about the august-made-me-do-it project
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together ”
— Vincent Van Gogh
I can’t believe it is almost August!
Time for another month of daily paintings.
Summer is HOT in Needles, California. And I mean HOT. Before we had our daughter, my husband and I would spend all of our free time at the river. It didn’t matter how hot it was, we'd head out every chance we got with only an ice chest and maybe some sunscreen. We still frequent the river, but bringing shade, wrestling sunscreen on a kiddo, and making sure everyone is adequately hydrated and safe takes a little of the fun out of it and just isn't something we can do every day.
Last year, with such a lil’ babe, I knew we'd be spending the majority of the hottest summer month inside. So began the August project. The plan was made to paint everyday for the month of August. The goal was to use pastels, ink, and charcoal (all the supplies I had but hardly used) along with watercolors to create a small painting each day. I called the project "Mix the Media Month" and looking back at the paintings created during this time, It's obvious that it was a bit of a pivotal period of creativity for me. I focused primarily on washy watercolor skies, desert scenery and a few beachy-scapes thrown in the mix. The first Gilded Deserts were made during the project and I probably would have never tried to paint a Tea-dyed Desert if it wasn’t for this challenge.
I was also able to connect with other artists trying to carry out a daily practice of art making and felt surrounded and welcomed by an inspiring community. If you are an artist trying to find your "thing", try a daily challenge like this. Making the commitment and keeping it small is a great way to ease into making art a habit. There hasn't been a full week since July 2018 that I haven't painted something and I have this challenge to thank!
This year, a whole group of us are going to participate on Instagram. Whether you are a fellow creative wishing to participate, or if you just want to see what we create during the month follow the hashtag #augustmademedoit to share in the fun.
XO
Bethany