Volume II of MIM the Online Magazine
Cover Art Courtesy of Lauren Clements-Paterson
VOLUME II INDEX
From Dawn Until Desk: A Letter From the Editor
A brief overview of Volume II from L.E. North and a link for your FREE DOWNLOAD of the Thanksgiving & Autumn Coloring Book 2020.
"Turn My Sadness Into Happiness"
By Maria Marayan
November Featured Bullet Journals
Online Magazine MIM featured Bullet Journals
Featuring the art of @Bujo.by.Ingrid and @Bujo.Marieanneso
"His Soul is Always There"
By Kaylea Malone
Q&A With Frank, the Prop-Creating Electric Guitarist!
Featuring Frank North
"Abstract Art, My Sense of Release and Pride"
By Justin Raine
Poetry by Bidushi
By Bidushi Subhadarshini
"Your Art Tells Your Story"
By Jodi Ortego
"My Relationship With Art"
By Rachel Marie Rowse
Poetry
By Polite Veneer
"On Writing and Painting"
By Serena Howard
From Dawn Until Desk - A Letter From the Editor
Seasons Greetings!
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Let's take a moment to relax, take a deep breath, and count our blessings. Let us be grateful for all we have and everything we have accomplished.
To get you into the Thanksgiving spirit, I have a wonderful coloring book you can DOWNLOAD FREE from my website at https://northartstudio.godaddysites.com/shop
This month we have quite a few artists who have poured their hearts into their stories and have shared their journeys with us. They provide us insight and hope as they have overcome so many challenges and struggles to get to where they are today.
We have two winners for the Bullet Journal Features for their beautiful creations of November covers for their journals.
Not only do we have the perspectives of many artists, but some amazing poems from two special contributors.
If you like what you see, and what you read, feel free to connect with any of our contributors this month by visiting their Facebooks, Instagrams, websites, and emails.
Happy Thanksgiving! Spend time with the people you love!
#MUCHLOVE
Lauren North, Editor in Chief of MIM
"Turn My Sadness Into Happiness"
By Maria Marayan
I am Maria Lourdes Marayan. I just turned 19 this October. I have been able to draw since I was a kid. I really love it! Like it’s part of being me. I always keep some paper and a pencil with me.
For me, art is an escape from family problems. I was 5 when my mom and dad broke up, and my mom brought me to my auntie’s house where she left me. It’s really difficult for me since I always want my mom to be beside me.
That’s the reason I spend so much of my time drawing. I always draw my family being together, visualizing what I wish for most. I was so sad since then, but making art has become my comfort zone. It makes me release all the pain that I felt inside. It makes me forget all the problems I have.
Instead, I now feel happiness. Happiness as in being free of sadness. Now I make art to live. Art helps me, especially in mental health, and through financial trials. I tried opening the commission this past few weeks.
I just started making art digitally, but I thought, “What if no one will like my art?” But I was wrong. At first, it was so hard for me to find some customers. But now I have some clients who are so supportive that makes me think I need to continue in my journey.
Since then, I make art to turn my sadness into happiness. And I am lucky to share this with this online magazine and its community.
Now I’m strong enough to live and create art to show to the people that no matter how hard life is, you need to continue creating for the world to see. To motivate them that art is not only an art, it’s people’s way of being free!
November Featured Bullet Journals
By bujo.marieanneso
By bujo.marieanneso
By bujo.marieanneso
"His Soul is Always There"
By Kaylea Malone
I’m a 30-year-old wife and a mother to a 3-year-old boy. I come from in a small town in Telford Shropshire.
I’ve always had an interest in art ever since childhood. I began doodling here and there, on and off over the years. Even drawing on my white t-shirts and dressing gowns, (my parents were not happy lol.) I always loved drawing while being at my Nan and Grandad’s house.
My Grandad inspired me while my Nan always encouraged my art, i.e. leaf picking, sticking them to paper, and they would frame them.
They moved away to Milton Keynes, and I saw them regularly.
Fast forward 22 years, they diagnosed my Nan with Alzheimer’s. My Grandad was her full-time caregiver.
Until one day she had to go into a nursing home as her condition diminished. So they moved my Nan back to Telford, where my Grandad soon followed with his little dog Riley.
