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On the way to lunch, I took a different route and I saw this fun little gem on the side of the road. It made me smile!  What made you smile today?  There was a time, not that long ago, when I would to say: "I'm not creative".
That is when I noticed that I was crabby more often than I liked. I wondered about my grumpiness and began to try to find things that would rid myself of the sour mood. I took a ceramics class...And I dabbled with making jewelry...I scrapbooked...went on photography outings...And I wrote a blog...and doodled. Interestingly, when I included these things in my life I was HAPPIER. I noticed that each of these items involved CREATIVITY. So, I had to admit to myself that I was indeed creative and allowed myself to make creative endeavors a priority in my life. Amazingly, the grumps subsided. Aha! It became crystal clear... To live my best life, I NEED to be creative. It is a part of who I am and it feeds my soul. So to feed my soul (and to keep that crabby monster at bay) I create! What do you do to feed your soul? Make it a HAPPY Day,   Over the summer, I transformed our guest bedroom into my art studio. I am excited to share a sneak peek into my space to create!  Here is where I create most of my mixed media collages. This desk was my in-laws kitchen table, so it big enough to spread out and be messy!  Paper scraps EVERWHERE! This is what my table looks like when I am in a middle of a project (only usually it's messier).  My kick-ass modular wall. Because I work with all kinds of paper of various shapes and sizes and multiple types of medium, I need LOTS of accessible storage. I designed and my husband made these modular cubes to fit one wall for all of my paper and supplies. I LOVE it!  Last but not least, here is my digital desk, more storage and TWINKLE LIGHTS (because they make me happy!). The room is still, and will always be, a work in progress but I am thrilled with how it turned out! Thanks for visiting and Make it a Happy Day!  When folks see my artwork, I often get the question, "How did you do that?" So today, I wanted to share with you my process for creating a collage using my Rumi Rocket (one of my earliest pieces) as an example.  Gather the following supplies:
Step 1: Decide what image you want to create. For the collage above, I decided that I wanted to create an earth. Step 2: Use your pencil to sketch the image onto your paper or art board. This sketch does not need to be perfect, as it will just be used to identify the different elements. Step 3: Identify what colors you want to use for different parts of your image. For my collage, I decided that my background would be black tones, and the earth would be blues and greens. Step 4: Flip through magazines and tear out pages that have the colors you want. Step 5: Tear those pages into smaller pieces. Step 6: Now it's time to adhere the magazine rippings onto your sketch. Use a foam brush and Mod Podge to adhere the torn pieces in place. You'll want your first layer to be the background. Use the Mod Podge liberally and coat both your paper and the top of the magazine pieces. Step 7: Repeat Step 6 for each layer. For the collage above, I did the black area first, then blue and then green. Step 8: Step back and admire what you have created. If you are happy with it and it feels complete, CONGRATS! Go directly to Step 12. If you are not happy with it, or feel it is not complete, continue on. Step 9: Ask yourself what could you add that would positively impact your collage? For mine, I decided to add stars and the rocket ship. And because I wanted them to stand out differently than the earth, I decided to use scissors to cut out the shapes, instead of tearing them. Step 10: Add the new pieces to the collage. Step 11: Repeat Steps 9-10 until you are happy with your masterpiece! On my collage, I didn't decide to add the quote until after I had the stars and rocket ship done. I felt like I needed another component for the artwork to be complete so I googled "inspirational sky quotes" and found one that really spoke to me. Step 12: Be sure to sign it and find a place to display it and share it with others! Sharing art is an important part of creating it! Don't forget to do this! Before I show any artwork to my husband, I always say, "Ok, it's time to Ohhhh and Awe for me!" so that he knows that it is important to me. I hope that you have a great time creating your artwork! I would love to see it and hope that you share it on the Kim Dettmer Art facebook page! Make it a Happy Day! 
Who doesn't want to be happy??!! Here are some surefire ways to GET YOUR HAPPY ON!
As with all of my artwork, I wanted this piece to evoke the feeling of happiness and I decided a sun would be a key component. Then the green graph paper seemed to be the perfect item to use for the grass. But then, I wasn't sure what to do next. The ideas of simple daisies kept entering my mind but I dismissed it, because daisies are white and the map was mostly white and I thought they would blend into the background too much. But, the daisy idea wouldn't leave me alone, so I decided to go with it. I knew that I could always outline the petals to accent their edges to prevent them from getting lost. Ultimately, I am pleased with my decisions to add the daisies. The bold sun needs to shine and more colorful flowers would have competed and distracted from the bright fun sunshine! Here is the finished product:  My facebook friends made title suggestions and then voted on the final name. The name that won is: The Traveling Sun Make it a Happy Day! 
When I started creating art, I simply was looking for a creative outlet. I often joked that my art was my therapy. Little did I know how true that statement would prove to be! Here are my top 3 life-changing lessons that my art has taught me:
This lesson I try to take into my everyday life. When something feels hard, or when I have the urge to flee because I am out of my comfort zone, I remind myself to stick it out a bit longer. Often, the hardness and uncomfortableness passes and I am glad I persisted.
By listening to my truth while I am creating, I have a better sense what is true for me in other areas of my life. Now, I am better able to listen to my intuition and make decisions that are good for me.
These three lessons have impacted me so positively! It's amazing what a great therapist art is!
Have a Happy Day! 
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