Tracy Weinzapfel Studios

Still Playing in my Creative Journal & Walking against Cancer!

Do you ever feel like you are trying to find yourself in your Art?  That is what this creative journey in my Creative Journal feels like.  Do I prefer a certain medium?  What am I comfortable sharing or drawing?  What are my favorite colors?  What mood am I in?  Who am I today?  I have always worked on scrapbook layouts of my kids, sports, friends, relatives.  They were a recollection of that event, a picture of that moment with my kids, family, etc. that I cherished but not necessarily a reflection of me.  They gave me the date, the event, the facts which don't get me wrong I am happy I have and I love doing.  But this Creative journal is from within me and something I cannot believe I am sharing because sharing yourself is scary!  But I feel good about it (those positive emails are so comforting especially those ones that share who YOU are!)

Interestingly enough I was feeling blue when I created this page in December and I read this saying and booked my family to go volunteer at the Food Bank during the holidays (you can read about that HERE). 
"Many times the best way to get out of the BLUES quickly is to turn our attention to other people in loving service"

 

On a side note about giving back, recently I signed up to walk the Relay for Life in April in the fight against cancer.  I am excited to share this experience for a good cause with some great friends as our team walks all night.  I also have a great friend, Julie who works tirelessy for this cause and has motivated me to STEP UP!  Thanks Julie for the Inspiration!  I am not great at asking for donations but if you wish to support me and more importantly this great cause you can donate direct HERE and I will walk my rear off!:

 

Any Amount you choose to donate I GREATLY appreciate!  I will make sure to share this adventure.

This page was fun because I was playing with Helmar Fabric Stiffener  I freely cut out those petals from some material I picked up at our local quilting store and dipped them into the Fabric Stiffener.  I so love the look and feel of this page.
"We are used to analyzing why we are unhappy, but taking the time to contemplate y our happiness is important too"

 
 

What I love about this journal is my chance to try new things play, and just be ME.  Also, it is about finding inspiration all around me!

 

What art offers is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit.  ~John Updike

Where does your inspiration come from?

OH MY GOODNESS Thank you so much for the comments and all the emails!  I love the feedback and the requests has been made to do a LIVE Ustream Class so I think we will do that in March. First I have to get that Gratitude Journal Altered!  I feel fortunate to work in an industry I love so much.  I share my passion with so many others and LOVE the fun products I get to work with!  And now I have even dabbled in LIVE videos for Helmar and did I mention how inspiring the Helmar Fans are!  Every day on Helmar's Facebook and our Blog, the Helmar Designers and artsy fans are continual inspiration.  How lucky am I?   I really am enjoying the process and am trying not to think of things too much....I am also trying to create when the inspiration hits me:

"Entering into a committed relationship is in fact a spiritual journey that we undertake with another person"

 
This page was inspired by a card my mom gave me.  She included this quote by Hawthorne so immediately I went to my studio and created this page so I would not forget it.....Thanks Mom!  You inspire me each and EVERY day!
"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you"

Funny how inspiration can come from just about anywhere.  I love that!  You can EMAIL me as I love when you email me what your are working on! 

 

Anyone who says you can't see a thought simply doesn't know art.  ~Wynetka Ann Reynolds 

Still Doing Something Creative Every Day!

Today in my quest to Do Something Creative Every Day I am sharing pages 7 and 8....

"At the end of the day, we must come to terms with changing what we can and accepting what we cannot change"

 

Love those flowers stamps by Unity (Donna Downey) and adhered them with Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots for dimension.
"If we are to have true peace in this world, each one of us must find it in ourselves first"
 
Time to start working on that Gratitude Journal...do you have one yet?  Remember, it is not about what you do but that you do it....I am LOVING all the emails of inspiration too!  THANK YOU! If you want to drop me an email I would love to see what you are working on: [email protected] ♥

 

Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in.  ~Amy Lowell 

Creative Journal Pages...pages 5 & 6

Today are pages five and size from my creative journal.....

 

 

Now the thing about these pages is there is tons of dimension (I use tons of Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots!)and I will make sure to start photographing that. 

So what are you doing to do something Creative or something you LOVE every day? 

 

The creative process is a process of surrender, not control. ~Julia Cameron

Finding the Art in Me...Do Something Creative Every Day

I am finally sharing my art journal! I shared the journal itself before and it was even featured on Scrapbooking.com. but truthfully I had no plan for the pages inside. 

 
After watching many mixed media artists doing art journals such as Donna Downey I figured it was a good place to play and just "Do Something Creative Every Day" which is my motto after all.  It is on my wall....

and I reapeat it to myself but since the craft industry has become my career, my passion has taken a back seat.  But the truth of the matter is I can pick up my paints, my Helmar glue and let the creativity come out of me. Many times life gets busy, there are ups and downs so I realize that my journal pages will represent how I am feeling that day. It will not be perfect (which defies my OCD), it will not be a work of art that will hang in the Louvre, but it will be me. 

I will try new techniques (some I will repeat and some are ditched midway through he process).  I will let myself go and enjoy the process because it is for me.  While I will busy myself other days with teacher gifts, a project for the Helmar blog, or a guest appearance for other companies, the journal will be my safe place to create. 

I took the art journal with me to CHA hesitating to share this part of me.  I used it to represent all the different adhesives and art mediums Helmar carries.  The response was great and people were even taking pictures of my pages!  So it warmed my heart and I figured it it is time to out my work and share page by page.  Here are the first four pages...........

 
  

So another belief of mine is to be grateful every day of my life.  Sometimes that may just be for my feet hitting the ground or just simply breathing.  Sometimes it is a tangible item, an accomplishment.....always my kids (except we all know there are days as moms where even that is hard to say out loud).  So I decided to partner my art journal with a gratitude album.  First I need to alter this baby but I am inviting you fellow crafty/artsy people to join me.  It is just a place every day (or so) to write what you are grateful for.  I could be just a notebook where you write it down.  Mine is going to be in this watercolor journal:

 

So just giving heads up that I would love to have as many who want to join.  I am going to put this out on Helmar's Blog and maybe even has some LIVE UStream Helmar classes??  Time to put it out there and hope you guys will join me!

Do Something Creative Every Day...........

 

 I have learned, as a rule of thumb, never to ask whether you can do something. Say, instead, that you are doing it. Then fasten your seat belt. The most remarkable things follow. ~ Julia Cameron