"My Grandad, mum, and I would go visit my Nan where I captured a beautiful photo of my Nan and Grandad together laughing. So I painted it for my Grandad’s Christmas present. He loved it!"
Then a few weeks later in January, my Grandad got diagnosed with bowel cancer. One week after the diagnosis, he had a heart attack. And one month after that, he had two strokes. These created an obstacle to any treatment that could have happened.
Connectwith Kaylea:
https://www.Instagram.com/Kayleas_creationz
"I decided in May to pick my pencils back up and start drawing again."
So he was on a terminal prognosis, while my Nan was oblivious to all of it. He was in and out of the hospital for that year. My mum adopted his dog for him. Which then I painted a picture of my Grandad’s dog so he can take it everywhere he goes: the hospital, home, respite
. I gave it to him on his birthday. In September, he was so happy he cried.
I went to see him in hospital middle of November where he told me never to give up on my art. Keep drawing and painting. Then, on the 24th of November 2019, he sadly passed away. My Nan followed four months later on the 31st of March 2020.
So I decided in May to pick my pencils back up and start drawing again. Every day! And I have not stopped since. My Grandad is my motivation to keep my art alive, and his soul is always there.
By doing art every day, my mind stays sane, as I can zone out. I love speaking to people about art.
"My biggest passion is to become a successful artist in memory of my Grandad and for myself. To learn everything there is to art and to capture that moment of joy in people’s faces when I hand over their portraits to them. "
Q&A With Frank, The Prop-Creating Electric Guitarist
Featuring Frank North
Q: What was the first prop you ever made?
A: The Star Trek Communicator. I used a cardboard pencil box for the body and an index card cut to fit for an antenna. I was in 4th grade!
Q: So some props that were available online didn't have all the features like the ones used in the shows. What all did you have to add to make a versatile prop?
And what inspired you to make a fully functional one that had not existed yet?
A: Back then, they just used dummy props. They added lights and sounds later. Nowadays, the Wand Company makes a nearly exact replica with all kinds of functions.
My best functioning prop was like a test to see if I could pull it off. Put a laser in the shell of a Star Trek phaser. Laser pointers were getting cheap, and I ended up taking one of those apart. I used the guts of it to put inside the phaser so it would actually fire!
Q: What are all the projects you currently have going?
A: A Lost in Space robot, laser guns, laser rifles, R2-D2 from Star Wars, lightsabers, blasters, and a Dr. Who Dalek.
Q: Have you ever started working on a prop you couldn't finish?
A: Yes, back in the '70s, a Sandman Gun. I couldn't ever get the valve to work right for the acetylene gas! I threw it away! I finally figured out the valve from a cutting torch was perfect.
It was so frustrating! I have a special love-hate for those Sandman Guns, but I will always love Logan's Run for that very reason! It made me improve my engineering and critical thinking skills.
Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to break into the prop-making industry?
A: Never give up! The more skills you learn, the better your props will be!
Q: So you play electric guitar in a band. How do you find the time to practice? And what are your favorite songs to perform?
A: I have to make the time to practice. It's still fun after all these years!
Some of my favorite songs are ones from Whitesnake, Judas Priest, and Thin Lizzy - they are a blast to play!
Q: What advice do you have for people aspiring to be musicians?
A: Do it for the love of it. You do not make that much money and if that's the only reason you are doing it you will be very disappointed. I'm mainly a weekend warrior. I love it!
It makes people happy and encourages them to dance, which we all need during these times. You will also meet a lot of interesting people along the way!
Connect With Frank!
"Abstract Art, My Sense of Release and Pride"
By Justin Raine
Emotion. Every piece starts with emotion. The world gets shut out while I focus on a certain feeling or mindset. I let my hands do the work. When an incredibly intense mood washes over me, I put it down and express it on the canvas instead of burying it inside myself.
Creating art helps to keep the depression at bay. I just let my thoughts flow into the artwork someone else will soon appreciate.
Over the years, I’ve gathered that this is one of the healthier outlets for myself. I did hard drugs for several years. I even hitchhiked (I’m on an Australian documentary series). Concerning home life growing up, it wasn’t the best of times. I never really experienced a “normal” childhood. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way.
