motivationillustration-blog

[motivationillustration-blog]

THE ARTIST'S MANIFESTO – Notes to self

Success is about transmuting and re-configuring the information we receive. Previously I believed that life was about “dealing with” situations, putting my head down and “getting through” things. But, isn't there a more creative way to face the issues that befall us? What about that long forgotten childhood diversion, imagination!

It is not, more responsible to be realistic. In fact I would say that it is less so: less productive, less empowering, less, less, less. I would go as far as to say that it is more akin to self harming, as you are overexerting your body, storing stress within, and ultimately hurting yourself, and hindering your well-being, not to mention your capacity to brainstorm your way out of your predicament!

I have recently taken the active decision to, in facing challenges, picture exactly the opposite feeling and invoke it into my body, letting difficulty be a catalyst for bringing about change and beauty. It is said that the Lotus flower is born out of the mud after all. I sometimes feel that the hand of fate and it's grip on us, when it brings misfortunes, tightens to ignite our resistance, and strengthen us in our resolve. I choose to believe that misfortunes are necessary, inasmuch as we need them to grow, and until they are no longer called for. They are tools of ascension, and I welcome their message, acknowledge, use, discard.

Make life a game! Instructions read: not to be taken too seriously. You have the power, and can train yourself to flip the switch in any given situation. Think whatever you want about it! Dare to outrageously exert your will, be an artist, and create your own brand of beauty on the canvas of your reality!

Nothing will come of nothing. Dare mighty things.

Shakespeare has spoken.

& I’ll follow up with a traditional:

MUA!

Lala

#MUA #shakespeare #creative writing #My writing #writting #writing #writers on tumblr #writers #prose #self love #empower yourself #self worth #manifesting #manifesto #artist #watercolour art #Watercolour Illustration #watercolour #watercolor #dare #daydreaming #dream big #imagine #imagination

[motivationillustration-blog]

@violetchachki here is a slice of pinup, stepford wives perfection, with those burlesque undertones! "Pain is beauty and I'm the prettiest." “I am a one-of-a-kind collectible.“ I love people who are fearless, authentic and unappologetic, and this girl here takes the cake (although, she probably never eats it. Just saying 🍑) One of my all time fav RuPaul alumni. Keep it shady! Mua! Lala

Time elapsed: 6 hrs

#violet #violet chachki #RPDR #rpdr7 #winner #queen #drag #drag queen #burlesque #portraiture #portrait #watercolour #watercolour art #watercolor #Watercolour Illustration

[motivationillustration-blog]

Hot gluegun mess! @mrkatedotcom Santa! I'll take a copy please! 💗💗💗 Ps. Oops, I gave Kate a gaptooth! . . . . I wanted to throw something up, even if it were incomplete or a bit splotchy! Focusing on the details stresses me out, it feels like getting stuck in a box. The more I try for my illustrations to be minutely realistic, the more I freeze up! I'm trying something new with these next watercolour practices and that is loosening the grip those lines have on me, and embracing the imperfections. That goes much better with my actual outlook on life, and why should I seek perfection on someone elses terms? I'm all about celebrating otherness, and I want that to be apparent in my painting aswell. Developing my own visual language, is very much something I aspire to. So here goes one step in that direction, splotches and all! MANTRA: I trust the process, and the mistakes that come from taking risks are only there to guide me, and sharpen my resolve. Ps. If you don't know Mr. Kate, do yourself a favour and watch her youtube channel, it's bubbly, goofy, cretive weirdo loveliness! Always makes my day that little bit lighter* Mua! Lala

Time elapsed: 4 hrs

#katealbrecht #mrkate #because why not #creativewomen #creativeweirdo #portraiture #portrait #goofy

[motivationillustration-blog]

Nature is our chapel 🌱 And trust the unknown Fathomable imagination Surrender to future @bjork From girl to woman to ethereal, otherworldly, and yet, earthly being. Her music tells a story of growth and exploration. Some people's journey through life is truer and braver than others. Some people are a force of nature, the wild wind and the roaring waves crashing on a jagged coast, uncontainable, violent expression in a supple human form. Fragility and power. What beauty stems from that contradiction! Inextricably, it reminds me of that pinch of magic, that touch of maddness, spirit, and desire that tends to want to lay asleep within. She's alive! I felt like Frankenstein with this one, bringing his monster to life. Uff!! It took me forever to trust my hand and eye enough, to want to lay a single layer of paint down, so the process drew out endlessly! I'm glad I got through it, and maybe the next time it will be easier, and the next time easier still, until the challenges are only really fantastically big things and a joy to tackle with a confident brush stroke and an open mind! I love how she looks like Ofelia on the cover of this @dazed magazine, by @truekanda, floating on wreaths of flowers, transfixed. I couldn't help myself to give it a try. Musical, mystical, muse. Flow. Mua! Lala

Time elapsed (including passive work involving me stressing about actual work haha): 10 hrs

#bjork #biofilia #portrait #portraiture #ofelia #dazed #dazed magazine #nature

[motivationillustration-blog]

HASHTAG NO!

