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Filed underCreative Independence

With so much information, inspiration and influence, how do you find your own creative path?​

Illustration of a girl thinking at the window

The Instagram Problem

This essay was shared with my newsletter subscribers last week and it resonated so much I decided to publish it here as well The optimism waned almost immediately.…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda October 26, 2020February 3, 2021 5 min read
Dark Flowers

Living Small, Slow and Quietly

We enter the Summer. This means silencing the information overload and ceasing to participate for the next two months.I wrote about this in this post. I need it…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda June 25, 2020July 10, 2020 2 min read
What will we learn

Today

I’ve been avoiding reading about covid-19. I receive the Quartz newsletter and that’s about all I was able to handle. But today, March 25, 2020. I’m reading about…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda March 25, 2020October 28, 2020 3 min read
Sketchbook and pencil on a desk

How I Manage my Time Online

Raise your hand if you’ve tried to reduce your time online or at least your phone. I know I have. For the longest time.  I hated that I…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda March 3, 2020March 16, 2020 4 min read
Is Etsy Worth It?

Is Etsy Worth it?

I have been crunching numbers. It’s my least favorite thing to do and as a creator it’s twice as painful because through the corner of my eye I…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda July 7, 2019August 8, 2019 5 min read
WorkSpace October

Advice for New Creatives

I find it realistic to say that you will only get good at your craft after a minimum of two years of hard practice. Quantity does not mean…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda October 1, 2018October 27, 2020 2 min read
Social Media Detox

A Summer Without Instagram (and most Social Media)

By the middle of June I was done. I looked around my studio and felt such overwhelm despite having fulfilled a lifelong dream: a room of my own.…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda June 29, 2018June 25, 2020 5 min read

Five Things Friday

   The begining of my reconciliation with Yoga. A 30 day journey. For years I said I didn’t like Yoga. I first tried it almost three decades ago…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda April 7, 2018February 28, 2020 2 min read
Thumbnail studies

One Month in France, week four

I’m writing this from Montreal. The month in France came to its conclusion. We are home. It feels strange to look out the window and see the same…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda April 2, 2018August 7, 2019 3 min read

One month in France, week three

  I am in a city that does not have the stereotypical French glamour. It’s not Paris and it’s not the charming little wine village. Some days I…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda March 22, 2018August 7, 2019 2 min read
Watercolor cow by flowarte

One month in France, week two

The first thing I noticed in Lyon was the sky. The trace of airplanes that flew by a few moments before. We arrived early after a short train…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda March 16, 2018August 27, 2019 2 min read

One month in France, week one.

As I walked down the stairs of our Airbnb I told my husband (again) that I was in turmoil because I couldn’t decide where to focus my energy,…
Creative Independence Luisa Fernanda March 6, 2018August 7, 2019 2 min read

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Let’s meet on Instagram!

