8 Ways to Help You Come up with New Ideas

March 21, 2019

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Growing up as someone who loved to draw, paint, and basically do anything that involved creating something, I was always amazed and mesmerized by a sketchbook that had been completely filled from cover to cover with a new idea on every single spread. I loved flipping through the pages that had been wrinkled from the paint strokes and ink marks that filled every single page.

Today I am still working on my sketchbook habits to make it an every day ritual because my sketchbook is usually where bigger ideas start. Lately, I have found myself hesitating to put my pencil on the paper and just start sketching whatever comes to mind.

This list isn’t a prompt list, but it is more of a general outline of different things that I have found helpful to me to generate new ideas. I have been working on getting into a daily habit to not only feel good mentally and physically, but also to help creativity flow a little more naturally.

Get healthy. I know, we’re not talking about running a marathon here, we are talking about coming up with new ideas. When I am in a good routine of working out and eating healthy, I find that my head is clearer and I feel better (both mentally and physically) which helps me think more freely and come up with ideas that I may not have come up with when I was neglecting my health.
Travel. A lot of artists that I know of bring along a sketchbook to document their travels. I tried to get in the habit of this, but for the past two trips it has not worked out for me because I never find the time to do it. I am usually focused on shooting photographs, out exploring, or enjoying the company of who I am with. Maybe if I travel more by myself I would find more time to sketch. Something I do instead is summarize what I did during the day in the notes app on my phone so I can refer back to them whenever I want. This helps me gather my thoughts and think about how I can create something out of what I experienced that day.
Have a cramming session of writing down whatever comes to mind and put all of those prompts into a jar. When you hit a creative block, pick out one of those prompts (or multiple) and create what you interpret from those prompts. If you need some help coming up with things to write down, check out my ‘An Endless List of Drawing Prompts to Fill your Sketchbook’ blog post. :)
Look through the saved photos on your phone. Who doesn’t take photos on their phones now a days? There are more moments that we capture on our phones from day to day than we may even realize. If I ever hit a creative road block, I will scroll through my photos and choose something that sticks out to me.
Go to a museum. Not to be mistaken with recreating something you see at the museum, but I remember always feeling inspired when I walked around new exhibits. A small detail that you see in a piece can spark an idea for a bigger project.
Scroll through social media. This is an obvious one. If I ever run into a block where I can’t come up with an idea but I still want to practice sketching or painting, I will find a photo on Instagram or Pinterest that someone posted (ex. a lifestyle picture of a woman sitting on a stoop) and draw that in my own interpretation. I won’t necessarily post this because it wasn’t an idea that I originally came up with but it helps me practice my skills.
Take classes on Skillshare. Skillshare is such a great tool for anyone looking to develop their skills under the creative umbrella, in business, technology, or lifestyle. There are thousands of free classes you can access, or you can pay for a membership to have access to every single class. Whenever I am feeling stuck on creativity or finding it hard to get motivated to create, Skillshare is an easy way to get myself going. (This totally sounds like a sponsorship, but it 100% is not. I just love Skillshare!). Sometimes I feel as though I could have saved my money on tuition and dedicated my education to learning what I need to on Skillshare and YouTube. Which leads me to my next point…
Watch YouTube videos. I can’t tell you enough how much I owe a lot of my creative knowledge and skills to YouTube. Yes, you can go down a rabbit hole of watching videos of dogs who can talk or someone doing ASMR, but the majority of the time where I am either trying to learn something or I just want to find a video that will get me thinking, I will go to YouTube.

I hope this list of things that you can do to wake up the creative side of your brain helps! If you have anything else to add to this list that you do to generate new ideas, please feel free to share in the comments!

Studio Vlog 002 // Mini Travel Sketchbook Tour + Planning a Painting

September 3, 2018

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Mini Sketchbook Flip-Through + Planning a Painting-2.png

Hi again! My second Studio Vlog! I had lots of fun collecting little snippets of my week and piling them together. It let me reflect and gave me a sense of what I accomplished in the week and what I should work on for the weeks ahead.

I continued to work on most of my projects for Thailand, including the travel sketchbook which you get a glimpse of in the video. There will be a time-lapse video of how I filled out a spread coming soon, as well as a full sketchbook tour when I am completely done! (Which probably won't be for a while, I'm not even close to being done with it yet! 😬🤷🏽‍♀️).

