Do Art! (And Finish What’s on the Go)

 Hey All You Artsy People,

Welcome back to the website, how to do what? Who knows right, just how to breathe somedays! Today’s post is a little peek into my current art corner and a gentle reminder I needed to hear myself.

Here’s the workspace right now: brushes standing tall like a forest, bottles of Liquitex gloss varnish, DecoArt metallics, acrylics in every colour, and a few pieces I’ve been working on. Front and centre is the skull—nearly finished, with its soft pastel washes and that rosy jaw. Beside it sits a shiny coppery-pink owl, a little blue mushroom house, a clear resin sphere filled with dried flowers and citrus slices, and a couple of other experiments still finding their way.

I made all of these. The skull is so close I can almost call it done. The others? Honestly, I’m not sure what their final story will be yet. And that’s okay.

Somewhere along the way I saw a sign (wish I could remember the exact wording) that said something like: “I’m not a hoarder of art supplies… I’m a collector of what I may need in the future.” That hit home. The shelves are full, the brushes are waiting, and the paints are ready—but right now my focus is on finishing the projects already started. Once those are complete, the door opens for brand-new ideas.

Over the years I’ve learned so much through simply showing up and making. Some days it feels like you haven’t progressed at all… and then you look back and realize how far the quiet practice has carried you.

So if you’re doubting yourself, keep going. Find the peace you’re seeking and let it develop from there. The supplies will wait. The ideas will wait. Just do the art that’s in front of you today.

Moral of the story?
Do Art!

What are you working on right now? Any nearly-finished pieces sitting on your desk, or a favourite “collector, not hoarder” quote of your own? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Happy creating,
Helen of How To Just BE
#DoArt #ArtStudio #FinishWhatYouStart #HelenHowTo

Two Beauties from Pioneer Acres

More Treasures from Pioneer Acres 

 

The Irricana Pioneer Acres Museum Annual Event is always a highlight, and this year was no exception. Steam engines may take centre stage, but the grounds are full of other gems that stop you in your tracks.

One of the most impressive is the big white farmhouse that sits quietly on the property. That classic two-storey home was not built here — it was carefully moved onto the site. The original family donated it when they decided to build a modern house. The museum arranged the entire move, preserving a traditional prairie home with its large rooms, generous dining space, and solid old-style construction.

Step inside and the dining room is set as if company is expected any minute. A long oval table covered in a gold cloth holds a full formal place setting of white china, cups, bowls, and serving dishes. Dark wooden chairs, lace curtains, a china cabinet, and soft natural light complete the scene. It’s easy to picture family dinners, Sunday roasts, and conversations that stretched long into the evening in a house that once had plenty of room for everyone.

Out on the open grass, that same house provides the perfect backdrop for a sharp red vintage dump truck — solid tires, open cab, and the big tilting box ready for work. Both the truck and the house sit together on museum property, two different chapters of Alberta’s working past side by side.

Add in the ornate McClary cook-stove we also admired, which sits inside the house, and you start to feel the full picture of pioneer life: the practical machines that built the land, the solid homes that sheltered families, and the well-made household pieces that made daily living a little more comfortable.

Pioneer Acres does an outstanding job of keeping these stories alive. If you get the chance to visit, take time to walk through the house, sit for a moment in that dining room, and imagine the lives that once filled it.

More than Just a Jump with a Motorcycle

More Than a Jump

At first glance, the photo is simply thrilling: a rider soars high above a dirt track, motorcycle angled perfectly against the open sky. Behind him rises the familiar skyline of Calgary, the Canadian flag fluttering nearby. It is a striking image of skill and motion.

But look longer, and the picture begins to open the mind.

What we see is the result of years that the camera cannot capture. Countless early mornings on the track. Repeated falls into hard-packed dirt. Bruises, sprains, the sharp sting of failure, the quiet decision to get back on the bike anyway. Mastery is never sudden. It is built one careful practice run, one recovered injury, one stubborn return at a time.

The rider in the air has already paid that price. The jump looks effortless only because the effort came earlier—out of sight, away from the lens. The city in the background reminds us that ordinary life continues while extraordinary focus is happening just a few kilometres away.

Photographs often hold more than we notice at first. They freeze a single second of triumph, yet they quietly point to the long, unseen road that made that second possible. The next time a picture stops you, pause. Wonder about the practice, the tumbles, the quiet courage that brought the subject to that exact moment.

Sometimes the real story is not what is shown, but everything that had to happen before the shutter clicked.

How to Explore and Appreciate the Past

Sometimes history feels like a distant textbook story—until you stand in front of the real thing. This short video takes us to an abandoned house on the southern Alberta prairie, part of a quiet ghost-town search. Weathered wood, broken windows, and a lone dead tree tell a story of hope, hard work, and eventual departure that no written account can fully capture.

Visiting places like this changes the picture. You start to wonder who lived here, what the winters felt like, and why the town faded. The details—creaking floors, prairie wind through empty rooms, the vast empty fields—turn abstract history into something personal and alive.

That is the simple “how-to”: go look for yourself. Step away from screens, walk the old roads, and let the remnants speak. The past becomes clearer, richer, and far more human once you experience even a small piece of it firsthand.

Watch the video here:

Create Art as Your Heart Decides

This little skull was never meant to follow a trend.

I poured it in eco resin, chose every colour myself, painted the bone tones and soft pinks by hand, and gave him a pair of golden cat-like eyes that stare right back at you. Not to make him spooky or macabre. Just to give him life. I want my creatures to be able to see. I want them to have character. I want them to feel like they could sit on a shelf and quietly watch the world go by with a bit of personality of their own.

