The Blog Has Moved

Just a reminder that my blog is being hosted on a new site.  Go check out my latest posts at this link. www.katerobertsonstudios.com/blog

My New Website

Hello faithful readers. The time has arrived. I can now say that Kate Robertson Studios is ready for your leisurely viewing. The new address is

http://www.katerobertsonstudios.com.

Queen of Creativity blog along with Safe Harbor Coaching and all my other interests will now be included on one comprehensive site. Welcome to my new home.

A note to subscribers to my newsletter. I'll be moving all of you over to a new list. If you want to receive the free gifts included though you will need to sign up again on the new website. Those free gifts include my ebook "How To Get Your Creative Mojo Back."

It's been a long haul from the initial concept to hiring Kim LeClair to help me develop a plan. It's been more than a year. I let it slide for awhile when I planned and then took my trip to Ireland. Kim was fantastic, she is a great idea person. She helped me discover what I wanted my site to be and gave me the tools to make it happen. Without her guidance through the maze of theme choices and the intricacies of Wordpress. I never would have finished it. I have learned oh so much this past year. I couldn't have done it without you Kim, thank you so much.

I'd also like to thank my coach Ginny Lennox who helped keep me on task. Creating this baby was a huge undertaking but by breaking it down into small steps it did become manageable. Your guidance really made a difference, thank you.

Enjoy the new site and don't forget to bookmark it so you can visit again.

Be The Heroine In Your Own Story

In  my novel my main character Caitlin is on a mission. She is searching for her father, the father she thought was dead. It involves a long quest across strange lands with many new trials. In the current scene I am writing she has been captured by yet another group of brigands who seem bent on preventing her from reaching her goal.

When I think about this story I can't help but think of my own dreams. They are like taking a long journey or like a quest in a fantasy novel. If you were to think of your dream as a fantasy novel, what stage would you be at. I asked myself these questions.
Have I just left my home?
Has the bad guy shown up yet?
Do I make foolish mistakes?
Do I get frustrated the first time something goes wrong.
Do I have the guts and drive of a warrior to keep going?
What do I do when all hope seems lost?

I can relate to all these questions to my own creative journey. The parallels are interesting. I have often heard that we are the heroine in our own stories. I like the sound of that. When I get the most frustrated I need to remind myself I am the heroine, and the heroine does not give up.  She dusts off her bow or her sword and she tackles those getting in her way again and again.  I have long believed that creativity is a process, a series of steps. You just don't sit down and create a masterpiece the first time out.

If the heroine of my story reached her goal in the first fifty pages, what fun would that be. We want to be able to see her struggle, to gain insight by those struggles and for her to persevere in the end. Its the same way with our own creative projects. We learn so much in the process. If I didn't struggle to make a piece of art, it would be flat and lifeless. It's in the whole process where we lay out our emotions out in the paint that adds the layer and depth to paintings that we love. Where would Van Gogh's work be without the angst of his life. The more I think about this the more I realize both art and writing teach us in the same way. We can be the heroine in our own stories.

If you were look at your creative dream as if it were a fantasy novel, what part of the story are you in right now?

A Chartres Style Labyrinth

I created this labyrinth for the mandala course I have been taking.  I have been wanting to draw this labyrinth for awhile. I was amazed how long it took me, but I really like the results. I used Caran d'ache watercolor pencils for the color and water of course. All the dots were made with a gel pen. I used some De_Atramentis turquoise ink and a dip pen for the journaling. This ink was fabulous to work with.

I've got few changes coming up on the blog. Creating content for the art show I doing in July leaves little time for other art that I can show on the blog.  I have decided to mix things up a bit. Doing this show has been quite a journey so far. On Monday's if I have no art from the weekend I'll be talking about my experiences of preparing for a big art show like this. On Wednesdays I will talk about writing in some form and Fridays I'll be sharing art.

