Living A More Creative Life, Part 3

We've talked about ways to bring creativity into our daily life by taking the time to use more soulful objects in our activities.  Now let's look at ways to bring creativity into our lives and the lives of others around you on a broader scale.  What are ways that we can reach out beyond our own experiences and make a difference for those around us?  Studies have shown that one of the strongest things we can do to lift our own days is to make an effort to lift the days of others.  I find, as a teacher, that the creativity I watch in my students is contagious. Let's look at some ideas for how we can develop creatively contagious moments.

What is it that you enjoy doing?  It doesn't have to be obviously creative.  

Perhaps you are a seamstress, perhaps a cook.  Maybe you are an organizer or communication is your gift.  Maybe you are naturally inclined toward hospitality. How can these gifts be used in a more creative way?

I know of a woman that taught sewing classes to young girls.  She taught 4 at a time with 2 at the sewing machines and 2 sitting on the couch doing handwork.  The teacher would sit on the couch with the ones doing handwork.  As they stitched, she would talk with them about what it meant to grow up to be strong and gracious women.  She found a creative solution to her own need and changed the lives of her students at the same time.  

What if a gifted cook invited 3 or 4 different children (or maybe even adults) over to their kitchen once every couple of months for a cooking lesson?  Many young mothers are swamped and tired from working and don't have time to teach their children and maybe don't even have time to cook.  What a gift of creativity to teach them to make a great pie crust. They would never forget it.

What if a beautician invited young girls over for a day of spa treatments. We live in a time when young girls are struggling to understand what true beauty is.  The spa instructions could be laced with talk about true inner beauty that reaches out to others.

I have a friend who is a very organized person and she has a heart for homeless families.  Determined to find a way to help, she began working with the administration end of a ministry to homeless families.  She not only uses her organizational skills to help make the ministry function, she uses her creativity for 'outside the box' ideas that help the ministry to soar.  She is able to use her creativity to help the people she cares for.  That is creative thinking!

I have another friend who started a ministry in her church based on a creative way of using her gifts.  This woman is a shopper.  She can find a bargain!  And she can talk people into giving her an even better bargain like no one else I know.  A few years back this friend became aware of a need at the local women's shelter in the town where she lived.  The women were only allowed to stay for 30 days at the shelter.  Most of the time they had left home in a hurry and with only what they could carry.  So when the women who had sought refuge in the shelter had completed their time they had nothing to begin setting up a new home.  My friend began going regularly to garage sales and buying furniture and housewares.  She then got permission to store these things in an unused room at her church. She also discovered that if she explained her mission to the garage sale owners, that often they would simply donate their items.  Then as the time comes for each shelter guest, she is invited to the church to "shop" for items needed for her new household and for her children.  And its all free.

Creativity can enrich both our lives and the lives of those around us.  And really, what good is a gift if it can not bless those around us?

So I don't know what your gifts are.  They may not look like the examples I've given.  But maybe these ideas have sparked some thoughts for you.  I don't know what your creativity looks like.  But you can be sure, its there somewhere.  My challenge to you today is to dare to look for it.  Dare to give it some time to develop in you.  And then to dare to step out with creative action to enrich both your life and your world.

Next time we'll look at this more from the perspective of those already living their lives as artists.

Wind and Honey Creations
Creative Pencils - Online Drawing Lessons

A Little Bit of Christmas

 

I thought I would share a little bit of the touches of Christmas at my house.  My decor is more on the simple side compared to so many beautiful blogs that have lovely displays on the mantle and other homey spots.  I love that style.  I simply don't have time to make it happen.  So we go for a more simple touch and hope that it is still beautiful.

 

I purchased this cup and saucer at an estate sale.  And the vintage ornament is from my childhood.  Actually, I don't know how old it is, perhaps older than me.  I don't even remember where the star came from.  It was not new.  I'm sure it came from a thrift store.  It just seemed a shame for the cups to be empty.  So each one got an ornament or two.

 

I purchased these salt and pepper shakers the first Christmas I was married.  Oh!  How I hate saying they are now considered vintage!  When my daughter was very young, she used to play with them all month.  They would go on adventures around the house, especially on the branches of the Christmas tree. 
 
