Welcome to My Studio

Posted in Art, Creativity, Dreams, Illustrating, Imagination, Inspiration, Reading, Writing by Cindy Adelle Richard

One line from a section of Julia Cameron’s book stuck out to me, ” As artists, we must learn to create our own safe environments.” For me, that safe environment is my studio. My studios have taken on different forms, mainly dictated by the places where I’ve lived: a corner of a kitchen, a whole living room, a separate room converted into a creative space. I am grateful that I am back in a living space where I can have a separate, dedicated room for my studio. I always know where things are, and whatever is in progress stays where it is. I also love having the ability to shut the door. It is like shutting the door on the outside world so I can enter my creative zone. Today, I am opening the door to share my studio with you!

Art Table/Art Supplies

My dad purchased this glass topped dining room table for me as a housewarming gift when I was in my 20s. While initially I set it up nicely with chairs and table settings, I barely used it. This changed when I decided to make it my art table in the corner of my kitchen in Massachusetts. It was the perfect size for spreading out my art supplies, and it received daily use. I also love that it has a fancy, French vibe with the scroll work (which is very me). I use a tabletop easel for completing my illustration work.

Reading/Writing Chair

I love this cozy chair with the pillows and blanket. It is perfect for reading, and even more perfect for writing. I have a great view of my whole studio from this chair, and often just seeing different parts of the space gets my creative ideas flowing.

Reading Nook

I converted a closet into a cozy reading space. It is filled with pillows and a blanket, and of course, a small bookshelf to house my latest reading projects. I also use this space for meditation. The base of the lap projects moons and stars on the dark walls, and makes it seem more spiritual and mystical.

Tea Bar

Some people have carts for cocktails. I choose to have a cart set up for tea. It contains everything I need to make a great cup of tea – an electric teakettle, tea diffusers, mugs, and different varieties of tea to suit my mood. The best part about it is not having to walk all the way to the kitchen when I want tea, which would wreck my creative flow.

Lighting

Lighting is very important for setting the right mood. I tend to love content that is whimsical and magical, so strategically placed fairy lights, lamps, and candles are vital. This street lamp dripping with hot air balloons is my favorite source of lighting. Right now, I’m burning candles that smell like autumn – crisp leaves, apples, and hints of cinnamon.

Books

No space of mine would be complete without books. These are not just any books though – they are my favorite books to help me stay inspired as I work on creating my own stories. I have a adored books since I starting reading around the age of 3. I have had many interests over the years that have peaked and faded, but my love for books has never waned. This is why I’ve decided to make books the main subject matter of my creative work.

These are the main components that make this a safe space for me to express myself as an artist. Do you have a safe space in your home where you create? If so, please share in the comments. I love hearing about the creative spaces of other artists and creatives.

10Oct2021

I No Longer Want To Be a Shadow Artist

Posted in Art, Creativity, Illustrating, Reading, Self Knowledge, Uncategorized, Writing by Cindy Adelle Richard

Image of Woman with Books Courtesy of: Alisha Firdland firdlandprints.com/Photo by: adellecirca1920

On one of my days off this week, I decided to visit a metaphysical store called Crazy Wisdom Bookstore in Ann Arbor. It is a wondrous place not only filled with books, but crystals, tarot decks, incense, journals, art, and gifts. I went there hoping to find books on art and spirituality, but I couldn’t find any. I decided to ask one of the lovely booksellers for assistance, and she looked up various keywords tied to art and spirituality and nothing was coming up. She was as surprised as I was they don’t have a section of the store devoted to this section. Then she said, “Wait, here’s one. “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron.” I laughed and told her I already have that one. I thanked her and left the bookstore. As I was walking away, I started thinking, maybe that was a sign, a prompt, to return to the “The Artist’s Way.” The book is about creative recovery, and that is what I find myself in need of once again.

When I first delved into “The Artist’s Way” 13 years ago, I had no idea what I wanted or what to expect – all I knew was that I had this overwhelming urge to be creative. So, I dove into the book, reading sections and trying out exercises. I started keeping morning pages and going on scheduled artist’s dates as Julia advised more about morning pages and artist dates here. And eventually, I got back to my love of books and the stories they contain by virtue of participating in these activities. This then led to me:

reading more
learning to write
starting a blog
learning to draw
learning to paint
completing a 365 day art challenge
setting up art studios in my homes
starting an art business

All of these things came about because I embarked on this system of creative recovery, and stuck with it over the years. I realized that I have gotten away from it over the past year – I stopped writing daily morning pages, going on weekly artist’s dates, and creating on a regular basis.