The goal now is to live a better life, a healthier life. I owe it to my wife and kids. It was my wife that suggested I start selling my work, and I’m glad she did. Before, I would burn each piece. It was a way to release those emotions trapped in the paint.
It may have been a small sadistic side of me, but it would make me happy. Or perhaps it was the fact that burning the piece was something I could control. Now knowing that someone else wants to see and own my art gives me a sense of release and pride that is unlike anything else.
Abstract Art Gallery by Justin Raine
Poetry by Bidushi Subhadarshini
By Bidushi Subhadarshini
"The Valley of Mystique"
Late sun hits the mountains
And then the river side
The ambiance reminded me of you
How might I even hide!
Mystique was the aura
Mystique was your vibe
It was the realm of endearment
And my presence was proscribe
I ceased my emotions
And called it a day
All my failed effort
Left me at bay
Mystique was your charisma
Mystique was your trance
I merrily surrendered to your
Essence of romance
Bidushi Subhadarshini
_____________________________
"Miserable 365"
A lady with grace
And ferocious attitude
A mother like being
But filled with solitude
She saw me a target
When I was a tot
No matter if I wailed for equity
It was all for naught
Her aggressive babble
Tormented my mind
Her voice haunted the days
And dreams turned into the horror kind
I contemplated my childhood and wonder
Why wasn't I the same?
I looked for a reason
And there she was standing again
I screamed I cried
I whined inside
I talked and conversed
I tried and tried
My voice was muffled
With her presence and chatter
And so my urge to persist
Slowly died
People faded away
She confiscated my life
It was agony all the time
To breath I had to thrive
I lingered constantly
Trying to stay very sane
I forgot to look over my shoulder
Oh! And there she was standing again
A year, that's what it took her
To do her deed and her work
Those miserable 365 days were when
My life fell apart
Slowly but surely
I reluctantly walked into the wreck
I just needed to talk but
Everyone seemed so fake
Things what happened, happened
But it's still my life
Things won't be the same again
But I'm still alive
The past is never really left behind
It follows you through thick and thin
She'll always be standing over my shoulder
But after every fall I'll survive
I rule my life now
No one has power over me
She'll never stand tall again
No matter how determined is she
You made me unbreakable over the years
And thanks for the emotional shield
The noble 'me' is gone
For virtue you have to plead...
- Bidushi Subhadarshini
Connect with Bidushi
"Your Art Tells Your Story"
By Jodi Ortego
As an artist struggling with severe anxiety, I find inspiration in grounding techniques, like walks through nature and the enjoyment of the simplest comforts of home. There’s a powerful force in the strength of the woods. Or a glass of sweet tea on the front porch in the middle of a July heatwave. Mental health is essential, and I am fascinated by the things that make people feel content and at peace.
Traditionally, the dream of being a successful artist becomes nearly unreachable for mothers. I am the mother of a 4-month-old baby girl, and this plunge into motherhood has done nothing but drive my artistic mind farther than it’s gone before. It has transformed my work from a two-dimensional subject to a much deeper worth with an important story to tell.
Nursing sessions and diaper changes take over my studio practice. I once painted with classical music filling the air, but now it’s whatever keeps the baby from crying. (Which is currently Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish on repeat).
" I hope one day to pass down the importance of creative expression to her. I want her to recognize that art is a personal tool she can use throughout her life and a way to display who she is with no rules to hold her back."
I have to keep my studio tidy to avoid tiny handprints sneaking into my work. I’ve always painted in acrylics, but recently I’ve been toying with my own technique of painting with washable markers and water.
I start a painting by leaving behind all expectations and following my feelings with the ink. Losing control in my painting sessions means I don’t have the pressure of making it perfect, with the bonus of getting to have fun with my work.
In a world where the artwork is so easily accessible, it’s a struggle not to compare yourself with more successful creators.
"It’s important to remember that your art tells your story and shows your unique experiences and views in this complicated and beautiful world."
Jodie's work featured below!
"My Relationship With Art"
By Rachel Marie Rowse
Art is my world, and it has always been a big part of my life.
I was born with a genetic eye condition called nystagmus. My paintings and drawings started as a way to cope with my imperfect vision.
