Tag Archives: jenny doh

And the winner is…

Nolwenn! Congratulations, Nolwenn, you’re the next contestant on, no wait, I mean you won the book, “Journal It!” by Jenny Doh! YAYYYY!!! Please send me your mailing address!

Here’s my random number generator, just so you know I did this fair and square!

Picture 1

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on the post! It was loads of fun reading about all the journaling you are doing.

I would like to give a HUGE shout-out to Julie Fei-Fan Balzer (who is also a contributing artist) for doing a description of the techniques by each artist in the book. Julie’s link sent lots of traffic to my blog, so thank you, Julie!

For those of you who didn’t win, you still have a chance to win a copy of the book over at Julie’s blog!

Advertisement

Today is your last day to win “Journal It!”

For details on my book giveaway, please click here!

Let’s remember the good stuff.

work in progress

work in progress

Have you ever noticed how people tend to focus on the negative. If someone asks you how your day is going, does your mind come up with the good stuff, or all the little crappy things? Isn’t it interesting how one little crappy thing can overshadow all the good?

On the weekend, I watched a review of the book I contributed to, “Journal It!“. The review was positive overall, and the reviewer recommended the book to her viewers. However,there was one part where she’s flipping through the pages, and while showing my page, she says something about it being the same old stuff. I admit, I was hurt.

But then I remembered how cool it is to be in a book, and how proud I am of what I did contribute to it. And I remembered how one of my goals is to inspire people to create, and while my art may not inspire her, it will hopefully inspire someone else. I remembered that her voice is but one voice, and I need not let it ruin all the positive energy I feel around this book and my work. Also, she is encouraging people to buy the book, which is great!

So, I guess this post isn’t just about remembering the good stuff, but also about remembering how good WE are. When things like this happen, it’s a reminder to me about how fragile my self-esteem can seem, and how I still take other people’s comments way too personally. It hurts in the moment, but I have noticed that I bounce back a lot faster than I ever used to. I’m sure that says something about how I’ve grown, and I’m glad for that.

Do you tend to focus on the positive or the negative? Do you let a negative comment ruin your day?

Remember to enter my “Journal It!” free book giveaway

Journal It! Giveaway

As you know from my previous posts, I am so proud to be a part of the new book, “Journal It”, by Jenny Doh.

I think you’ll love it too, so I am happy to give away a copy to a randomly chosen person (which means I get to try out one of those nifty random number generators. Cool!) I’ll sign it for you, too, if you like!

I will give you until next Wednesday, December 19 to leave me a comment, telling me why you would like to have a copy, or what you last drew in your journal, or something I don’t know about you. Give me something interesting to read, at least.

I will announce the winner on Thursday, December 20!

Weekend in Santa Ana: Journal It! party

It was a whirlwind trip to Santa Ana this weekend, but I had a blast! Many months ago, I told Jenny (Doh, the author of Journal It! and many other titles) that if she was going to have a book launch party for Journal It!, then I would be there. I loved contributing to this book, and I am so proud to show it off.

1

After a morning walk, admiring the local fruit (WOW!), we set up at Jenny’s studio CRESCENDOh. Lynn Richards and Stephanie Ackerman also set up tables for the night.

23

It was a wonderful night- I met some amazing people, and especially enjoyed meeting some of the people I follow on Instagram. I sold 5 paintings and traded one with Jenny. I had a great time painting the whole night; it was meant to be a 20 minute demo, but I couldn’t resist finishing the entire thing! It was a little different from my weekly Gorilla House live art battles since I was the only one painting, but it was still lots of fun! Here’s the final result! The painting is on display and for sale at Studio CRESCENDOh.

photo by Cynthia Shaffer

photo by Cynthia Shaffer

Click here to see Jenny’s blog post about the party.

Here are the photos from the night. This is my first time trying the gallery thing for photos. Click on the first and it takes you to a slideshow. Pretty nifty!

I Got the Book!

Journal It! Perspectives in Creative Journaling” by Jenny Doh arrived this week on my doorstep, all 10 copies! I am thrilled to be a part of this project, and love how it turned out! I am super happy to have my art next to the title page. WOW! I am planning to read this cover to cover!

