Anyone else finding it really hard to get creative?  I mean anyone else struggling to find beauty in the process of creating?  I am really struggling.  I just can’t find my motivation to create.  So I have decided to revert back to the days when I was first teaching myself art and crafting.  I pulled out my art journal and simply created some ugly art.

Yes, you read that right.  I forced myself to create, knowing it would most likely be ugly, but not caring as long as I created.  I went old school today, with lots of layers of both stuff and ink and paint.  Do I love my project….?….nope, but it felt good to create.

Despite this not being my favorite project of all time, I will walk you through how I created it just in case you need a little motivation to get creating yourself.

Inside either an art journal or on heavy cardstock, adhere with a gel medium or thin liquid adhesive some tissue paper.  I used Simply Creative Decoupage Paper in Vibrant Butterflies and some matte acrylic gel.

I added some color to the page with Distress Oxide Spray and smeared it with my finger.  I used Tattered Rose, Carved Pumpkin and Picked Raspberry.  I picked colors based off what colors I found the butterflies in the decoupage page.

Using some acrylic paint, I spread it around the edges using both my fingers and a palette knife.  I really like how the wrinkles in the decoupage paper added a cool pattern to the page.

I then added splatters of ink to the page using the same Distress Oxide Spray.  I then heat set the page.

I added some stamping to the background using both the KaiserCraft Timeless background stamp and VersaFine Clair Ink in Warm Breeze.

I added even more background stamping using the KaiserCraft Honeycomb background stamp and VersaFine Clair ink in Tulip Red.

On a piece of separate cardstock, I repetitively stamped a floral image from the KaiserCraft Fairy Dust stamp set in the Tulip Red ink.

I fussy cut out of the image.  Using Distress Oxides in Carved Pumpkin, Picked Raspberry and Tattered Rose, I ‘water’ colored the image.

Adhere the cardstock to the journal page using a heavy gel medium.  Add a bit of lace to the straight edges.  I used Scallop Pearly Lace.

Add a few more floral stamped images using the Tulip Red and the tiny floral stamp from the Fairy Dust stamp set.

Add a sentiment from the Fairy Dust stamp set and VersaFine Black Onyx ink.

Add some Nuvo Drops accents with both White Blizzard and Auburn Pearl.

Like I said this isn’t the prettiest thing in the world.  But it is something, and in weird stressful times it is better to be creating something (even ugly) and healing through art then creating nothing and suffer.

What are you creating right now?  How are you helping spark your creativity during these strange times?  Let me know in the comments below.  Until then, happy crafting.

WRC Supplies
KaiserCraft FairyDust Stamp Set
KaiserCraft Timeless Background Stamp
KaiserCraft Honeycomb Background Stamp
Creative Decoupage Paper in Vibrant Butterflies
White Scallop Pearly Lace
VersaFine Clair Warm Breeze
VersaFine Clair Tulip Red
VersaFine Black Onyx
Carved Pumpkin Distress Oxide
Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide
Tattered Rose Distress Oxide
Nuvo Drops in Auburn Pearl
Nuvo Drops in White Blizzard
Distress Oxide Spray