I explored through my work all the beautiful details of the world around me that I couldn’t see. The more I created the more I understood my vision and that what I could see with my creativity was beautiful.
I grew comfortable with my unique way of observing my surroundings and decided it was worth sharing. Today art gives me purpose, a sense of community, and a voice.
Art is my job and it's my hobby all through the night. It gives me a voice to express all the experiences I can’t put into words. Art is a way to bring about beauty and positivity to those who need it most.
Art has the power to bring people together, to celebrate, and to connect through each others' points of view. Art is my form of beauty and hope, I am forever grateful for everyone who chooses to participate in the arts in any form.
RMR.Arts
Poetry by Polite Veneer
By Veneer
In the desert,
Of an ice castle.
I am queen,
of no people.
Endless beauty,
Dancing daisies.
Peace be found,
In echoing rooms.
Phoenix, we are alike
Suicidal drive,
Fly beyond reach,
For lover’s leap.
Fiery Flames,
Bright and red.
Is where I’ll find,
Life of mine.
___________________________________________________
I wish the road to heaven was a two-way street.
I would drop in for a long hearty meal.
Maybe even for a lecture that I’d missed.
Or to tell you that my life is bliss.
Often for a pitcher of beer,
To tell you were the best professor.
For some jokes and some laughter,
And one more time to calm down my anger.
And when again I will start getting busy with my life,
I will plan to visit you once last time.
In a dark night on a quiet ride,
To steal you back and bring to life.
Connect With Veneer!
On Writing and Painting
By Serena Howard
On Writing
I had many diaries where I would log how I was doing while growing up. I would talk as if the pieces of paper were my friend. Someone told me to stop making art and become a writer. I became aware of creative writing and poetry in 2017. I’d read text from hip-hop and rap lyrics and pick up on some techniques I liked.
I began to brainstorm in this diary I had in addition to a group for fostered youth at a local recreation center. Like-minded youth influenced more techniques. I was building character along the way.
I have always been the type of person to keep things inside, not knowing the right words to say. Expressionism took me over with poetry. It is my safe haven for unwanted feelings or the things of which I do not wish to speak.
"Raw and gritty topics best-kept secret filled the pages. I learned the hard way that it isn’t healthy to bottle things up. One way or another, I used my creative side to keep me from fizzling out and making something positive of it. "
I am one for small detail and learning new words, so poetry was right up my alley as a new outlet. As for my paintings, each poem contains parts of me. I hope to publish a book one day. I have about 70 or so poems right now, and I can’t wait to share them with you all!
I hope with the process of publishing that some of you can relate to some topics included.
_____________________________________________________
On Painting
Passionately reminiscing as far back as I can remember, what started as possible escapism at three years old had become a hobby throughout the years. It shaped me and my creative mind. It transformed into my favorite thing.
The emotion and expression in free-forming art with acrylics have helped me get through trauma along with memories I cannot put into words. From finger painting to animation and landscape, my sense of style has grown as much as I have. I never cease to impress myself with how far I’ve come. nothing can break my stride!
Showcasing and winning contests, doing commissions, and selling work have been nothing less than a pleasure for me. I’m enthused to see where it will lead me.
I began painting in-depth in 2016 after a bad breakup where I stood very anxious and closed off to wellness in life. I isolated myself the entire summer. I looked for a way to release the pains from my past relationship. I recall slapping together a bunch of paint, shaping things with different objects, and hashing it out until I liked what I created.
I made 20 pieces of art that summer and it pushed me forward into a new era of light. I realized then that it was to be beneficial to me but also therapeutic. In 2018 I started creating a fluid and abstract kind of art with mirrored effects. At the time, I produced pieces of the likes I had never seen before.
I have experimented over the years. Now in 2020, facing many hardships, I want to evolve my works and incorporate more ideas I’ve been meaning to express creatively. I started using more color and boldness in my decision making and have taken upon landscape and animation (still with acrylics).
I’ve always liked anime, cottagecore-esque, space themes. Making art has always been my sacred peace. I simply wouldn’t be who I am today without it, and because of this, I will never stop creating! ONE LOVE
Connect With Serena
Serena Howard Photo Gallery
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