Archan Knotz creates : Journals

Archan Knotz creates : Journals: Handcrafted leather bound journals 6.5 x 4.5" #repurposed Journals have been instrumental in creating opportunities in my life. ...

Journals

Handcrafted leather bound journals 6.5 x 4.5" #repurposed

Journals have been instrumental in creating opportunities in my life.

So I am happy to now actually create the 'hardware' myself. I have not been known to be crafty and actually fainted into my adored teachers arms, when working in sewing class.

Journals have followed me as my sketch books or to visualize my life. Sometimes with long pauses in between.

When I was younger and living in Munich struggling, while escaping reality into writing a life I wanted to live into my journal. I started to understand how important journals are. While writing, my brain started to be more free of all the things charging through the synopses.
Yesterday, I had titled by blog post, Unlimited Possibilities, well, eventually I basically talked myself into being courageous by exposing my inner critic in my journal. Which prompted big changes in my life.

Moving to Frankfurt.
Signing up for art classes.
Had my first show.
Sold some artwork, which eventually connected me to Nova Scotia, which I now call my home.

I remember sitting in the airplane in February of 1993 (only someone who does not know how cold winters are in Nova Scotia would be thinking of visiting NS in February), telling the story how I came to be flying to Nova Scotia to a person next to me, he said, "write a book about it".
In a way I did, before it happened.

Journaling is a courageous undertaking because what you put in there and dream about can come true.

Archan Knotz creates : Unlimited Possibilities

Archan Knotz creates : Unlimited Possibilities: Unlimited Possibilities 12 X 6" acrylic on canvas    It has been a strange winter here in Nova Scotia. One day we have 10 C and the...

Unlimited Possibilities

Unlimited Possibilities 12 X 6" acrylic on canvas 

 

It has been a strange winter here in Nova Scotia. One day we have 10 C and the next we are back into the deep freeze -27 C.  No snow just ice. People are slipping and falling like bowling pins and breaking all kinds of bones.

This morning, I was trying to catch one of our Gulf Shore bald eagle on camera, however, no luck. Every morning in the last couple of weeks, one of these amazing birds has been soaring over our roof. How lucky am I to see these birds flying or sitting on trees across the road in my neigbhourhood. I feel a strong sense of reaffirmation about myself when I see these bald eagles, with gratitude I stand by the road and look up at these majestic birds. 

Giving myself permission to explore product making for this years Farmer's market. I felt overwhelmed by working in all different mediums and needed to allow myself, one month at the time to work on different things.

It is important to give space to all our different abilities to create, in order to concur the overwhelming anxiety of the never quiet inner critic.   

Archan Knotz creates : Unterpainting

Archan Knotz creates : Unterpainting: 6 x 12" acrylic on canvas This painting is inspired by all the women I see when I am going to the pool in Truro. They, or I bette...

Unterpainting

6 x 12" acrylic on canvas

This painting is inspired by all the women I see when I am going to the pool in Truro.

They, or I better say, we come in all shapes, sizes and ages.

I am inspired, seeing a elder walking with a walker to the pool's edge abandoning her walker and slipping into the lane next to me. As I swim my lanes, I look over and here she is with her nose clip and her goggles doing the front crawl lane after lane, till she switches to back stroke.

After an hour we both exit the pool.

Now this is inspiring!

Archan Knotz creates : Inspiration

Archan Knotz creates : Inspiration: "Diving" acrylic on canvas 10 x 8" SOLD Wondering were to find inspiration these days. January has been a difficult mo...

Inspiration

"Diving" acrylic on canvas 10 x 8" SOLD

Wondering were to find inspiration these days.

January has been a difficult month to find inspiration. Yes, I have still gone swimming, and are doing my daily activity journal, but squeezing paint onto my palette plate, or rolling out the block ink seems to be to much to handle.

In the beginning of January I started a painting I found little joy in, I seem to be stuck in this experience, therefore, it is so important for me to take these paints and squeeze them on to the plate in order to move back into the joy of creating art.

In order to pull myself out of this slump, I have started to make simple drawings in my journal. Nothing much, just to keep going.

The self critic is the hardest critic, I want to be kind to myself again and allow the energy to flow.