I also started to plan out a painting for my own apartment by mocking it up in my sketchbook - I plan to start on it in the next few weeks. There are two separate canvases hanging over my sofa with maps of various European cities that I collected during my travels that are shellacked onto them. I plan on putting a wash of white over them so the maps are still visible and painting vintage objects that relate to my interests (photography, art, travel). I will be filming a video of me working on them separately.

I hope you enjoy, and feel free to subscribe to be the first to know when I upload! :)

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Studio Vlog 001 // Finding My Rhythm as an Artist

August 27, 2018

Finding a rhythm to my art style has been a challenge for me over the past couple of years (honestly, more like ever since I got into art). With social media being an ever-growing platform for creators, I (and probably many other artists) have found it to be difficult to figure out what my style is and how to portray myself through my work as such.

I've been wanting to start studio vlogs for a while now, which is basically "behind the scenes" looks of projects I'm working on. I have been putting these videos off for a couple of reasons... One is that I didn't think I had enough time in the week to do it. Then I came to the conclusion that if I want to do something, I will find time in my schedule to do it. The other thing (being super lame) was that speaking to a camera to put it out for my friends, family, and anyone else to see has always been daunting to me.

I know that I just have to bite the bullet and go for it if I want to continue to grow as an artist. I have seen other artists on YouTube grow with their work over the past few years through their studio vlogs and have learned so much from them. I love seeing what they do in their workday because every single one has a different creative process, and it is also an incredible way to connect with the audience on a more personal level.

So, I finally sat down to do an introduction video so you can put a face to the name and the channel (since this is my first video where I'm speaking to the camera, please excuse any of my awkward and cringy mannerisms. I promise that I will get better...).

I can't wait to not only show others what I do throughout the week as an artist but to also document my growth and learn by doing. Feel free to subscribe to my channel to follow along - I hope you enjoy. :)

Cheers,

-TJ

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The Brooklyn Sketchbook Project

May 20, 2018

ABOUT THE PROJECT

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Project started: August 4th, 2017

Project completed: April 28th, 2018

I have just completed The Sketchbook Project, an assignment ran by the Brooklyn Art Library in New York. This is a project that takes place worldwide by whoever wishes to join.

The requirements for The Sketchbook Project is to completely fill out the sketchbook and send it to the Brooklyn Library in New York City by March 2018 (update: the deadline was pushed to April 30th). There, it will be included in the library's permanent collection so anyone can check out and enjoy mine, or someone else's sketchbook.

The inspiration that is behind the illustrations in this sketchbook comes from food. I always come across pictures where you know someone had to have stood on their restaurant chair to get the bird's eye camera shot of their dinner spread. Viewers absolutely love food photography (as long as the food looks appetizing), so why not get involved with the trend by creating drawings and paintings of these delicious creations?

I decided to participate in this project to not only get more involved with the artist community, but also because of the concept behind it. Currently, I am an independent artist who works on personal and freelance projects out of her home; so more often than not, it can get quite lonesome being on my own. With this project, I am participating with hundreds (maybe thousands?) of other people from around the world to have a sketchbook of mine sitting on the shelf of the Brooklyn Library next to other aspiring artists.

Keep scrolling to see every spread, as well as read about the stories that inspired every page!

Feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive notifications whenever I post.

Here you can find the playlist for the time lapse videos I recorded of the project. Enjoy!

SKETCHBOOK TOUR

It took me 9 months to complete this sketchbook, which to me, is a bit long for how small the sketchbook is. At the beginning of the book, I wanted to start off with a cover page to introduce those who will be viewing this by including my name as well as an old business card in case they wanted to look at more of my work. The cheeseburger was the first thing I thought of, and I really love writing in graffiti style font, so I thought that this would be a fun way to start off the sketchbook.

This spread was dedicated to pizza. I do not have a specific favorite dish (because I can't decide!), but being from Chicago, pizza is definitely near the top of the list. We make handsdown the best pizza... okay, I may be a little biased... NYC gives us a run for our money, but I can argue that we definitely have the best deep dish pizza!

This spread was inspired by my generation, or more so... the man claiming that my generation cannot afford to buy a house because we spend too much money on avocado toast. It sounds dramatic, and hilarious when said as such, but it is actually an interesting article... give it a read.

