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Day 31 – August Arty Challenge – Every Artist Starts Somewhere

Day 31 – August Arty Challenge – Every Artist Starts Somewhere

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And here we are — Day 31. Every Artist Starts Somewhere. Yes, it’s the very same affirmation we started with, and that feels exactly right. Because 31 days ago, somewhere was the beginning; today, somewhere is a completely different place. We’ve played, experimented, made mistakes, discovered things, gone with the flow, tried new ideas and, most importantly, we’ve kept showing up. So perhaps this isn’t really the end at all — it’s another starting point. Thank you so so much…

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Day 30 – August Arty Challenge – Mistakes Often Lead To Discoveries

Day 30 – August Arty Challenge – Mistakes Often Lead To Discoveries

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Mistakes often lead to discoveries. Well, you couldn’t make this one up! Today I’m taking that colour-wash landscape idea a little further, exploring what else we can do with it — and somewhere along the way I managed to work on the whole thing upside down! Not deliberately. I genuinely got it wrong. But rather than abandon ship, I kept going, worked with what was in front of me, and actually discovered something along the way. And isn’t that so…

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Day 29 – August Arty Challenge – My Hands Can Make Great Things

Day 29 – August Arty Challenge – My Hands Can Make Great Things

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My hands can make great things. And today we’re getting right back to the heart of what this Arty Challenge is all about: getting with our hands and seeing what happens! I’ve used the lovely Elementree leaf stamps for today’s artwork, building up those simple leafy shapes and letting the colours do their thing. And actually, this one couldn’t be better timed, because those leaves would work beautifully with our brand-new Nature’s Palette Card Collection, which we launched yesterday as…

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Day 28 – August Arty Challenge – Make Art NOT War

Day 28 – August Arty Challenge – Make Art NOT War

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Make Art NOT War. Well, I think we can all get behind that one! There is quite enough conflict and noise in the world without us adding to it, and one of the very best ways I know to quieten the noise — certainly in my own head — is to get with my hands and make something. Today we’re creating a very cool little landscape, and this particular technique really does have legs. We actually explored it during our…

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Day 27 – August Arty Challenge – My Ideas Are Worth Exploring

Day 27 – August Arty Challenge – My Ideas Are Worth Exploring

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My ideas are worth exploring. As are yours! That’s the important bit here. This affirmation isn’t about my ideas being particularly clever or worthy — the “my” belongs to each and every one of us. It’s about trusting those little creative nudges that pop into your own head and being willing to follow them, without immediately judging whether they’re good enough or whether they’ll work. Today’s little arty session, using Sam Crowe’s fabulous fishy stamps, is a proper don’t overthink…

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Day 26 – August Arty Challenge – I Am Free To Explore And Experiment

Day 26 – August Arty Challenge – I Am Free To Explore And Experiment

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Art has a wonderful way of taking us places, doesn’t it? Even when we can’t travel for whatever reason, we can still pick up a pencil, a paintbrush or a few inks and let our imagination carry us off to foreign climes. Just think back to our SHAC days during Lockdown! We travelled all over the world together — Japan, Africa, Holland, America, Hawaii — all without leaving home. And that’s where the explore and experiment part comes in too….

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Day 21 – August Arty Challenge – Creativity Begins With Curiosity

Day 21 – August Arty Challenge – Creativity Begins With Curiosity

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Day 21 – August Arty Challenge – Creativity Begins With Curiosity I reckon curiosity is where most creative ideas start. What if I try this? What happens if I put that with that? What would it look like if I turned it upside down, added some colour, tore it up, stamped over it? In fact, right at the centre of this year’s retreats was a BIG “What if?” session – fun, playful, experimental and completely unpredictable. I LOVED IT! And…

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Day 20 – August Arty Challenge – I’m not afraid to try something New

Day 20 – August Arty Challenge – I’m not afraid to try something New

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Well, this one couldn’t be more appropriate! Trying something new can feel a bit daunting, especially when we’re comfortable with the things we already know how to do. But that’s where so much of the fun is, isn’t it? You don’t have to be brilliant at something the first time you try it – in fact, you probably won’t be! The important thing is simply being willing to have a go. Yesterday, here at the Retreat, we introduced our second…

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Day 17 – August Arty Challenge – My Creativity Grows Each Day

Day 17 – August Arty Challenge – My Creativity Grows Each Day

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My creativity grows each day. And I think that’s exactly what happens when we actually use it. The more we make, the more ideas seem to come. One little idea sparks another, we try something different, discover something by accident, and before we know it we’re looking at things with fresh eyes. We’re already on Day 17 of our August Arty Challenge, and today is rather special here at Clarity too, because it’s the first day of our Retreats! So…

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Day 16 – August Arty Challenge – My Imagination Has No Limits

Day 16 – August Arty Challenge – My Imagination Has No Limits

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My imagination knows no limits. That sounds a bit big headed, but I don’t mean that I have the greatest imagination in the world! Not at all. I mean that there really are no rules or boundaries when we use our imagination. We can go anywhere, try anything, mix things up, change direction halfway through and make something that has never existed before. Nobody can tell you that what you’re imagining is wrong. And I’ve been seeing wonderful proof of…

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