The past two weeks have been a lot of travel and a good deal of sadness. And laughter. And joy at reconnecting with family. My maternal grandmother passed away, leaving me at 41, with no living grandparents. While I didn’t have much contact with any of my grandparents once I left for college, they filled my childhood with happy summer days on their farms in Southern Missouri. I grew up loving my grandma’s cooking and her enjoyment of the natural beauty of flowers and rocks. My maternal granddad was county sheriff for eight years which always struck my youthful heart with a sense of justice for both my life and the world. I think I might not ever know the full extent of how some of these early experiences shaped the adult I am today. But I am thankful for the sense of family and inclusion that I gained from them. I strive daily to pass that little bit of them along to others.

Day 142: Yarn with snacks and girl sleepover. Good times. pic.twitter.com/PlYB2A2171

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) June 28, 2014

Day 143: Dr Seuss tree ATC. pic.twitter.com/Tokk9nWpZw

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) June 29, 2014

Day 144: A little crochet tonight in memory of my grandma. It was one of her favorite things to do. pic.twitter.com/XMTWADl4nx

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) June 30, 2014

Day 145: This is what my travel art and yarn kits look like. pic.twitter.com/Z6XBYFPmU8

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) July 1, 2014

Day 146: first page of my tiny art journal: Create More. pic.twitter.com/iKzpTlfnuN

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) July 3, 2014

Day 147: flower postcard. pic.twitter.com/F0v06aifTX

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) July 4, 2014

Day 148: Which Way? Postcard. pic.twitter.com/TnVdVHkV5O

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) July 6, 2014

Day 149: Monument Postcard. pic.twitter.com/2zCMyhNhPN

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) July 6, 2014

Day 150: Fibonacci sequence shawl on the road today. pic.twitter.com/pvPwNIsDal

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) July 7, 2014

Day 151: letter writing postcard. pic.twitter.com/Gsgfpuxv5Y

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) July 8, 2014

Day 152: crochet and "The Escape Artist." ❤🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/7GZg7iVZvp

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) July 10, 2014

Day 153: The Chinese 5-spice pork chops I made for dinner were a work of art. No photo though cause @Sargent & I eated them all. #nomnomnom

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) July 11, 2014

Day 154: Nearly to the middle of the Fibonacci sequence shawl. pic.twitter.com/ChUgRv5Cku

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) July 12, 2014

Day 155: Here's why I haven't been arting the past few days. Cleaning up the work space so I can, you know, work. pic.twitter.com/OHV7svSCTS

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) July 12, 2014

Trying something new with my post this week. Embedding the actual tweets instead of hand processing the photos all over again. If only I knew someone who could help me automate this process…

Day 135: Pacific, 12×12.” For Sale: $50.

My feelings for this piece waxed and waned a lot while I worked on it. At one point I had it in a place I loved and then I took several days off for reasons I can’t remember now and I lost momentum. I ended on a high note thought with the Pacific lettering in the lower right. I love how that turned out and looks.

Day 136: Wider table shot today so you can’t examine the mistake I need to correct as soon as some paint dries.

Day 137: Many thanks to @gelfling1220 for holding my hand though the last 15 minutes of compositional flailing.

This one I’m calling “Weaver & Loom.” It’s 12×12″ and for sale for $50.

Day 138: printing for a book project.

Day 139: a little crochet after a long, full day.

This is a triangle shape that was supposed to be a scarf-like object. It turned out so small that Liza immediately claimed it for her use. She wears it on her shoulders and her head or just drags it around the house Linus-like.

Day 140: Finished 8×5.25″ bound booklet of gelli prints and found papers.

I keep making books and then putting them on the shelf. I love making them but then once they are finished my interest wanes. If anyone needs books for anything, let me know!

Day 141: An ATC to get back in the swing of things.

I didn’t do any work the 2 days before this. Busy summer days with kids and poor planning on my part. I should be on Day 177 and here I am only on day 141. Somehow over the past 6 months I’ve let a month get away from me. That at once aggravates me and doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve been extremely productive these past 6 months. So there’s that. But at the same time I wish I could claim 177 days. Here’s to renewal, in whatever form you need it.

Day 127: Finished piece. Faith, 8×10.

Day 128: Hey, @Obajoo is this what you are calling my gray (& blue) period?

Day 129: Chevrons.

Day 130: more paint…more paper.

Day 132: it’s coming together nicely.

Day 133: 2.5 years making these tags for thewaterglass.org  towels, this is the first batch without mistakes.

Day 134: I think I’m gonna call this one ‘Pacific’

So I’m six months into Year 2 of Making Something Every Day. I’ve missed a few more days this year already than I did last year. I felt the pressure of not letting up last year. Not slowing down for any reason for fear of losing momentum. I’m much more laid back about it this year because I know that I’m going to keep doing it. Because, well, I’ve already done it once.

I set my goal for this year of continuing 20 minutes a day but with a couple of rules. Cut down on the yarn posts. Pretty sure that one is a bust but hey, something I can keep working on! And to finish 4-6 canvases/larger pieces this year. That one, I’ve got. In fact, I’ve sold four pieces and finished eight total. I currently have three for sale on my mantel. Hint, hint if anyone is interested.

A friend asked me to post a few thoughts on the 20 minutes a day process. So here’s a few of those.

Creativity is a practice.

