Creativity Redefined

What a dream it has been these past couple of weeks during my holiday vacation, to be able to have a substantial amount of time to devote to my crafting! Lately, I've been concentrating on getting reacquainted with watercolor! I used to love watercolor painting when I was a kid, but somewhere along the way, adulthood extinguished all my childhood passions. Perhaps I've let my childhood passions become forced into a slot of lesser priority in my life, in the face of all the adult responsibilities and obligations that have come my way over the years.

There is just not enough time, not enough money, not enough energy...something has got to give, you'd think?!

This past year I was determined to rekindle some of my old childhood passions. I made it a priority and was very intentional in attempting to do at least ONE childhood leisure activity (painting, puzzle-ing, bike riding etc.) each week. In my life, in this season, after a year of intentionally making time to do these things, I've discovered it to be EXTREMELY BENEFICIAL. It has resulted in a deeper enrichment of love, joy, peace, and creativity in my life. It has caused me to become firm in the belief that one's mundane routine of adulting, and doing life can actually be enhanced by throwing some childhood passions into the mix.

Another silly thing that has kept me away from my painting, and doing some of the things in life I love, is fear! Fear has quenched my creativity, and my right to express myself freely in my own different, and unique way. I suppose somewhere along the way growing up, I became overly concerned about the opinions of other people and what they think about me. I've realized that people tend to not always approve of 'different', 'out of the box', and being unique. But those are the very things that it takes to be creative. Therefore, creativity takes boldness. We are not all meant to be the same. We were not created that way. Not having the approval of everyone can hurt sometimes. But I've learned that sacrificing my uniqueness, whether it be in what I create, or in who I am, is not worth losing the joy, satisfaction, and accomplishment that can be attained when one freely operates as one was created to. God is the ultimate creator who created us, and he doesn't make mistakes!  

Creativity and self-expression can be a touchy topic these days...I'm talking about creativity in the realm of all things biblical. Creativity has been redefined for me, and it is changing the course of my life, my dancing, my crafting, and in every area!  It's not about replicating the creative person next to you. Get out there, be young, and be 'you!' Glory to Elohim! Thanks for reading my musings! comment, subscribe, and don't be shy!
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Floral Wreaths

Have you noticed these artsy floral wreaths popping up everywhere; on Pinterest and Facebook, on stationary and greeting cards!? With only a little bit of creativity and this tutorial, you can learn how to design and create floral wreaths of your own! They are not hard to make but are simply comprised of leaves and flowers. The sky's the limit as to anything else you might want to add to them! They can be as simple or elaborate as you choose! It is popular for a favorite quote or bible verse to be centered in the middle of these wreaths, or maybe you might want to personalize it with a name or an initial, and give it away as a gift! Whether Winter or Spring, these creative wreaths can be sported on greeting cards for any occasion. Just follow a few of these easy steps and guidelines to get you started! I had so much fun preparing this blog entry! Check it out!

What  You'll  need :

Either Colored Pens or Pencils

A Pencil, for sketching

Either colored pens or pencils 

OR paint and paint brushes

I like to have a black pen or fine marker on hand in case of outlining

Paper, the drawing or watercolor kind

extra scrap paper for testing

Something round such as a cup or bowl or CD to trace

I use paints from Reeves Watercolor Paint Set. It has lasted me forever!

My personal favorite set of paint brushes.
I actually don't know very much about all of the different types
paint brushes that there are, but you can educate yourself
HERE if you want to learn about it.

Le Pens are my favorite kinds of pens
for illustrating with their fine nibs
and light weight barrels! I love them!

My mom is never really a fan of when I turn her guest room into my art studio! 😆
Check out this article about what my 8 most essential things are for when I sit down to paint!

The  Steps :

Here's what you'll do as shown in the tutorial photos above:

1. With your pencils,  lightly trace your circular object, making a perfect circle on your paper. You will be erasing this later.

2. Next, I like to preplan and make a rough layout of where the predominate flowers (if any) will be placed, still in pencil and very lightly, keeping symmetry and balance in mind.

3. Next, whether working with pens or paint, I like to practice my flowers, leaves, and berries on another paper before jumping into the main project.

4. Lastly, have at it! Let your creativity run wild! Start designing your wreath on top of your layout and erase the pencil lines as you go, OR if you are using watercolor you can completely erase the pencil after you are done painting and it's all dry, without disturbing the beauty of your masterpiece. Remember to embrace your own style and signature of creativity! No one can create quite like you can and that is the best part!


Below is a time-lapse video of me working on my Christmas floral wreath!

And this was the finished product:

#haveyourselfamerrylittlechristmas #merrychristmas #watercolor #pointsettia

A photo posted by Lillian Marie Ortiz (@oqpiedoptimist) on Dec 24, 2016 at 11:16pm PST

Tips,  Examples, and Variations :

Examples done with pen, markers, and colored pencils.

