January Recap :: New Art and Paint With Me on YouTube

Why does January always feel like it stretches out forever? I know it’s not everyone’s favorite month, but I do always look forward to this time of year. I enjoy settling into a more quiet rhythm of life. It feels like a non-stop marathon of THINGS TO DO between the start of school in early September through the flurry of the holidays. Time stretches out a bit wider and further in front of us through January. It might make you feel a bit restless. I invite you to settle into it.

Find Your Sacred Flow

I love that this is the card I pulled today. Finding your sacred flow can mean a lot of things . For me, it means finding my pace of creating art, my pace of living, and honoring it. My sacred flow is slower than it used to be. It’s more flexible and lighthearted. It’s more playful. It’s allowing the creativity to flow through me, through art, through my words, and trusting that I don’t have to know where I’m going at all times.

This means…

Trusting my intuition.

Growing more comfortable with saying no.

Committing to my art and making time to play, explore and evolve.

Enjoying being myself, as I am in any moment, be it serious, silly, thoughtful, sad, curious, introverted, extroverted, energetic, sleepy…

I’m done with fighting against the current of my soul. I am moving with it, embodying my whole self, and enjoying the ride.

January Recap

For a slower month, January was full of good things. It started with prepping and hanging 12 pieces of art at Balance Massage and Wellness Center here in Newington, CT. My art will be on display there through the end of March 2022.

Click through to see the virtual gallery:

I made four new pieces of art that I am in love with for many different reasons. I painted my first big painting, which is 24”x36”. I made a new digital artwork for the first time since last June. Then I painted two smaller pieces, two days in a row. Each piece woke up something new and exciting in me. I am finding my style and voice as an artist, which is an incredible feeling.

Click on each image to pop out and see bigger:

I hit record last week on my 4th painting, and got a new process video up on YouTube! I was hoping to do this with my big painting, but I wasn’t well prepared for how long the painting would take and how to capture that scale of a project. So I’m taking baby steps back into the painting video world, instead of biting off more than I can chew at this point. I hope you give it a watch, subscribe, and hit the thumbs up! I plan to do these at least every other week going forward.

In addition to all of that, I am planning on a shop update later this week, as I have about 16 new pairs of painted earrings almost ready to go! So keep an eye out for the date and time, which I’ll share across my social feeds, and get ready to shop some wildly funky new pieces!

Thanks for catching up with me here! Wherever you are, I hope you have a beautiful week!

Shannon Sorensen is a self-taught contemporary abstract expressionist painter based in Newington, Connecticut, specializing in vibrant artwork that evokes feelings of places you have seen in person or in dreams, inspired by music, poetry, memories and meditations. Fine art prints of select works are available through her art store, and shop other printed home goods and accessories at Pixels.com.

Follow more of Shannon’s day to day creative living on Instagram.

Check out painting and creative living videos on Youtube.

October Art Challenge Day One :: Connecticut Artist and Photographer

Pin and share the love.

Pin and share the love.

Happy October!

I’m going to channel my inner Donna Meagle and Tom Haverford when I sing IT’S THE BEST TIME OF THE YEEEAR!

Fall brings all sorts of monthly art, writing, photography or otherwise creative challenges, and they tend to pop up this time of year, no doubt, because it is a time where inspiration and creativity flow. The air is cooling, people start thinking cozy thoughts about what makes them happy. And spoiler alert, creativity is a shortcut to happiness. ;)

I was looking for an October art challenge, but I wasn't drawn to anything (heh...), and when I thought about it for a minute, my art tends to be off the cuff, whatever is inspiring me in the moment. The challenge for me isn't following a list of ideas, but just the act of creating something new every day. I'm feeling more called than ever to create, create, create.

So, this month, I invite you to join me as I draw, paint, and make something every day! I will do live videos or first looks each day on my Patreon’s private Facebook group. It will be 31 days of pure creativity...I'm so excited for this. And I encourage you to find time to create, just for yourself, this month!

I began yesterday with some watercolor because I've had an image that’s been inspiring me. It was a bouquet of nasturtiums and the colors were golden, reds and really vibrant.

Floral Harvest 1.jpg

Buy a print here.

October is also my birthday month, and a time when I feel most inspired, and my creativity flows in abundance. It’s a season when I feel most connected with myself and motivated to paint, draw, crochet, or work on other creative projects like cooking, playing the piano, writing and decorating my home to make it a cozy, happy space.

This is my painting from yesterday, day one. I am loving this start to the month and wish you could see it in person. The darker pigments have this smooth sheen that catches the light *just right*.

Today for day 2, I drew the October coloring page that I do each month in a live drawing session for my Patreon page. My group members voted and the design is cozy fall Hygge themed. If you join my Patreon, you receive the monthly page free as a reward!

