Life Book Love Stories – Deanna Hogan & An Interview with Jane Davenport

Hello guys! Over the next couple of months I’ll be sharing a bit more about Life Book, what it means to me, and how it came into existence! I’ll also be sharing some of the Artist Interviews we’ve run in past years, share snippets and timelapses videos of some of my lessons, showcases of my art work AND share some Life Book Love Stories by previous and current gorgeous students! :) Yay!

Previous Life Book Love Stories

1. Watch a time lapse video of my very first Life Book lesson plus read Simone Alves' Love Story

When I first designed Life Book I was (still am) passionate about bringing art, celebration, healing and personal growth together to inspire and support people from around the world to grow both artistically and personally. 

In addition to providing inspiring creative art lessons I also wanted to share Artists Interviews with participants. This way the participants get a wonderful insight into the lives of creative entrepreneurs. The artists share helpful hints and tips about how they run their businesses, how they deal with their inner critic and they share what it's like living life as successful artist! :) These interviews are usually very popular. :) 

Below I share the Artist Interview I did with my good friend and artiste extraordinaire: Jane Davenport. Jane's art has wowed (and continues to wow) people around the world! She has taught on Life Book since its inception and will teach again in 2014 too! Jane and I are also planning on holding an 'arty party' together and have a few hush hush secret projects in the pipe line too! ;) I love her dearly, she is a mermaid in disguise this one, and I decided to publish our Artist Interview that was first published as part of Life Book 2012 for free so it can be enjoyed by everyone! :) Each year, Life Book includes about 5-6 Artist Interviews with the teachers that teach that year. Enjoy! :) 

An Artist Interview with Jane Davenport

Here is some of Jane's beautiful art work (copyright Jane Davenport): 

As part of my sharing more in depth about Life Book, I’m also sharing some “Life Book Love Stories” from some of the wonderful participants whose lives have been touched by Life Book, today, I share Deanna Hogan'sStory. :) Thank you Deanna!

 
Dear Tam,
I think I was in the right place at the right time last December, stumbling upon an online discussion about Life Book. I’d never tried art journaling (and, boy, have I dabbled in a lot of arts and crafts). So after much consideration, and influenced by the very enthusiastic discussion, I took the leap and signed up. It has been worth every penny.

Life Book has been the perfect catalyst to explore a new, yet complementary, art form. I’m no stranger to the necessity of having a creative outlet. Art and music have always been a very important part of my life. My passion (until Life Book came into my life) has been creating cloth and mixed media art dolls. The thought of drawing faces didn’t fill me with apprehension, but the relaxed, unstructured process of making journal backgrounds sure did. Now that I’ve gotten my feet wet, I’ve gained much more confidence and can approach my pages without trepidation.

Life Book has not only allowed me to experiment with different media, it’s given me an opportunity to let go, play, and explore the healing that journaling can facilitate. I’ve always been the kind of person that bottles up hurts, frustrations, and feelings. I’ve loved the exercises that make me really think about what’s going on inside, putting them down on paper, and then hiding them from the world. I still know what lies beneath the layers.
Before the course started I resolved to complete every lesson, even the ones that were “out of the box” for me because it’s been all about exploration, building a technique repertoire, and letting go. All the Big Names in the art journaling community were completely unknown to me, and it’s been fun and exciting to see what new and innovative things each teacher brings to the table. It’s opened up a whole new world of art (and art supplies!) for me.

While participation in Life Book has been a significant time commitment, it’s been so beneficial to place priority on scheduling creative time for myself each week. I’m the kind of person that likes to take my time when making things with my hands – I realize I’m a perfectionist. I can admit it. I take great satisfaction in the process as much as the end result. I’ve found some of the more abstract lessons to be quite challenging for me, so it’s been delightful to branch out and expand my repertoire. I’ve amassed quite a body of work.

Life Book has admittedly taken time away from my doll business (LIFE takes time from my doll business), but I can’t help but believe it will enhance my doll making and art in general. I know I’ll continue to make art pages, and hope to someday have some made into prints. I’ve already signed up for Life Book 2014.

I’m both excited and apprehensive to start creating pages without lessons or prompts. I haven’t done that yet, as I’m still working on the weekly lessons. I realize I’m a long way from having my own style, but know it will develop and evolve over time. Every few weeks I take my finished pages to work with me to share with my coworkers. I’ve had nothing but positive feedback. I hope to entice (enable?) others to join me in this adventure.

Deanna Hogan

www.blueherondolls.com

www.blueherondolls.blogspot.com

So, would you like to experience the magic of Life Book 2014 too?

OVER 1100+ AMAZING PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY JOINED!

Come SIGN UP HERE! :D

WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU DARLING!