Examples done with watercolor.

• Check out my article on watercoloring tips for beginners!
• When water coloring a floral wreath I like to paint all the objects of the same color first, before switching to another color, to give my piece time to dry. You then also benefit from not having to wash your brush as frequently.

Flowertopia at Creative Market is a helpful resource for cultivating inspiration and great ideas for wreath making!

• The incomplete circle of this simple pen-designed wreath is a great looking variation to the more common typical wreath. 

This playful wreath extends to the very edges of the paper!

This simple wreath is done with watercolor and then if you will notice, I went back and outlined
some things with pen giving this piece a more illustrated look.

A variation; trace a square to make your design into more of a frame!

Have  Fun  Designing, And  Be  Creative!

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Watercoloring For Beginners

Hello out there my aspiring artists and paint enthusiasts!  This weekend I've taken another try at painting with watercolor...if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. I think I am FINALLY getting the hang of it and I want to share with you a few lessons, tips, and discoveries I have made concerning using watercolor!

#1 The hardest thing for me is balancing the amount of water vs. paint on my brush and on my paper. So #1 is: The more pure paint you have on your brush, the more vivid your color will be.

#2 Adding water to the paint on your brush will lessen the strength of the color.

#3 Unlike using acrylic paint where when you want to lighten up the shade of a color you just add white, with watercolor you can just add water! 

#4 The colors always dry darker than I think they will.

#5 If you have mixed the perfect color on your palette by using a combination of multiple different colors of paint and water, but then find the color to be going onto your paper in too watery of a manner, try picking the color up from the palette with your brush, but then scraping/squeezing out any excess moisture from your brush (by pressing it to the edge of either your cup of water, or edge of your palette without getting it wet) before applying it to your paper. 

#6  Take your wet brush covered in paint to an already wet area of your paper to blend colors (wet on wet).

#7 I used to think it was impossible NOT to blend when working with multiple colors because my colors would bleed all over the place and into each other. That was problematic, but then I discovered you have to let your work COMPLETELY DRY, before going in to add more details if you want to create strong lines that don't bleed into the other colors. Just make sure that your brush isn't too watery.

#8 Perhaps the idea that all detailing and outlines has to be done in black, comes from my sketching/drawing mentality. What I've learned is that with watercoloring, that is not necessarily so. It can look very nice once your painting is dry, to then go back and paint your details in using colors that are only a couple shades darker than the area you are detailing.

#9 The best thing about watercolor is that if you make a mistake and the paint/mistake on your paper is still wet, you can just dab it away with a dry paper towel! You can also use dabbing to create texture and for highlighting purposes as well.

#10 There is an important note to be taken about your brush strokes. No matter what you do, with every stroke you make there will always usually formulate a little pool of watery paint. Usually, it gathers at the end of each stroke. Fear Not! I can be used to your advantage for a number of different things. Guide the pool of water to where you want it within the stroke or shape you have made and then let dry for an added effect of depth and/or texture, or drag the pool of water out to extend your stroke further. You can also use the pool of watery paint for blending techniques as well! 

*BONUS Lastly, be sure to change your cups of water when necessary! Your water can become tainted, and become a water color of it's own! Dirty water can alter the colors of paint put on your brush or pollute your brush when you mean to clean!

To exersize your newfound knowledge and skills, why don't you try out my DIY floral wreath making tutorial HERE! ^_^

Check out My 8 Must-Have Essentials When Painting

I hope you found this blog entry interesting and helpful! Thanks for reading! Happy Painting! Have fun and be creative! Let me know of any blog topic ideas you may have!?  I love to hear your comments and questions, so comment, follow, subscribe, and don't be shy!
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Beginning Again

Our 4-week summer dance intensive is all said and done. Thinking back to those 4 weeks warms my heart as I reflect on the faithfulness of God during that time. So many hearts and lives were touched by Him, including mine. God always seems to move in big ways during Ballet Magnificat's summer workshop, which obviously is more than just about ballet, but about using our dance to cultivate a concentrated atmosphere of passion and worship for God. It would be hard for any one student, teacher, or counselor, to leave our workshop without loving Jesus more, and THAT is a good way to finish off one season, and start into another. 
After workshop, us company members are given one week off to rest and recoup before the start of another season. One of my favorite things to do with that week is "Be still, and know that he is God" (Ps 46:10). What I mean by that literally, is that along with allowing my body to be still, rest physically, and recharge, I like to spend that week in complete devotion to seeking God; seeking Him more personally, in contrast to the prior corporate setting of workshop; seeking Him even deeper for myself, that my soul as well might be renewed and refreshed in preparation for beginning another new season of ministry with Ballet Magnificat.
Sacrificing time to intensely seek Him through his word, through prayer, and through fasting are all things I concentrated on doing this past week off, and let me tell you, I have never felt more revived, more recharged, or more enthusiastic about living life, as I do now. By seeking God in these ways I have gained a deeper knowledge and understanding of who He is, which has enriched my faith, worship, and communion with Him. In my humble opinion, I think every believer at some point needs to take some time out, to "retreat" if you will, to seek God intensely as such, for however long, at least once a year; to immerse yourself in His word, to talk to Him and quiet your mind that you might hear back, and as Matthew 5:6 says, that you might "hunger and thirst for righteousness and be blessed!" He will meet with you, and show you more of himself, and it will be revitalizing to both body and soul and It will have been be worth it!

