DIY Business Cards

Oops! I made a *little bitty* mistake and didn't order new business cards in time for the Buckman Show & Sell this weekend! But it all worked out because I just spent the evening making these little cards instead, so everyone that picks up my card gets a tiny original piece of my art.

I started the same way I start all of my work on paper--with a soft but colorful watercolor wash on a nice heavy watercolor paper. Then I cut them to size, covered all of the edges in ink, and stamped each one with a collection of hand-carved stamps I made for a new series of paintings I'm working on. I'm thinking of doing a little experiment and leaving them slightly mysterious--there is no extra information on the back. I may change my mind though before the show starts. What do you think?

Buckman Mural--Finished!

Wow, it's been a busy summer! I finished the mural at Buckman Elementary school, have done more portraits and work for my clients, am getting ready to start another new business (more details soon!), and have been running around playing with Indigo while she's out of school. It's been a lot of fun, but Indigo and I are both looking forward to the routine of school starting up again in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I promised pictures of the mural!

Are you interested in a mural of your own? You'll be your kids' hero forever with their room painted in shades of awesome! Or what about something in another part of your house or business? Send me an email for rates and more details! leak@leakarts.com

Morning Ritual Re-visited

"Flyaway," 2010, by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

There are certain times of day when the Muse is strongest. For every person it is different. For me, I learned a long time ago that early in the morning and late in the evening are the most creative. Then one of my teachers in college said to me, "Schedule a time every day to create, and your creativity will just start showing up." It took me a long time to get a regular practice, but I have found that for the most part she was right.

As a single mom who runs her own business, plus picks up a lot of odd jobs cleaning and helping out other artists and artisans, my days are incredibly irregular. Finding blocks of studio time on a daily basis is next to impossible, so I fit them in whenever I can. But I do have one block of time every single day--the early morning.

About 2 years ago I started this ritual: I set my alarm for at least an hour before my daughter wakes up for school. Dreary-eyed and fighting against every ounce of myself that wants to stay in bed, I pull myself up and put some coffee on (I am an addict, I admit). I flip through my iPod to find some music that fits my mood (TIRED), and pull out my sketchbook. I used to just draw anything that popped into my head, but recently I started something new.

At the end of every morning session, before I go wake Indigo up, I put a watercolor wash on the NEXT page in my sketchbook. The next morning, I pull out the watercolor from the day before, and stare into it to see what I can see. Whatever image appears is the one I draw. Once I have divined the image, I spend several more mornings on the piece until it is finished. I also use this morning time to play with different mediums and mix them together in new (for me) ways.

What about you? Do you have a daily ritual that helps support, maintain, or inspire your creativity?