I'm really enjoying attaching technical information to my mood board this year - things that I'll need to reference when I'm writing. There are plenty of resources avaliable on the Nanowrimo website, if you want to do some technical planning, and add those to the board.

Do you guys do any fancy planning for nanowrimo? I'd love to see yours, especially if you do mood boards (they don't need to be nanowrimo-themed!!) Please, share in the comments!!

HOW TUES-DAY: MY GO-TO ART SUPPLIES

 How Tues-day is the series I wish I had when I was starting out as an artist. It's where I disclose information about how I do things as a creative. Tutorials, information, tips and tricks, as well as my personal experiences, advice and go-to tools. You can expect an insider's look in to the life of a creative, and gain some valuable insight at the same time. 

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This week I'm sharing my all-time favourite art supplies with you. Let me start this off by saying not to get hung-up on the specifics. There are artists who make art with only the top quality materials. Personally, I think that's hogwash, and that some of the greatest works come from the freedom of using tools you can abuse, but that's just me. 

What I'm trying to say is - keep an open mind. This is not a bible to follow by the book - I found what worked for me through a TON of trial and error. These may or may not be the tools for you, but I think it's a great starting point for anyone wanting to dip their feet in, or find some quality tools without paying a hand and a foot! 

So, here we are - my go-to tools for making, well...pretty much anything. I keep all of these on me as often as I can: 

STICKY STUFF: 

1. UHU glue stick: 

Acid free, chunky, and pretty much the best for glueing things on the go. It doesn't hurt that they come in packs of 3 or 4, and that the glue, for a glue stick, really can hold paper (I can't STAND when something peels off after you've glued it. You have to WORK to get things off with UHU glue). 

2. Coccoina paper glue: 

This stuff is the GOD of collage glues. It smells like almond cake, it doesn't make your fingers feel gross, and the pot (it also comes in sticks) has a brush, so you get complete control over where you glue. It also doesn't cause paper to buckle, and dries really nice and fast. It's not as sticky as UHU, but it's great for laying down details in a collage, or bookbinding. 

STUFF WITH SHARP EDGES: 

3. Slice ceramic precision cutter:  

Words cannot describe my love for my Slice cutter. I've had it for four years, and it's little blade is as sharp as the day I got it. It fits perfectly in my hand, it's easy to carry around, and for a little wee blade, it can cut. It's perfect for rummaging through magazines, or cutting out tiny details. 

4. A GOOD pair of scissors: 

 Mine is a pair of Witshire stay-sharp scissors, but play around until you find your pair of scissors. It will change your life.

5. A bone-folder:  

This guy is multi-purpose and wonderful. If you want to make a nice precise crease on anything, these are the best things to use. I use it to rub out bubbles from between two pieces of paper. It also works as a sculpting tool for me, if I'm working with clay. 

STUFF TO DRAW WITH:

6. A tiny, sturdy portfolio:  

This little buddy holds it's own. It's meant to keep work in, but I use it as a modifiable sketchbook, slipping in papers and clippings and whatever else I manage to create or find useful. It's great because you can add or remove papers as you see fit, without having to worry about tearing it out. 

 PENS AND PENCILS OH-MY!

7. A crap pen: 

Because there are always going to be notes and thoughts you need to record, and sometimes a pencil won't do. This way, you're not using your good pens writing down 'lesbian mermaids fanfic' in your sketchbook. 

8. A sort-of crap drawing pen (I use Sharpie Pens): 

I like the sharpie pens because I don't feel super-protective over them, and they have a nice, robust inkflow. I don't use them to ink good drawings, but I will use them for text-work, or when I need a nice, big, bold line.

9. A happy coloured pen (I use a pink Inkjoy): 

Because you never know when you'll need to emphasize something, or draw an outline you can erase in photoshop later. Plus, colour in a sketchbook just looks nice.

10. A white gel-pen (Sakura Gelly Roll 08): 

Nothing stands out better in collages than a nice white gel-pen. It's also great for adding highlights and details in areas you otherwise wouldn't get to do (pencil crayon drawings and/or paintings). I like the Gelly Roll pens because they last quite a bit, and because their ink is really thick and bright. But, again, personal preference (also, white gel pens are REALLY hard to come across. Take what you can get, really).

11. A good quality, thin-inking pen (Sakura Micron 0.2 pen): 

This is my detail pen. I absolutely love the Micron pens - they last the longest and seem to be the best quality for my work. I usually use the smaller pen for inking in the smaller details, patterns and designs.

12. Same as above, but bigger (Sakura Micron 0.5 pen): 

A bigger pen is a MUST if you're doing lineart. I use my larger pen for the outline, for defining shadows and prominent features. Thicker lines catch more attention, so use it sparingly until you're sure where you want the attention. Also, nothing sucks more than filling in an important detail (looking at you, eye-whites) because your pen was too big. Ugh.

13. A big, bold, thick brush pen (Sakura Graphic 1 pen): 

These are for big, bold things. Typography, quotes, anything where I need a lot of emphasis as quickly and effectively as possible. This pen especially, look for quality. If you go cheap, the brush will wear out, your ink won't be opaque and you'll get weird boogers on the end of the pen and everyhing sucks after that.

