Welcome!
Hello! It’s so nice to meet you!
I’m Anastasia “AZ” Finch, a librarian living in Southern California, and I’m a mixed media art junkie. I’ve been making some form of a junk journal for 15+ years, usually heavily focused on collage and altered art. I’m not a classically trained artist who can pump out beautiful landscape oil paintings. I am 100% a grungy, scrappy DIY artist who likes gluing bits of paper to other bits of paper and then throwing some ink on it and seeing what happens.
What I like best about making mixed media art is the total freedom to create whatever I want, without restrictions.
I also find it weirdly soothing to put together collages and mixed media art pages. Finding that “groove” to keep creating something cool is really fun, and I look forward to finding it every time I start a new piece.
Well, that’s all good– but what can I do for you?
Get Creative Again
When was the last time you made a piece of art? When we’re kids we made art every change we got. Remember how fun coloring used to be? All the fingerpaintings we created in kindergarten? The doodles in the margins of our math tests? We had all the time in the world to make whatever we wanted, and then…we grew up.
When you’re an adult it’s like you have neither free time nor energy, and creative pursuits get put to the side. Pretty soon it’s a decade or more since you last did even a doodle, and that creative spark you had as a child is almost completely disappeared.
It’s time to get creative again!
Wouldn’t you rather be making something than just sitting around bored on the weekends? Pick up that paintbrush and MAKE SOMETHING! Artistic creativity is for everyone. No matter what you do or where you go, taking the time to make a piece of art can be super beneficial to your overall health and well-being.
Here at AZFinch.com, I write about regaining your creative spark through mixed media art tutorials, upcycling projects, and gluebook collages. Each post provides guidance and inspiration for creating art using everyday materials, where you don’t need to have the latest thing to be a good artist, and where there’s no pressure to be perfect.
Whether you’re a total newbie or a veteran artist getting back into the swing of things, there’s something for everyone here at the blog. Our community here is for everyone, no matter where you are on your art journey!
To get started, check out these posts from the blog:
- How to handle art jealousy in 6 easy steps
- How to make more art when you’re short on time
- Stop being a mixed media art copycat & find your own art style
- Make ugly art and free your artistic soul
Or check out some of our post categories:
- Art Journals and gluebooks
- Being a frugal artist
- Interviews with artists (coming soon)
And be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter, where I’ll be sending out art journal challenges and inspiration to keep your creative juices flowing.
So: thank you for visiting. If any of this resonated with you, or if you get any useful info from my posts, please say hello!
