It's no secret that I'm a big fan of committing to daily challenges.
It all started back in the fall of 2013 when I decided to up my lettering skills by posting a different hand-lettered movie quote every day.
I was looking for a way to hold myself accountable to consistently creating and devoting time to make things each day. The ultimate goal was to cultivate a daily creativity practice where making was a well-integrated, intentional part of my everyday.
I had no idea how many unintended things would spring forth from that one decision. That one 30-day challenge morphed into a lettering practice on Instagram, which turned into a hand-lettering e-course, which has turned into a community of thousands of lettering lovers all over the world, working to create art they love every day.
Now I'm happy to report that my original goal has been achieved: art and expression are both very much a part of my daily life.
It no longer feels like I'm "making time" because it's virtually automatic the way my brain now carves out time from each day. Still, as the holidays rolled around this year and 2016 started to turn the corner, I realized it might be time to issue myself a new challenge. Not one that would help me create more every day, but one that would help me finally commit to a goal that's been on my list for the past two years: evolving, sharing and selling my art.
If this past year was about exploring styles and learning to play, this year is about honing what I've learned into a focused creative voice that I can confidently share with the world through my art.
I have found myself incredibly inspired by friends like Crystal Moody (Year Of Creative Habits), Tiffany Han (#PostItDaily), and Casey Neistat (daily YouTube vlog) with their daily projects, and so I began to think:
What's one thing I want to commit to doing every day for a year?
I knew -- of course -- that I wanted it to be creativity-related, but how could I up the ante so to speak and make steps toward a bigger goal of mine?
That's when I was reminded that many of you have been asking for months now if my art is available for prints. I guess selling my art has always been a part of the plan in one way or the other, but for so long I still felt like I was in the experimentation phase -- still trying to find my voice, my unique lens with which to project my experiences through. Until now.
Enter... Abstract Affirmations.
Combining my love of abstract acrylic art and hand-lettering, my plan is to share one piece every day in 2016 that expresses a different "affirmation" -- my catch-all term for the lessons, insights and positive messages that help remind me to live as my brightest self. Here's a small preview of what you can expect:
After diving head first into acrylics and art journaling for months now, I finally feel I've hit upon a style that feels my own and reflects the values and unique voice of Made Vibrant.
Using movement, color, contrast and pattern to convey a message, I want my work to represent a whole-hearted rejection of restraint. In other words, I want it to make you feel FREE.
I want each piece to remind you that imperfection is beautiful, that convention is over-rated, and that personal authenticity is your beacon for true happiness.
I never start a piece with a finished product in mind, and that's intentional. I want you to feel the spontaneity of each color palette, each brushstroke.
On top of that, I've never been more convinced of the power words have to shift our thinking and change our lives. When we speak things out loud, especially on a regular basis, they penetrate our psyche and they have an impact on the way we act and think. That's why including the lettering within each piece is so important to me. I want them to serve as positive messages to reinforce our thinking.
Now for the truly ambitious part:
I plan to make every single one of these daily pieces available for sale as limited edition, high-quality giclee prints.
I'm working right now to solidify a printing partner, and as soon as I do, I'll be launching the official Made Vibrant Art Shop. Once a week I'll release the past week's pieces as prints into the shop, with VERY limited quantities of each to keep inventory lean.
If you want to receive email updates about the shop opening and print releases, make sure you're subscribed to Self-Made Society -- Made Vibrant's email community for soulful creatives. If you're not already subscribed, just pop in your email address in this dandy field below and hit that purdy orange button!