It's important to be positive, that is an undeniable fact. Positive thinking is on the rise and I couldn't be happier. I myself am fighting for a more aligned, more honest, healthier planet, where fear slowly dissipates and people can live their truest highest purposes. Starting with the woman in the mirror! Obvs.

One of the most beautiful quotes by Maya Angelou I have ever heard reads: “There’s a place in you that you must keep inviolate. You must keep it pristine, clean so that nobody has the right to curse you or treat you badly. Nobody. No mother, father, no wife, no husband, nobody.” I'll add, not even yourself. That is the seat of your power. An infinite space from which all creative force flows.

We are the ones that put the greatest limits on ourselves. Realizing this and taking responsibility for your own story is one of the most important breakthroughs you can have in life.

One of the things that has become apparent to me in the recent time nonetheless, is that what we call negative emotions: discomfort, anger, frustration, all have their place in the equation. We tend to vilify those feelings and want to forcibly put them out of our mind, and so fall into the pursuit of activities that lead us away from so called suffering, but also astray from our goals, and our better selves.

I find that, my most empowering mantra in the recent days has been “NO”. What better way to combat the lies we tell ourselves than with a big fat NO! I'm not good enough, NO! Nobody loves me, NO! This will do, NO! I'm too scared, NO!

I agree that anything can be trained, through repetition and practice. YES! A positive self image, a feeling of self-empowerment, the sense of possibility. All those things! But when doubt comes rearing it's ugly head, or someone comes along and challenges your sense of worth, it doesn't make you inherently bad to tell them to fuck off. NO! You draw the line and set the standards for your own life. Don't be afraid to stand by them.

Some reflections for the week.

Mua!

Lala

#motivation #motivational #motivating quotes #maya angelou #thepowerofno #positivethinking #empowerment #empower yourself #bestself #selflove #self love #highestpurpose #purpose #drive #self worth

[motivationillustration-blog]

Tangerine queen! All hail the women who bring colour to the world! 🌈🍊

@foreveryoursbettyswollocks-blog is a good place to start if what you're looking for is a heavy dose of saturated colour and perk!

Revolutionize life on your own terms! Loov et! Mua, Lala

Time elapsed: 8 hrs

#foreveryoursbetty #foreveryours #Lala #my art #watercolour art #artists on tumblr #artist #inthemaking #practice #pencil #watercolour #Watercolour Illustration #tangerine

[motivationillustration-blog]

"You are an eternal dreamer, dreaming non eternal dreams" 💡

Short and sweet. Dream big tonight kids, and always! Mua! Lala

Time elapsed: 3 hrs

#daydream #daydreaming #dreams #dream life #dream #dreamcatcher #dreambig #watercolour art #watercolor #Watercolour Illustration #watercolour

[motivationillustration-blog]

THE SOMNAMBULIST

Through the roller coaster experience that is life it is nice to arrive at a moment of clarity, when you gather together all that has happened and see it as a cohesive story. Furthermore, find it becoming the fire that fuels you towards your goals. Sometimes what you see as your biggest curses reveal the greatest wisdom, and uncover your truest drive. That moment, that revelation, comes with great certainty. Certainty of purpose, which in comparison with your passive somnambulist existence, feels like a fever within a lucid dream, ever so slightly discomforting at first. So, you've woken up.

Once, you get the big doubts out of your system, the twirling and whirling, the burning and bruising, you start to trust in who you really are, and that shit is priceless.

Most people live empty lives, therefore a feeling of fullness can be frightening. We are addicted to the pain, the helplessness, and the surrender. That's why we end up living our lives as less than. Less than we imagined, less than we wanted. When really there's no reason we should ever settle.

Truly the purest form of truth are our desires of what we want for ourselves. Being small is an addiction, one we like going back to, and if we are lacking in conviction to become our dream selves, life will show us the way to grow stronger in it. The only thing to remember is not to mistake those pressures for meaningless punishment, or senseless suffering, but acknowledge them as signals, leading us where we want to go.

So yes, embracing who you really are is cool, but it comes with a challenge, and that challenge is overcoming who you have currently set your mind on being. The legends are true, old habits die hard, but as Lao Tzu said water will wear away rock, so drip, drop, and guess who comes out on top!? Be water my friends.

Much love to all.

Mua!