I just read the first essay in “The Artist Way” where Julia Cameron talked about being a shadow artist, which is someone who admires the work of other artist without doing the work of being an artist themselves. This manifests as reading about others, going to museums and galleries, watching movies about artists, supporting the work of artists as agents or representatives, and so on; basically being in a field or pursuing hobbies closely related to the desired field. I’m sorry to admit that I’ve returned to being a shadow artist. I have been flipping through books and admiring the work of others, but I am no longer doing the work myself. There are reasons for this, of course (there always are); like I have a new job that is mentally exhausting and being totally overwhelmed by the scope of the creative project I am undertaking. I still dabble every now and then in my creative work – creating a piece of writing, creating a graphite sketch, working on a painting – but I miss the consistent routine of doing regular creative work. The work of being a true artist.

Now that I have returned to “The Artist’s Way”, I am getting back to basics – doing morning pages, scheduling weekly artist’s dates, and taking small steps on the mammoth story I want to tell (the story of two jazz age bibliophiles in France). I know that I am a Storyteller, but it is time to get back to the work of being a Storyteller. I plan to share my creative recovery, my journey as a Storyteller, on this blog going forward. I am hoping that the entries I share here will help someone else to recover their creativity as well; to stop being a shadow artist, and to start producing the art they long to make.

17Feb2021

The Importance of Play

Posted in Creativity, Imagination, Inspiration, Reading, Self Knowledge, Uncategorized by Cindy Adelle Richard

As I have been struggling to stay productive over these last few months, I have also been contemplating what it means to incorporate play in my life in equal measure. Once we grow up, society basically tells us that play is no longer important for adults; but nothing could be further from the truth.

Play adds a sense of vitality to life – without it, life becomes dull, restrictive, and duty bound. Play helps you to feel more optimistic and creative because you tend to come up with innovative solutions to problems. It is also the foundation of most cultural aspects of our life such as art, games, books, sports, movies, and many more – basically the things we enjoy doing during our free time.

I referred back to the book “Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul” by Dr. Stuart Brown, and I wanted to share some of the insights from that book that stayed with me. One of the activities that Brown recommends is taking a look at your “play history” as both a child and adult to figure out what activities you most enjoy. Some of the questions he advised asking yourself include:

What did you enjoy doing as child? Why?
When have you felt free to do and be what you choose?
Is this part of your life now? If not, why not?
What do you feel stands in the way of your achieving some times of personal freedom?

When I completed my play history, I remembered that I spent a lot of time reading when I was young – my fondest memories involve libraries, book mobiles, and hours curled up in my cubby hole with a good book. Reading is one of the activities I consider to be my form of play now. But there was a period of time in my life where I was not reading on a regular basis, and my life was definitely not very enjoyable. I remember having thoughts like “Is this all there is?” (which is one of the questions that Brown mentions being a common question for people who are mainly just doing what is required in life without having much fun). Then, in 2007, I had a sort of epiphany, and started reading fiction again in earnest. Since I started reading again, my life has certainly changed for the better – I started to attend book related events, met new people that shared my interests, joined a writing center to learn more about the basics of writing, and of course, just started reading for pleasure in general. My other forms of play are also related to storytelling – writing and producing illustrations to accompany my writing.

One of the most compelling chapters in Dr. Brown’s book identifies eight basic play personalities that most people fall into (one is your dominant type) – here are general descriptions of the play personalities:

The Joker – these people love nonsense, practical jokes, and telling jokes; they love to illicit laughter; examples include stand up comedians and class clowns
The Kinesthete – these people love to move; they actually think better when they are moving – examples include athletes, dancers, yoga instructors
The Explorer – these people love going new places, exploring new emotions, or delving deep into things at a mental level through research; examples include frequent travelers and scientists
The Competitor – these people love competitive games and activities with specific rules; they play to win; examples include sports, gambling, sales
The Director – these people enjoy planning and executing scenes and events; they like power, organizing, and throwing grand events; examples include event planners, film directors, entrepreneurs
The Collector – these people enjoy having and holding the most, the best, the most interesting collection of objects or experiences; examples include hobby collectors, flea market lovers
The Creator – these people find joy in making things or making something work; these include artists, crafters, designers
The Storyteller – these people love using their imaginations; enjoy telling stories or reading/experiencing the stories created by others; examples include performers, writers, illustrators, cartoonists

As I mentioned earlier, I identify most with the Storyteller. Which one do you identify with the most? This may be the key to figuring out some activities and hobbies you might consider adding to your life to increase your sense of play.