I love looking at the work by the other artists in the book, especially Jill K. Berry, Anna-Maria Wolniak, Julie Fey-Fan Balzer, Kathrin Jebsen-Marwedel, Roben-Marie Smith and Carolyn Sewell.

You can buy the book online, or come visit me at the Waldorf Faire on November 24, where I will have my copies for sale (and I can sign it for you, too!).

HOLY CRAP! I’m in a BOOK!

In April, 2011, I received an email that just blew me away. I’m not exaggerating when I say that my mouth hung open for a full minute while I read and reread the email; it was an invitation from Jenny Doh to be a part of Journal It!, the new book she was about to work on. I couldn’t believe it, and for at least a month after that, I doubted it was real, until I spoke to other people who confirmed that Jenny is the real deal (I should note here that this speaks only to my lack of confidence in my own work at the time, and that I hadn’t seen Jenny’s books before that day – it has nothing to do with Jenny, of course). Not only is she the real deal, but she’s the SERIOUSLY AWESOME real deal.

So, once I started to believe it (like a month later, no joke), I was able to get working. I was really lucky to be able to meet Jenny in December 2011, and again in April of this year. I am so happy to have had this opportunity to work with her, but most of all, to meet her and now, to call her my friend.

Oh, right, this post is supposed to be about the book! But one more thing about Jenny first: go check out her blog, her art, her classes!

The reality of this is finally starting to sink in, although I don’t think it’ll be real until I have it in my hands! I’m going to be in a book! This is a huge (say this the way my brother would, in the Donald Trump voice.. UUUUGE!) – I am so excited!!

The book features 19 artists (holy crap! that’s me!), with techniques and tips related to their process of creating in art journals. You can get a peek into the book on amazon, where you can also pre-order it at a pleasing discount. It will hit the bookstores during the first week of November. I have already pre-ordered 10 copies, which I thought was a lot, until someone asked me, “That’s all?”

Here’s a little video about the book:

Finally, Studio CRESCENDOh, in Santa Ana, California (that’s Jenny’s awesome gallery/workshop space), will be hosting a book signing party on Saturday, December 2nd, from 7-10pm, and I will be there! Yippee! I will likely be doing a demo, and may have some works for sale as well.

Book! Book! Book!

What Should I Draw?

I’m still working at filling up my book for the Sketchbook Project, but some days, when I sit down to draw, I draw (pun intended) a complete blank. It can get a little tiresome to always draw my shoes, or my hands, and even though there is plenty to choose from, I can’t seem to pick. So what to do? Luckily, other folks out there in the land of the internets have come up with some ideas!

Many months ago, I noticed that a tweet that said @AyersMan had the idea of drawing his Twitter followers. I thought this was such a cool idea that I started following him right away. He eventually got around to doing the drawings, and because I was so quick to respond to his Tweet, he decided to draw me first! You can see the result here. I love how he incorporated bits of my artwork into this portrait: rainbows, circles, even my font! Awesome, eh?! I love this idea, and might try doing this as inchies, since the profile pics are so small.

One of my favorite people in the world, Jenny Doh, came up with the cool idea of doing blind-contour drawings of her Instagram photos. There’s endless inspiration right there – I mean after all, if it was good enough to photograph, surely it’s good enough to draw, too, right?!

Finally, Danny Gregory, the master of drawing things from everyday life, has a list of “Everyday Matters Challenges” on his blog, ranging from drawing your bed (#5) to drawing something forbidden (#321). I love the idea of these challenges, and fully intend to try them out soon.

Illustration Friday is another site that posts weekly challenges with one word, and participants can post their drawings.

Well, hopefully that has given you a bit of inspiration. I’m going to go draw now!

Fitness Commitments: Music

So, I’m still running, but it’s going to be awhile until I crack the 5k! I kind of hit a plateau at about 3.8 km, and I am finding it very difficult to get past that. Well, to be completely honest, I don’t feel like I have enough time to run more than that during the week. I already get up at 5:15 am as it is, so to run more, I’ll have to wake up even earlier. Ugh! Not prepared to do that yet!

