Creative Challenge: Color Play

Continuing with the theme of creative inspiration, introduced in an earlier blog post, it might be fun to try an artistic exercise by means of a monthly challenge. This month, let's play with color by using our favorite paintings or photographs to set tonal palettes for our creations. I gave this method a try last fall during a hands-on lecture given by weaver Sarah Saulson (http://www.sarahsaulson.com/) who spoke at our local weavers' guild meeting. For one of Sarah's creative exercises, we were instructed to bring a picture that caught our eye for some reason; a painting or photograph that appealed to us in some way. We also brought an assortment of yarns in various colors to share as a group. Using our favorite pictures as visual inspiration, we chose yarn colors from the group stash and assembled "wraps" - wrapping yarn around a cardboard rectangle - that reflected the coloration and feel of our photos. The idea was to use the hues from our inspiration material to create in a different medium. The group results were wonderful! It was amazing how well those simple rainbows of yarn conveyed the essence of the paintings and photographs.

So for February, I'd like to challenge you all to try a version of the above exercise using whatever method of artistic expression you prefer. Select a photograph or painting that you find interesting or pleasing, then try to create an object (for example, a sewn article, piece of jewelry, paper craft, or glass work) that reflects the color and feel of that visual illustration. If it is helpful, start by isolating the major color themes of your photo selection by looking at a color wheel. Then collect materials for your project in those themes; if you are making jewelry, for example, round up all the beads in your color themes and put them in front of you before you begin. For a few examples to get you started, take a look at "Color Inspiration from the Masters of Painting" at http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2007/06/20/color-inspiration-from-the-masters-of-painting/ Let your preconceptions fall away and let your imagination take the reins!

Once you have finished, report back to us by leaving a comment on this blog post with a link to a photo of your inspiration object next to your creation; or leave a comment with links to each of these items separately. If you have a blog, write about your experience and show us what you made. If there are enough responses, we'll write another blog post to share your work. Most of all, have fun and let the color adventure begin!

Now, let's do a little reverse engineering on this exercise and match a famous painting with a BBEST selection, trying to convey the ambiance of the masterpiece within the palette of each artisan's item.

 The subtle lavenders in Claude Monet's The Artist's Garden at Giverny are reflected in this Purple and Lavender Beaded Crochet Bib Necklace by Imaginuity.

The deep blues and glowing yellows of Van Gogh's Starry Night are captured in these Blue Glass Toasting Flutes from GlitznGlass.

 The pale sea greens and swirling waves of  Aivazovsky's The Tenth Wave are captured by this Ocean's Dance Artisan Lampwork, Crystal Bracelet by Ever So Dear.

Fragonard's The Reader displays themes of gold and umber as in this Yellow Brown Eyed Susan Flower Pendant by Zuda Gay.

O'Keefe's Red Canna inspires the reds and oranges in this hand dyed Vegetarian Silk from Sassa Lynne.

Feeling inspired? We hope so! We can't wait to see where your color explorations take you.

Cementing the creativity habit

"2011 probably won’t be the year I lose weight," writes fellow blogger and BBEST member Myfanwy Hart in her blog, Chittle Chattle. "2011 will be the best that I can make it, and the best that I can make it for people around me. I’ve joined up to the ‘post a day’, so I’m hoping it will also be the best blogging year too. (All I need now are some readers)," Myfanwy concludes.

I must admit that I feel very much the same. Though weight loss is always a goal of mine (after all, I am a WeightWatchers® Online member), I have decided it's not the end of the world if every day is not a perfect day. And this applies to other areas of my life, too. If I have any resolution at all in 2011, it is to balance family, volunteering and creativity—to create a saner year than the previous one by investing more time in creative pursuits, which definitely took third place last year.

"Be creative, in your own way, every single day," writes Danielle, Etsy's Seller Education Coordinator in Fearless Creativity. "Schedule it. Make yourself. Sounds boring and counterintuitive, but you’ll never live up to your full creative potential without practice."

Creativity, like any other pursuit, must be practiced on a regular basis in order for it to be productive. Noah Scalin, the author of 365: A Creativity Journal: Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life!, writes, "A daily project is like a marathon. It's a ridiculously daunting task, but making an original creation every day gives you an incredible sense of accomplishment. It also forces you to push beyond your mental and physical barriers (especially the ones you've erected for yourself). You'll be amazed at what you produce and what you learn about yourself in the process."

If you have ever read Julia Cameron's books about creativity, then you are probably also familiar with her daily writing exercise known as "morning pages." Every day, a writer takes 20 to 30 minutes out of the day to write three pages non-stop, without editorializing, about anything that comes to mind. This practice exercise has a way of opening the creative floodgates for any artist, not just writers. In fact, it is the act of regularity itself (which in some ways sounds like it is the opposite of innovation) that cements the creativity habit. And there are many ways in which you can practice the habit of creativity, whether it's daily, weekly or monthly. To do so as successfully as you can, keep the following five tips in mind:

• Make it bite-size. Instead of vowing to take on an enormous, mind-boggling project, break the project down into manageable chunks of time. If all you have of uninterrupted time is 10 or 15 minutes, make those minutes work for you. Ahead of time, organize your tools and materials so that you can be as efficient as possible during the time you have. "Usually there are just a few minutes here or there—10, 20, or 30 minutes, maybe—if I'm really lucky," writes television host Nancy Zieman of Sewing With Nancy in her book, 10-20-30 Minutes to Sew. "These precious minutes are a dose of sanity in a far too hectic world," she adds. A little bit of planning, in other words, can go a long way.