At my day job, we host many happy hours at our office and we get to indulge in some wine and charcutterie. This kind of display has always been one of my favorites, as there are so many different colors, textures and flavors elegantly displayed.

I strongly believe that ice cream is one of the best foods ever created. There are so many different flavors to choose from and many of the combinations can be very unique. If you are ever in Chicago, you HAVE to try Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. They are by far the best I have ever tasted.

My love for sweet treats continues in this spread with donuts and coffee! A funny story that inspired this is from my senior year of college, my roommate and I took a Pilates class to fulfill the minimum requirement to be a full-time student, and what stood between the subway stop and the classroom building was a Stan's Donuts & Coffee shop. We rewarded ourselves a few times after some intense classes.

To be completely honest with you, I cannot stand oysters. Their taste does not sit well with me as well as the texture and the way they are eating. But, I think they look really pretty! :)

Almost similar with oysters, I am not the first to suggest sushi for a meal, however when I am in the mood for it I like the classic California roll or Ahi tuna. However, the last time I had sushi was with some friends last summer at an all you can eat sushi restaurant. They way it worked was that for every piece of sushi left over, an extra $2 was added to your bill, so of course we had to eat everything that was put in front of us... I can't say that I had a desire to grab some sushi since then.

If you are from the Chicagoland area, you know exactly what Portillo's is. The tasty Chicago dogs, mouthwatering dipped Italian beef sandwiches (if you do not know what these are, you're missing out), crispy crinkle cut fries, and satisfying cake shake (yes, it has an actual slice of cake in it) are all things that I have been enjoying since my childhood.

A sip of sangria brings back so many memories, especially when I was studying in Barcelona. One particular time was back on the beach at a restaurant with one of my roommates. We each ordered a pitcher of sangria (which in our defence, was about three-ish drinks total). Upon ordering, the waiter gave us a strange look and said to us, "You know, in our country less is more." We both proceeded to commit to the pitchers and finished each of them with no problems. Might I also say that we walked out of that restaurant... not stumbled... :)

I like pancakes.

...and breakfast in general...

Even thought grilled cheese is one of the easiest things to make, my brother does a really good job of making it authentic. He hand shreds three different types of cheeses and grills it perfectly to to the crisp.

Now this is a weird guilty pleasure of mine... for a snack, I love pickles and peanut butter. I got the inspiration from somewhere, I just don't remember. But particularly I love the bread and butter slices with extra crunchy peanut butter. Give it a try before judging me. :)

Before I tried chicken and waffles, I did not understand at all why that combination would be good (says the person who loves her pickles with peanut butter). I tried it for the first time at the Chicken Shop at Soho House in Chicago. It was amazing to say the least...

This is the page I used to test sample swatches of water color as well as display my business card and social media information.

*** Flip-through video is coming soon!!

Starting a Bullet Journal

April 7, 2018

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In the past couple years, this new trend of "bullet journaling" has exploded. I see it all over Pinterest, and as a creative, I instantly became intrigued with this new thing that many people are adding to their daily routines. I have tried to start a bullet journal before but became intimidated numerous times and failed to complete my first spread. I always thought that a bullet journal had to consist of a crazy amount of spreads that tracked every single part of your daily life (e.g. water intake, mood, exercise, sleep, habits, chores, etc. etc. etc.).

All of these things are very important and are great to keep track of it all in one place, however, as someone who is constantly on the go I knew that if I were to start some spreads that consisted of all these "trackers," I would not keep up with it, so I was okay with keeping my journal as simple as possible.

Before we go on any further, what exactly IS a bullet journal? Well, according to bulletjournal.com, "The Bullet Journal is a customizable and forgiving organization system. It can be your to-do list, sketchbook, notebook, and dairy, but most likely, it will be all of the above. It will teach you to do more with less." Awesome. So it can be whatever you want it to be! And the whole purpose of it is to boost your productivity.

So how should you start? Well, here is what I did...

Here are the supplies I purchased from Amazon to use in my bullet journal:

As a newbie, I knew that I did not want to over complicate my bullet journal so I created spreads that I knew I would use or reference back to throughout the year. I purchased notebooks that had dotted paper opposed to lined, blank or grid paper because the dots would be a great guide for me to layout my spreads without being too visible and distracting from my journals contents. I also had ink pens, washi tape, and a small transparent ruler on hand. Feel free to use your favorite supplies to create your own bullet journal.

