Linzé Brandon's Blog, page 2

The 100 day project Week 10 (Day 64 to Day 70)

Hey there, fellow creatives!

During April I wrote 26 blog posts for the A-to-Z blog challenge which amounted to 4663 words. It was fun to share my tips for overcoming creative block. But now it's back to focusing on the 100 day project.

And here are my creative endeavours of the past week.

I hope you enjoy them too. Until next week!

💜 Linzé

Day 64 to Day 68

I have been writing most days. I also started a painting which I cannot share since it is for a competition.

Once the winner is announced I will sh...

Cheating the Muse - Letter Z

Hey there, creative friends!

Welcome to the last letter of the A-to-Z blog challenge 2025. It's been a journey, hasn't it?

Did you find any of my suggestions to cheat the muse of any help? Please let me know. And you are very welcome to add your top tips to overcome or even prevent creative block. We can always learn from each other.

My last tip is the trusty Zentangle. It's not quite a traditional drawing but more than just a doodle. I like to draw the odd Zentangle, especially when contemplating ...

Cheating the Muse - Letter Y

Hey there, fellow creatives!

Welcome to my 1000th post!

When I saw the numbers at the beginning of the challenge, I thought that it couldn't be real. And yet, here I am. Fourteen years, and still going. The going is stronger in some months than in others, but you know how it goes when life gets busy.

I did decide not to post on social media in April, except for one post about my book on Instagram. I have also shared a few A-to-Z bloggers' posts to X, but many blogs don't have a sharing option activ...

Cheating the Muse - Letter X

Hey there, creative friends!

X is not an easy letter on the best of days. Then, I learned that woodblock printing is also known as xylography. LOL!

I have never done xylography, although I have watched several YouTube videos of masters of the art doing their thing. It is incredible. I don't have the tools to try it, but I like a similar kind of craft - linotyping. I have used erasers, polystyrene and lino sheets to carve and make stamps.

There is one more thing I want to try with a lino sheet that ...

The 100 day project Week 9 (Day 57 to Day 63)

Hey there, creative friends!

How is your 100day project going? If yours have been like mine, you would have had ups and down along the way. I remind myself, daily, that I am doing this challenge for myself and that is why I can keep going. But will tell you this, once we get to day 100, I am definitely taking a break.

Lots of people tell you that you have to draw or write every day, but it can be exhausting. Creative work involves a lot of decision-making and that requires mental effort. Even thou...

Cheating the Muse - Letter W

Hey there, fellow creative!

Today, we are talking about our WIPs, the unfinished works in process. I have a few of those lying around, and I'm sure you do, too. A WIP is not a problem because it remains a WIP until a creative project is done.

But sometimes, they don't get finished because we lose interest or it simply doesn't feel right. That is okay, too. The question is: what do you do with that unfinished project? Do you keep it? Tear it up or cut it to pieces? Or you could put it away somewher...

Cheating the Muse - Letter V

Hey there, fellow creatives!

Do you hoard your expensive art supplies? I confess that I do to some extent. In my previous job (I am now self-employed), I earned a massive salary for which I am grateful even to this day. That salary allowed me to buy the best coloured pencils, watercolour pencils, and watercolour paints that I cannot afford today.

Back then, I bought the sets, and since these highest-grade materials are available in open stock, I can replace only the colours that I use up. But I ha...

Cheating the Muse - Letter U

Hey there, creative friends!

As we get nearer to the end of the alphabet, choosing a theme makes the letters more challenging. Then, the word unstructured popped into my brain.

I see this as a means to explore and experiment. There is no plan. No commission. No reference to paint. Of course, a reference can be used as inspiration, but not to copy. We are going to do just that as our next project in my art group.

It is a more expressive way of painting and is difficult to teach. I will give directio...

Cheating the Muse - Letter T

Hey there, creative friends!

Sometimes we run out of ideas. Or we want to try something new or different. In times like these, I do a lesson or a project presented by someone else. I am sure you have done those as well.

They are fun and easy because the thinking and planning have already been done by the artist presenting the project. My favourite artists to learn from are Tamara la Porte for her mixed media work and Paul Clark for his watercolour and ink. (Their YouTube channels are linked in the...

Cheating the Muse - Letter S

Hey there, fellow creative!

For all my confidence in my abilities as a consulting engineer, artist and writer, the one thing I don't do well is marketing my art and books. Other people do the engineering stuff, or potential clients find me by word of mouth. You get the point, yes?

It's not that I don't know what to do; I just don't spend the time to do the work. There is a tiny post on Instagram, which is the extent of my marketing efforts. (My Instagram) I prefer doing other things with my time, ...