You can join my Patreon group anytime, and get to tune in and watch me create these pieces live each day. Like I said, today’s (day two) creation will be the monthly coloring page, which you also then receive as a member to be able top print and enjoy coloring.

Finally, friends, I want to I encourage you to let your own creativity flow. Make time each day to do what you love! Share it, celebrate it...you might be the spark that inspires someone else!

 
October Art Challenge Connecticut Artist Shannon Sorensen Watercolor Painting
 

New Home, New Chapter :: Connecticut Artist and Photographer

Connecticut Artist and Photographer Shannon Sorensen, New England Artist, Boston Artist, Hartford CT Artist

I'm typing this from my new dining room...because we moved!

There are boxes and bags and piles of stuff everywhere. There's art that needs to be hung, and honestly, a lot of things are going to go straight into storage for now.

This is the first really peaceful morning I've had in a while to sit down and focus on my own work.

A couple short weeks ago, I had just finished prepping our basement as a preschool/playroom/home learning space when we got a call that our landlord was planning to sell our condo. It felt like our world got completely turned upside-down, but thankfully, we found a new place very quickly! The Universe did us a huge favor and we were able to stay in the same complex, the same school district - actually, the only address change is our street number!

In the grand scheme of things, I feel very lucky. We have an amazing support system of family and friends, and we are safe and healthy.

When big changes happen, it puts a lot into perspective. This move meant taking a lot of emotion out of the equation in order to let go of some things we had stored away for a later time. It was stressful in the short term, but in the long run, this will be a great place for us and the kids. They’ll have space to run around safely outside and our new place will serve us better during this time of home learning, working at home, home pre-schooling, etc.

Since I essentially hit pause on my work a month ago to deal with all of this, I'm itching to get back to my work - to paint, and to dig into the fall photo season. I am still booking fall family photo sessions! I will be in Massachusetts this coming weekend, the 26th and 27th and have two morning openings. I will also be in Massachusetts October 10th and 11th with morning sessions available!

If you're looking to book a session, simply hit reply to this email, or message me at hello@shannon-sorensen.com. I can't wait to hear from you! The chilly weather this weekend has me ready for boots and sweaters! :)

Have a beautiful week!

Peaceful Sunset on the Beach :: New Art

This week we are in Massachusetts, having a quiet staycation with Sean's parents before we gear up for the new school year and back to who knows what...

We aren't doing a whole lot, and if I'm being honest, that’s my idea of a real vacation. It’s a break from planning and obligation and the usual day to day worries. We are very lucky to have access to beaches, so we go early in the morning, later in the afternoon, or on days it's cloudy and no one else wants to go to the beach.

It's easy to practice social distancing when you enjoy the beach at odd times!

One of my favorite things we’re doing tonight is getting subs and chips from the local sub shop, and bringing dinner to the beach to hang out and let the kids play while the sun gets low. Then we’ll swing by our favorite ice cream shop in the harbor on the way home!

My art is largely inspired by where I live and grew up. My hometown, as well as Sean’s, are nice beachy communities south of Boston. Any time we get to spend around here is time well spent. My favorite time of day is early mornings and the end of the day, when things are a bit quieter, calmer, and feel peaceful. Beach sunsets always take my breath away. Sunsets in general, but especially at the end of the day with the sound of waves and the sand turns golden pink.

I spent an afternoon making two new pieces, inspired by that sunset feeling. They’re inspired by the same photo, and I challenged myself to create two completely different styles of art using the same palette.

“Meet Me at Twilight”

Meet Me at Twilight, Fine Art Print by Shannon Sorensen, New England Artist, Sunset Art, Coastal Art, Colorful Boho Art
“Meet Me At Sunset”Buy Print

“Meet Me At Sunset”

shop this print

“It Was All A Dream”

It Was All A Dream, Abstract Fine Art Print by Shannon Sorensen, New England Artist, Sunset Art, Coastal Art, Colorful Boho Art
“It Was All a Dream”shop this print

“It Was All a Dream”

shop this print

I appreciate you checking out my work! I have art prints available here, and I also sell my art on Society6, where it gets printed on fun products like home decor, furniture and iPhone cases!

Supporting Working Artists and Why I've Joined Patreon

Over the past eight weeks, I have been thinking and planning on how to move forward as an artist, especially at this time where we need to be staying home, and being careful about keeping a distance from others. With all non-essential businesses closed, the photography community has been rocked, and many artists, myself included, have been working hard to figure out if this is a time to wait and see, or make some changes. We can’t shoot weddings. We can’t photograph newborns in the clients’ home.

Holding You Close_Acrylic on Canvas for Printing_Shannon Sorensen_5x7.jpg

If you’ve followed my journey over the past 10 years, you know that in addition to photography, I have done a lot of graphic design work, painting, furniture refinishing, Etsy shops with t-shirts and art prints and crocheted items, and most recently, the launch of my podcast, Creative, Happy Life.