To come up with the layout of my bullet journal, I simply thought of the goals, projects, and habits that I wanted to work on throughout the year. This way I knew exactly how to utilize every page of my journal to help me track and achieve year-end goals.

Here is exactly how I laid out my first bullet journal in a simple format:

Cover Page: Inspirational Quote

I feel as though this is a great way for me to start out any sketchbook or journal. It takes away the fear of messing up on the first page and it sets the tone of the whole sketchbook. In this case, I simply searched my Pinterest boards for an inspirational quote and found "Everything will work out." Very fitting to start off a bullet journal. And lastly, I bought these adorable cactus stickers from HaNaCoOL's Etsy shop.

Spread 1: Index / Master Key

This spread is very straightforward, however the further along I got to laying out my bullet journal, the more I noticed that this spread wasn't crucial and did not serve much purpose for it to be in my bullet journal. I initially included it to be where I would write in the key for the symbols used throughout the journal, but because I am including keys on each spread for the symbols that are used on those pages, I feel as though this master list isn't always necessary for me to include. I do, however, have an Index where I keep track of the order that my spreads are in, and I am currently trying to figure out what to add onto the blank page.

Spread 2: Yearly calendar / 6-month and 1-year goals

Having the calendar spread out on one page really puts timing in perspective for me. A year to some people seems like a really long time, but once they get to the end of it they say that it has flown by. Well, it has flown by because one year really is not a long time!! This is a great way for me to light the flame under my butt and start on the next project sooner rather than later. I also included a list of goals I want to accomplish at the 6-month benchmark, as well as what I would like to complete at the end of the year.

Spread 3: Brain Dump / Social Media Trackers

Art, photography, and traveling are my passions and hobbies, and one day they will be my full-time career. In order for that to happen nowadays, it is helpful to have a decent following on social media. So in order to stay updated with the growth of my platforms, I am keeping track of how many followers I start with at the beginning of each month. I also have included a "brain dump" page to jot down any ideas that come to mind so I do not forget about them later.

Spread 4: Monthly Spread

This is a great way to start off the month because you can add so many layers to this spread. For this month, I have the monthly calendar where I mark dates of when I will make my social media posts, along with goals that I set for myself to reach in April, Notes/To do's, as well as a column for me to write down any important dates to remember that would not fit in the calendar layout.

Spread 5: Week 1 Spread

I stuck with simplicity for the design of my first weekly spread since it was my first time creating a layout for a bullet journal. I included a "side bar" on each page to include an April thumbnail calendar reference, weekly goals, blog post and video ideas.

What I plan to include for the future

In the current state of my art career, I am still figuring out what I would like to do in order to grow. I have an idea, but I am someone who needs to have tasks and lists written out in order for me to feel organized, which is initially the reason why I started bullet journaling (hopefully it continues!! 😬). To take it a step further, I am going to incorporate a Habit Tracker to keep my daily chores and assignments in check to help my art career flourish.

My initial thoughts on bullet journaling

Overall, I really enjoyed planning out the layouts and catering my bullet journal to my needs in order to be the most productive I can be. I hope that I can continue on with this and I am looking forward to delving deeper into the world of Bullet Journaling!!

In the comments below, tell me what you do in order to be productive?

A Endless List of Drawing Prompts to Fill your Sketchbook

March 19, 2018

Sketchbook Tour

March 7, 2018

(Click play to watch the video above)

This is my first official sketchbook tour and I cannot be more excited to have completely finished this! It took me longer than I was planning, but at the end of the day, I wanted to go at my own pace and not stress out about this. I was using this sketchbook to get back into the swing of drawing and creating and experimenting with my art.

The sketchbook itself was given to me by my sister. She bought it from this hilarious shop out in Des Moines, Iowa called “RAYGUN.” The store has a bunch of apparel items, stationaries, and other trinkets that have really funny and sometimes brutally honest phrases on them. My sketchbook, in particular, says "Current Part-Time Struggling Artist, Future Full Time Struggling Artist."

