UrbanGypZ Blog

There is a guy at the table next to me here at the downtown coffee shop journaling. I guess I am journaling too, but he is doing it old skool, unplugged, pen to paper. A couple of months ago, I was doing the same thing every morning. Not on the computer (clearly, because that was a period barren of blog posts), but in a crappy note book. Morning Pages–I was doing them as an Artist’s Way exercise. The Artist’s Way by Julie Cameron developed a series of exercises to prevent creative blocks by helping you “live a creative life” and as opposed to forcing the creativity.

Twenty years as an art director I have lived through my share of creative dry spells. The part where she describes forcing creativity akin to slamming yourself against a wall hoping something brilliant will emerge….yeah I have been there. Ad campaigns under pressure 10pm over cold pizza with a copywriter hoping it will be good enough to save you from being voted off the island. I had never had a good idea when I was exhausted. And actually the best ideas came when I was freelance and able to relax, dog under my desk, able to take mental breaks between jobs. Often I was brought into an agency deadline in the 11th hour when the creative staff was fried. Refreshed, clear headed, ready to go and organized.

So I am just coming out of a creative dry spell. Thank god the ideas for colors and projects are overflowing. I have been waking up with ideas in my head, eager to tackle them. I am avoiding a few folks that always seem to sap my energy (oh the joys of twenty-something drama, not sure how I got sucked into that one), surrounding myself with more artist from the Asheville and online communities. And playing. Playing with colors and knitting samples.

The UrbanGypZ website should be going live any day now! I am tickled beyond belief and eager to get it into the marketing mix. Until then I am just pushing the yarn old skool.