Monkey Mind

"Monkey Mind" - acrylic and charcoal on paper, 18" x 24".  Ready to frame.  Available here and at Artfinder.

Figure drawing has been invaded by apes.  This is what happens when my brain gets fired up in the middle of the night and starts to play..  Monkey mind.  

I know you've got a mind full of mischief-makers, too.  It is clearly an epidemic of mental monkeys. The only cure for it (that I know of) is to get hands busy making and doing. A perfect excuse to dive into that creative project you've been putting off.  You actually need to do that right now to quiet the monkeys.

​Or you can go fold the laundry.  Your choice. :)

Monkey Mind

Last week, my super intern worked on telling her story,  which is a key part of marketing as an artist.  It's a simple formula that takes all the messy complication out of figuring out your tale.  A  Mad Lib of sorts, from the ever inspiring Austin Kleon in his book, Show Your Work.  It goes  like this:

Once upon a time, there was (fill in the blank)
Every day (fill in the blank)
One day  (fill in the blank)
Because of that (fill it in)
Because of that (you know what to do here)
Until finally (finish it with gusto!)

My story, for example, might be this:

"Once upon a time, there was a girl who was banned from art forever by her very own mom. Every day she went to work as a banker, one of the least creative jobs on earth. One day, a friend dragged her to an art class.  Because of that, she discovered an incredible new world where no one could be banned and playtime and work time were all mixed into one sandbox.  And because of that, she tackled art instructors to the ground, insisted on extreme lessons and practiced and doggedly pursued her craft until finally she became a real, live artist and lived happily ever after in a wild state of play."

It is a super simplified way to figure out the answer to the question "what's your story?" and can be used for pretty much any field you happen to pursue.  Give it a try!  My intern, Fiona, insists I reward one lucky Mad Libber for their efforts.  So post your story in the comments below, and one inventive storyteller will be selected by Fiona to win a whimsical art print to be packaged by Pongo and delivered by pigeon (or postman) to their door.  Ready?  GO!

---

For some groovy reprinted whatnots which require no story writing whatsoever, check out my newly revamped store at Redbubble.