As I said, this sketchbook was meant to be used for experimenting and not so much “finished pieces” so I was never originally planning on doing a sketchbook tour, but, about halfway through I decided to anyway because I love watching other artists on YouTube open up their sketchbooks for the world to see. To me, it’s kind of equivalent to someone opening up their diary and reading it out loud. But, I decided to take the plunge and put it out for the world to see.

There is nothing much to it besides process sketches, experimental paintings, scribbling to try out new art supplies, and even some similar drawings and paintings I tried to mimic from Instagram.

Feel free to watch the flip-through video, which is at the top of this post, or keep scrolling to see each page up close and personal.

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As I said earlier, my sister bought this for me from a store in Des Moines, Iowa. I'm crossing my fingers that this saying does not describe the fate of my future, but it does give me a good laugh. On the cover, the only thing I added was a sticker with my logo on the bottom right-hand corner.

Coming up with a cover page was tricky for me. I watched a ton of sketchbook tour videos on YouTube and a lot of them didn't have a solid starting point. I thought that overlaying a piece of kraft paper with a random saying and the dates of when I started the sketchbook and when I finished were a solid start.

I was going through a little funk when I drew this spread. The cliche analogy of a glass half empty or half full popped into my head, so I decided to draw it. I'm not sure what I was trying to accomplish with the man climbing up the ladder though. Maybe theres a diving board up there?

This spread has a couple of different layers to it. I was first practicing some calligraphy with my very first brush pen, and then came back to it months later to overlay a Polaroid photo of my art palette and some extra paint from a project I was working on.

I used this spread to test out some new washi tape and plan out the lettering for a sign hanging in my room, as well as experimenting with different patterns and textures.

This is probably my least favorite spread in the sketchbook. I totally abandoned this and got a little lazy by not completing a page of roses like I had planned, then proceded to fill up the other page by just adding stickers that I got from a new bracelet and lipstick I purchased a while back.

Pure irony. I grew up watching Star Wars and want to one day paint an incredible portrait of Darth Vader. I came across the sticker and had to add it to the spread to give the portrait a little story of my own. I then added my Rogue One and The Last Jedi tickets on the opposite page.

I have never taken a formal drawing class, and have seen many artists across the internet constantly draw figure studies. It is a practice that helps you improve on your skills, so I thought that I would give it a go.

I want to get better at drawing people - throughout college I pretty much just stuck with drawing perspectives and architectural drawings because that is what I went to school for, but I wish I drew people more often.

And as an homage to my college years, I took a break from drawing people and drew this perspective of the interior of a modern kitchen.

This was a quick spread. I used this for some scribbles and ideas for a tattoo design, as well as stuck a misprint of my avocado drawing from my Brooklyn Sketchbook Project series.

I kind of miss The Weeknd's old hair... it was an unusual style, but it was symbolic. So here is another attempt at drawing a more specific person, as well as including a lyric from one of his songs along with a couple of clippings from an art magazine.

This is another lazy spread with one of my misprints of a sketch I did while studying abroad in Barcelona.

I drew this house because I was inspired by one of my favorite artists, Semiskimmedmin (Minnie Small). This past October, she participated in a worldwide event called Inktober and created ink drawings different types of houses and what haunts them. My house didn't nearly turn out as great as what hers did, but since I used watercolor it didn't turn out as bold as what it would have if I used ink. Here is Minnie's playlist to her Inktober 2017 videos, definitely check them out! As for the photos of the dogs, I'll explain that in the next spread description...

These were reference photos of two dog portraits I illustrated for commission pieces. I was very happy with the end results, check them out here (along with other illustrations) if you are interested in seeing how they turned out!

And here are more photos of the puppers...

And here are some more photos of my niece pupper... I know, I'm looking like a crazy dog lady but in my defense, I was testing out my new Polaroid camera!

It was Thanksgiving, and at this point I was on my third Thanksgiving meal. I also tested out a new Pentel brush pen and Copic Sketching Markers as well as displaying a failed attempt of taking a polaroid photo of my Christmas tree.

Here are a few more tattoo designs I did for my sister and myself with a stripe of metallic washi tape.

More drawings of faces, one of which I was unhappy with the eyes, so I covered it up with paint. Another misprint of my travels when I was in Milan.