I just started jump-rope, thanks to Jenny Doh, again. That Jenny, she gets me into all kinds of trouble. It sounds so easy, to jump rope, right? It’s not. I could barely get past 15 seconds of straight jumping. I’m trying not to do the skipping, you know, like when you were a kid and you have that little half-bounce in between jumps? I think that’s cheating, but I’m not entirely sure. Anyhow, it’s hard. Running can be a bit boring, so I thought I would pep up my routine a bit this way. My commitment this week is to stick with the jumping until I can reach 30 seconds x 3!

Another way to keep the routine from getting stale is to keep the music fresh. I have trouble with that one, too, mainly because I obsess over music and listen to an album or song over and over and over, until… I’m bored. I would love to know what people in the gym are listening to, and sometimes I do ask. Please let me know your favorite workout tunes and I will list what is getting the most playtime on my iPhone!

Top 25 Most Played on Bel’s iPhone (according to the playlist of the same name!):
Ground Shake by Dirty Radio
Get Doh by N’fa
Love is on the Line by Goodfellaz
Wanna Ride by Dirty Radio
I Believe by Simian Mobile Disco
Telephone by Lady Gaga
Love is Gone by Chris Willis and David Guetta
My ❤ by Dirty Radio
Commander by Kelly Rowland (feat. David Guetta)
Baby When the Light by David Guetta
Lose Control by Kish Mauve
Just Can't Get Enough by Black Eyed Peas
Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf
Hustler by Simian Mobile Disco
Heal this Land by Tina Malia
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk
Le Disko by Shiny Toy Guns
Immigrant Song by Karen O., Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Helena Beat by Foster the People
Fireflies by Owl City
I Like It by Enrique Iglesias
Alright by Jamiroquai
Just Dance by Lady Gaga
Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire
Tik Tok by Ke$ha

I realized as I typed this that this playlist must be my all-time most played, because there are some songs on there that I hardly listen to any more, like Jai Ho and Fireflies, and some that I listen to over and over that didn't make the list. In addition to this list, I should add that I have been almost exclusively playing the new Dirty Radio album, "Cassette". I love the whole thing. It's ALL good. I'm really into Jamiroquai right now, too, especially Deeper Underground, and White Knuckle Ride. Please help me out by telling me what you listen to!

Fitness Commitments

My wonderful friend, Jenny Doh, inspires me to no end. She is immensely creative, productive, and a fun person to boot. Lately she’s been sharing many of her fitness adventures on her website, Facebook page and through Instagram. I find her path to fitness (through Tabata, archery, core strengthening) incredibly inspiring. She makes me want to be more fit.

I’ve been going to the gym every other day for the last 3 years – a huge commitment for me. I’m totally proud of myself for keeping this up. It’s been pretty easy, though, because I have an immediate incentive – my back. As soon as I stop working out, my back gets weaker, and things can go awry.

There have been many other things I’ve been thinking of doing to be healthier, but haven’t taken them on yet (or have just started). I’ve been heavily inspired by Jenny to start these things, and have been taking a “small commitment” approach.

I’ve never been one for New Year’s Resolutions, but I do like the idea of making small commitments. It’s easy enough to take on a commitment for a week, and see how it goes. Sometimes it will spill over into the next week, and then the next, and before you know it, it’s a habit. Wonderful!

These are my commitments for this week:

Drink 2 L of water a day. Water is essential to most of the processes our bodies accomplish, and I have been neglecting this one for too long. I’ve read that there are many symptoms which could be cured if only people drank enough water! I have actually been doing this for the last month. I fill a jug with water, add 1/4 tsp of salt, and drink up! It’s been really easy, now that I see how much I have to drink. In addition to getting the water I should be getting, I am over-eating less. When I feel like snacking (which is often), I drink water instead. If I’m still thinking of snacking a half hour later, I’ll drink again. Repeat. Eventually, I do feel hunger, and then I eat, but I love how this takes care of the (really-just-bored) snacking habit. I also tend to eat much less than I did before, because the water is so filling.

Learn to run 5K.  I’m not sure how I became interested in this one. My husband mentioned the “0 to 5K” app that he had heard of, and I was instantly intrigued. Let me make this clear just how bizarre this is: I’ve never run in my life, at least, no more than 5 m without getting a cramp. I never wanted to run, never had even an inkling of a desire. This is so far out that I still can’t believe I’m doing it. But the more I do it, the more I want to do it. I’m telling you, this app was made for me: it doles out badges every third day! Yay!

What will you commit to this week?