it's official and...more about "north"

Happy February!  It's official.  We HAVE started.  The February Creative Commitment Challenge is in the making.  Participants received their first prompt this morning at 5 am.  Be a rule breaker.  Enroll after-the-fact.  It's not too late to register!  I can add you to the list.  

I was also granted a last minute surprise: I invited a guest artist to participate with us and she agreed!

Her name is Anika Starmer (I first discovered her on flickr and her blog as "a is for anika").  Anika is a breath of fresh air and inspiration when it comes to creating everyday.  Anika has believed in the significance of this daily practice and has put this into action on a consistent basis.  Since September of 2012, she has been creating a pattern EVERY day.  These patterns have been a visual delight for me and also a reminder that someone else is out there "creating everyday".  Make it a priority to check out one or all of her links (and her patterns!).  You will be amazed.  Yippee and yahoo!

Here's more about Anika:

I’m a freelance graphic/web designer and artist from Maryland. I live between Baltimore and Washington D.C. and it’s a pretty great place to be for arts and culture. Most of the design work I do these days involves websites or other digital media for small to medium sized businesses, but I also design logos, ads, print materials, and more.

In addition to my design work, I am dedicated to my own creative practice. As a graphic designer, I often bring other people’s ideas to life, and I learned early on that it’s important to be creative for myself as well. To keep that up, I draw or paint every day. I really like to draw plants and flowers, but I also enjoy sketching almost anything from life, and sometimes from photos I take when I’m out and about. I’m a big fan of abstract art and patterns as well. In fact I would go out on a limb and say that patterns are my passion. In September 2012 I started a more specific daily challenge where I create at least one pattern a day, working with a different medium every month.

Since starting the daily pattern challenge, my creative endeavors have been more purposeful. The guidelines I set before I start a new month have provided a great way to discover more about what I like to create and why, and I feel like I am moving in the right direction. The daily prompts that Kari will be sharing in February will add a new dimension to my creative practice, and I'm excited to see what new insights await!

Considering it is the end of January (and Friday) and you won't hear from me until next week, I thought I'd also check in about my January Creative Commitment.  Remember my post about reserving the right to change your mind and heading south?  I also mentioned "north" but never returned to this topic. So, in addition to my milkweed inspiration and painting at my easel, I also created another cow (what, you ask?  where did a cow come from?).  
I used to paint cows for years and one just made herself available to me this month.  Lucky for her, she has already found a good home.  She was purchased a few days ago on my etsy site.  She's getting mailed out today!  I wish her safe and swift travels.

Have a GREAT weekend everyone.  
Here's to your north and south, your east and your west...