 

I found this cast stone bunny at a thrift store a few years ago.  I just fell in love with his goofy expression.  But he was painted horribly and someone had hot glued cotton all over his beard and the white parts of his hat and coat.  Then there was spanish moss hot glued to the wreath and basket.  Ugh!  It took a long time to get him cleaned up.  Then I repainted him.  Now, he is one of my favorites.
 
   

This chair came from the estate sale where I got the cups and saucers.  I believe it is handmade.  And the bunny is actually a tree ornament.  I got him at a garage sale several years ago.  I have never seen another like him.  I believe he is papier mache.  But, actually, I'm not sure.  

So, there is a little walk through of some of my favorite things.  I'll show you a little more later.

 

Wind and Honey Creations

A Few Days in Eureka Springs

I recently spent a few days in Eureka Springs, Arkansas with my family.  We each came from our separate places of residence and met there.  Two of the four of us had been there before.  I was one of the ones that had not.  We enjoyed our time together and enjoyed the unique atmosphere of the town.

The locals complained of the unusual heat they were experiencing. But we LOVED the moderate temperatures compared to the 110F plus temperatures we had been experiencing for weeks prior to our trip. 

This is the Sweet Spring noted from the 1800's for its sweet water.  The spring is down a number of very old winding steps. 

This vintage water fountain still works.  The fountain and this wonderful old bench are both by the Sweet Spring.

The whole town has a laid back atmosphere to it which was just what we were needing.  We visited art galleries, quaint shops, and antique stores.  Each of the restaurants we visited were extraordinary.  Of course photography was not allowed in the galleries.  And I guess I was always too hungry when in the restaurants because I never remembered to take pictures there.  

I would LOVE having a studio on the top floor of this building!

I especially noted the vintage and unusual musical items I found.  Arkansas is a very musical state.  

I'll share a few other images with you on another day.

Wind and Honey Creations

Living A More Creative Life, Part 4

We've talked about the need to live a more creative life.  We've talked about ways to bring creativity into our daily lives.  And we've talked about how we might bring creativity into the lives of others.  Today, in this final Living a More Creative Life post, I'd like to talk about how the artist might find more creativity even when it seems to allude them.

Sharon Bell is the East Texas artist that mentored me many years ago when I was discovering myself to be an artist. Once in a casual moment she made what seemed at the time to be simple comment.  Yet that comment, that she probably doesn't even remember saying, has helped me many times.  Sharon told me that every artist has times when they question themselves, when they doubt whether they can still "do" it, or if possibly they never really could.  When I am discouraged or worry that I've been off that horse for too long, I remember her statement.  In doing so, I know that I am not alone in my self doubts and that if I will just begin again, I will realize my gifts once more.  I will discover that my gifts were not fleeting fancies like a luna moth living but for a day.  Rather the gifts inside of me have been hibernating like a bear, simply sleeping for a season waiting for the warmth of Spring to reemerge.

As an artist, as an art teacher, I have made some observations of actions that can be helpful when our creative spirit seems to have slipped away into hibernation.  I hope some of you find these to be helpful.

First I would remind you that art, that is creativity, happens on the right side of our brains.  Also living on the right side of our brains are our feelings.  It is my opinion that when our creativity alludes us, there is a feeling connection present somewhere.  So my suggestions work in the direction of feeding and nurturing your soul and your feelings thereby restoring creativity to an active place in your days.

Many artists suggest going to a gallery to be inspired when their artist's self has moved into hibernation.  I would think this would be helpful if one is stifled and seeking new directions.  But if I am having trouble finding the right side of my brain, then going to a place to look at the abundant work that some prolific artist has produced will only make me feel more the failure.  I love appreciating the work of others.  But this would not be the moment for it.  I suggest, rather that we move in a completely different direction.

*Go outside!  Work in the flower bed, sit at the park and feed the ducks, drive a country road looking for abandoned farm houses, visit the beach, go camping in a tent, or walk the dog.  The point is to take yourself out of your normal environment.  Let the creativity and spontaneity of nature surround you and remind you of what you love about creating.

