Process & Development - June 2025
June was full and immersive. At some point towards the end of the month, thinking about this little writing I thought that not much has happened … then, only a few weeks later, I realised how much actually had happened, and how much process and output there was.
I took a Still Life Class. I’m not sure what made me sign up. I really didn’t enjoy drawing still life at school (that’s the only drawing I remember doing in art classes, the rest was theory about architecture ;)). It still holds true, still life isn’t mine yet. But the gem I took was this question: What’s the colour you see underneath the colour? Working based on this, and layering, e.g. a blue underneath a pink, makes its more “mine”.
Bringing different visual expressions together: Watching and re-watching Emma Carlisle’s “Process and Development Videos”. And seeing just how her different visual expressions feed each other and come together. I am realising, mine are - naturally - super different, and are beginning to feed each other in their own ways. When I have capacity to also bring my “head” to my creative practice, something else emerges. Usually (and especially in months that are more full of work) my creative expression is the main outlet where i don’t bring my head. But there is a space for it in my creative work. I can use visuals even more also for expressing thoughts and thinking though things, both alone and together.
And bringing more heart: I can get tight and closed up when I want to illustrate something I have a fixed idea of - the invitation is to bring my sense of it, my emotions of it (rather than the image I have in my mind) more deeply. More hands: More crafts! This month I began exploring and prototyping making my own sketchbook - and it was a joy. More to come!
Returning to tone: In January I had a deeper dive into tone … and it really took me some time to get my head around what it was. Of course, I totally forgot in the densenesss of days filled with other matters. Now, I’m returning to it, and quite intrigued by it. I used to feel colour, now I feel a bit more confused with colour, and I’m practicing and developing colour palettes that feel like me and include tone and value - and getting to sense more the saying “Tone does all the work, colour gets all the credit”.
Wildflower draw-along with Mel Chadwick: Summer is so lush right now and I’m enjoying it! Every day there’s new aspects to the flowers in our garden, and I enjoyed deeply drawing more and different ones with Mel Chadwick’s draw along. While in seasons, I want to continue.
From the wildflower draw-along
The ARLINA theory of change visual: The biggest visual I ever made … it took stages and days to come together, and a big window. Yet I enjoyed, and have gotten such heartfelt feedback. And it was such a lovely process - and helped my think through some things, that are sitting more deeply in my soma now, than as if I’d just written them out. I feel there’s more to explore and take forward for future workings.
ARLINA Theory of Change visual, used further in a team meeting
Materials, consumerism & in search of new ways: This has been on my mind for a while … it’s gradually coming on more. Let’s fac it: Acrylics are plastic. They make beautiful surfaces, but it sucks that they are plasticcy. Also, there’s such an industry behind art materials … so much that I want to buy and get, and test for myself. But do I really need it all? I’m hoarding quite some unused pencils, acrylics and paper (all “just in case”), and keep on getting new things. I turned to ChatGPT for some advice on how to transition intentionally and got some inspiring advice for creative strategies. I want to dig in and experiment with this deeper and then reflect more here on how it is going.
The importance of working in stages: I feels I finally had some more time this months, had a space like a “fertile void” from which things could emerge on their own … and it was enough for me to come with my intentions, rather than a fixed plan on what to do first and the order of things. The order emerged on its own, when I came to the creative work in a way when time and space fit to my needs, and when I respected my energies, and also paused … because I didn’t need to go anywhere, or didn’t need to produce any particular results or outputs. Allowing for breaks, having days where I evolve along with the work was so special. It is not like this for me every day, it feels like deep winter and deep summer are those times when I can immerse myself most in my practice and be in the working in stages. Which is so liberating and feels so close to regenerative ways of working. It makes we wonder about how I might set up my practice in such a way that I can “come back” more easily when I know that breaks and other “world work” parts of me are needed to show up more.
3 things to take forward
Understanding tone more deeply
Drawing wildflowers while summer is around
Becoming more conscious of my material choices, assumed needs and what I actually have in my stash