This was a brainstorming spread for a commissioned guitar painting I did around Christmas time. Check out the time-lapse video of the project here!

There isn't much of a story on this page - I bought some gold leaf paper and discovered that it is VERY difficult for me to apply. This also was an extention of the previous page for the abstract guitar painting.

A spread yet to be finished... I've recently become obsessed with these palm leaves and drawing them. I was inspired again by Semiskimmedmin to create an inverted drawing with black and white ink and paper.

A dream of mine is to one day have my own art studio. I jotted down a couple of notes, drew up floor plans and started a perspective of what I would like it to look like.

I came across this dude on Pinterest, I believe. I love sea animals, especially (octopuses?) (octopi?). The blue background is a mixture of primary cyan and primary white from my Holbein gouache paint set.

Here I did a couple of hand studies (also referenced from Pinterest), and then tried a more detailed inverted sketch using white gel pen and colored pencil. It turns out that I am pretty happy with how the drawings turned out because hands have always been difficult for me to draw.

The drawing sometimes makes my eyes hurt, but what led me to drawing this was a Skillshare class that I took online pertaining to finding your creative spark and the first lesson was to pick up whatever what was in front of you and just use it to create something. Once you had that object, just start letting it flow on the paper. Hours later, I ended up with zebra stripes so naturally I had to draw a zebra on the opposite page. The gel pen I used rubs off onto other pages easily, so I sealed it off with a coat of clear nail polish.

On this spread, I was hitting a creative block, so I drew what was in front of me; a handful of my art supplies.

This was a spread where I was having a hard time getting inspired, so I opened up a few magazines and clipped out images that I liked to create this collage.

I like Rhinos. They remind me of grumpy old men.

Here are a few more sketching exercises - I tried drawing some difference expressions in cartoon eyes, then I took a Copic sketching marker and drew random shapes. From those shapes, I created illustrations of what I saw and ended up with results that I was quite happy with.

I came across this illustration on Pinterest and immediately wanted to recreate it. I love how it turned out.

This spread is unfinished, but I liked the idea of this man from a magazine I found him in breathing out fire.

I am a succulent junkie. They are easy to take care of, and they add a fantastic vibe to a space.

This is another version of the mountain scape I illustrated a few spreads back. I used water color to create an ombre affect, finishing it off with white splatter paint to add a starry sky.

I've been reading this book on Urban Sketching because that is a technique that I would love to be able to do on my travels. They are very quick, look effortless and turn out to be amazing pieces of work. This view is that I attempted to quickly sketch is the view from my office in downtown, Chicago.

These are some plans for a DIY drawer to add under my vanity (left) and a DIY coffee table (right) which you see me filming on in my Sketchbook Tour Video.

Prismacolor and Blick Illustration swatch colors.

Reeves 24-Pack Gouache color tube set swatch colors.

thank you so much for your interest in my work! If you'd like, comment what your favorite spread is, and leave a link to your portfolio if you would like to share!

10 Ways to Get Out of a Creative Rut

February 3, 2018

There are many different artists out there who have their own ways of doing things, but all artists have at least one thing in common: they all run into creative 'ruts' or 'blocks' where they have a difficult time coming up with new ideas that haven't already been done before. It is frustrating for all, specifically for me because I always end up questioning if I am actually capable of coming up with creative and original ideas.

I compiled a list of different activities you can do to give your mind the break it deserves from all of the stress it might be experiencing:

1. Go for a run

Getting in a good sweat sesh always helps me wind down and calm my mind. Lately, I feel like I have been overwhelmed and underaccomplished with the goals that I have set for myself for 2018 - a couple of times I have been in full panic mode and unable to focus on getting one thing done, leading me to jump from task to task and never completely finish anything. When I start to panic, breaking a sweat and running it out usually helps my brain reset itself.

2. Watch a movie

Movies are a way to briefly escape the real world and see a story from someone else's point of view. This can help your mind go to different places and result in coming up with new concepts that may even lead you to a new series or project idea.

3. Read

Reading goes along the same lines as watching a movie, except it may even be better because when you read a story, everyone imagines it differently. This may lead you to create new ideas that are more original even though it stemmed from a novel.

4. Flip through magazines

Flipping through magazines is one thing that I love to do when I can't seem to fill a blank page in my sketchbook. It seems as though it is a "lazy" way to get something on the page and get inspiration flowing when you are not feeling 100%.

