MY CREATIVE JOURNEY - week 35 continued

This is the week of what I call cross-training. To do something creative outside my usual "box". So, the farthest thing I could think of was writing. Very scary for me but I was determined to do it. I don't have time to write much so I just started a very very short story of The Amazing Diva Pig. Of course, this is the nickname of our granddaughter Jayden (who will be one year old in only about a week!). She got the pig part because when she was born she always made these cute little snorting noises. And because she had a very healthy appetite also! The Diva part was added later when she developed her little diva personality. But she is a good diva, not a bratty diva. There is such a thing you know!

So, with fear and trepidation, here is the beginning of The Amazing Diva Pig. It is a story for her that I might read to her when she is a little older so I wrote it as a children's story.

THE AMAZING DIVA PIG
(a very very short story about a very very special pig)

A pig is a pig, right? Well……….. maybe not! There is one pig that is FAR from the usual. She is Diva Pig. Who you might ask is Diva Pig? She is an amazingly wonderful little thing with very special powers. That is what makes her a Diva Pig.

Her most useful power is her smile! She can melt hearts in an instant. She can make sad people happy, mad people calm, and bored people laugh! Now THAT is a powerful smile!

Diva Pig comes by her smile quite naturally. I know because I’ve been around her ever since she was born. Many will say baby pigs don’t smile. That just shows how little they know. Perhaps her mouth didn’t smile the usual smile….but those eyes smiled. I saw them. I know it is true.

One of her other powers is her limitless energy. Diva Pig is hardly ever still (except maybe when she is sleeping). She is up and around and about. There is so much to explore, so much to find. And she is fearless as she climbs over or crawls under anything in her path. It is a sign I think of her natural curiosity and determination.

She also has a HUGE heart and loves everyone. That must be why everyone lovers her back! Her parents and her brothers and sisters love her. Her grandparents and all the rest of her family love her. That is to be expected, of course. But so far, I’ve not met anyone who can resist the power of her loving heart.

She didn’t have an easy beginning in this life but she doesn’t seem to notice. It certainly doesn’t stop her love from spreading out to any and everyone.

I think her future is bright because good things happen to someone with these special powers. They can change the world. So, when the world is a better place in the future, you never know……..but I wouldn’t be surprised if Diva Pig had a part of making it happen!

AUTUMN POSTCARD SWAP

One of the online groups I belong to is swapping postcards with an autumn theme. Lately I have been having a blast playing with metal in my art. One of the things I really like doing is "painting" the metal with alcohol inks. I did that for my friends journal in an earlier post and loved it so much (and thought it had such a great autumn feel) that I decided to do that for my postcards.

I started with pop cans (had to have my son and a friend guzzle a couple of cans when they stopped by! I don't drink pop or any canned drinks as a rule.) I used the inside so I would have a clean "canvas" to start with. I first used leaf stencils and stamps on the "wrong" side of the metal and embossed it using a ballpoint pen that isn't good anymore for anything else. Then I cut out the general shape of the leaf and dropped the inks onto it. This time I added a gold metallic ink mixer. Way cool!! I took some of the rust pieces I had done recently and traced the leaf outlines on the fabric with my Pigma Brush pen (brown). Then when the inks had dried I did a close zigzag stitch to attach the metal leaves to the fabric and Timtex. Then I put the postcard on the back and did a straight stitch to finish them off.

They look "autumn-y" and I really like them. Hope the recipients do, too!

AUTUMN POSTCARDS - group of 5

AUTUMN POSTCARDS - single close up

MY CREATIVE JOURNEY - week 34 continued

OK, as promised - here is my little "time out" project from week 34. I wouldn't usually post something like this here except that it was what I did for my creative journey last week. It was so relaxing and so much fun. It has been ages since I have sewn clothes. Forgot how difficult it is to do arm holes on such little pieces!! Still, I think it turned out cool. I'm going to give it to Jayden for her first birthday next month. I've already tried it on and it fits just right! Hopefully she won't grow too much in the next couple of weeks.

