Why I'm not painting Mandala Stones in September
Dear friends and fellow colour enthusiasts!
I have decided that for the month of September I will not be painting a single Mandala Stone!
But don’t worry- there WILL be a September Mandala Stone shop update AND of course I will resume painting them again in October.
Mandala Stones may be small pieces of art but they take a lot of time to create- hours- sometimes over the course of days!
As August came to a close, the reality that 2019 is quickly come to an end too really hit me- and I realised that a lot of the long list of dreams and goals I had for myself for this year remained undone.
I have always wondered what I would be doing with my creative time if I were to put Mandala Stones aside. I decided NOW was time to find out!
Fortunately- these past two months I have been super busy creating Mandala Stones so I have quite the collection- almost enough for 2 updates worth! Just take a look inside my rainbow drawer…!!
New things in the works…
The reason why I currently have such a large collection of Mandala Stones, is that I’ve been creating some new photography for a 2020 calendar!
As you can imagine- I need a lot of these treasures to create a full and balanced image.
Here is a sneak peek at one of the new images…
What I plan to do with my creative time…
I have SO many ideas to explore! There is no way I’ll be able to do them all, and I don’t want this self-created space to become stressful.
Here is a list of just some of the things I hope to delve into-
Journalling
Joining an Instagram painting challenge
Creating collages
Painting a big painting
Writing more poetry
Reading
Giving my studio a good and thorough clean!
Playing with air-dry clay
Paint some flags for the garden
What I’m most excited about is journalling. While in the Netherlands this June I got back into painting in a journal in a HUGE WAY! I found a cute old book at a second hand shop in Edinburgh and decided to turn it into my travel journal. I loved playing with words within my art and the way the text showed through my paint. It was so healing and nurturing for my creative spirit and general well being. Painting for the sake of it- for no one but me- is something I haven’t done in a long time.
Here is just a page I created inspired by a windmill at the Open-Air Museum in Arnhem…
I LOVE painting Mandala Stones!
Let me reassure you again that this break no way means that I’ll be stopping painting Mandala Stones! It’s because I love creating them so much that I need to take this time away. I get into such a wonderful meditative state that it becomes all encompassing- it is all I want to do! Even when I have my best intentions to spend an hour painting them and then move onto something else- I rarely follow through. The stones always lead me onto new exciting patterns and colours to explore that are simply irresistible!
Here is the last Mandala Stone I painted in August- inspired by this lovely bunch of flowers I got from a local farm stand…
My Reset September!
Ultimately I am viewing this month as a reset. As well as exploring more ideas and creative outlets I plan on implementing some new habits. Such as no internet first thing in the morning! That is a bad habit I have and I’ve known for a long time I need to break it. I will also be attending a really fun workshop (natural indigo dyeing!), taking a road trip, and gardening. Basically loving up the last days of summer!
I will keep you updated on my insights and creations throughout the month!
Wishing you a wonderful September,
Elspeth
Ps- have you seen the 8 postcard pack featuring the Mandala Stones? This will give you an idea of what my 2020 calendar will be like.
