abundant inspiration

is it just me or does there seem to be sooo many e~courses offered right now! perhaps i just never noticed them before or maybe its a new trend (i use the word trend in the best possible, least trendy way) in the creative blogosphere. if only i could take 'em all...but that would be a full time job (though it sounds like a mighty good one).

here's a few that i've come across:
~leonie's creative goddess e-course
~rachel & elsie's online class

there's others who are potentially thinking of creating an online class:
~kelly rae roberts is pondering doing a course...head over to her blog to give imput on what you'd like to learn from her...collage, how to run a creative business, a workshop on her new book and more...
~a certain wonderfully talented photographer that i don't think has officially announced that she's doing the e~course, so i'll wait until she does...but i tell ya...i'm 100% in!

and of course there's always lots of free projects or groups to join in on...365 or 52 weeks on flickr, or here's a few new one's i've been hearing about:
~the portfolio project
~emily's 52Q project
~the 12 secrets of highly creative women

as mentioned, i decided to take goddess leonie's e~course which started a few days ago. when she first announced it a few months ago i signed up as quickly as i could. mainly because of these two reasons:

first, in my heart of hearts, i want to be an artist. i want to make work that is colourful, emotive, sometimes beautiful and maybe even innovative (that word seems to want to be in there, so i'll let it) art. today i spent an hour with a 5 year old pal just playing with crayons, acrylics, watercolours. it was truly heavenly and i felt as equally empowered to make art without self-critique as i was trying to help him be. i don't know what potential i have as an artist in mediums other than photography and i'd like to give myself the opportunity to see! taking a course by someone who has put so much beautiful energy into discovering herself as an artist is really a place that seems perfect to start.

second, i believe in leonie. i first came across her long long ago when we were just wee one's at the online community of Planet SARK (then called Camp SARK). i was rather quiet on the message board and read more than i posted, but over the years I witnessed from afar the lovely leonie discovering her creative self, posting about it, starting her own business. so when she came up with the idea to run this course, there was no second though. i was in. as there had been a decade of growing belief in her.

so far in the course i'm completely blown away. i had high expectations and i must say they are exceeded already! its really sparked a fire in me, as you might have noticed!

i'm adding to my creative goals today the decision to join in on the idea of the portfolio project. surely making 100 works of art will help me find my inner artist and i think the timing is perfect right now to dive into exploring my creative self, as i'm feeling more alive and present than i have in a long time and mighty full of hope. i don't take for granted the work its taken to find happiness again. now time to put that happiness into images and canvases, glued on sequins, self portraits, macro flower images and whatever else my heart desires!