Oh goodness!!!

Yes hi guys…oh goodness, i’ve been soooooooo delinquent with painting that since covid hit I haven't been painting and instead I made up all types of excuses why I didn't have time to start. To make things worse, I had to make my studio into an office for my husband as we are now working from hone, but despite this, I feel artistic still because I create Junk Journals and I must say I really enjoy it. It’s very therapeutic and relaxing.

I have to resurface and paint again. I’ve gotten some encouragement as a company emailed me about some pieces so i’m waiting to see if they purchase any. I did some sketches and I have at least 4 pieces I can start but i’m just not mentally in the mood as I dont have that private space to be free to paint and I feel like my studio is no longer mine to move in as I want. This shows how important an artist's space is to them. Its their piece of freedom. I miss mine and i’m not sure when i’ll get another one. Some would say…”create another space"… but the feeling to do that isn’t there. But knowing myself, i’ll do it when i’m ready or when I have no choice because I have to create for an exhibition and that's another way to push yourself….sign up for an exhibition, get a commission, commit to something that forces you to create.

Well it’s been a while, it’s nice to be back, I apologize to my followers for the long delay and i will check you guys soon. I’ll try to write more often at least once or twice a week. Bye for now. Stay safe.

A New and Interesting Era

Hi guys, it has been almost two years since I’ve written a blog. I’m not even sure how I managed to start writing today? It has been a very eventful 2 years and many things have changed in this life. Many of you would have gone through similar situations as me and many changes and maybe even sad events. I have totally changed how I live I gave up my office and now I work strictly from home with my Leadership Coaching Business. I must admit I haven’t painted in the last year and a half but I still stayed creative by making Junk Journals.

I haven’t been as diligent as I should be with my Art website and I’m sorry about that but my Coaching pays the bills and being an Artist in Trinidad is very competitive. You have to do soooo many things to be noticed or to even sell your art. I’ve done some exhibitions and sold some pieces there. What I sold I could never make a living off of but I know this and it’s also because I don’t spend enough time designated to building my Art Business. Unfortunately Art takes a second seat as I don’t earn enough from it to live.

For all who want to make Art their livelihood, you have to expend all of your energy in that direction. But as we’ve been bombarded by Covid and all the changes that that has caused we have no choice but to make our income where we can and I make most of mine doing Online Coaching. Art has always been my release, but the crafting helps to some extent but I do miss painting but as my studio is now my Husbands office the inspiration or drive to paint is very low, so I have to come up with another way to push myself to paint. Doing an Exhibition is one way to push me to create new pieces but nowt always.

Time is passing so I have to get back that inspiration and drive. I will and it will be soon. That’s all for now guys and as I’m back I will try to post again, but I can’t promise that it will been set days of the week. But I am back.

The New Changes Due to Covid

Hi guys...I wasn't able to share anything on Monday as I am extremely busy making changes to my life due to Covid and its effect on my coaching business. My Business is now fully online so as a result, I no longer need or require a brick and mortar office. I have thus given up my office which means organising to dispose of all of my furniture and dealing with the ton of paperwork that I don't want to carry home where I will now be working.

I didn't realise how much paper one accumulates after 14 years in an office, especially as we didn't get rid of anything. So it's all about sorting through all of that paper, organising to have it shredded as most of it is confidential information on our many clients, then removing signs and art. I spent the entire day sorting through and separating paperwork....OMG!! It was exhausting. I have a headache now, but I was able to finish it and luckily I was able to sell off all of the furniture weeks before and clean up and remove the other odds and ends and despite that I still have quite a few boxes to take home and some kitchen items etc. OH! It was easy to set up this office but it's harder to break it down.

I must say there is a part of me that is a bit sad as I've been going to work there for the past 14 years and now I will no longer belong there. I was able to put my friend up to rent the space as my landlord was in a dire state due to losing my rental funds and his business is a Travel Agency and the borders are closed so his situation was bad, but now he has a renter again. I'm so glad for him. He has been very good to me and we had a great relationship. But change is never easy and it can be so sad. You feel as if something has changed and saying goodbye to the normal or what you're accustomed to is always difficult, but in this case very necessary. It is also a bit scary as you don't know what can change again, but life is all about change, it's how you handle it.