14. A GOOD eraser (Staedtler Mars white eraser): 

Okay. If you don't already use this eraser - GO AND BUY ONE IMMEDIATELY. You know how I said 'Find what works for you'? This WILL work for you. Just trust me and start using them right this instant. My grandpa drafted for half his life, and swore by these guys. Make him proud and do the same. 

15. A happy pencil (Staedtler 0.7 mechanical pencil): 

Pencils are as varied and unique as the artists using them. This guy is what works for me, but you might like a different thickness, or maybe you hate mechanical pencils (I am VERY picky about what pencil I use). Try out as many as you can to find what works for you.

STUFF TO PAINT/INK WITH:

16. Turner Designer Goache in an old watercolour travel container: 

Ok. This...is my workhorse tool, and my Most Favourite Art Thing Ever. It's expensive (a 12-set of Turner Goache will set you back at least 60 bucks [CAD] at most stores) but it's SO worth it. SO WORTH IT. If you're testing paints - get a black and a white, and see how you like them. Also - reuse what you don't use anymore. That paint container was just sitting with crappy paints in it. Now I use it every day. 

17. A big, thick, fluffy brush (for big washes of colour/ink): 

Find a brush that can hold a lot of water and that's fairly large and soft. This is perfect for washes of colour, or filling in larger areas with water/colour. Don't use it for details, though. 

18. A big-ish, stiff, skinny brush (for mixing paint, and applying medium detail): 

Find a brush that's springy and stiff (when you push the bristles, they resist and don't feel poufy). These guys are great for mixing paint (if you use a wash brush, all the colour you mixed will stay on the brush. Mix with this guy first, then go in with your wash brush). They also are good for some detail, or blocking out colour when you need some control. 

19. A wee little skinny brush (for details and lines): 

I'm known for using brushes for my inking sometimes, and this is my favourite little brush to ink with. It's also great for adding details in colour - bright bold blobs and lines. It (obviously) doesn't hold much paint, so don't, please don't try to colour with this. 

20. A bigger inking pen (I use speedball): 

I have NO idea what size this is (anyone?), but it's a bigger nib for a pen. I use this a lot like my bigger inking pen, but only for instances where I want to be more expressive. Getting used to working with a pen and ink can be hard (I'm still learning) but it's FUN, and it adds a TON of character to your drawings (plus you feel like a badass pioneer/scholar, which is important)

21. A smaller inking pen (I use speedball crow quill nib):  

This guy is tiny and skinny and thin. It almost feels like drawing with a really, really precise pencil. I find the speedball nib holds the most ink, and is really easy to clean and take care of. Try not to scratch the paper with this guy, and experiment. This isn't a marker, or a brush, or even a pencil or pen. Drawing pens are their own beasts, but they're great. 

22. INK! (DO NOT USE THE BRAND I PICTURE HERE):  

I use ink for everything. I'm not a fan of using black paint unless I need to - when I need black, I almost always use ink (you can dip your brushes in ink, you can dip your ink-pens in ink, you can even print with ink, if you try). I'm not even going to mention the name because it's awful. Splurge on some semi-nice ink (speedball ink is the best I've used) or else you'll end up with really piddly, semi-transparent, soak-through-the-page ink, which is what I'm dealing with right now, and it's a sad state of affairs. 

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So, there you go. My most-used tools for making cool things. I hope you find some awesome somewhere in there, and like I said - experiment, experiment, experiment. It's the only way to find what you love. There will be hits, there will be misses - it takes time to build a repitoire that works, but it's so great when you find things that work! Keep at it, fellow artists and creators!

HOW TUES-DAY: EVERY DAMN DAY LIST

 How Tues-day is the series I wish I had when I was starting out as an artist. It's where I disclose information about how I do things as a creative. Tutorials, information, tips and tricks, as well as my personal experiences, advice and go-to tools. You can expect an insider's look in to the life of a creative, and gain some valuable insight at the same time.

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In the spirit of how-tuesday, I want to start off with something simple, but something so absolutely critical to my daily life that I can't really function without it. Sarah from yes and yes recently made a post where she revealed her 'Every Damn Day' list. A list of relatively simple tasks that she insisted on doing every day.

While I've never actually condensed my tasks in to a list - I realized I've been keeping one as well. These are the things that, if I find I don't manage to get them done in a day, I feel crappy. These are the little things - habits, rituals, duties, that I have set for myself as the bare-minimum of work I should achieve in a day.

And to be honest, I'm kind of impressed. There's a nice range of work and play (and let's be honest here, these things don't happen every day. But the more productive and honest with myself I become, the more they do happen on a daily basis, and the better and more fulfilled I feel because of it!).

I think everyone should make an 'every damn day' list. Especially if you're just starting out on your journey - whatever it may be, but it's just as crucial for those of us a few steps furthur down! Think about things that you would want to do and live every day.

To be quite honest, the single most important item on that list is my cup of tea. Yep. Out of all those things, a single cup of tea is probably the most critical moment of my day.

Why? Because it's what sets the tone for my entire day. When I have my cup of tea, I breathe, I relax, and I set intentions. It also seems to be where most of my ideas come from. It's the littlest things, really, that make this work.

Why not make your own 'Every Damn Day' list? What's on yours? Please, share in the comments - I'd love to see what other people's lists look like!