"The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." ~1 Thessalonians 5:24
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." ~James 4:8

... Don't get me wrong, normal life still went on for me this past week. It's just that the normal life stuff isn't as noteworthy, ^_^ but I can share it with you anyways:

 Reading:  

In my pursuit of God this past week, I decided to re-read "A Hunger for God" by John Piper. I have read it before but it is SO good. I think it may be one of my most favorite books of all time! I could probably read the whole 200-paged book in one day if I let myself. I highly recommend it! I am not exaggerating when I say: It changed my life.

Crazy Cool Fact I Bet You Didn't Know:

Did you know that John Piper has all of his books available online for free download! The whole books---for free!!! I love this man! He writes good stuff! Check it out:

 http://www.desiringgod.org/books/all

Crafting: 

Experimenting with watercolor again, I've made some new cards available in my Gift Shop!

I found these cool animal stencils in the craft section at Walmart. I bought them for the girls in my workshop group this summer to use, to make stuff with, but I think I am having more fun with them then they had! I used an X-acto knife to cut shapes out of card stock to make my own stencils too! Stencils are great for simple, bold shapes and patterns. The stencils became a bit delicate when wet by the watercolor. I loved the results though! Once the stencils dried, they were as good as new! I had to be careful not to wet the paper too much or the color would bleed past the outline, under the stencil.

I used washi tape to keep the stencils from moving.

Uh oh! Opps, too much water.

Simple, bold shapes can easily be painted without stencils. You just want to make sure you don't outline the shape, then fill it in, unless that is the look you are going for.

Observe outline vs. no outline

Instead make the shape on the paper using clean water first, then add color to it, dipping your brush into the desired colors of paint and then to the water on your paper! Have fun mixing and blending colors!

It is best to do water coloring on the appropriate kind of paper. Even still, if your paper is cheap like mine water spots may appear. No worries, they disappear once dry!

Cooking: 

Feast your eyes upon this delicious, colorful, healthy meal I threw together this week!



A Veggie Burger Taco, with Crispy Over Baked Sweet Potato Fries, and a Mango Smoothie, all so easy to make!

Cleaning:

Being that all my housemates had gone on summer break, I was able to navigate around the house pretty freely and had lots of time and space on my hands for some good deep house cleaning. From kitchen to bathrooms, ceilings (which I repainted- talk about an arm workout!) to floor, I kept myself busy getting everything pristine and in order. Maybe I am just a cleaning geek but I find a clean house at the end of the day to be highly satisfying! ^_^
One of the projects I tackled that I would like to tell you about was bleaching the caulking along the showers and tubs in our bathrooms. I found this amazing post on Pinterest about how to remove mold stains from caulking like magic, so I decided to try it out for myself and I was thoroughly impressed! 

What you will need :

• Bleach
• Cotton beauty coils used for perms (I actually didn't have those but the "Finding Nemo" paper towels I did have on hand worked just as well!) 

Basically, all I did was take strips of paper towel soaked in bleach, and placed them on top of the moldy spots of caulking to sit overnight. I was so excited the next day to find the caulking almost completely restored to it's normal brilliant white state! Check out the photos! It wasn't perfect but I am confident that one more night doing this bleach treatment will do the trick!
...well with that week behind me, it is time to start another. Let's fix our eyes on Jesus!
His goodness shines with brightest rays When we delight in all his ways. His glory overflows its rim When we are satisfied in him. His radiance will fill the earth When people revel in his worth. The beauty of God's holy fire Burns brightest in the heart's desire.
~As seen in "A Hunger for God" by John Piper.

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a great week! comment, follow, subscribe, and don't be shy! 
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Hustlin

It's 'Hump Day'! We find ourselves smack dab in the middle of the week, in the middle of the month, and nearly in the middle of the year! It may be a good time to step back and evaluate things. How's it going for you? What have you accomplished so far? It has been a good year for me so far, full of lots of learning and growing, but honestly, in this current BUSY month of June, time seems to be going SO SLOWLY! I can hardly remember anything prior to this month, but let me try and recall what all I've been up too.

