The Power of One Word

On New Year’s Eve we all wait and watch for the stroke of midnight. Watching the ball drop in Times Square, counting down the seconds, ready to celebrate the New Year. Out with the old, in with the new. Why all the fan fare? Isn’t it just another 24 hrs of a day? No! It’s a brand new year! With it, the New Year brings fresh beginnings, resolutions to strive to be better, and new opportunities; you get to start all over, everyone gets a second chance. You can take this chance and fresh attitude and put it to good use by gaining power from one word phrases.

Here are some power words that can get you in the mood to CREATE, to INSPIRE you to EXPLORE a new medium, to ENCOURAGE you to venture out into the world and EXPERIENCE your art to its fullest.

POWER WORDS

COURAGE – Have courage to try something new. To go out of your comfort zone. To be adventurous and daring.

RENEW – Renew  your passion. Regain your strength. Start over and try again.

CREATE – Create interest. Create pattern. Create a story.

DISCOVER – Try new materials, make discoveries about what you are truly capable of, discover new worlds just under your brush!

INSPIRE – Inspire others through your art.

ENCOURAGE – Encourage creativity by listening to music or visiting a museum or gallery.

EXPLORE – Explore new materials and mediums, techniques and tools.

EXPERIENCE – Experience new cultures, surround yourself with art and objects from other countries.

SHARE – Share your passion. Spread the Joy. Pass on your passion to another.

FREEDOM – Gain Freedom from fear and doubt. Break away from the norm. Break the rules.

PASSION – A true passion  for art is when you just simply cannot do without it. You could never imagine what your world would be like if you didn’t paint, or draw or sculpt, or write. You know you have an art passion, when all you think of are inspirations, projects, potential paintings, and sharing your art with others. It is completely natural to you to immerse yourself in art at any given time. The time you are not creating  art, you are thinking of creating art. It is a true passion.

BELIEVE – Believe you can achieve and you will.

LISTEN – Listen to yourself. Speak encouraging words out loud.

PRACTICE – Practice makes perfect!

MOTIVATE – Stay motivated by dedicating a small area in your home for your workspace. This way you don’t have to put away all of your materials each time you finish painting. You are always ready to use any available time to paint.

WATCH – Watch Instructional DVDS and YouTube videos. There is much to learn.

LEARN – Learn from other artists by taking a workshop. You should never stop learning no matter how experienced you are. We can never learn everything there is to know.

SIMPLIFY – Simplify your scene by removing anything that is not needed to convey the story.

Now, these are just a drop in the bucket. Everyone has their own list of words that are important to them. Make your list and take time to post some of these inspirational power words creatively in your studio or by your work station. Paint them on canvas like Joe’s Prime stretched canvas or canvas boards. They are available in a lot of great formats that are just perfect for signage like these! Or you can paint on watercolor paper, directly on the wall, or even just write it on a Post-It note! Type them in a large bold font and print them out. Be creative. I printed mine on 140 lb. Kilimanjaro paper and used the American Journey Voyager paint set to embellish them. I had so much fun and it doesn’t matter if they are beautiful or scribbled, just put the words in front of you to constantly remind you to enjoy your passion and strive to be the best at anything you choose to do. The words will help to put you in the mood to paint, to create, and continue to grow. You will be surprised at how a positive frame of mind can benefit your art experience. Go ahead and start your Power Word Project today. Hey, you can even make it a group event and invite all of your friends over to help you start the New Year off with a bang!

I chose the Miller’s Gallery frames to display some of my Power Words. Just look how wonderful these are! I used the 4 x 8 frame  for smaller ones of the same size and the 6″ x 12″ for the 4″ x 10″ size which I mounted on black mat board to give it some punch! These frames have a 1-1/2″ base and can accommodate a 3/4″ deep canvas as well. It is super easy to install your artwork and you can change out the words in a frame as often as you like. The frames can be displayed on a wall or they sit nicely on a shelf with no problem. They also come in Natural and Walnut, and Black, White painted finishes. All of the frames come with hardware to hang them and an acrylic pane to protect your creations!

Another great purpose of displaying single words is to help guide and instruct you and to remind you to find structure and form in your paintings. Having the Seven Elements of a painting as a visual reference will help you to build a stronger composition and create more interest for the viewer to enjoy.

Here is the complete list of the Seven Elements. Keep these in front of you as you paint. As they say, “Out of sight, out of mind.” Remember to refer to them often while you are planning and painting. You will see a big difference in your work.

SEVEN ELEMENTS

SHAPE
SIZE
LINE
DIRECTION
TEXTURE
COLOR
VALUE

Then, there are the EIGHT PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN. This is a list of what we can do with the SEVEN ELEMENTS above. Once you learn how to use these “power tools”, your paintings will improve to a new level of quality. That is why it is important to keep these words where you can see them and refer to them often. These are the building blocks of all good works of art. Make good use of them!

UNITY
CONFLICT
DOMINANCE
REPETITION
ALTERNATION
GRADATION
HARMONY
BALANCE

There are many professional artists that use the process of displaying One Word phrases to motivate and inspire them in their creation of art every day! They are just like me and you and sometimes get into a rut or need a little nudge now and then to get something going. Everyone experiences painter’s block, or creative burn out, it is nothing to be discouraged about if it happens to you. You just have to surround yourself with visually stimulating objects or words or try something completely different from what you are used to. Power words are just one way to regain your creative inspiration. You can use music, travel, meditation, or visiting a gallery, or museum, or just a crowded mall. You will never know what will spark your imagination until you go looking for it.

Robert Burridge is an incredible abstract and impressionistic acrylic artist. He uses warm ups and motivational tactics every day before he begins to paint. He has all sorts of words and phrases painted  on his walls all over his studio. He uses the words to get pumped up and excited about his art before ever putting paint to canvas. He meditates on the words, and listens to music that puts him in a painting frame of mind. By creating an environment that encourages spontaneity and enthusiasm, he is able to channel all of his energies into his paintings. Go to his website at www.robertburridge.com and see what inspires him to paint.

So, as the New Year begins, you can begin again, as well. Try something new to refresh your paintings, a different medium, a new technique, a new surface. Use the Power Word Project to put you in a positive place to create and enjoy your art. It’s a brand new year, you get to start all over again. With all of the normal New Year’s Resolutions you make on New Year’s Day, make a special promise to yourself this year, to be more positive and adventurous with your art by using power words to remind you that your talent is a gift and you should enjoy giving it to yourself more than anyone else!

Have a Safe and Happy New Year from all of us at Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff. We look forward to providing you with the best art stuff at the best prices and the best customer service in the industry throughout!