This time spent at home has forced me to think more immediately of what’s next, for myself and my family. I have relied on my photography for the past five years while working from home with young kids, and that income has now been eliminated. So many people are faced with uncertainty right now. I have had a hard few weeks grappling the idea of not knowing when I can get back to work as a photographer, and how the state of the world will affect the way we work going forward. Pair that with now having the uncertainty of schooling at home, and plans have not only changed, but priorities have also changed.

If I had a nickel for every “PIVOT!” joke or reference I’ve seen in the past two months…

The reality is, whether I can photograph clients again sooner or several more weeks from now, I need to find ways to use the skills and knowledge I have now to support my family while working at home.

I have decided to use this time to focus on three areas of creative work:

How do I plan to make this work? With Patreon!

Patreon is a platform for creatives to create exclusive content for their biggest fans. The creator decides what kind of content to make and provide, which can be anything from updates behind the scenes, exclusive writing and blog posts, a special look at works-in-progress, private communities to connect, make tutorials, host livestreams - there are a lot of possibilities!

This content is made available by paying for various tiers of access - becoming a patron of the artist.

How it works: You decide to be come a member, and make monthly payments to view and access the various tiered rewards.

I am currently only offering one tier, although some creators offer several at different monetary levels.

Official Patron - $5/month

  • Official patron status and access to the patron-only feed

  • Behind-the-scenes shares (intentionally different and more interesting than Instagram stories)

  • Work-in-progress updates on everything from paintings and illustrations to upcoming podcast episodes and writing excerpts

  • Private Facebook Community for live chats, Q&As and tutorial videos.

  • My unending gratitude

Why am I so excited about this?

At the core, Patreon is a way for me to connect and share more closely about my work and life as an artist.

With Patreon, fans choose to invest in a creator who’s work they already enjoy and want to support more closely. Artists and creators put out massive amounts of free content all the time, from blog posts to art, podcast episodes to entertainment. Chances are, you’ve enjoyed more free content than you’ve ever realized, whether it’s inspiring, educational, entertaining, or all of those things.

So why not keep putting content out for free? This is work! I love what I do, but I still have bills to pay and a family to support. You pay for the things you love; streaming services, clothes, subscriptions to publications, monthly or seasonal boxes of beauty products or art kits or craft beer…The list goes on. Public radio asks for your support. Restaurants and bookstores are asking for your support. We want to continue to provide you with the things you love, which we love to make.

As an artist, I hope to not only make art and content for you to enjoy, but also make a real living, and ask you to think of this as an investment in not only what you’ve enjoyed so far from me, but what’s to come! It’s an investment in me, for which I am grateful, and humbly step out of my comfort zone in order to ask for your support.

it is more important than ever to support working artists.

By becoming a patron, you contribute towards my ability to produce podcast episodes more frequently, to make more art for you to enjoy, and to have an insider perspective on my process, from ideation to final creation. As I start the process of writing a book and seeking publication, you’ll get a unique perspective as I share the process with you as a patron.

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I am excited to use my patron-only platform to create tutorial videos, and answer questions about art, photography, podcasting, and life as a working artist.

If you are looking for a meaningful way to support an artist or small business at a crucial time in the world, this is an easy way to do it, and it costs about the same as one fancy cup of coffee from a place that’s happy to take your “bucks”!

So how does it work?

You sign up, pay the monthly fee, and when I share content, it gets shared to you through email, through the Patreon site, and in the private Facebook group. You will pay when you sign up, and will be charged the monthly subscription fee on the first of the month going forward. Once you’re in, you’ll get a link to join the private Facebook community!

What can you look forward to as a patron?

Behind the scenes snapshots and updates about what I’m working on, and exclusive posts about life as a creative that I hope will inspire you to explore your own creativity.

I will be doing monthly live chats in the Facebook group where I’ll share more in depth updates about my projects, show you art that I’m working on, livestream while I paint, edit photos, and maybe even some podcast recording. Eek!

Live “ask me anything” video sessions where you can ask me literally anything! From life as a working artist to my favorite snacks and what I’m watching and enjoying for entertainment, I’m an open book for you within the Facebook community.

Tutorials and tips for shooting your own photos on dSLR or on your phone, how to take better photos of your kids, pets, travel, business and products, how to take better selfies, how to capture a day in the life, how to do a basic photo edit on your phone using free apps, and how to create your own presets.

A Facebook community for creative learning, support and interaction, and to get more regular direct interaction with me.

I hope you will consider becoming an official patron of my work! The sooner you join, the sooner you get to start seeing more from me!

Thank you for your consideration, friends!