 Off to a good start in 2019!
It looks like 2019 is going to be another exciting year in LAA! Our first meeting of the year had a demonstration by Edward Aldrich on Painting Animals. He wowed the crowd and his workshop was filled by the next morning! I attended the first Dabbler with our own Dianne Widom, where we had great fun pouring watercolors and gesso to create delightful abstracts! Thank you, Dianne, for showing us a new and interesting technique. I have been looking at the lineup of demonstrations, Dabblers, and workshops. It’s going to be hard to choose which ones to attend as they all look so unique. A great thanks to the team that worked so hard to give us this terrific selection. The registrations to join the LAA are coming in daily! If you haven’t signed up yet, head to our website to register, so you can keep receiving our newsletters, have access to our many benefits, such as workshops, AIPP, shows, and more. Another wonderful New Year’s gift to the LAA was all of the new volunteers who have stepped forward to make a difference for all of us. Without all of our volunteers, we would not be able to provide all of the programs we offer. There are still openings for volunteers that are listed here and on our website. We have so many opportunities for our members because of all of you who step forward and give of yourselves. Think about what you can do to support us and make this your year to make a difference. As you have heard me say, my motto for 2019 is “Keep LAA Strong!”. —Anne Happy New Year!
I love the excitement of starting the New Year! To me, it seems like a time to refine, re-focus, and rejuvenate myself. If you are like me, you may find yourself as an artist feeling “stuck” from time to time. So, for my 3 “R’s” in 2019, I want to open up my creative self. I just came across a book titled “ Creative Strength Training” by Jane Dunnewold. Jane says regarding the subject of creativity…”I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say rather wistfully, ‘I’m not creative.’ When I hear a statement like that, I think to myself, No one has ever shown you where to begin. Because the fact is, creativity, like any skill, can be cultivated. It takes a healthy combination of focused commitment and strength training, knowledge and stamina.” I was intrigued by this idea. Many people think that only certain people are blessed with the gift of creativity. Jane dismisses that idea, stating that in all disciplines, whether athletics, music, or art, we achieve by setting a course of learning and practicing. Jane states, “Making begins as play, then gets serious because you start to care. You recognize the need for regular reps or practice and screw up your courage to commit. What happens? You come full circle. Stick with the training. Working at it leads back to play.” My New Years wish for all of you is to take your eyes off producing a piece of art and make your goal be creativity for creativity ‘s sake and for the delight it can bring to your soul. https://www.artistsnetwork.com/store/creative-strength-training - Anne  How fast this year has gone by! We have had exciting new developments in LAA this year!
—Anne  The Why Vs. The What At our last member meeting, I threw out a few questions for all of us to ponder. These were some of the questions: “Why are we here? Why does the LAA exist? Why are you and I part of the LAA?” So why do I ask these questions? The answers to these questions might seem obvious to you. We have a mission statement, so I guess that’s why LAA exists. We are all here because we are artists. And we each have various reasons why we are part of the LAA. I began with the LAA to enter a show, then I enjoyed the workshops, and now because of my involvement, I see the big picture. So… What is the big picture? Why does the LAA exist? And where do you fit in that big picture? I recently listened to a TED talk, where the speaker spoke about the companies that thrived and moved forward vs. those that stayed the same, stagnated or went backwards. Guess what? The difference between progressive companies vs. stagnating companies was not for the reasons one might think. The difference was that the companies that were growing and thriving were not asking themselves “What should we do next?” They were asking “Why? Why do we exist?” Once they were clear about the “why”, the rest of the pieces fell into place. The “what” then came more easily and made more of a difference. On the board, we frequently return to that question: Why? This helps us to set goals, to decide directions to head in that will benefit the LAA. I would love to hear from our members why you are part of the LAA. How does it make your life better and how can you make the LAA better? - Anne |
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February 2019
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Louisville Art Association • A Non-Profit Art Organization • PO Box 852 • Louisville, CO 80027 |
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