In summary, we play to bring joy into our lives. And we can do this at any age. As one of my favorite Christmas songs says about the Christmas spirit being for “kids from 1 to 92” – I believe play is for all ages as well.

To learn more about Brown’s research on play, check out his book or visit his website at the National Institute for Play

17Dec2020

2020 Life Updates

Posted in Art, Creativity, Dreams, Inspiration, Peacock Mountain, Uncategorized, Writing by Cindy Adelle Richard

We all know what kind of year 2020 has been, so I am not going to spend much time dwelling on it. I decided instead to share some of the good things that have happened in 2020 since my last post.

Move to Michigan – I moved to Michigan (from Massachusetts) at the end of August (this is the reason I have been so quiet on the blog; it takes a lot of time and energy to move). The idea had been brewing for awhile, and circumstances aligned to make it possible – so I made it happen. It was hard to leave behind my job and friends, but I am excited to be back near my family. I am also happy to be in a place with more diversity and a reasonable cost of living. Now, I am just anxious to find a job and a new place to live.

The Magic Feather – This time without a job has actually been great for my creativity. I started a story called “The Magic Feather” that will be told in the form of an illustrated journal by a young black woman in her early twenties. It will be set near France in the 1920s – some parts will take place in Paris but most parts will take place on a mysterious island called Peacock Mountain. The island is home to an art colony populated by exceptionally talented (and magical) artists, and my protagonist will be a newcomer tasked with chronicling/archiving what is going on. So far, I have written about 11,000 words and I am excited to keep going.

Mind Mapping – I have rediscovered the power of mind mapping for sorting out my thoughts. I have started using them for everything – planning my future, planning the scenes I am about to write, mapping the ideas I want to remember from the books I have read, and much more. I have started keeping them in the same hardbound books I use for journaling, and they are all in the same journal so I will know where to find them when I am ready to refer back to them.

Commonplace Book – I have also created a Commonplace Book to keep up with all of the bits and bobs from my writing projects. Commonplace Books used to be popular before the age of the internet- they basically are like written scrapbooks to keep up with content you want to remember such as quotes, poetry, recipes, lists, song lyrics, and the like. I have tweaked it a bit to also include imagery I find inspiring as well. It feels good to have a tangible book to flip through when I am seeking inspiration for my writing or illustrations.

Storytelling Focus – I have been thinking a lot lately about what the focus of this blog should be going forward. I have so many interests that it can be difficult to narrow things down. However, I think I have got it – I am planning to focus on celebrating the art of storytelling. My own stories and those of others plus story related content in general. I am still working out the particulars, but I feel good about this direction. Stories have always been my true passion, so it makes sense to put my focus on what I truly love. I am hoping to post more frequently too – I’ll start with once ever other week and see if I can work up to weekly posts. Baby steps!

Most Impactful Book – I have read a lot of books during this time of transition, but I decided to share the one that has been the most impactful during this time. The book is called “World Enough and Time” by Christian McEwan. I learned the following:

Giving yourself time affluence = increased well-being. We tend to think about affluence in terms of money, but time is the new luxury.
To engage in the art of reverie, which means slowing down, observing, sauntering, wandering, pausing, and digressing; basically the activities that our society deems a waste of time are actually essential
The emotional parts of our brain take their own sweet time – empathy, imagination, love, fidelity, and ethics
Instead of rushing from one new thing to the next, it is helpful to return to the same works to see what they reveal
William Stafford advises having a symposium with the self early in the morning – he used to wake up at 5:00 a.m. and put his mind to work on whatever he found fascinating before everyone else in his household awoke for the day
Unitask – multitasking leads to inefficiency and distraction