Lala

#sleepwalking #sleepwalker #wakeup #truecalling #findyourself #findyourinspiration #desire #motivation #motivational #bewater #bewatermyfriend #lao tzu #bestself

[motivationillustration-blog]

Lenin in the streets Dostoyevsky in the sheets Baby, are you ready for this cold war? Katya zamolodchikova @katya_zamo . . . . . Making up for 10 years of misplaced enthusiasm is weird. I feel like that 12 year old boy who just discovered what his dick is for. Also, can you assess what quantifies an obsession? I decided to marry both in this watercolor practice, as I am obseeeeeessed with this kween! I have literally binge watched all the episodes of UNHhhh twice over, and I'd do it again!

Time elapsed: 5 hrs Lala Over and out!

#katya zamolodchikova #katya #teamkatya #rpdr #rpdr all stars #unhhhh #youtuber #watercolour art #watercolor #Watercolour Illustration #watercolour #artist #artists on tumblr #my art #art #allstar #yas kween #drag

[motivationillustration-blog]

Fruity! The embodiment of Marie Antoinettish joie de vivre, taking bites out of life as if it were a ripe watermelon! 🍉 There, whenever I need a fresh intake of Technicolor joyfulness and lots of free spirited silliness!

Thought I'd use one of my all time favourite creative ladies @mirandamakaroff an endless inspiration for watercolor portraits. She is all colour after all! By all means, check her out on ista, she needs no further introductions #magic

Total time elapsed: 5 hrs Mua! Lala

#fruity #girlboss #technicolor #mirandamakaroff #instadaily #instagramer #influencer #watercolour art #watercolour #watercolor #Watercolour Illustration #illustrator #Illustration #illustrators on tumblr #marie antoinette

[motivationillustration-blog]

When lipstick and heels become the armour for a force of nature, and the mysterious allure of the female form a heavenly intoxication. Dita Von Teese 💋

After switching gears to watercolour this month, I had to pretty much jump start my engine into motion! And here is the first fruit of my arduous labours 🍓 the devine burlesque diva par excellance! My first pick of insta favourites for this month, and my self imposed November portrait challenge. @ditavonteese

I'll leave you with some of her words, to better shine a light on her persona, than I could with mine, given the early hours of the morning:

"You can be the ripest, juciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be someone who hates peaches."

"Ignore the critics. Only mediocrity is safe from ridicule. Dare to be different!"

"Heels and red lipstick will put the fear of God into people." //

Diosa. Indiscutiblemente.

Total time elapsed: 6 hrs

Sweet dreams dreamers! Mua! Lala

#dita von teese #dita #beautiful #beauty mark #body positive #perfect body #carousel #old hollywood #hollywood #vintage #burlesque #watercolor #watercolour art #Watercolour Illustration #watercolour

[motivationillustration-blog]

Splish, splosh! Getting to know my watercolours again. Felt inspired with this black and white image I found & decided to bring it to life with the brightest of colours! 

Also, as I'm finding resistance with the medium, I find that doing some disorderly watercolor doodles helps to find the fun in it again. 💚

Time elapsed: 3 hrs Mua! Lala

#louisianamama #splosh #watercolor #watercolour art #Watercolour Illustration #watercolour #portrait #portraiture #practice #art #artist #artist on tumblr

[motivationillustration-blog]

Pouty and petit.

In my warm up for a make belive November watercolor mini challenge (just doesn't have the same ring to it as Inktober, does it? Hah), I dug up some of my firsts from earlier this year. Like this feisty little critter. It's kind of scary going back to watercolor, after all that ink! But pushing myself through sleepless nights, and moreover looking back through bloodshot eyes I can still clearly see all I was able to gain from the strain, in the past month alone!

Super excited to carry on destroying my body for the sake of art! jk 😆 I drink kombucha, so, all good!

Time elapsed: 4 hrs Mua! Lala

#petite #petit #pouty #rodent #watercolor #watercolour art #Watercolour Illustration #watercolour #inkdrawing #prairie #prairie dog

[motivationillustration-blog]

Back to basics. One big juicy bite! One sip of sweet dizzying piña colada! 🍍

I called this fantasy fruit portrait "pineapple grenade". I imagined ripping the top off and watching it explode all over the place in fruity sticky goodness. If only things ever escalated as far as a food fight and no further, the world would be one delectable place!

Going back to watercolors for this month. Conjouring up a challenge for myself, as I feel like the pressure helps me stay on track with practicing on a day to day basis and I can keep myself in check better if I have a goal to achieve. November, I'm coming for ya!