Do you have hang-ups about certain drawing practic Do you have hang-ups about certain drawing practices? I watched a documentary about decoding how Vermeer worked. It claimed that he used a very sophisticated contraption to create his masterpieces. I've been in a rut lately. I have made a lot of preparatory sketches but I haven't moved past them so I decided to just make some simple, semi-realistic drawings to pass the time. I'm a great fan of @joannaconcejo's work. I have Spanish versions of some of the books she's illustrated, so inspired by her, I wanted to make a graphite drawing. But to achieve the tonal range, I needed to work slowly and I decided to use the grid method. I always thought the grid method was also an artifice and meant you "couldn't draw", but it is in fact, a tool to help you see and it is a method that absorbs you so much, I dare say it's more effective than meditation. I think I'm going to make more of these because I'm definitely languishing (as the article in the NYTimes mentioned). I had a high of energy two weeks ago and now I can't bring myself to think about doing the dishes YET AGAIN. I'd love to hear from you, what is the most meditative art practice you've encountered? . . . . . . . . #daysofsmallthings #seekmoments #holdthemoment #smallmomentsofcalm #finditstyleit #chattycaptioncommunity #createmakeshare #creativesoul #petitjoys #createveryday #artjournaleveryday #mycreativelife #showyourwork #maketimeforart #creativelivingloop
The last hour is mine. The title of the next #inf The last hour is mine. The title of the next #inflowartresidency is: The premise is presence. We will be present for our art, our practice and the elusive muses. Sign-up for the waitlist and learn more on the link in bio and the story highlights! . . . . . . . . #drawingpractice #contemporarydrawing #smallworksonpaper #flowartestudio #theflowarteapproach #studiowall #artofvisuals
I’m not much of a selfie-taker. But there are mi I’m not much of a selfie-taker. But there are milestones one achieves from time to time. For me it’s being able to do my hair in two small buns instead of one big one. I’m proud of this new hairdo. Sometimes I still get hung up on what is age appropriate. Does this look good on me or does this look silly (for my age)? Then I shake my head and remember, hey it’s precisely the luxury of age that allows you to NOT CARE. So hi, I’m Luisa, I’m an artist and a part time OBM for a bookstore I started to make art way back in 2014 with the help of #sketchbookskool. Then I went off on a thousand tangents, valleys and mountains to wind up where I am right now: drawing the things I like. Using the mediums I like and feeling happy about it. Last month I ran the #inflowresidency with ten wonderful artists. I participated along them and I finished with a piece that I will share soon. I never thought I would get to the point of finding my own workflow and finishing a larger piece. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the small group of artists that came along with me for the experience. I will run another residency next month, so if you want to know when doors open, please do sign up on the link in bio. I’m reworking the content, adding one week, starting directly with a co-creation session and gathering new resources and inspiration. My aim is to make each residency different, not just a rehash of materials. Though some are too compelling not to share again! Take a look and reflect if four weeks of focus on your art is something you would want to give yourself. If you have questions don’t hesitate to DM me! . . . . . . . . . . #creativepractice #lovetheprocess #smallworks #smallworksonpaper #paynesgray #worksonpaper #originalart #affordableart #helpartistsgrow #worksonpaper #contemporarydrawing #emergingartist
Come for the chatty sketchbook tours where you see Come for the chatty sketchbook tours where you see the funny and the ugly and the occasional breakthrough, as well as drawing demos on #patreon I recently adjusted my tiers to give access to more videos. There are a lot of posts in there and if you enjoy my newsletter you might like the things I share backstage. I've sort of been experimenting in public, but not so public! Do check it out, link in bio or type patreon.com/flowarte . . . . . . . . #flowarteartist #flowartepatreon #flowartedrawing #sketchbookpractice #sketchbookdrawing #sketchbooktour #sketchbookskool #dailydrawing #startdrawing #100dayproject #canadianartist #drawingpractice #sketchbookpage #makethings #spasmodicdysphonia
I'm in #printmaking mode these days. It's a satisf I'm in #printmaking mode these days. It's a satisfying, addictive, rewarding process. Especially when I am still marinating the next version of the Online Artist Residency. One thing was clear from the participants, three weeks was not enough so I'm between adding one and two weeks. I think about it as I slather paint on my plates, as I rub and remove, or add things. As I learn to think 'in reverse'. I dream of the next project. Will it be another big drawing? Maybe even bigger? If you are interested, do sign up to my newsletter. You can find it in the link in bio. Now back to this piece that I feel can benefit from a few more printing experiments! . . . . . . . . . #visualdiary #artistatwork #artiststudios #creativeprocess #creativemind #inherstudio #doitfortheprocess #makingart #creativejourney #createeveryday #maketimeforart #creativespirit #creativepractice #lovetheprocess #worksonpaper #smallworksonpaper #canadianartist #monotypeprintmaking
We are expecting a cocktail of snow and rain tomor We are expecting a cocktail of snow and rain tomorrow so in a mild protest I decided to plunge into the relaxing world of flower drawing after my monoprinting frenzy from Monday. I'm preparing the newsletter to send later this week. Quite a bit to share about getting feedback, where Flowarte is headed, curated links and videos and an invitation to the recently adjusted Patreon tiers. You can sign up through the link in the bio! . . . . . . . . #visualdiary #artistatwork #artiststudios #creativeprocess #creativemind #inherstudio #doitfortheprocess #makingart #creativejourney #createeveryday #maketimeforart #creativespirit #creativepractice #lovetheprocess #smallworks #smallworksonpaper

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