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Readers I am delighted to report that following a deep and restful sleep I am once more myself. Admittedly, come 6.30pm as it is now and a day involving my son having a play date and learning to ride his bike without stabilisers, I am perhaps a little jaded round the edges, but the mood remains buoyant even if the energy doesn't!

I read a delightful blog post this morning that hit my creative soul like a dose of espresso. Amelia from 101 Bird Tales (aka my art teacher from Experimental Art) is writing on the joys of finding your creative outlet. Art is not necessarily about paint she reminds us. I had this self same conversation with my sister at the weekend as we looked back not too fondly at our 'art lessons' at school. Art at school was about paint. It was either watercolour or oil. It was still life, portrait or landscape. It was about passing exams. Creativity and imagination, let alone providing food for the soul apparently had no place. We were only shown how to pass exams, not explore what sparked our creativity, what made us laugh out loud with pleasure at the sheer fun of it or to experiment with what art meant for us. I really hope things are different now...

Now I know that while sometimes, you have to think about your audience - if you were hoping to licence your work for a stationery range perhaps or working on a commission. However, most of the time I personally just let go. This week I had fun with the Three Muses 'Odd Bird' challenge. My imagination was given free reign to rummage around in my subconscious (and my magazine stash) for the very treasures that an odd bird like myself might wish to use with such a prompt.

So, I created this crazy piece for me - a most literal interpretation! I collaged a background, painted over it and rubbed it with a soggy tea bag before leaving it out to dry in the summer sun. I poured over Vogue and snipped and formed the features of my feathered friend. She's quite the fashionista this bird - look at all that bling too. She totters around the savannah in her 4 inch heels and flaps those feathers regally. If she had a nose, she would look down it at her lesser plumed cousins.

Oh yes, and before I forget, Amelia will be running the Experimental Art eCourse again in the Autumn - I can't recommend it enough.