I feel a little uncomfortable with change initially even though I accept it easily but there is a part of me that feels the loss of the "usual" to move to the kinda unknown, which is very similar to the effect of Covid itself on all of our lives. I've been working from home for a while before this happened but my husband wasn't but now he is and he likes it but I had to move things around at home and that was little annoying at times but again it's getting into accepting the change even if you feel a bit "put out". But humans get used to change eventually some adjust faster than others so it's back to work as usual now that our home has been outfitted as an office. This is why you won’t receive my blogs as often as I used to send them out. So for now I can only do them once a month. I hope you continue to share and read my stories. But I’m trying to at least share and come up with some new ways to share what’s happening with me and in my life.

What changes do you now have to adjust to that aren't comfortable but you're getting there? Check you later guys...stay safe, wear your mask, wash your hands, social distance...it's working for us in my country so it can work where you are as well but everyone has to do it not just some. Love to you all.

Regards,

Gail

 

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I've Discovered Junk Journaling

Hi guys...I've dealt with journalling before because I did start a Bullet Journal in 2019 but now I've discovered Junk Journal and I went so far as to make my own. Yes people I made a tome... a large junk journal out of cast off pages and I must say it looks impressive. I plan to use it for my art ideas but it looks so good that I don't want to mess it up. Junk journalling has all these different things you can put in them called ephemerals...different pockets and charms and bands etc. Making Junk Journals/Folios helps make up for my lack of painting and I’ve also listed them on my website and on my Etsy page

It's fun simply making them and then you place them where you feel like in your junk journal. I started doing that and now as usual I'm hooked. So what is a junk Journal?

Junk diary

Junk journal is a handmade book made up of recycled items such as papers from magazines, brochures, patterned paper, music sheets, envelopes, packaging, brown paper bags, maps, greeting cards, post cards, doilies, to name a few. The book covers can be made from cereal boxes, old book covers or any hard card boards.

What is it used for?

Junk Journal: A book which is often made through found and recycled materials to be used as a way to collect and record memories, thoughts, ideas, and inspiration.

What's the difference between a diary and a journal?

diary is a book to record events as they happen. A journal is a book used to explore ideas that take shape. In reality, the junk journal can have any purpose you want them to. Particularly if you’re creating one from scratch – as I did, you can therefore make it serve almost any purpose imaginable. Write a novel in it. Use it as a family budget book. Make it into a dream diary – it’s up to you!

Then there are the bullet journals which can help you get organised and track or keep track of all the tasks or goals you want to achieve. I tend to schedule all my appointments etc but doing it the Bujo way is more fun as I can decorate it and looking at the pages after make you feel good. It's also another way to use my creativity.

What's the Purpose of a Junk Journal?

What’s the purpose of a junk journal? It’s probably a question you’ve wondered, especially if you’ve never seen one before. I know it was my reaction when I first saw one. I was intrigued and thought they were beautiful, but I had no clue how you could use one.

So don’t feel guilty for wondering. Given how elaborate and intricate they often are, it’s not hard to wonder how they could be used functionally.  And honestly, sometimes they can’t be – but that’s okay! Junk journals can be gorgeous pieces of art.

In reality junk journals can have any purpose you want them to. Particularly if you’re creating one from scratch – you can make it serve almost any purpose imaginable. Write a novel in it. Use it as a family budget book. Make it into a dream diary – it’s up to you!

(Still learning how to create them? Check out this ultimate guide on how to make a junk journal with step by step instructions and videos!)

How to Use a Junk Journal?

All that said, there are some popular ways to use junk journals that range from incredibly practical to less than practical (but still entirely awesome).

Use a junk journal as a memory and photo keeper – junk journals tend to borrow a lot of ideas and techniques from the scrapbooking world, so it’s natural that junk journals often become books for keeping memories, photos, cards, tags, and other bits of ephemera that remind you of friends, family and trips you might have taken.

Use a junk journal as a travel journal – speaking of trips, a junk journal can also serve as a travel journal. Junk journals frequently incorporate ephemera into their pages and travel often leaves you with tons of it. Use the rack cards and maps you collect as flip outs and slip them into pockets, use the tags and tickets you collect to create a collage page that will remind you of all the places you visited, and frame your travel photos and slip them into envelopes so you can look back on how much fun you had. (Travel junk journals might be my personal favourite if I’m honest!)

Use a junk journal as a coffee table book –  With all of its intricate details and designs, tuck spots, pockets and envelopes to explore a junk journal can make a perfect coffee table book. It gives an inquisitive visitor plenty of things to look at and explore while you go grab something to drink or snacks to serve.

