a peek inside my art journal- black and white pages

One of the best things I’ve done for my creative process is to take time to limit myself. Sometimes it’s color, sometimes it’s supplies and techniques and sometimes it’s my time. I’ve learned through this process that taking time to challenge myself and even get uncomfortable, forces me to really dig deep. When I don’t use color, I suddenly have to think differently about how I will create composition, add contrast or shading. When I limit my supplies or techniques, I get really innovative and make all kinds of discoveries about simple things. When I limit my time, I have fewer opportunities to over think and over work a surface. While I don’t limit myself all the time, I’ve found that a project, a surface or a day in the studio where I focus on simplicity has been #1 way that I’ve grown as an artist and creative thinker!

My favorite way to limit myself is to only use black and white (instead of a million different colors). While I am obsessed with color, I’ve found that only using black and white has helped me have a better understanding of contrast, shading, pattern, filling space and overall composition. I pick 2-3 different supplies- typically paint, ink and pens and see how many different things I can do with those things!