Estate SALE destash sewing notions in RED and GOLD, by Pruit Supply

 

Lotus Flower Pincushion, by Asian Expressions

• Keep it fresh. Learn something new all the time. Challenge yourself to tackle the unexpected. If sculpture is your strength, try writing a poem. Take a sketching class down at the local art center, learn how to make a bracelet at a bead shop, or pick up a book at the library to teach yourself macrame. The point is to expose yourself to new outlooks and approaches. You never know what new ideas will emerge and spill over into other areas in which you are already creative. Liv of The Filigree Garden on Etsy, for example, has been taking weaving lessons, even though on Etsy she is known as a talented jewelry designer. You can read about her weaving adventures on her blog, The Filigree Garden. When Pat O'Neill originally opened a shop on Etsy as Precious Quilts, her interest was in needlework and sewing, but as she explored different forms of art, color and texture, she encountered encaustic painting. This became her new passion, leading to a new shop on Etsy called Art in the Wax. Keep in mind that yesterday's so-called errors may become tomorrow's innovative inventions.

 

Is it a scarf or..., by Olivia Herbert

 

Lunar Castles - ACEO - encaustic Artist Trading Card, by Art in the Wax

• Make yourself accountable. Join a group and report back to members, blog about your progress, or keep a creativity journal. Kym of Fabric Fascination, for example, started the 52 Weeks Challenge, which involves group members posting links to photos of completed projects. "Challenges are always more fun when you have company," writes Kym. If you conduct a Google search using the phrases "create every day" or "creative challenge," in fact, you will find many similar group efforts. My own week's contribution to this challenge is shown below.

 Black Crochet Scarf, by Judy Nolan

• Build on a theme, and play with it. Do you feel like you're at a creative standstill? Then experiment with themes related to shape, color, or even the materials with which you work. Ask yourself what if, how can I, and why not questions. For example, a potter might ask herself how she can use the same shape in different ways. Ceci of Artsielady does this successfully with leaf shapes, producing such items as leaf tea bag holders, nested leaf plates, and a leaf candy dish.

Leaf Tea Bag Holder, by Artsielady

 

Leaf Nesting Plate Set, by Artsielady

Maple Leaf Candy Dish, by Artsielady

• Don't try to be perfect. Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb after many so-called failed attempts, said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." This is the attitude with which you should approach creative endeavors. Treat every artistic experiment as a learning experience. Keep a log book of ideas and creative journeys, learn from everything, good and bad, and move forward. Myfanwy of Sassa Lynne, for example, keeps meticulous records of all her dyeing experiments, which you can read about in her blog, Nuvo Felt. Through experimentation, in fact, Myfanwy develops one-of-a-kind dyed threads that she calls her "Serenpidity" collection and which form the basis of her shop.

 

Dyeing Records of Myfanwy Hart

Perle Fine Yarn, 5 pack (Apple, Lime, Peach), Serendipity, by Sassa Lynne

Other creative challenge sites that may interest you include:

• Creative Every Day Challenge 2011, led by Leah Piken Kolidas
• Make Something 365, written by Noah Scalin
• Project 365: How to Take a Photo a Day and See Your Life in a Whole New Way, started by Taylor McKnight
• Create Something Every Day, a team effort
• Thing-a-day 2011, a once-a-year-during-February creative challenge

© 2011 Judy Nolan. All rights reserved. Please note that the images in this post are owned by the artists and may not be used without permission. Simultaneously published at http://www.judy-nolan.com.

What's Your Muse?

In the middle of summer, what sparks your creativity? What lights the passion within you to make or design something new? I decided to ask that question today because I am working on answering it for myself. I keep hearing about the importance of working now on items for the holiday season ahead -- but it's really hard sometimes to think about creating for Christmas or Hanukkah when its 90 degrees outside!

I currently have 22 books home -- borrowed from my local library, hoping that one of them will invite the muse to visit. Is that what you do? I've been in and out of the fabric store, the hobby store, and browsing the magazine aisle in the grocery store. I think about taking a class in the local knitting shop while visiting there, but the materials fees on top of the class fee sounds pretty steep. Yet, I longingly look just a little longer while fingering the new yarn arrivals.

Sometimes I sit in my studio and doodle -- or stare into the closet at drawers filled with every color and shade of fabric, hoping they will speak to me. But, one of my favorite places to feel the muse whisper is in seeing the wonderful creations of my fellow artists and teammates. Seeing others at work on some new project, or hearing about a class they are taking lights just a little fire in me and sets me working on a hot summer's day. I love the fantasy SixSisters brings to her watercolor fairies (above). Maybe my muse hides there!