At the Ballet Magnificat dance studios we are now full-force preparing for both our summer dance camp, and already rehearsing for the Christmas season as well!

It is so exciting that our summer dance camp is on the horizon! It is a 4 week program (or 2 two week programs) held during the whole month of July. Our summer dance intensive (SDI) gives us company members the delightful opportunity of working first-hand, teaching dance classes and bible studies, mentoring, and worshiping with a myriad of young eager Christian ballet students that will be joining us from all around the world. Prior to the month of July we each have the responsibility of lesson planning! So basically, when I am not busy dancing around, rehearsing, working my part-time job, or blogging ^_^ I am lesson planning; whether it is ballet class lesson plans, or bible study lesson plans. Lesson planning occupies much of my time these days.

Tons of special occasions have been/or are to be celebrated this month; We just had a wonderful 30 year company reunion this past weekend in which I got to see several of my old friends, Fathers Day is coming up this weekend, and there are several summer birthdays approaching! In the little spare time that I have, I am trying to make it a priority to set aside time for crafting/card making! I am want to make it a priority because 1) I love blessing people with my little happy's and/or written words of encouragement and 2) It's something I enjoy doing and I think that is reason enough! Check out some of my creations that are available for purchase in my SHOP.

I have no room on my desk these days for crafting because it is full of materials for lesson planning. I resort to finding a comfy spot on the floor!

A funny Father's Day card I made for my daddy!

This Card was very easy to make. On the front of the card I used fun colorful paper cut into bold shapes, and who knew that folding a strip of paper once or twice could make for a cool looking banner. Inside I got to practice my calligraphy using my favorite pine green Pilot G2 Pen.

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 I've learned a new technique that I am so excited to share with you, using water color and a white crayon. First what you do is draw or write something with your white crayon on your watercolor paper. It will be a little tricky considering you will be drawing white on white and may not be able to clearly see what you are doing, but it doesn't have to be perfect. Any occurring 'imperfections' will contribute to the uniqueness and the creative look of your project.

Next, using your watercolors, all you need to do is paint over your crayoned writing/drawing. Paint whatever you want, using whatever colors you want! The white crayon will repel the paint and your crayoned creation will be made visible, like magic! The paint will simply surround and frame whatever you drew with the crayon and it will create an awesome effect! Below is a birthday card I created using this technique.

A great project for kids, but try this fun easy project for yourself!

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I have been working diligently on a new collection of upcycled soda tab earrings, to be premiered this summer featuring new colors, new charms, and new adornments! They are going to be awesome! Keep your eyes peeled for their arrival in my online SHOP.

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Also, Today marks the halfway point for my Alumni of the Year Campaign!  It is a fundraiser campaign to raise money for my old ballet schools scholarship program. Thank you SO much, to those of you that have contributed and shown your support! Between you and I, and my fellow alumni nominees we have raised over $8,100! Together we have achieved the funds needed to provide full academic year scholarships for TWO pre-professional students – and we are so close to a third. It is not to late to contribute to the Changing Lives Scholarship Fund if you are still interested! I have only been able to raise 41% of my goal but that is optimistically okay. We have something to strive for, and have until July 22. If you would like to partner with me in showing support for ballet, and solid education in the arts by making a contribution to the CPYB Changing Lives Scholarship Fund, visit my campaign page HERE.

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In other news, as you may or may not be aware of, I have been investing quite a bit of time and energy into this blog! Not only with producing substantial consistent content and creating fun updates, but also I have been doing much research and gaining understanding in hopes of taking steps closer to monetizing it. I am very excited by the thought of doing so, and feel I should take this time to thank YOU!

With my blog only being half a year old, it is because of supporters and faithful readers like you that taking those steps forward so soon are even possible, so thanks for sticking with me! The best is yet to come for 'The Occupied Optimist'. Please continue to interact with me by submitting your comments or by contacting me via email. My contact information can be found in the 'about me' tab located in the menu bar at the top of this page! I would love to receive your comments ideas and/or suggestions as to what I can do to make your 'reading experience' better here at The Occupied Optimist! I want to know what you would like me to write about or if there are any questions you have about ballet, crafting, the bible, or anything! For me, your involvement is what makes maintaining this blog so fun!

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As far as my Summer Reading has been going; Unfortunately it has kind of been put on a stand still with how busy I have been. Oh Well. Perhaps I will get through my list of 'books-to-read' by the end of August.

In a nut shell, that is everything occupying my heart and mind these days! God is in it all as well, of course. Maybe there is room for Him to be even more involved in all these things, and in my life, than what I am currently allow Him, hmm ...am I to busy for my own good? That is a topic for another day. Anyway, Thanks for reading!

Happy Hump Day!

comment, follow, subscribe and don't be shy!

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