Category Archives: Fine Art

Distracted Focus: Getting it DONE!

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Backyard Mesquite (C) Wendy Fallon

Backyard Mesquite (C) Wendy Fallon

If what I do best is my passion and creative outlet, shouldn’t that be what I focus my life’s energy on? Shouldn’t it be EASY to give in to what I enjoy? It turns out that life is a balancing act, between what I want to do and what I need to do to support my life (work) and the endless interruptions and distractions. . . that IS (ARE?) Life.

I’ve been reading on the Web about the common characteristics of highly creative people. Not all of it is positive and some of it I reject, but enough of what I’ve read makes sense to me to know that I fall somewhere in the spectrum. (I believe EVERYONE falls somewhere on the creativity spectrum!)

Take one characteristic, that of being easily distracted and quickly bored because the brain is firing faster than the body can act. I believe we all suffer from this occasionally, due to a variety of factors. One cause might be the overstimulation from too much social or electronic media. Another could be today’s habit of multitasking. Either of these could disrupt the concentration of even the most dedicated thinker.

If you are a writer, an artist, or the master of your own specialty, how do you focus your best thoughts on creating something new or unique?

My own approach to this scatter-brained dilemma is as follows. What is yours?

  1. I commit to finishing my project on or within a deadline. Example: I will finish writing and illustrating my next workbook by the end of 2015.
  2. I consciously set aside recurring blocks of time, as consistently as possible, to writing and making art.*
  3. During these times I do not allow myself to read fascinating work by other writers. I am a voracious reader and can spend entire weekends reading a good book. I try to use this addiction to reward myself after I’ve completed a block of my own project.
  4. I turn off the TV and stay off social media (FaceBook, to which I am also addicted.)
  5. I do allow myself downtime in the form of meditation, walking or even short naps. This helps whatever ideas I have tumbling around in my brain to come together, make connections and mature.

*I often ‘show up’ to write or draw, only to find my mind is blank. Doodling or free writing helps me get started. I may struggle to get even the worst results down on paper, but often return later to find my efforts are not as bad as I thought. Even if I only retain a few words, or discard it entirely, it eventually moves the project forward and unblocks my thoughts.

HOW DO YOU FOCUS ON YOUR CREATIVITY?
How have you arranged your life to allow you to work at what you enjoy? Are you working at what you love? If not, how do you divide your time between work and ‘play?’ I’d love to hear from you, and would like to include your name and idea in a future book, or on my website.
~ Wendy

 

WordPress vs Blogger: An Artist’s struggle to master social media

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I currently use and maintain a WordPress blog at WendyFallon.com. However, I’ve just learned about the expanded distribution I might receive through Blogger via Google. As an artist and writer, technology is not typically my thing. I’ve often said, and believe, that I can learn and know just enough about social media to make a mess of it. But there’s really only one way to find out, and that’s to jump in and try it.

I’m fascinated by the idea that I just might be able to communicate, even interact with, people from all over the world, essentially for free! So here is just a bit about me.

About Me
In my day job I spend my time formating, editing and writing about software. In my spare time, I write for myself and create art. My latest interests have been publishing my own books through Createspace and  making them available on Amazon, creating book cover art for other published authors, and am currently writing a American Southwest Paranormal Murder Mystery. I love to create scenes and stories in my head and have finally decided to develop one ‘on paper.’

Creative Process
Just as I love hand drawing, I also prefer to hand write my stories rather than type them into my laptop. For me, the whole creative process revolves around pencil and paper, scribbles, drawings and bubble diagrams. I think this is because it involves my right brain functions much more than typing does and allows me the posibility of forming three dimesional characters and worlds from a two dimensional piece of paper, just as painting or drawing does. I am actually conscious of the grain of the paper and the sharpness, or dullness, of the pencil. Often I’ll finish up a writing session and have several doodles in the margins.

Opinion
Blogger is certainly easy to set up, change colors, fonts, and backgrounds. WordPress was also easy to set up, but not nearly as easy to customize. So far, Blogger is flexible enough to satisfy my inner artist. I’ve succesfully uploaded an imaage of a few of my doodles to my first post on Blogger. However, I’m having trouble ‘sharing’ my Blogger post with the world. It looks like this may take more investigation. ~ Wendy

My Newest Cover Art for ‘Betrothal, Betrayal, and Blood’, by JoAnna Senger

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Copyright 2015 JoAnna Senger

*** Next Projects ***

Two New Workbooks from Wendy Wickham Fallon

Beginning Drawing for Adults Who Think They Can’t

An Introduction to Drawing

The first goal of this Workbook is to teach you to draw. It includes the following basic concepts that should be a part of any beginning drawing class.

  1. Gesture Drawing
  2. Straight Lines and Curves
  3. Simple Shapes
  4. Drawing Complex Objects Using Simple Shapes

Encouraging Creativity & Self-Confidence

Learning the basics of hand drawing, however, is not the most important goal of this Workbook. The foremost function of this class is to provide you with step-by-step exercises that encourage you to exercise your right brain. In doing so, you should be able to loosen up and relax about your own perceived lack of skill or training, and encourage self-confidence in what is possible for you to accomplish in your own life.

