Part 1: What I Coulda Shoulda Woulda Been Doing

Last week in a nutshell: I coulda been arting. I shoulda been making be-you-tiful stuff. I woulda been rich famous happy.

Coulda. Woulda. Shoulda.

But nooooooo. I got the bright idea–lightbulb over the head idea–to redesign my website. To dive deep into the mystery of code. Which I know just enough about to get into trouble. And get out of it again.

Phew…not gonna lie, there were a couple of WTF where did everything go!!! moments.

But wait a minute Susan. Backup. Whaddya mean redesign? It looks just the same to me.

And so it does. But there’s a whole lotta new stuff goin’ on under the hood (that’s geek techno talk). Stuff you’ll see in a week or two when the grand design comes together and bubbles up to the surface, blinding you with its brilliance.

OK, so I gave into my inner geek this week. And I’m gonna have a pretty new site. But this is an ART blog. Where’s the Muse? Where’s the art???

Part 2: There Coulda Woulda Shoulda be a Parable Here

Redesigning the website is a lot like creating a painting.

I had a shiny idea—the grand design!—and then one thing led to another. Add a menu here, shift a header there, oh shit, the footer exploded!

Just like painting. Here’s a layer. There’s a layer. Marks & scribbles speaking in code. Editing. Deleting. Re-adding. On canvas it’s paint. On a website it’s pixels and, ummm…stuff.

Either way, the history is still there underneath it all, whispering through the surface.

CREATIVITY DOESN’T CARE ABOUT MEDIUM. Brushes, paint, code—doesn’t matter. The process is the same. You chase an idea, you wrestle with the mess, you live through the awkward stage, and eventually—eventually—the design clicks.

Or it doesn’t and you start again.

Different tools. Different frustrations. Same Muse.

Part 3: This Coulda Woulda Shoulda Be Your Turn

So that’s me this week: playing with code instead of paint, living through the gawky teenage stage of a grand design that isn’t quite ready for prime time. Yet.

But enough about my back-end drama—what about you?

This Week’s Creative Prompt: Paint Without Paint

Your mission, should you choose to amuse the Muse: take something ordinary and treat it like a canvas. Like rearrange the stuff on your desk. Or desktop. Or your furniture. Create artful layers where you least expect them.

The goal isn’t to make “real” art—it’s to shake up how you see the everyday. Play with arrangement, color, texture, and shape.

When you’re done, snap a pic or jot down what surprised you. Did your bookshelf suddenly feel calmer? Did your grocery list look like it belonged in a museum? Did your phone screen confuse the heck out of you (in a good way)?

Because the Muse doesn’t care if you’re painting, doodling, or rearranging the junk drawer—she just wants you to notice, and play.

What everyday thing could you “paint without paint” this week? I’d love to hear about it. Drop it in the comments below.

Til next week (when I shoulda be back!)