*Rest.  Simply rest.  Maybe you are behind on your sleep.  Maybe you just need to take a nap every day for a month.  Maybe you need to stop pushing yourself so hard and let your mind and soul be calm for a while.  Maybe you need to visit another place where you have no deadlines, no 'to do' lists, no oughta's or shoulda's looming over your heads.

*Talk with a friend.  This doesn't have to be an artist friend.  But it does need to be a friend that understands who you are as a creative person.  It does need to be someone that appreciates what you have to offer.  It does need to be someone that appreciates your passion to create.  And the confidant does need to be a friend that will listen more than they will suggest solutions.  I've found that often my mind works best when my mouth is moving.  Sometimes we answer our own questions simply by hearing ourselves speak.   

*Try something new - a new medium, a new technique.  Revisit an old technique.  Do this in the privacy of your own space and your own moments, free to make a mess because no one else will see it.  I've found that may times when we are struggling, we've let performance worries creep into our thoughts.  Experiencing creativity with no intention that this piece will ever sell or maybe not even be seen can break us out of performance fear and blocks.

*Take an honest look at what you've been making in the last year or two.  Have you gradually slipped into performing for the market?  Maybe you liked the projects at first.  Maybe they seemed fun and easy to produce.  But at some point, you moved beyond that level.  The art that really comes from within you is something else.  But you continue in the other direction because you think it will sell.  That is a sure way to find your creativity to have grown stale.  Find your heart, your creative soul.  Producing what comes from within you rather than for the market is what people will be drawn to in your art - that something special that only you can add.

*Clean up your space!  If its junky in your studio, if its crowded, you'll have too many visual messages coming into your mind.  If its disorganized, the frustration and lost time spent searching for that special object or tool or image will quickly disintegrate any right brained thoughts you may have been having.  The bonus of cleaning and organizing is that sometimes in the process you will find objects or images that you've forgotten you had.  Inspiration will come sweeping in like a fresh wind with those now refound items.

*Most of all don't panic and be kind and patient with yourself.  Life runs in seasons.  This too will pass.  If you are an artist, your creativity is still there whether you feel it right now or not.  Know that it will return.  It is a part of who you are.  It IS who you are.  YOU ARE AN ARTIST.

Wind and Honey Creations

Living A More Creative Life, Part 3

We've talked about ways to bring creativity into our daily life by taking the time to use more soulful objects in our activities.  Now let's look at ways to bring creativity into our lives and the lives of others around you on a broader scale.  What are ways that we can reach out beyond our own experiences and make a difference for those around us?  Studies have shown that one of the strongest things we can do to lift our own days is to make an effort to lift the days of others.  I find, as a teacher, that the creativity I watch in my students is contagious. Let's look at some ideas for how we can develop creatively contagious moments.

What is it that you enjoy doing?  It doesn't have to be obviously creative.  

Perhaps you are a seamstress, perhaps a cook.  Maybe you are an organizer or communication is your gift.  Maybe you are naturally inclined toward hospitality. How can these gifts be used in a more creative way?

I know of a woman that taught sewing classes to young girls.  She taught 4 at a time with 2 at the sewing machines and 2 sitting on the couch doing handwork.  The teacher would sit on the couch with the ones doing handwork.  As they stitched, she would talk with them about what it meant to grow up to be strong and gracious women.  She found a creative solution to her own need and changed the lives of her students at the same time.  

What if a gifted cook invited 3 or 4 different children (or maybe even adults) over to their kitchen once every couple of months for a cooking lesson?  Many young mothers are swamped and tired from working and don't have time to teach their children and maybe don't even have time to cook.  What a gift of creativity to teach them to make a great pie crust. They would never forget it.

What if a beautician invited young girls over for a day of spa treatments. We live in a time when young girls are struggling to understand what true beauty is.  The spa instructions could be laced with talk about true inner beauty that reaches out to others.

I have a friend who is a very organized person and she has a heart for homeless families.  Determined to find a way to help, she began working with the administration end of a ministry to homeless families.  She not only uses her organizational skills to help make the ministry function, she uses her creativity for 'outside the box' ideas that help the ministry to soar.  She is able to use her creativity to help the people she cares for.  That is creative thinking!

