Creative Braveheart for February: Corrine Gilman

I'm so excited to tell you about my February Creative Braveheart and one of my favorite bloggy friends, Corrine Gilman, from Sparkle Days Studio. If you don't already follow Corrine, you should. She is a kind supporter of the artist in everyone. I can't tell you how many times she has encouraged me to keep going on this sometimes daunting creative journey. Corrine is a Creative Juices Arts Expressive Arts Facilitator. She teaches intuitive painting and mixed media workshops and classes for adults in her studio in Massachusetts and across the country. This summer she'll be a featured instructor at Lucky Star Art Camp in the Texas hill country.





As I suspected, Corrine was more than happy to share her thoughts with us.

How did your art journey begin?

My creative art journey really began in earnest when I started blogging back in 2009.  For most of my life I was painfully shy and never wanted to be in the spotlight, but once I started blogging I realized that there was a whole world full of amazingly talented people living their creative lives that I wanted to connect with and to. It was an inspiration for me to get out of my own way and give myself permission to be sparkly (hence the name of my studio).  Over these past four years I have taken a deep and heart-opening personal journey to finding my true voice and telling my own story. In April of 2010, I attended a workshop at Creative Juices Arts in Oakland, California and my life as an artist really moved exponentially forward.  I discovered process painting and right then and there signed up for a year of training to become a facilitator in this process. More than anything, I am convinced that everything arrives through the process for me and I trust my intuitive gut when creating anything from mixed media to a mail art postcard.  The work informs me and I simply go with the flow.  Now that I am teaching intuitive painting classes, I see that the process moves the energy through each of us in so many ways, and that we can all be creative spirits dancing the juicy dance in all areas of our lives.

Mixed Media Painting, "Incubating the X"

Do you ever struggle with creative fear? If so, how do you handle it?

I do struggle with creative fear, the critic, and the idea that I am not good enough all the time.  One of the things I have learned that really works for me to overcome that creative fear is to go back to the process, not worrying about the outcome.  I pick up a glue stick and some paper and begin a collage.  It is my fall back always for "stuckness" and usually opens the avenue for other ideas to manifest themselves and I find that I am happily ensconced in my creative cocoon for several hours.  I also find that creative habit helps keep the demons away.  Some time in the studio every day makes it easier to feel the juiciness of my arty flow.  It may just be a journal background, or making a batch of postcards to send to friends, but it all adds up to making pure joy happen in my heart.

Intuitive Painting Goddess

Tell us more about Lucky Star Art Camp and what you'll be teaching.

Lucky Star Art Camp, so exciting.....almost can't believe it myself.  I met the founder several years ago at another retreat when we were cabin mates.  We talked about it then and now it is her dream becoming reality and my dream to participate.  I will be teaching a class "Creative Abandon - No Permission Slip Required" focused on opening up creativity and sharing some tips and tricks to move soulful energy and wild fun into your creative practice and give you ideas on how to establish that daily practice to open many doors for expression in the arts and in other areas of your life.  I will also be teaching a class on making spiral books called "Dreaming the Spiral"' which has been a bit of an obsession of mine in the past year, books for journaling in and as sculpture. I so look forward to connecting at a place where "daydream believers" come to play. 
 
I hope that Corrine's honesty and kindness inspires you to stay on your creative path, wherever it may lead.