Living in Canada, with a BA in visual arts, Alyssa is a maker and lover of all things handmade. For Alyssa, embracing imperfections and chasing after “happy accidents” is the true magic of art journaling. Anything goes within the pages of her art journal and it has become an important place for her to process, to experiment and to play.

How do you live a creative life?

I think I try to weave a little bit of creativity into almost all aspects of my life. I am definitely a collector of hobbies, I’ll try my hand at just about anything. If I can DIY something rather than buy it, I’ll try to do that or I’ll try my best to buy something handmade rather than the generic factory version. I think by being surrounded with lovely little handmade things it helps to spark creativity within my day to day life.

Do you put your life into your art journal? Or is it focused on technique?

There is definitely both, technique and life, in my art journals. I LOVE tutorials, I love to learn new techniques and watch people create but I’ll try to personalize the techniques so that the content speaks to me and my life.

What is your biggest barrier to creating?

I’ll be honest, it’s being tired. It’s hard to get motivated when you are exhausted. I’ve been adjusting to becoming a mom and the lack of sleep is hard, but I find that if I just try to do something small everyday it’ll keep me on track. It’s those longer stretches of time where you go without doing anything that are tricky to get back on track.

How do you get over that hurdle?

I just do something simple, cutting up a magazine or throwing some paint down for collage material, something with my hands and no thought to it. Once I get physically moving and start to see the colours, it usually sparks up my motivation again.

What has been your biggest lesson when it comes to creating art?

To show up to your art everyday and put in the work. It’s the only way to grow and to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve. You can’t make art by just thinking about it, you need to make it and keep making it.

What is your favourite art journal page you’ve ever made? Why is it your favourite?

I’m sure that I do have favourite but I never really think of my pages like that. Right now, it’s almost like whatever I’m currently working on is my favourite and then I’ll learn something from that page and make a new page and now that is my favourite, it’s always changing to be honest.

Have you ever actively disliked a page you’ve made? What did you do with it?

ALL THE TIME! Sometimes I have an idea of what I’d like a page to look like, but generally I am just diving right in and with that I find a lot of “problem solving” happening. I love that part of the process, making a mistake and then trying to find a way to make it work again. A page I don’t like is just an unfinished page and maybe some space and learning something new will fix it later or maybe the solution is a coat of white paint.

Have you ever been through artist block? What did you do to overcome it?

Of course, it happens. I’ll watch a tutorial or try to learn a new technique and that act of creating will usually jump start everything again.

What’s the best art advice you’ve ever received?

Just be yourself, be honest to who you are and what you like. If you’re passionate about something, it will show in your work.

What does community do for your creating?

Community can be so encouraging. Rooting for each other and having that positive atmosphere to create in is such a wonderful thing for your creativity. Being able to share your art in a welcoming community is so special. It really helps you to stay motivated and inspired and to keep growing as an artist.

Who would you like to celebrate in the Get Messy community?

Oh that’s so hard to choose just one. I’ve really been loving what Karen Price has been making, I always get inspired by what she’s making and she’s also super encouraging. Also Suzanne Earley, she shared some of her quilting recently and it is just amazing!

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Alyssa Rothwell

Living in Canada, with a BA in visual arts, Alyssa is a maker and lover of all things handmade. For Alyssa, embracing imperfections and chasing after “happy accidents” is the true magic of art journaling. Anything goes within the pages of her art journal and it has become an important place for her to process, to experiment and to play.