He isn’t perfect. He isn’t trying to be. He is simply what happened when I stopped asking what “they” are making this week and started listening to what I actually wanted to make.

Sometimes the loudest advice floating around is to copy whatever is currently popular, to match the colour palette the algorithm is rewarding, to produce the same shape the crowd is already sharing. I understand the temptation. But I keep coming back to a quieter truth: create as your heart decides. Not because someone said it was trending. Not because the mob has already decided what “good” looks like this month. Create from you, for the betterment of you.

When the work comes from that place, something shifts. You stop measuring yourself against strangers online and start measuring the piece against your own satisfaction. Does it make you smile when you look at it? Does it feel like it belongs to the person you actually are? If the answer is yes, then it has already succeeded—long before anyone else ever sees it.

This skull is one of those pieces for me. I like him. The soft peach of the bone, the white of the teeth and the brain-like ridges, the unexpected brightness of those feline eyes. He sits there looking slightly amused, slightly curious, completely himself. And that is enough.

So if you are standing in front of your own materials right now, wondering whether your idea is “on trend” or “too different,” I offer the same quiet permission I give myself:

Don’t be one of the crowd.
Allow yourself to be unique unto yourself.

Make the thing that only you would make. Give it eyes if it needs eyes. Choose the colours that feel right in your hands. Let it come to life in whatever way your heart decides.

The rest will take care of itself. Below you will see my other little friend, I nearly typed fiend, but look at him, he looks kind of happy, doesn't look mean, not really a fiend.  The fellow at the top of this page, I would be more worried about him, if we are going supernatural. 😁 🖖

 

Going With the Flow: Resin, Random Projects & Why I Refuse to Stick to One Thing

Some days I sit down with a clear plan.
Most days? Not so much.

This photo is a perfect example of what my studio table looks like when I’m just… going with the flow. There’s a big circular resin piece full of swirling colour and dried petals, a little rectangular one packed with deep red flower bits, a tiny purple square with soft hydrangea blooms, a sparkly pink crescent moon with a face, and a few other half-finished experiments hanging around the edges. None of them were made on the same day. None of them followed the same “recipe.” And that’s exactly how I like it.

I’ve learned that I don’t have to do the same kind of art every single day. In fact, I work better when I don’t. One afternoon I’m pouring a big coaster-style piece and watching the colours swirl. The next day I might be obsessing over a tiny moon charm or carefully placing dried flowers into a small square. Then suddenly I’m eyeing some new silicone mold or a bag of glitter I “needed” and the cycle starts all over again.

If I’m being honest, I’ve developed a bit of an addiction to acquiring other art creation pieces and supplies. A new mold here, a different pigment there, a pack of dried flowers I couldn’t walk past… it adds up fast. But instead of feeling guilty about it, I’ve started treating it as part of the process. Every new little item is just another invitation to try something different.

That’s the real “how-to” I want to share today:

How to create without forcing yourself into a rigid routine

1. Let the mood decide the project.
   Feel like big and bold? Make a larger pour. Feel quiet and detailed? Work on tiny charms. There’s no rule that says you have to finish one series before starting another.
2. Keep a few different things going at once.
   Having unfinished pieces sitting around isn’t failure — it’s fuel. Looking at them often sparks the next idea.
3. Embrace the “ooh shiny” moments.
   Yes, collecting new art supplies and molds can get out of hand. But that curiosity is also what keeps the work feeling fresh. (Just maybe don’t buy three of the same mold in one week like someone I know…)
4. Photograph the mess.
   Even if the photo isn’t perfect (this one definitely isn’t), capture the stage you’re in. It becomes a reminder that creativity doesn’t always look neat and finished.

I used to think I needed to pick one style and master it. Now I realize bouncing between projects is its own skill — and one that keeps me excited to show up at the table.

So if your creative life looks a little scattered right now, with half-finished resin pieces, random molds, and a growing pile of “just in case” supplies… you’re not doing it wrong. You’re just going with the flow.

And honestly? That’s where the best stuff seems to happen.

 

How to Make Speckled Skull Castings with Eco Resin – Two Different Finishes

How to Make a Speckled “Happenstance” Skull with Eco Resin (Plus Two Different Finishes)

Today’s project is extra special because one of these skulls is made almost entirely from leftovers!

Both skulls were cast from the same mold using Eco Resin, but they turned out completely different.

The Speckled Skull Story

For the white/pink speckled skull on the left, I didn’t add any new pigment on purpose. Instead, every time I mix Eco Resin, I save the leftover resin that sticks to the sides of the mixing cup. Once it dries, I break it out and keep all those scraps in a jar.

When I poured this skull, I threw a bunch of those random dried resin pieces into the mix. The colourful flecks you see are literally waste from past projects! I love how it created this fun, confetti-like effect completely by accident. Why throw it away when you can make something cool with it?

The Metallic Skull

The second skull (right) is the same base casting, but fully painted with metallic silver and glossy blue eyes. It shows how one mold can give you two totally different vibes.

Why I Love This Recycling Method:

• Almost zero waste
• Creates unique, one-of-a-kind results
• Saves money
• Feels good to reuse materials instead of tossing them

I also worked on another scrap project today — breaking up old cured Eco and Epoxy pieces and embedding them into bigger molds. The small one should be ready to demold tomorrow, and the big one will need a final clear layer.

Being “cheap” (or as I like to call it — resourceful) has its perks in the art world!

Have you ever tried recycling your leftover resin? Would you try the “happenstance” speckled technique? Let me know in the comments!

Happy crafting,
Magdelene