5. Hang out with some friends

Some of the best work that I have produced has been inspired by some of my closest friends, even if they are not artists or creatives. Or, just go to your local coffee shop to work and strike up a conversation with someone there.

6. Go shopping

You need a break. Nuff said.

7. Go to a concert or listen to music

Music always gets my creative juices flowing. The melody and the lyrics help me imagine what the song would look like on a canvas or in another art form

8. Go out to dinner and have a drink

Food is fuel, and so is a glass or two of wine or a whiskey sour. I find that whenever I go on a neverending grind of producing art, I do not treat myself to a night out with friends or just a night of watching Netflix. So it is always nice to get out of the four walls that I am constantly locking myself in and let a little loose.

9. Travel

Every city and every country has a different culture. Granted, it is a bit harder to just drop everything in your studio and go to a different part of the world but I have started to plan and brainstorm a new city or country I would like to visit every year or two. It gives you something to research and something to look forward to.

10. Look at what is in front of you

Sometimes inspiration can hit you from things that are sitting right in front of you. Whether that is a plant, a cup of coffee, a house, a park, or a monument. Your surroundings can be the biggest influence on your creativity and next project. So put your phone down and look at what is in front of you.

Now tell me what you do when you find yourself in a rut?

The Brooklyn Sketchbook Project

January 11, 2018

With this sketchbook, I am working on The Sketchbook Project. This is a project that takes place worldwide by whoever wishes to join in. I decided to participate in this so I can get back into producing art again to help feed my creative thoughts and improve my artistic techniques.

The requirements for The Sketchbook Project is to completely fill out the sketchbook and send it to the Brooklyn Library in New York City by March 2018. There, it will be included in the library's permanent collection so anyone can check out and enjoy mine, or someone else's sketchbook.

I always come across those pictures where you know someone had to have stood on their restaurant chair to get the bird's eye camera shot of their dinner spread. Viewers absolutely love food photography (as long as the food looks appetizing), so why not get involved with the trend by creating drawings and paintings of these delicious creations?

I am planning on documenting my progress through social media with this project. I have never filled out an entire sketchbook before, so this will be a great way to put me to the challenge!

Feel free to subscribe to my brand new YouTube channel to receive notifications whenever I post or bookmark my blog to keep up with my work. Otherwise, enjoy the playlist of my Brooklyn Sketchbook Project Adventure below.

The first video of this series! I am so excited to start this project and document my progress as I get back into producing content again. Like and subscribe if you want to see more!

Artist, traveller and photographer from Chicago. Here you can keep up with my most current work that I hope inspires others to tap into their creative self as well as explore the world. Feel free to subscribe and follow to be a part of the adventures!

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‘Mandarin Sunset’ 🍊Prints and Framed Prints now available in my shop! (Link in bio) #tjvannart

“Moonlit Mountains” 🏔 Prints (framed and not framed) available in the shop! Link in bio.
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#art #artforsale #artist #artistsoninstagram #artwork #procreate #bhfyp #business #decorinspo #design #drawing #f

I think gradients are becoming one of my favorite things to do in @procreate 🤩.
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‘Desert Moon’ Graphic Prints are now available in my shop! (Link in bio)
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#art #artbrut #artist #artisto

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ABOUT THE PROJECT

SKETCHBOOK TOUR

*** Flip-through video is coming soon!!

Here is exactly how I laid out my first bullet journal in a simple format:

Cover Page: Inspirational Quote

Spread 1: Index / Master Key

Spread 2: Yearly calendar / 6-month and 1-year goals

Spread 3: Brain Dump / Social Media Trackers

Spread 4: Monthly Spread

Spread 5: Week 1 Spread

In the comments below, tell me what you do in order to be productive?

Click here to browse for some great sketchbooks!

To be continued...

thank you so much for your interest in my work! If you'd like, comment what your favorite spread is, and leave a link to your portfolio if you would like to share!

1. Go for a run

2. Watch a movie

3. Read

4. Flip through magazines

5. Hang out with some friends

6. Go shopping

7. Go to a concert or listen to music

8. Go out to dinner and have a drink

9. Travel

10. Look at what is in front of you

Now tell me what you do when you find yourself in a rut?

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