Hey there, I'm Lorena, and you've just stepped into The Stress Less Pencil's creative sanctuary. Here, we're all about the art of feeling good, not just making it look good. Whether you're a seasoned artist or a complete beginner, our weekly prompts are tailored to bring joy to your artistic journey. So, why wait? Come on in and let's explore the world of stress-free creativity together!
Have you ever stood in front of a supermarket isle finding yourself incapable of making a choice between 30 different products that are essentially the same?
Take the salt in the open container, or the one in the card board box, or in a shaker? The fine or coarse version? The cheaper or slightly nicer looking one? Sea salt, or maybe the one that says it has extra minerals?
To illustrate, here's a screenshot of the selection of salt of my local supermarket:
In his book "The Paradox of Choice", psychology Barry Schwarz says that having too much choice can stress us out. We're worried about making the wrong choice. We overanalyse our options. And that can lead to us simply not being able to make a decision at all.
Reducing our choices can help us be more decisive. It can also give us a creative kick in the butt.
So today, we'll see what we can come up with when our options are limited.
The Activity: Make a Two-Tone Drawing
Step 1: Pick your colours
Choose two colours in your favourite medium. Don't overthink it, just pick the two your hand goes to first.
Step 2: Make a Drawing
Now take a piece of paper and make a drawing using only those two colours. Maybe your colour choices will guide you in finding what you want to draw (green trees, red apples, for example). Or maybe, hopefully, like the great Expressionists, you choose to take some creative freedoms and experiment with the two colours you have. Although admittedly, they did get to use a lot more colours.
You'll be limited in your colour choices of course, but that will allow you to explore using those two colours in ways you wouldn't normally have. Red tree with green apples on it? YES! Stick-man-self-portrait in blue with pink hair? YES! Yellow sky with turquoise clouds? YES!
Have fun and enjoy the freedom of limited choice.
My Example
If you follow me on Instagram, you know what I have an art supply advent calendar this year. Each day, I'm getting a new thing that I get to play with.
So far, I've gotten a watercolour sketchpad, a single pink watercolour pencil, and a water brush pen.
Yesterday, I did a little folk art drawing (another obsession of mine) using only the pink pencil, water, and some white. Today I went crazy and added green as a second colour.
I have to say, I actually prefer the first one where I used only one colour. Maybe having no choice at all is best?
Have a great week friends!
Love, Lorena
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