I have another friend who started a ministry in her church based on a creative way of using her gifts.  This woman is a shopper.  She can find a bargain!  And she can talk people into giving her an even better bargain like no one else I know.  A few years back this friend became aware of a need at the local women's shelter in the town where she lived.  The women were only allowed to stay for 30 days at the shelter.  Most of the time they had left home in a hurry and with only what they could carry.  So when the women who had sought refuge in the shelter had completed their time they had nothing to begin setting up a new home.  My friend began going regularly to garage sales and buying furniture and housewares.  She then got permission to store these things in an unused room at her church. She also discovered that if she explained her mission to the garage sale owners, that often they would simply donate their items.  Then as the time comes for each shelter guest, she is invited to the church to "shop" for items needed for her new household and for her children.  And its all free.

Creativity can enrich both our lives and the lives of those around us.  And really, what good is a gift if it can not bless those around us?

So I don't know what your gifts are.  They may not look like the examples I've given.  But maybe these ideas have sparked some thoughts for you.  I don't know what your creativity looks like.  But you can be sure, its there somewhere.  My challenge to you today is to dare to look for it.  Dare to give it some time to develop in you.  And then to dare to step out with creative action to enrich both your life and your world.

Next time we'll look at this more from the perspective of those already living their lives as artists.

Wind and Honey Creations

A Little Tea, A Bit of Rust, Throw In A Spark Plug and What Do You Get?

Recently during the One World One Heart blog event I stumbled onto another blog.  You know how it goes.  You are on the site you planned to go to then you go to a link from that site then you go to another one from the new site.  Then eventually you find yourself in a wonderful new place but you can't remember exactly how you got there.  Well, that was my experience when I found myself at the blog of Jeanette Janson.

What fun I had as I spent a while with a cup of tea enjoying the creative mind of Jeanette.  Her Etsy vintage shop VintageSupplyCo is an endless list of treasures with which one might create wonderful mixed media collage work.  She has everything from old photos to rusty metal to ephemera and lots of other fun things in between.

But the really fun part of my cyber time spent with Jeanette was when I visited her Etsy Recycled Robot Art Shop  Jeanette's creations using the same type of materials she sells in her vintage shop are just simply fun!  They will make you smile on a rainy day.  Let me share just a few of my favorites with you today.

 

Each robot has something unique about it giving it a personality to love.

I think this last one is my favorite with her fancy shoes; and her pearls are just the right finishing touch.

So stop by Jeanette's blog and her shops.  You may find just what you are needing to bring Springtime a little earlier to your house.

Wind and Honey Creations
Creative Pencils - Online Drawing Lessons

Living A More Creative Life, Part 2

As promised I am continuing with the Living A More Creative Life series.  I will first approach this topic from the perspective of those who do not claim to be artists but who desire to live a more creative daily life.  These ideas can be helpful to anyone and everyone.  Then later we will look at the need to rekindle creativity in the life of the artist.

Before we proceed any further let's get one thing out of the way.  I know what you are thinking, and YES, you can!  Over the years when people learn that I am an art teacher, I receive one single response the most often.  Oh, I could never do that.  I'm just not creative.  But you know, that simply is not true.  I know, I know.  I've heard it over and over - You just don't know me.  Why, I can't even draw a straight line.  Well, I've got news for you.  Being creative has nothing to do with drawing a straight line.  That's what rulers are for.  After years of being a teacher I can tell you that everyone can learn to be a more creative person, to make more creative choices, and to think in a more creative way.  We may not all be commissioned to paint cathedral ceilings in the next few years.  But we can ALL be creative people.

In the last post on this subject I mentioned that creativity is breaking out of accepted patterns and solutions in order to find a new way of doing something.  Everyone can do that.  It is just a matter of reminding yourself to stop and think before you continue, once again, down that same ol' thread bare path. So what is your area of creativity?  How does your mind work?  Where do your thoughts go?  Renoir once said that a work of art "must seize upon you, wrap you up in itself, and carry you away".  Maybe visual art is something that is within you and you don't realize it.  Perhaps you long to create in that way.  Maybe today is the day to begin trying.  Perhaps you should check with me about online classes.  Or perhaps visual art is not your area of creativity.  Perhaps it is not the way your mind works.  What is it in life that, as Renoir said, seizes you, wraps you up, and carries you away?