Drawing the American Southwest

How to draw the Animals & Cacti of the Arizona-Sonora Desert.

I’ll keep you posted about my progress with each of these Workbooks. I’m also writing an American Southwest Paranormal Murder Mystery! Stay tuned, and thank you for reading.

~ Wendy

Tucson Festival of Books

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I’m excited to join my Desert Sleuths friends and authors from across the country for a free, public celebration of reading and literacy at the Tucson Festival of Books, March 14 and 15, University of Arizona, Tucson. Free admission, parking, and public wi-fi. Learn more about this amazing opportunity at http://bit.ly/1DcbAMm.

I will be signing my new book,
SixInnerArtist_frontcover8BSM2My Six-Year-Old Inner Artist, Everybody has one! 

Get a sneak peak at my next project, Your Six-Year-Old Inner Artist Dream Journal, a Workbook

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My First Book Published

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You are all getting a sneak peak at my latest project,
My Six-Year-Old Inner Artist

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(Draft Cover)

The book is based on my belief that all of us have a creative component (our right-brain functions, or inner artist), that acts as our survival gene.

I credit my inner artist with my emotional, financial and creative recovery after
losing everything in the latest, greatest recession.  Having co-founded an art gallery with exhibit space, classrooms, and artists’ studios, with a former business partner, the loses were particularly devastating. Not only did we lose the Gallery, I lost my income, financial security, benefits, friendships, and my family
lost our home.

Find out how my family and I rebuilt our lives, and how my inner artist contributed to finding not only new employment, but a new direction.

Scheduled Publishing Date: Dec. 1, 2014
Title: My Six-Year-Old Inner Artist

Planting Grass in the Desert & Bird-Doggin’

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When we moved into our new-to-us house last year I wasn’t sure I would like it. One year later, both Tim and I are celebrating life in what has become a comfortable and secure home. What made the difference?

The most amazing things about this home include grass in the backyard and the multitude of hummingbirds that live along the canal that runs behind us. But best of all, this home has actually improved our lives in ways I could not imagine.

I’ve always had my writing and art to keep me busy and enrich my life, but Tim and I have had very few activities in the last several years that we could enjoy together. Tim had almost nothing outside of work at which he could relax and enjoy…until he became intrigued with nurturing and creating a lawn…growing grass.

He rakes, sprays weeds, waters and inspects just about every blade of grass in the backyard…and beware all birds! If caught feasting on the banquet of multiple layers of grass seed you will be subject to sudden scare tactics. Tim fully expects all of us to take part in protecting his domain…including Daisy, our mini-doxie.

So, the positives about this home are the creation of hobbies: creating a beautiful green lawn for Tim, caring for and feeding the hummers for the both of us, and bird-doggin’ for Daisy. Except Daisy isn’t into bird-doggin’…she just enjoys watching Daddy dash outside and run around the yard flapping his arms.

Daisy, the Hotdog Dog

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Daisy and I enjoyed a beautiful break outside this morning, relaxing in cooler temperatures, and she in her signature position on her own lounger.

The pose below is known in our house as the ‘The Sphinx,’ or sometimes ‘Chicken Legs.’ To my daughter’s young ESL students in S. Korea, Daisy is known as the ‘Hotdog Dog’ accompanied by much giggling and merriment. She certainly has her own personality!

The View from My Kitchen Table

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As I was eating breakfast this morning I gazed out my kitchen window, thinking about how the angle of the sun had dropped. Not in those exact words, mind you. I was noticing how long the shadows were so early in the day.

In the Southwest, longer shadows translate into cooler weather and looking out at my backyard the view was perfect. It was one of those visions that encourage you to daydream, or imagine there might be some place just like this in a ‘far off place’ where you could retire to perfection.

It struck me quite suddenly that this was reality, why dream about it? The grass is not always greener elsewhere. I was reminded to count the blessings I already have and was inspired to capture my view on paper in pencil. Now if I could just bottle it…

South Mountain, AZ © Wendy Fallon

Twisted Strength

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I had the opportunity to sit at the back of my yard in the shade and enjoy a cooling breeze. While there I drew the mesquite tree below that grows along the canal. It is home to a very active community of ground squirrels.

I’ve written about how much I like these trees before, but this one is amazingly gnarled and twisted. Such character and strength this tree exudes!

Curiously, when planted as part of a landscape design in the American Southwest, it is recommended that the canopy be trimmed approximately 20% before the monsoon season to force its roots to go deep in search of water. This would prevent the wind gusts of the monsoon storms from grabbing hold of the canopy and twisting it in all directions or even causing the tree to be uprooted.

I don’t believe this tree has ever been trimmed, except by the ground squirrels while munching on the canopy up as far as their 8-12” stance on hind legs can reach. I suspect this tree has held up to the wind all on its own, twisting its trunk into amazing expressions. I love this show of strength, and the cooperative function between the tree, its environment, and the ground squirrel clan.