Will you Follow Your Art with me?
Together we grow.
“I wanted to go on an immense journey, to travel night and day into the unknown until, forgetting my old self, I came into possession of a new self, one I might have missed on my previous travels.”
-From “When I Turned a Hundred,” by Mark Strand1
In our local sketch group last week, a member brought in her sketchbook project and some research about Mark Strand, whom her project incorporates. She read the above quote and it immediately resonated with me.
I started pursuing art to find myself. A part of me that I’d lost a long time ago, but really needed to find again, especially these last few years.
Then I joined Substack to find artistic individuals, and to connect with others. I found you, and so many artists in this glorious community. I was surprised that when I started telling people about my blog, they subscribed!
It meant so much to be supported in my artistic endeavors and it allowed me to keep going. It put a fire behind me that told me I could keep going. I SHOULD keep going!
As I explore art, and figure out “who I am” and process the world through art, I share my progress. Progress means not all my images are great, but they’re all mine and part of me. I receive messages from members expressing how sharing my journey has encouraged them to start, or rekindle their own creative practice, too.
Based on this feedback, I’m inspired to put even more energy into this endeavor. I want to help more people figure out a way to pursue an art form, whatever that means to them, as a way of expressing themselves or processing the world. Is there something you’ve always wanted to try? Something you used to do that fell away that you want to pick up again? Something you’re afraid to start because you think (or know) you won’t be good at it right away?
In order to offer more here, I’m also going to start posting art tips, setup inspiration, and occasional art prompts in addition to sharing my own art. New things to try, or ways to bring some art into your day.
Here’s what that will look like:
1~2 posts per month for everyone
1~2 posts for members that are resource/art prompt specific
1 monthly “Art Together” zoom call (mark your calendars for March 12th at 8:30 PM!)2
Art community, art accountability, and art sharing chat in Substack
My ultimate goal: through action and sharing (i.e. showing even my not so good art days), I can encourage others to start, continue, or return to their creative and artistic pursuits.
To make these ideas come to life, and to help people in a way that will be meaningful and impactful takes a lot of time and energy, not to mention -- art supplies! So here is my ask: If you are enjoying FOLLOW YOUR ART, please consider becoming a paid subscriber (member) to help make all of this possible. You’ll be getting all of the member benefits mentioned above, as well as the opportunity to help this movement grow! For the few of you who are already subscribed and have been members from the beginning, you have my deepest and sincerest gratitude. YOU made this possible. You inspired me to make art a priority.
All founder pricing will say as-is for the remainder of this month. $5 monthly, or 17% discount for an annual subscription. As of next month I’ll be increasing the new member prices, so anyone who joins in February will stay in the founder pricing (for any tier) forever. You can also gift a subscription to a friend that you think would enjoy and benefit from the membership!
For those who are not currently in a position to upgrade but really want to join this community, I offer you a comp membership - no questions asked. We are here to support each. Send me an email to let me know and I’ll add you: info@lanakitcher.com. 🩷
“The goal of art isn’t to attain perfection. The goal is to share who we are. And how we see the world… One reason art resonates is because human beings are so similar. We’re attracted to the shared experience held within the work. Including the imperfection in it. We recognize some part of ourselves and feel understood. And connected… Expressing oneself in the world and creativity are the same. It may not be possible to know who you are without somehow expressing it.”
-Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Thank you for being here.
Have any questions or requests? Let me know in a message and/or fill out my quick anonymous Substack survey here.
Know someone else would would appreciate joining a community to help kick-start (or revive) their creative practice? Please share this post and publication with them!
Warm regards and with gratitude,
Lana K.
The “Art Together” zoom call will be an art accountability and inspiration call rather than a demo. We’ll all be working on our own art projects, but together.
Love the whole glow-up of your Follow Your Art Substack, Lana. Especially a monthly “Art Together” zoom call. I hope to make the 3/12 Zoom session.
I learn again and again that having Creativity Appointments are the best way to keep me going on a creative project or journey. Most recently, a writing friend and I are scheduling 90-minute Zoom writing sessions one or two times a week. This looks like: we talk for the first 5 minutes, telling each other what we plan to get accomplished over the session, then we turn off our video/audio and write for about 80 minutes. We come together at the end for another five minutes to share in a general way what we got done. For me, this Creativity Appointment is the perfect balance of focused creativity and accountability. It's also a good kickstart. I often continue on with the writing for a while after we sign off. I can imagine a Zoom ART session is more interactive, less solo, but just as productive as long as there's some quiet, focused work time.
I think you should add one more thing to your post: A straightforward ask to everyone who's reading your message to share the post with friends who might be interested in joining your creativity project! Good luck with this new phase of Follow Your Art...