I’ve heard that all my life but the past year and a half have really and truly chiseled that into the granite of my brain. I tweeted this at the beginning of May:

It occurs to me that an artist’s work is repetitious in the same way school children’s work is repetitious. Practice, practice, practice!

— Misty Granade (@mistyg) May 1, 2014

When I studied art history in college, I was always a little bit intrigued/annoyed by the repetition in the body of an artist’s work. Why does this happen? Can’t they see that they are essentially making the same thing over and over again? Don’t they want to do things differently? These are the questions that I’ve kicked around off and on for a large part of my adult life.

What I’ve seen happen in my work over the past 18 months is a slow variation over time of things I’m interested in, skills I’ve mastered, skills I’m attempting to master, and a very large helping of, “Ohh! Look! Pretty!!” I do wonder if other artists are structured with this process. If it’s something they work on deliberately or something that evolves for each of us organically. All I know is that I work a little bit every day: trying new things, keeping what works, doing the things I know to do and then repeating the process. I can attest to it coming more naturally now. I think I’m a bit more creatively/mentally flexible so that once I start, the next thing comes more readily. I love that part!

20 minutes is more time than you think.

I started with the 20 minutes because I thought it would be a slice of time I could give up from all the other things that consume my day and still feel like I was accomplishing something. There are very few days that I work longer than 30 minutes on the current art project. So if you are interested in starting on a project, I very highly recommend 20 minutes a day to start out.

After 18 months, I’ve made 13 finished paintings, several zine style books and notebooks, and a vast number of ATCs and postcards. 20 minutes a day is over 120 hours in a year. While that’s not a huge amount of time compared to say, the time I spend making dinner every day, it is over the course of the whole year. Everyone has 20 minutes that they can free up to do something they love. And now I just feel like I’m plagiarizing this Onion article.

Making Something Every Day is my retreat time.

I know I’m going to get that time in sometime today. And tomorrow. And the next day. Maybe it will be early and I will be really fresh and energetic. Maybe it will be mid-day when I am more apt to be thoughtful and a bit more leisurely. Maybe it will be late and I will be more introspective and moody. Anytime of the day that I get to go do art feels like a little mini vacation. It centers me and lets me de-stress from what the day is dishing out. Yes, it is creativity on demand but on my terms and on my time so even when the art I make isn’t very good it’s still time well spent.

Making Something Every Day is good for my kids.

I want my kids to learn that doing the things you love require practice. Sometimes all of your life practice. And that it’s ok to wear many hats. Maybe you don’t make a living being an artist. But being an artist on the side can make you a better worker at your regular job. I want Eli and Liza to grow up thinking that spending time working on something that you are passionate about is a pretty fine way to spend your weekends and evenings instead of just watching endless amounts of TV. Also some of my best creative times are with Liza in the office with me. She can be working on her own thing or we can be working together but it’s so fun to have her as a partner in craft.

And finally,

Making Something Every Day has allowed me to connect with people.

Posting art every day on the internet is a risk. I am showing people who I am. It’s personal and real for me. I hope that folks connect with the journey even if they aren’t crazy about my particular style of art. People have been encouraging and warm toward this process. I’ve had a lot of good conversations with people about what I’m doing and their creative journey as well. I’ve had several people tell me they look for my posts every day. I’m grateful that I get contribute to people’s joy in this way.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this or your own creativity practice!

Day 120: Everything is glued down. Getting close to being finished with this one. “And Indeed There Will Be Time”

Day 121: Rushed back home from ATL to put the finishing touches on this painting, I think.

Day 122: Postcard palate cleanser.

Day 123: 8×10″ new canvas.

Day 124: looking at collage pieces and adding more paint.

Day 125: I just am never gonna be tired of rainbows.

Day 126: finished gloves.

Day 106: another close up of commissioned piece in working on.

Day 107: You can always tell when my mom comes to town because we make stuff like this.

Day 108: Proud to be putting this piece in the mail for @duchess to give to her cousin! I hope they love it!!

Day 109: Gelli printing with my dog sister. #imadeit #pixlrcontest

Day 110: Starting a new painting today, 15×30″

Day 111: loving the blacks and grays on this one.

Day 112: working on the next layer.

Day 113: A baby blanket fit for a Time Lord.

Day 114: Started ANOTHER baby blanket. (Posted a day late.)

Day 115: Last day in carline (woo-hoo!) project.

Day 116: Figuring out my next step.

Day 117: I will NOT be defeated by a change purse pattern and tiny rolls of yarn!

Day 118: added a layer. (Posted a day late.)

Day 119: working out the collage elements.

Day 92: Have declared myself grade A crafting goddess now that my mom-in-law has taught me knitting.

Day 93: Finished!

Day 94: Practicing my knitting while watching the weather move through.

Day 95: never had to use clothes pins in a crochet project before.

Day 96: work in progress and a glimpse of the many, many desk accessories.

Day 97: Work in progress, 16×12″.

Day 98: Finished. The Music in My Head, 16×12″.

Day 99: side beni of having the gelli plate down low: art day with Liza!

Day 100: Found a craft Eli likes to do! A bit of pre-church stamping.

Day 101: Decide what to be. Go be it. Mini art journal.

Day 102: Grape Ape construction for Liza’s birthday!

Day 103: The beginnings of something.

Day 104: Birthday monkey assemblage happening next!

Dau 105: Close up of commissioned piece I’m working on.