Traci is a contented empty nester thrilled to be in the Grandma phase of life! She has always been creative in some way through music, writing, painting, scrapbooking, and crafting; though focused time to create was scarce as she and her husband raised their family and worked. She found mixed media, art journaling, and the Get Messy community almost two years ago and it has brought such freedom and focus to the reawakened artist in her!

What is art journaling to you?

Art Journaling is the place where all the “layers” of my life come together! My thoughts and feelings blend with my creativity to help me express myself, work through problems, celebrate joys, preserve my stories and moments, and just play and experiment! The layers are always different… but always me!

What does community do for your art?

The community side of Get Messy has been TRANSFORMATIVE! Having an AMAZING fairy Art Momma, and a whole family of artists on the same journey as me, has given me such courage! This is a kind, safe, and truly supportive community where everyone cheers each other on!

Last year I met Meghan (aka Firebonnet) during the January Season of Collaboration, and a BEAUTIFUL “ARTnership” and friendship was born! I have been creating MORE and at a different level since then! Having someone as a constant witness to your art and your process and being OPEN to letting them sprinkle themselves into your art and your life, causes BOTH you and your heART to grow in ways that I am truly having a hard time finding words to explain. We have shared our color stories and techniques with each other, our inspiring “finds” from our part of the country, we have HELD EACH OTHER’S ART in our hands and we check in almost daily to see what the other is creating! It’s such a FUN way to grow as an artist! Our friendship has extended FAR beyond the art, and she is now one of my dearest friends and confidants! We have laughed and cried and created a beautiful bond! I am SO grateful Get Messy has brought us together!

What does your creative space look like? Where do you journal?

I am SO blessed that I got to take over one of the bedrooms my grown children vacated. I have a huge table in the middle surrounded by oodles of storage lining the walls. My art table faces the front windows where I can see my rose bushes blooming, hummingbirds playing at the feeders, and the clouds go floating by. This view out the window and the mess on my table makes me so happy!

What is your favourite art journal page that you’ve ever made and why?

What a HARD question! But this one has favorite written ALL over it! Here is a page from my Collaboration Journal 2021 with one of my favorite people, my “ARTner” Meghan. It contains the page SHE created up top right next to the page that I created for the same prompt. This one was one of our FAVORITES to make together!

What is your biggest barrier to creating? And how do you overcome that hurdle?

I am a MESSY artist. And I don’t mean in the inspiring “Get Messy” way… I mean my studio currently can barely be navigated it is in such a state. I caught myself calling it the “chaos room” instead of my art studio recently. When the mess meets me at the door, I don’t even want to go in… and if I let it get too bad, it will keep me from creating for days! So while I would rather spend ALL of my spare moments making art, some of my time has to be spent creating a space that I can actually walk to the art table in! HAHA But seriously, I have embraced the fact that while I am actually following my creative process I will not be picking up and keeping things orderly, I will be making the most beautiful artsy mess and it will lead to art that makes my heart SO happy! But scheduling time to clean up from that frenzy of fun is a MUST for future creating!

Have you ever made something you don’t like? What did you do?

Oh yes! I make ugly art on the regular! HaHa! And when that happens, I handle it in a few different ways. I either add more layers of gesso, paper, or paint on top… tear it out and use it for fodder on another piece or just leave it like it is… take a breath and TURN THE PAGE! My journal pages teach me so much more than art! I use this technique often in everyday life too! When life gets too messy in a certain area, and I’ve thrown all I can at it and it’s still not better… I just turn the page and start again.

How has Get Messy impacted your creativity?

Before finding Get Messy, I considered myself a “creative” person, and found ways to add a little of it into most things that I do!

But… art journaling is a whole NEW way of creating for me!

The inspiring prompts and challenges, the access to other artists and their work, the relationships I have developed with other creatives at Get Messy have really helped to FREE me from some of the expectations that were limiting my creativity! I am a recovering perfectionist and still learning how to follow my intuition as I create while releasing the expectations of the outcome. Get Messy has taught me to just come to the page as I am, no rules, no expectations, just my heart on the page however I need it to be for now.

What journal do you use?

I am obsessed with making my own journals. Junk journals, vintage book journals, altered book journals are a few of my favorites!

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

“Creativity is sacred… and it’s not.

What we make matters enormously… and it doesn’t matter at all.

We toil alone… and we are accompanied by Spirit.

We are terrified… and we are brave.

Art is a crushing chore… and a wonderful privilege.
Only when we are at our most playful can divinity finally get serious with us.

MAKE SPACE FOR ALL THESE PARADOXES TO BE EQUALLY TRUE INSIDE YOUR SOUL… and I promise you can make anything!”

– Elizabeth Gilbert in Big Magic

Advice to new art journalers:

Just start making art!

Don’t trap yourself inside a bunch of expectations or rules! There is NO WRONG WAY to make art in a journal.

{Stop… read that last sentence again}

Don’t feel you need to “know” how to do all the techniques or have fancy supplies. Grab some paper and something to make a mark or shape with… and start! Trust me… it will ALL unfold from there!

Find a prompt to start with, and modify it to fit the supplies you already have. Do a challenge, even one that sounds scary, and before you know it, you will have a few of your VERY own books full of YOUR very own ART staring at you from your shelves! This will cause your heart to burst… which will lead to MORE ART! You get the idea! Making art, even wild, experimental, uncomfortable, ugly art leads to more, and more and MORE ART!

Oh, and join Get Messy if you haven’t yet… make this beautiful journey WITH other artists whose heart is also bursting all over their pages and out into the world. This supportive community will help your ART grow in ways it won’t on its own!