Time elapsed: 4 hrs Mua! Lala

#pineapple #grenade #makepeace #not war #foodfight #foodgasm #foodie #foodstagram #fruit #fruitarian #watercolour art #watercolor #Watercolour Illustration #Illustration #illustrator #illustrators on tumblr

[motivationillustration-blog]

Mama eu quero!

Nothing more than fruity kisses this time, from Carmen Miranda. 🍉🍓🍒🍌🍍🍎🍑🍇 Whoops! Had to re-upload this one. Inktober, day 28. Prompt: Carmen Miranda Keep on dreaming of what you want lovlies! For the world, for others, and for yourself!

Total time elapsed: 2hrs Boa noite! Mua, Lala

#carmenmiranda #carmena miranda #Illustration #illustrator #ink #Inktober #inktober2017 #illustrators on tumblr #art #artist #my art #my artwork

[motivationillustration-blog]

THE ART OF FEAR

What is it like to have creative block?

How is it to be bound by a merciless force? A discomfort you are so used to that you have forgotten to pay it any mind, and yet, is an unwelcome lodger in your heart and in your limbs, stiffening them.

Listen to the silent whispers, words of doubt spoken in and of your mind. It follows you and makes so that you never rest in joy or satisfaction, but forever feverishly spin in pursuit of an elusive fulfilment without.

We dare not even speak it's name, for risk of summoning it. Oh, Fear...

As a person who has made a full recovery from more than 6 years of mental illness in my early twenties. I know it all too well. It is my bosom friend, and has kept me too long from my desire to become an artist.

This is what I've learned from overcoming it:

1) DO NOT HIDE IT

It doesn't like to be confined, it is unendingly greedy. This artful phantom will fast hide in a hidden corner, lurking, and waiting to rise up again. There is a strange order in the world wherein you cannot escape your fears. Live from love they say, reject fear, they say. Nonsense! Do not silence it. I say embrace them both! Discover their raison d'etre. Forgive yourself for feeling it, you are not guilty of weakness. It's just a signal to change. Listen carefully to this signal on the road, an indicator to rise up. Now is your chance!

2) BRAVERY IS A MUSCLE

You can develop courage to face even the most unimaginable difficulties, as long as you take it step by step. Give yourself time. Be kind to yourself, and the process can become a game! Wisdom can be attained. Practice doing things that scare you, that you feel the desire to become better at.

3) IT IS NOT REAL

We tend to start believing that fear is a trustworthy indicator, that it will conserve us from harm, and that is a treacherous thought. Do not give it power. Acknowledge it's importance, thank you! Tweak something if need be, and goodbye, go on with your day.

4) A CALL TO ARMS

Fear is not a force that beckons us to inaction, fear is a force that is a call to arms, to charge towards it with all our might and see it vanish before our eyes as the deceitful mirage that it is. It is often there as an opposing force to empower your conviction.

“Lala wanted to be brave for she brought upon herself many calamities. That was her training ground.”

5) BE THE HERO

We spend our lives running away from fear, and there is something to be said about going towards it full on, embracing it, giving in to it. It looses all it's power.

I like thinking of those great heroes of stories often told in fantastical settings, such as that of Frodo and his companions. There is so much wisdom in these made up fables, in their hero's journeys and adventures. Fate is good to those who conquer those fears, and all it takes is practice really. To try and try again, and let not small mindedness hinder your progress.

Good luck to all you warriors out there!

You are brave already!

Mua!

Lala

#fear #fearless #mental illness #mental health #overcome #bravery #youcandoit #creative writing #writting #writing #write #writers on tumblr #my writing #my words #my art

[motivationillustration-blog]

Every schoolboy's fantasy pleasure robot, Joi. Just a quick sketch, as I got back late from watching the new Blade Runner, during which I kept obsessively thinking about painting Sean Young's face, because it's so otherworldly... I decided to go with the rebooted version of the movie after all, this moment was one of my favs, dystopian nekkid hooker vibes, sweet as candy, which I hope to come back to with watercolors in the future, as this whole scene was indisputably, and most colorfully stunning. The mind bogglingly esthetical special effects, visually loaded landscapes, incredibly strong female cast (seriously these bombshells carried the movie), and some pretty memorable isolated scenes, all make it a worth while cinema experience. Still, you can't beat perfection. End of story. A copy of a copy of a copy, and it drags on a little. But that's just myyyyyy humble opinion! 🎶 Still, great to see Harrison Ford and his cheeky flare! Inktober, day 27. Prompt: Blade Runner #becausewhynot Mua! Lala

Time elapsed: 1 hr

#bladerunner #bladerunne2049 #joi #robot #ai #bestscene #hooker #Illustration #illustrator #illustrators on tumblr #art #artist #Inktober #inkdrawing #doodle #flashdoodle