Use a junk journal as wedding guest book – Another popular use for junk journals are to use them as wedding guest books. These versions tend to be toned down with fewer frills and pockets and lots more blank and tea dyed pages. For people who are having a historic or rustic theme to their wedding, this style of guest book can make for the perfect extra touch.

Use a junk journal as a gratitude or spiritual journal – I’ve seen lots of people using their junk journals as places to reflect  – on things their grateful for, on their religion, on how they want their future to go. The mixed media nature of a junk journal lets you include pieces from a page of a book or inspirational cards and photos, so it works great for this type of journal, too.

Use a junk journal as a piece of art – This is another one of my favourite ways to use a junk journal. Ultimately, a junk journal is a piece of mixed media art and you can treat it the exact same way you do any other kind of art – hang it up, display it, or even sell it.  If you have bare shelves in a living room or entry way, filling them with beautifully decorated books can make them extra gorgeous – and like with a coffee table book, it can be a conversation starter!

So, I hope you start one as it is also like therapy especially during these crazy times of lock down. If you do start one let me know how it is going and we can share what and how we do the different decorating techniques.



Later guys. Good to be back. Covid has brought more coaching work than anything and my husband's father died, (May he rest in peace. ), so a lot has been happening and there have been some major changes with my creativity.

We're Moving on from 2020. Welcome 2021!!!

December 31, 2020:

Hi guys….so we’re finally coming or at least approaching the end of 2020….very soon. WHAT A YEAR!!! This year anything crazy that could happen…did. From a major pandemic, to great people dying, to strange occurrences with the weather. But I must say that I learned a lot this year and experienced a lot and despite the negatives there were a lot of positives. As an Artist we need to be able to see the positives in everything as we are the ones who create the art that reflects these feelings and emotions and positives.


January 1, 2021:

It’s finally 2021 and we are on the path to new and better things. From Covid vaccines, to new ways of doing things. Online and Virtual is the way from now on….but can we adapt? Can we handle the change? Humans can adapt to anything if they want to, some are stubborn or afraid but eventually you have to move with the flow or get left behind. Just do it your way but the Online way and things will be fine.

I love technology, except when it glitches, then I get HELLA !! upset and frustrated, but technology has moved forward by leaps because of this Pandemic, I know this because as a Leadership Coach (my paying job, outside of my art), my clients wanted most of my programs manually and although they always asked when it would go digital, when it did they weren’t open to accepting it…then COVID came along and changed all of that. They had no choice, in fact they wanted it badly because handling that transition from face to face and being in the office to now working totally from home, meant a complete turn around for some of my clients who were strongly extraverts and needed that human encounter, so they wanted (even needed) my programs even more now to have someone to talk to and to help guide them through the confusing swarm of emotions and difficulties they encountered.

So it worked out for everyone. I was more in demand and they got help to manoeuvre through this extreme life change. My Art suffered, in that i didn’t or couldn’t paint due to the chaneg up in location and use of space within my home. But I found another outlet for my creativity…crafting junk folios. That got me through the need to create and soon became another of my passions, but it wasn’t the same and I soon felt that I was bursting to let out the feelings through my paint brush….but I still didn’t feel inspired or feel to put up with painting in the same space that was no longer totally mine. The feeling of freedom wasn’t there.

What did i d? I used one of the tricks I had read about and I knew would get me back on track…I signed up for a Udemy Abstract Course and WHALLA!!!. That did the trick. I had assignments and as a result I had to do them and that restarted my creative juices. I created 2 pieces in one day and it felt amazing to be back in the saddle…Lol.

What can you do to restart that painting flow? What can push you to create? Find it now and start back on that artistic journey..A journey that is beyond any kind of freedom you can find anywhere else. I hope you find it and for all you who follow me I wish you all the best for this New Year.. A year where there are many expectations for change and better times and days.

These are the 2 pieces I created:

UNNAMED #1
Unnamed #2

Until next time guys, I promise to write more this year and I hope to send off little surprises to my followers, you all have been neglected for too long. Later guys, love you all.

Regards,

Gafra

What Happens After Covid and BLM

What Happens After Covid and BLM

Hi guys.....don't worry I'm not going into the whole Protesting things and the unfairness that Blacks encounter. My main question is what happens after all of these Big Situations? Will we go back to normal? Will we change and what will change specifically? Will we have new behaviours? I'm always curious as to do we understand the source of these issues whether it's why did Covid happen in the first place?

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