New Website

I am still fine tuning my new website.  I hope to announce the new address soon. I'll be moving the blog to that site too.  It will be a comprehensive site that combines my coaching site, my own art and my blog. I think you will all really like it.

Express Your Creativity Week 15

Welcome to Express Your Creativity. Here you can share paintings, sketches, art journal pages, poetry, photography, fiber arts like knitting and weaving, favorite recipes, organizational and decorating ideas, and more. The only requirement is that it is something that you have created in some way. I hope you will join me here and please pass it on. Please make sure to list your posts url and not your blogs url. This makes it easier for any late comers to find your post. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Linky, this is how it works. You type in your name in the first box and the url/link to your post, not your blog address about your creative efforts this week. When you return your name will already be populated, you just need to paste in the new posts link.

I have created a blog button for those participating who might want to post this on your blog. You'll find it on the sidebar to your right.

In this months Mandala magic we are in the labyrinth stage. Part of the process was to create a dream catcher in our journals. I created mine with Neocolor II watercolor crayons. I used Prismacolor colored pencils to add a little more color. I find that adding colored pencil on top of other work makes it richer. I'll add journaling to the page next.

Now its  your turn to share any creativity from the week.

Monarch Butterfly's

This week I have been busy working on the new website I have been developing. Its been a really long process. I have literally been working on this for months. Things are finally starting to pull together but still there is so much to finish up. Just when you think we are done there are a million little details that need fixing. Its seems like an endless task.

I have also been working on some paintings for the show I am doing in July.  So I have art but nothing that I can really show you. So perhaps some photos will do.

I thought I would show you some monarch butterfly pics I took last summer.

Writual Blessings

I drew this mandala in my sketchbook yesterday at church. I started with the spiral in the center and kept going.  It was a relaxing way to listen to the sermon and keep my hands busy.  I have been drawing in church for so long now that I don't think I could sit there without doing something.

On Saturday I got my Writual Blessings Deck. These cards are from writing coach Cynthia Morris. They are a deck for writers. They come in a nice organza bag and have delightful illustrations and words of wisdom.

The card use Cynthia's own watercolor illustrations. They are charming and delightful. I think they will be great to use.

Here is another one. They are the size of an iPhone, so they fit nicely into your purse to take to a writing date. You can get your own set here

Express Your Creativity Week 14

Welcome to Express Your Creativity. Here you can share paintings, sketches, art journal pages, poetry, photography, fiber arts like knitting and weaving, favorite recipes, organizational and decorating ideas, and more. The only requirement is that it is something that you have created in some way. I hope you will join me here and please pass it on. Please make sure to list your posts url and not your blogs url. This makes it easier for any late comers to find your post. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Linky, this is how it works. You type in your name in the first box and the url/link to your post, not your blog address about your creative efforts this week. When you return your name will already be populated, you just need to paste in the new posts link.

I have created a blog button for those participating who might want to post this on your blog. You'll find it on the sidebar to your right.

I saw these in someones post and they looked so cool.  I was about to order from Dick Blick so I picked 3 of my favorite colors and added them to my order. They came on Wednesday. Oh my I am in love with these pens. Now I need every color. They are made by Derwent and are called graphic line painters and they come in 20 colors. The paint flows out of them beautifully. I am including two videos showing these in action. Oh the possibilities for using these are endless.

I made this collage over a painted background. The image seemed to fit with the background but also seemed to fit the upcoming holiday.

Now its your turn to share.

What Is Urban Sketching

Aa you know I am a big fan of Sketchbook Skool and Urban sketching in general. I found this video yesterday and it really explains what urban sketching is. Some of the sketches I do qualify and some do not. You will find out more by watching. Its a great discussion. Don't let the title fool you, urban sketching doesn't even have to be in an urban setting. It means documenting the world as you find it. I hope you enjoy the discussion between Danny Gregory and Jason Das.

This sketch I created from a postcard so of course it doesn't qualify but its still a fun sketch. It is called Men an tol Madron, Cornwall, England. Cornwall is a place I would love to visit.