Creative Block vs. Creative Avoidance

It might be spring fever but I'm having the hardest time concentrating and motivating myself lately. I feel a real resistance to creating anything. It's not creative block per se, but creative avoidance.

Creative Block is where I can't come up with an idea to save my soul, and I feel tapped. I don't want to work, I don't want to make stuff, and I do not want to think about creating at all. But I yearn for it. At some level I need it and I feel badly about it. As if it's something lost and I can't find it.

Creative Avoidance is something else. I usually feel this at some point in a big project. I'll fly through the envisioning phase and then hit the execution and WHAM! I hit a snag and the creative avoidance steps right in. Then I don't want to think, see, feel, or be around art of any kind. I don't want to see my supplies, I don't want to be reminded of my art and I certainly don't want to expend any of my energy in it's pursuit. Creative Avoidance makes me feel guilty. I know that if I sat down and tried even a little I could come up with some ideas but I DON'T WANT TO!! Thinking and being a creative person taps us sometimes and I know there are times where I just don't feel like I have anything left to expend.

One of my solutions for creative block is to get around my materials, and do something mundane. Like spray paint washers and make my little cork bases. Or clean out and organize my art room. Committing to spending some time in my sketchbook is good too. Getting out and looking or talking about art with some friends who understand is a fabulous tonic.

For Creative Avoidance I like to sit down with my journal and remind myself of my goals. I have short, mid, and long term goals for my art. I choose one and write about it. Then I make a list of things I can do now, things that won't sap my energy. Like doing some research on the web for ways to seal your pastel paintings on canvas. Degas did it and I tried steam from my teakettle and it worked kind of... I'll think of a list of things I've wanted to try, and pick one. Or I'll play like I did a few posts ago. It makes me feel good to accomplish something and sometimes that's all it takes for me to move out of this stage.

Just curious, but what do you do? Do you experience Creative Block or Creative Avoidance? How do you move out of it? I'd love to know!!!

Material Obsessions

So I really appreciate it when other bloggers mention their favorite play things and it occurred to me last night as I was going to sleep that it might be fun to do the same here. So all day long I've been thinking about all my favorite things but rather than do a best ever list I think I'll share a few of the things I'm really excited about right now.

First up- the YUDU. I think I mention this fabulous new screenprinter at least once a week (ok day) to someone. I've actually consciously limited myself from mentioning it too often. I've been trying to avoid seeming too "obsessed" reasoning that the lapel is seriously close to "crazy" in the mind of many. But I'm way to excited to share so... here's the link. I started out as a printmaking major a long long time ago and screenprinting has been on my to do list for years. I love the idea of taking my sketches, doing a little silkscreen magic, and having wearable art. Creating my own silkscreened fabric is one of those "want to go there someday" idea destinations for me as well.

Next- INKTENSE watersoluble ink pencils from Derwent work on fabric, paper, canvas, and wood. I have been loving the intensely saturated marks I can make with these. I first saw them on Zinnia's blog and bought my first few open stock just to try. I am currently saving up for the biggest set I can get. LOVE the vibrancy of these!

I've also been playing with Tim Holtz line of "Distressable" products lately. My favorites- the Distress Inks, the masks, and the metal embellishments. I've used at least one of these in everything I've done lately. "Broken China" is maybe my favorite paint color ever (or at least lately). I think I want to paint my kitchen this color- and that for me is a huge commitment to a color!

So those are a few of my latest and biggest obsessions. I'd love to know what your favorite "must haves" are. What do you use over and over again? What new cool thing are you dying to have?

Hope you have a great night/day-
Jen

Wire Embellishments- Coming SOON!

I stayed up late the other night writing with wire. It was fun and I liked the look so I just kept going... and going...and going. In fact I bent the night away! I was watching Cold Comfort Farm while doing it and the time just flew.

On occasion people have purchased items from me to use in their own artwork. Birds, flowers, words, little bits of this or that. I love the idea that they are combining my work with theirs. So for a while now I've had it in mind to try selling some of my wire work as "supplies" on my Etsy site. I thought I'd start with words. I've used them stitched into mini art quilts, and my canvas paintings, as well as on scrapbook pages. They just seem to add a really nice dimensional layer and I really like the look of the wire combined with fabric and paper. These are sized just right for use in any of those mediums. I also thought that maybe using the words in their mixed media work would maybe encourage more people to pick up the wire for themselves and bend a little of their own. A girl can dream, right?

In the meantime.. for all those mixed media artists out there- Wire Words Embellishments- Coming Soon!

Abundance

Abundance is....
being able to buy 4 rolls of wire when I can find them!!!