I can see the advantage to taking some time out to do some other creative things. I have to admit when I got back to working on one of my projects it seemed to go much more smoothly. Who knew??? So, time outs just might become part of my regular routine.

MY CREATIVE JOURNEY - week 35

This one should be really fun! The title of the card is "Change Your Limitations". It is kind of like cross-training I think. In other words, if you paint - try sculpting, if you are a writer - play with watercolors, etc. This concept is a little challenging for a mixed media artist because I work in so many different areas. I have been wracking my brain to think of something that is totally different. I have come down to 2 options. Not being a person who can draw very well, I could draw something (abstract might be the best way to go!) The second is writing - like a story or something. That is WAY outside my comfort zone!! I would love to try welding or sculpting but don't have the tools or the money to spend on something I might only do once. So, right now, writing is winning. I DO write my pages in the mornings and I do blog but writing a story would be very different I think. I LOVE the quote at the end of the card. I don't know if it is original with Lynn Gordon but I will give her the credit since it is on her card. I found it inspiring:

"Where creativity's concerned, the sky isn't the limit, it's the point of departure."

Oh, BTW......maybe not quite what last week was about but I decided to escape into something I haven't done is many many years. I made something wearable! (shhhhhhhh don't tell Alice H!) Seems I had not measured correctly on the backing fabric for DGD's quilt. Solution -- I made her a dress and matching panties! Just need to sew the last seam and then I'll post a picture - probably later today. It was really fun and not stressful because no one was expecting anything so if I totally ruined it I could just cut it up for my stash giblet pile! It surprised me how soothing it was to not be working on something "serious" or "arty". Just something for fun and outside my usual explorations. (it even has a zipper!!!!) LOL!!

While I missed several weeks on this journey, I am finding it fruitful in many ways. Sometimes just to cause me to think in a different direction, or a confirmation of the direction I'm already headed. Hope you are enjoying the journey with me!

MY CREATIVE JOURNEY - Week 34

OK, those of you who know me will recognize just how difficult this week will be for me to follow through on. The card for this week is: "Be Really Silly" I know, I know.......not something I'm very used to so it will be a stretch! But, I'll give it my best shot.

The idea is to take a break from "seriously" creating and do something just for fun.....not something to be entered in a show, or sold, or passed on as an heirloom. Just something for fun. Well, I do that a lot anyway in those "I wonder what would happen if....." moments. I wonder if there is a way to make it fresh. Maybe using a technique I haven't used before??? Using a tool or supply I haven't used before????

The difficult thing about this will be time (that must be my life-word). I've got several deadline projects in the works and that deadline is getting quite near. But, I figure it is just like taking a break to read or something when the house needs dusting and company is coming for the weekend???

I'm just going to keep repeating.... "All work and no play makes Kelly a very boring person!"

Now, to break out of my shell and go be silly!!!

MY CREATIVE JOURNEY - week 33

No, your math isn't bad and you aren't seeing things. Last week was totally off the charts. I didn't even get to choose a card let alone do anything with it. Long boring story but I'm just pressing on with week 33.

The card for this week is: Stream of Consciousness

OK, so if I can even stay conscious this week....................... The concept is to take time (the card says an hour!!) each day to do something simply going where the flow goes. Like just drawing marks and shapes and not caring if they look like anything (not hard for me!) or maybe just splashing colors onto watercolor paper and not caring if they go together or not. This exercise is supposed to keep a person's mind open and creative.

I have to admit, it will be difficult for me to devote a whole hour to something that seemingly has no purpose, no usable outcome in the tangible sense anyway. I will try it today but I'm thinking a whole hour will be VERY hard to do. I'm so far behind on so many projects it seems like a waste of time but in keeping with my commitment to doing this journey I have to at least try the ones that seem difficult. I got spoiled - the last two were no-brainers for me. This one will take effort.