Creativity is a way of life, a way of moving your thoughts in a certain direction.  You can begin to incorporate creativity into your way of thinking in simple ways. Stop warming your water for tea in the microwave.  Use a tea kettle - maybe one that whistles when the water is hot.  And even better yet, pour your tea from a nice tea pot.  Are soda's your favorite drink?  Take just a moment and pour it out of that plastic bottle or the styrofoam cup and drink from a glass - a real one made from real glass where the ice clinks when you drop it in.

Put a candle on the table when you eat dinner tonight - even if you are alone.  Listen to music rather than the news while you prepare your meal.  Use glass mason jars to store your refrigerator items rather than plastic.  Keep your cotton balls in a lovely vintage tin.  Its a simple change.  But every time you get a cotton ball out, you get to enjoy a creative moment.  These kinds of small changes in our environment and our days actually only take a moment but they begin to shift our mindset toward a more soulful and creative way of living and thinking.  

These are just a few simple suggestions to get your imaginations running.  You will want to find creative embellishments to add to your life, to your days, that fit your personality and style.  They may not look like the ideas I have.  They will be uniquely YOU.  As you think of other ways to begin incorporating creativity into your daily tasks, please do comment here and share them with us all.

In the next post in the Living a More Creative Life series I will talk about bigger more life changing things that you can do to bring creativity not only into your own life but into the lives of others.

Wind and Honey Creations
Creative Pencils - Online Drawing Lessons

Living A More Creative Life, Part 1

Sometimes life comes along and just sits on your heart challenging you to even breath.  These are the times when creativity is elusive.  And yet, finding creative expression can be a life saver at just such moments.  Some of you are artist by vocation or by hobby. Others may just enjoy art. For the artist, hard times can lead to a creative block.  But for all of us, hard times are, well just that - hard!  

Finding ways to incorporate creativity into your daily life can be like a breath of fresh air in a heavy time.  This is Part 1 of a series of posts on Living A More Creative Life.  It is my hope that it will help you begin to think in a new direction as you come up with ways to bring creativity into your day to day life.  If this series inspires you or you come up with new ideas, please come here and share your ideas with us all.   

Creativity comes from the right side of our brains.  If you've read anything about the right brain/left brain differences, you know that scientist have learned that the left sides of our brains are our logical sides.  (My husband says I don't have a left side.  But we won't get into that!)  And our right sides are where we find our creativity and our feelings.  Creativity is a mindset.  And most certainly it is about taking risks and having fun.  If its not fun then what is the point?    

Creativity is more than painting or drawing or pasting or sculpting.  It is tapping into the feeling right side of your brain to find a solution to a problem.  Creativity is breaking out of accepted patterns and solutions in order to find a new way of doing something.

In Part 2 of Living A More Creative Life we will talk about some practical ways to move your life into a more creative direction.  

Wind and Honey Creations

Inspired by the Creativity of Children

In keeping with the theme of children's art in the last few posts, I've created an original collage for the Crowabout Challenge.  This is for week 87.  We'll just ignore the fact that I'm 2 weeks late.  This collage is entitled Through the Window and it is meant to make one ponder the creative thoughts in the imagination of a child.  I've always remembered fondly a quote from the old Muppet Babies cartoons.  Gonzo said "Who knows what weirdness lurks in the minds of kids."   LOL!   That would definitely have been true at my house.

This collage began as an original digital collage printed with archival pigment inks.  It was then hand embellished with a variety of artist colored pencils.  And then mounted permanently on a gallery wrapped canvas painted with acrylic paint.    It may be found in my 1000Markets Shop.

On another note, I've been gathering a few treasures from sales lately.  I thought I would share.   I bought this suitcase from Aunt Agnes (as her niece running the sale called her).  The others have come from various sources.

Isn't this pin cushion sweet?

There was nothing in the thread box.  But I thought the box itself had enough character to stand on its own.

Dancing Swans all in a row.

I bought the photograph of this woman framed.  It is not a print but an actual photograph in 11 x 14 size.  Is this woman anyone famous?  Should I be recognizing her?  I'd love to share her with you for art purposes. But would love even more to know something about her.  Feel free to download her and please share your work with me if you do something creative with her.