Most Inspirational Illustrator– I have been enjoying the work of the writer and illustrator Maira Kalman for some time now, but I had never really drilled down to learn how she thinks and works. I decided to change that by engaging in a deep study of her – examining her work, listening to various YouTube videos, and reading articles about her. These were my takeaways:

She navigates the world with a sense of humor and irreverence. She learned both from her mother – a woman who left her husband in Tel Aviv to move to America, wore only white, and did exactly what she wanted each day of her life.
She says her creative process is to walk around daydreaming all day and sharing her personal views via illustrations and writing. She takes long walks everyday and documents what happens.
Her philosophy is that there are only two vital things in life: Work and Love. If you put work into these two, you have a shot at happiness.
She starts each day by reading the obituaries. She finds it extraordinary to read about the totality of peoples’ lives, and it motivates her to go forward with her day and make the most of it.
Her favorite quote is: Not everything will be okay, but some things will.

I know I covered a lot in this post, but I had a lot to share after being away so long. I hope that you had some positive things happen in 2020 that you will be able to carry forward into 2021 and beyond.

29Jul2020

The Creature Adventure Company (Hot Air Balloon, Watercolor, Woman Flying, Zebra, Buck)

Posted in 1920s, Art, Creativity, Imagination, Peacock Mountain, Vintage, watercolor painting by Cindy Adelle Richard

The Creature Adventure Company by Cindy Adelle Richard

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20Jul2020

Cecily Dreams of Umbrellas (Watercolor, Illustration, Story Art, Portraits)

Posted in 1920s, Art, Creativity, Imagination, Peacock Mountain, Vintage, watercolor painting, Writing by Cindy Adelle Richard

Cecily Dreams of Umbrellas by Cindy Adelle Richard

Imaginative Vignette: Cecily Dreams of Umbrellas

Wade stumbled upon Cecily on a gloomy, rainy afternoon – it was one of his favorite types of of days because it necessitated the need for an umbrella. On this particular afternoon, Wade spotted a spectacular multi-hued umbrella about six feet in front of him; it was burgundy, pink, blue, yellow, and green and arranged like a color wheel. He just had to know who was attached to this rainbow confection. To his delight, the owner was equally charming: a kind face, sparkling eyes, and softly curling hair beneath a raspberry beret. After introductions, they walked along companionably discussing their favorite subject (umbrellas). Cecily even admitted that she dreams of umbrella – Wade secretly thought she was the perfect woman. Wade told Cecily he was in need of an assistant (he wasn’t) at his umbrella shop because he did not want their association to end, and it was the first thing that came to mind. Cecily was thrilled at the prospect of this opportunity. Cecily started working at Wade’s umbrella shop the following afternoon.

It has been six months since Cecily started working at the shop, and Wade still has not worked up the nerve to ask her out. In the meantime, they keep building their friendship and indulging in their shared passion for umbrellas while Wade admires her from afar.

6Jul2020

The Word Wrangler

Posted in 1920s, Art, Creativity, Imagination, Inspiration, Peacock Mountain, watercolor painting, Writing by Cindy Adelle Richard

The Word Wrangler by Cindy Adelle Richard

Gigi Halliwell, otherwise known as The Word Wrangler, swirls among the fireflies, letting words emanate from her core. She is oblivious to her surroundings, completely lost in the land of intuition. Letters float through the air, and she is able to reach out to touch each of the letters and rearrange them to spell something profound. She has tried conjuring these words in different locations, but the middle of the forest seems to work best. In the forest, she is close to nature, away from prying eyes and opinions. The letters seems to come alive – glowing and moving about in graceful swoops. They always seem to attract fireflies; they can sense whenever Gigi enters the forest and swarm around her emanating more light. Gigi grabs a stick to record the message in the dirt. The letters stay in place only for a moment, and then they resume floating in the air. At first, the words do not always make sense alone but when she copies and rearranges them in a notebook, they make beautiful poetry. Haikus to be exact. One poem a day is about all she can manage. She shares her poems at The Wily Word Cafe in the middle of town, writing each one on the chalkboard the proprietor set up especially for her. The haikus always tell the citizens of Peacock Mountain what they must reflect upon that day – things that nature wants them to know. They all respect these messages.

