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The Anxiety Of Performing
A leading creativity coach Eric Maisel discusses "performing" as a classic anxiety producer. It consists of a great many different fears: the fear of being seen as flawed, the fear of criticism, the fear of disappointing people, the fear of being in power, the fear of embarrassment and humiliation, the fear of imperfection, the fear of loss of control, and even more dramatic fears like the fear of loss of love and approval and the fear of annihilation.

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Tatiana Kuzyk : Create Your Own Altered Art in 60 Minutes!

Create Your Own Altered Art in 60 Minutes!

By Tatiana Kuzyk

You can create a beautiful altered art mixed media keepsake in just 60 MINUTES! Whether you want to nurture your inner artist or need a quick, cheap, unique gift idea — play along and follow these simple steps. Above all, you will enjoy making your very own original art piece.

Let's get the FUN started!

Suggested Materials

Suggested Materials:

Prepare all the materials before beginning your project. Here's the list of what you will need (feel free to use substitutes when it comes to paint colors, product brands, or choice of imagery for your design):

4"x4" Ampersand Gessobord (sold in a pack of 4)*
Background paper (acid free)
An image for your centerpiece (focal point of the composition) — you may want to use an abstract design, an actual photo, or just an image from a clip art at iCLIPART
1' of ribbon of your choice
3-5 buttons
An embellishment or a sticker of your choice for a secondary element of design
6" of Mouline (color of your choice) at your local fabric/crafts store
Golden Soft Gel Semi-Gloss*
Liquitex Matte Medium*
Golden Gel Topcoat w/UVLS (Semi-Gloss)*
Liquitex Raw Umber acrylic paint*
1 Flat Brush #6
Glue Gun
Exacto Knife

* Available from Dick Blick

Once you have all your supplies lined up, you can set the timer for 60 minutes. Ready. Set. Go!

10 Steps to a Finished Art Work:

Step 1

Paint the sides of the gesso board with Raw Umber using brush #1 and let it dry for couple of minutes.

Step 2

Put the gesso tile-board on the sheet of decorative paper that you'll use for the background. Align the straight edges and cut out the outline of the tile (all four outer edges) using the Exacto Knife.

Step 3

Apply generously Golden Soft Gel (Semi-Gloss) to the surface of the gesso board and place the cutout background paper on top of the gel layer. Make sure the corners have sufficient amount of gel as they tend not to adhere very well. Once the paper is in place, apply a thin amount of Golden Soft Gel to the surface of the paper (it will create a nice flat texture and will add a bit of sheen). It takes between 10-15 minutes for the surface to be dried enough so, you can proceed to the next step.

ARTIST'S TIP! A hair dryer, set on low, will speed up the drying, or you can place your art work near a vent register.

Step 4

Again, apply a generous coat of Golden Soft Gel, this time to the back of your main image, and place it in the slightly off-center position, somewhat to the left on top of the gesso tile ( or you may want to experiment with your own ideas!) Put a light coat of Soft Gel on top of the image. Let it dry for 10 minutes (you may try to use a hair dryer, on low setting, to speed up the drying process).

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