Perhaps I will discover the inspiration in JillsTreasureChest. I have seen fairies hiding there among her amazing ceramic pieces.

Ah, but then maybe it isn't in fantasy I will discover my inspiration, but from nature. BethPeardonProds photos invite the eye to look deeper into the spirit of what she has captured!

Or should I sit in the garden of all the lovely flower paintings in  PFDOriginalArtworks shop? Her work is very inspirational!

Or could it be the inspiration will come from supplies waiting for my fingers to caress? SassaLynne has some amazing hand-dyed threads that beckon!

TheKnottySheep has some gorgeous new hand spun yarns inviting my fingers to make something fun!

But, the inspiration in the supplies category doesn't stop there. Just look at the buttons to be discovered in BizzieBeeButtons shop!

Ah, well, I get stuck there on occasion -- because my little crow's nest studio has supplies galore, but I still don't seem to find the inspiration to start the spark on how to use them. Maybe I what I really need is Artmixer's great book Finding Your Creative Focus!

If you have other ideas on how to stimulate creating in the summer heat -- I would love to hear them in your comments. And do visit these great Bbest Team shops where others have already been inspired to create!

From sad to glad - a journey to creativity

I have been away a long time - and will probably continue to be away for a long time to come. And I miss you, every one of you. Even those of you that I haven't met. I miss the camaraderie of the BBEST team, the support through trying times, the delight and joy of sharing a history, and era. I miss talking to you all, knowing how you are and where you are in your lives and in your creative journeys. I miss my friends who remember real rock and roll and macrame plant hangers and curtains. I miss sharing song lyrics and jokes.


Work is crazy busy, and I tell myself that I am lucky to have a job. That I need to "suck it up" and "stay the course." That this should be for just a moment in time, that soon I will come back to my heart, to my creative core. That working from 7 am to 8 pm is not going to last much longer, that I am taking steps to resolve it, that things will get better.

And all the while, with my determination, I pray that I am telling myself the truth. I long for balance, for the opportunity to paint and play and paste and glue and write and think about art. I want more time to spin and knit and crochet and felt. I wrap a wrist brace around my hand, sore with carpel tunnel from too much computer work, and walk through the craft room to admire the new acrylic paints that I bought - 18 months ago.

And I feel alone. Not that my DH doesn't love me and help me - or sympathize with me - but that he just doesn't understand. He doesn't understand the connection with my internet creative friends. He doesn't understand my need for time to create. But you know, even if he did there isn't anything he could do. No one has found that time machine in Harry Potter - you know, the one that allows Hermione to be in two places at once? I want one of those. I have more to do that I can say grace over.

So here I sit, preparing to write this blog, and pouting. Thinking that I don't have any new techniques to share with you, like Six did in her recent post, nor have I had the opportunity to teach, like Altheap. Browsing through the many many wonderful things in the BBEST Team shops, checking out your blogs, wondering what I might have to say that would interest you all, marveling at the creativity in your lives, and pouting. I think about how inspiring you all are - and how I say that each time I post - but I don't know if you know how much you all mean to me, and so I wonder if my words sound trite. So pouting. Geez. I absolutely hate myself when I pout. I feel like an ingrate, someone who does not appreciate all the wonderful gifts I have in this life.


Seriously, Shame On Me!!!

I know the drill. I know that Help Is Not On The Way. If there is one thing that I get, it is that my life and my time are my own. And pouting garners nothing. Nuuuuuuuuuuuttttttttthhhhhing! As Sergent Shultz used to say.

**********************

So I did a little searching, knowing that laughter is the BEST medicine, and found a lot of good clean laughs out on the internet - here is one for you. :)

Know your Apples

Here is the scene: The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Church elementary school for lunch.

At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and put it on the apple tray...

'Take only ONE. God is watching.'

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.

A child had written a note, 'Take all you want. God is watching the apples.'

Hehehe! Delighted that God is watching the apples, I took my jillion thoughts about posting here (should I write about my cat, my search for new kittens, all the cool cat items in your shops? should I write about spinning and how, when I get to spin I meditate on peace? should I write about spring and how, when I get outside my heart fills with joy? should I write about the struggles as we get older? should I write about antique sock knitting machines? new books? writing? should I pontificate on civility? how about paints or what happens when I type in "BBEST spring Red" in the search engine? maybe I could opine on my generation, filled with peace and kindness and creating less than that in our lifetimes? should I consider the financial mess, or history? egad.) and made myself get up and take a walk to get some perspective. I took the camera along, and came back with the pictures that you see scattered through this post.


They are my gift to you, a little something from my yard to your eyes, with hope straight from my heart that they may inspire you and give you a smile. You wonderful people do that for me.


It is a gift to stop in the rush of this time and think about creating. A gift to have a chance to share with you - and to take advantage of what you always share with me. I am grateful for this commitment of occasionally guest blogging here. It is a reminder that the creative life is close to me, that I have not lost myself completely. I adore you all. And with the gift of your inspiration, I am going downstairs now, giving myself an hour to create, to smile, to bring peace to myself and my home, to spin.


Much and much love.