25Mar2020

A Feature About My Career Journey for Women’s History Month

Posted in Art, Creativity, Imagination, Inspiration by Cindy Adelle Richard

Gillian Barnes from our Marketing and Communication Department at Endicott College asked me to speak about my art career as part of a feature for Women’s History Month. Gillian saw my calendar posted in a colleague’s office and wanted to know more about how I balance being an artist and working full-time as the Director of Internship – I am honored that she expressed interest in my career journey and wanted to share it with others.

Here is a link to read the article: Cindy’s Art Career Journey

10Jan2020

Poetry Plans for 2020 and Tips from the Book “How Poetry Can Change Your Heart”

Posted in Creativity, Inspiration, poetry, Reading, Self Knowledge, Writing by Cindy Adelle Richard

How Poetry Can Change Your Heart Book

I read an excellent, slim volume called “How Poetry Can Change Your Heart” by Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley, and I wanted to share some of the great tips I picked up from the book. I made a commitment to study poetry deeply this year, and a few days later, I stumbled upon this book in a bookstore. These are points that I want to remember, but I always like to share when I find content that is inspiring and useful… so here goes:

“There is a poet out there who is fluent in you (pg. 8) .” – The authors are encouraging readers to keep searching until they find the poets that resonate with them; I needed to hear this because it is often frustrating for me to find poets I really love. This reminds me not to give up hope, to keep searching for poets that know just the right words to awaken the dreamer in me.

“Ayurvedic medicine suggests the root of disease is often undigested emotion. Therefore, to feel is to heal (pg. 30).” – Writing poetry helps us to express emotions that are not always easy to express in day to day life, and in so doing, it helps to keep our energy flowing. I suspect a lot of us suffer from repressed emotions, so I loved this sentiment.

“One of the absolute coolest rules of writing is the Great Paradox, or, the fact that the more specific something is, the more universal it becomes (pg. 38).” – This helps to encourage me to write specific words related to my own unique experience. I often wonder if others will be able to relate to content that is unique to me, but this gives me permission to be uber specific – the details make the difference.

“There is no wrong way to experience poetry (pg. 49).” – The authors said that you should avoid writing the types of poems that turned you off from poetry in the first place (at least when you are first starting). For me, that is all the forms of poetry with lots of rules (i.e. couplets, tercets, quatrains, etc.) – as a result, I gravitate to free verse poetry because I want my writing to be as free as possible. Write the poetry that excites you!

“Poetry is the pen-and-paper version of paying wondrous attention (pg. 99).” – The authors talked about the importance of noticing – really, truly slowing down and paying attention to your surroundings and your life. And keeping a notebook with you at all times so you don’t forget the details.

“Make a list of things you could speak about for thirty minutes or longer. Review the list (pg. 111).” – This point addresses the age old question of “what should I write?” Well, write what you can’t stop talking about when you are given free reign to talk. And keep an ongoing list of those topics so you will always have a starting point when you sit down to write.

“Once you start to write and read every day, you will begin to think in poetics (pg. 119).” – It is important to establish a habit of reading and writing regularly if you want to get better at writing poetry – this is something we all know, but we constantly have to be reminded of it (or at least I do).

I hope you enjoyed my brief list of tips on reading and writing poetry. I would definitely recommend this book – if you like books such as “Steal Like an Artist” and “The Artist’s Way”, you will probably like this book for its straightforward, practical advice.

13Nov2019

2020 Literary Calendar

Posted in 1920s, Creativity, Reading, Vintage, watercolor painting by Cindy Adelle Richard

I created a calendar with a literary theme this year entitled “The Pleasures of Reading”. I wanted to share my final calendar images with all of you. This calendar is my favorite so far! I thoroughly enjoyed focusing on painting the books and people engaged in the best activity ever (at least as far as I am concerned) of reading. I enjoyed it so much in fact that I am thinking of focusing all of my art around literary subjects – books, imaginary book covers, book spaces, and more. I used to be worried that it would be too limiting to only focus on one subject area, but it is actually helping with my creativity. Somehow having limits/boundaries for my creative work is helping me to think of a lot more possibilities. Well, enough about that – without further ado, here is my full calendar for 2020:

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If you are interested in purchasing this calendar, Click Here

A friend of mine, Rochelle, also wrote a blog post about my calendar Click Here