Time Out!

Why is it so difficult for artists to take an honest-to-goodness day off? I'm not talking about knocking off studio work for an afternoon, but rather not going near the studio for an entire day. Nor am I talking about using said "time off" to catch up on reading art magazines, or updating one's web site portfolio. Nope, I'm referring to treating oneself to an entire day of indolence -- maybe lolling on the sofa watching TV, or parking ourselves in a rocking chair and reading a good novel.

Maybe it's because many of us can't imagine spending an entire day without doing something artsy. That's how I feel, and from what several artist friends tell me, they do too. It might be an activity as simple as making a greeting card with leftover paper scraps and a glue stick. Or idly doodling in the margins of the morning newspaper. The creative impulse never wants to take a vacation, it would seem. Problem is, we need down time just as much as any one else to keep our imagination stoked. A "rest break" usually results in a rush of new ideas to pursue. An overworked mind is not productive, it's just tired. It needs a break as much as our bodies do. That old saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," is certainly true. No one will label us slackers if we gift ourselves with a day of doing nothing. Still need validation? Then consider this: even God took the seventh day off!

©2018 Lynn Edwards 

Artist Tip: Super Easy Brush Cleanup

Sometimes we can't always clean our brushes immediately after painting with acrylics. Here's how to make cleanup much easier when you do get around to it: add a small amount of Murphy Oil Soap*to the water you're resting your brushes in. (A teaspoon should do it.) You'll find the paint washes out of the bristles more readily, making cleanup go much faster.

*I'm in no way connected to the makers of this product and receive no compensation from them. They don't even know I exist.  Murphy's happens to be the best brush cleaner I have ever come across, and is indispensable in my studio .