Creative Life Series: The Creativity Date and the Creativity Box

 "Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once we grow up." ~ Pablo Picasso

I think of myself as a creative person. My interests, my approach to solving problems, my button business and my dreams for the future all revolve around creativity. It has had such an influence on my life, particularly in the last two years, helping me to discover new crafting hobbies, make things I can be proud of and that build my confidence, introducing me to lots of fellow creative sorts through this blog, and acting as invaluable therapy during the tough times, that I am increasingly passionate about helping others to discover and strengthen their own creativity too. The benefits it can bring are boundless.

Creativity, in my view, is a muscle. The muscle is always there, but some people carry it around with them their whole lives, never using it, or even being aware they have it. Others use this muscle when they need or want to ‘push’ something; when they need to come up with a solution to a problem, when they want to make something or write something or perfect dancing the foxtrot. The most creative people actively invest time and effort in the ‘creativity gym’, exercising this muscle. These folks know that the more you use your creative might, the faster the ideas come to you, the stronger your creativity gets, and the more creatively fulfilled and happy you can become.

This knowledge, combined with the fact that, let’s face it – being creative is ridiculously fun – is the reason I started doing two things a few months ago.

1. I started scheduling in a ‘creative date’ in my diary every month. This is different to Creatives Unite in that I don’t actually work on a craft or art project during this session. It's a little like the idea of an 'Artist's Date' Julia Cameron puts forth in The Artist's Way. 
2. I put together a Creativity Box, to use during the date.

So what do I do during this date?

Well, I make a cup of tea.

I take my box and some cushions and plonk myself down on the floor, or on a grassy spot at the park.

Usually my canine companion joins me.

I take my brightly coloured felt tip pens and my sketchbook…

…and I play.

I write down my creative goals for the coming month, and decorate them with bright swirls and squiggles.

I plan blog posts, recipes and craft projects.

I cut snippets and pictures out of magazines, stick them in my smash book and scribble whatever ideas they bring to mind.

I make a mess.

I read about creativity.

I pin inspiring images and craft ideas on Pinterest.

I draw.

I journal.

Children have a natural gift for playing. They spend their days pretending to be dragons and doctors, princesses and puppies. They can make a house out of a cardboard box, a smiley face out of a pizza, and a castle from toilet rolls. They run for fun, cover blank pages with bright colour without an ounce of trepidation, notice the small things and make up stories as easily as they process facts.

Somewhere along the line, we start being told to ‘sit still’, ‘walk, don’t run’, ‘stop being noisy’, ‘don’t make a mess’, ‘don’t waste paper’, ‘think before you act’, ‘it’s time you got your head out of the clouds and faced up to reality’, ‘work is serious and should be taken as such’ and ‘write neatly’. These things are all instilled in us by grown ups who care, and who want to us to become considerate, thoughtful, self-disciplined and self-aware adults.

But we do lose that ability to play, and I don’t believe we’re supposed to. I think we’re supposed to stay curious, supposed to be able to creatively express ourselves, supposed to run through a field of daisies going ‘aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!’ just because, and hey, if you want to pretend to be a dragon it might brighten up that Tuesday afternoon team sales meeting. Just don’t expect Marjorie to ‘get you’.

A creative date once a month is your chance to play, and can bring a world of benefits:

·         Relaxation, or a way to work through problems. Mindless activity can provide a distraction from worry.

·         This is a brilliant way to generate more ideas than you can possibly handle!

·         Gets you ‘in the zone’ ready to work on another creative activity, or tasks such as essay-writing. I often have creative playtime before button-making, and before writing blog posts. It’s a little like the concept of morning pages as also outlined in The Artist’s Way. It readies the mind.

·         Use the time to write in your journal, or cut and paste. This encourages self-reflection and centres your soul so you can think more clearly about what you want from the month ahead.

·         Just for the pure joy of being creative, being messy, playing, not worrying about being perfect, and expressing yourself.

And the creativity box? Just what it says on the tin. A special box in which you keep all sorts of fun stuff for your creative dates. In mine I have:

• My sketchbook/smashbook
• Fun pens
• A colourful messy list of creative goals for the coming month
• Whatever creativity-themed books I'm reading
• A magic glittery, swirly thinking stick. Not sure why. 
• ...And often a selection of crafty bits and bobs for being messy and creative with.

If nothing else, this is a great excuse for some time away from everyday life each month. A chance to do something that requires no planning, special supplies, money or precision, but that can produce really valuable results.

PS: Apologies for the little gap in blogging there; as you'll know from my going on about it constantly, I'm doing my first craft fair today so it's been full-on preparation lately. Will share photos this coming week! 

A Most Serendipitous Vintage Find

It was one of those strange weeks last week where all routine goes out of the window. I was lucky enough to benefit from a snow day on the Monday, and then my working days for the rest of the week were shuffled round, and so it was I found myself ambling round Chesterfield Flea Market on a Thursday.

Having arrived with my parents, and stopped off for a quick chinwag with Debs of Once Was... Beatrix and I soon wandered off on our own, noseying at stalls packed with vintage crockery, lace and linen, books and brass.

Bea pulled me over to one particular stall having cottoned on to the potential for fuss and attention from three male stallholders (such a flirt) and it was there I spotted this.

I could tell it was Beatrix Potter, but couldn't immediately recognise the scene. All I knew is that any picture by Ms. Potter depicting guinea pigs was meant to be mine. Anyway, at three pounds I took the curious framed print home, did some scouting and pootling about on the internet, and lo and behold, it turns out to be a picture of the scene from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in which Bill the lizard is bundled down the White Rabbit's chimney, and where he is booted out again by a rather enlarged Alice. Potter seems to have added the guinea pigs herself, as they don't appear in the book.

I may have done a happy jig at this discovery, as it so happens that not only am I a huge fan of all things Alice and Beatrix Potter, but I have been known to impersonate Bill the lizard's terrible Cockney accent in the Disney film ("Why, guv'nor, I've cleaned more chimneys...") and when life throws situations at me that I can neither explain nor do anything about, you'll often hear me muttering, "Well, there goes Bill..." (I may also have a slight infatuation with the dodo - "No co-operation, no co-operation at all.")

A most serendipitous and interesting find; this one will be joining my new collection of pictures on my alcove wall. Once it's had a good clean and I've untaped the print to see if it has anything else to tell me, of course!

Quick Hand Print Art

My bed is in an alcove, and when I moved back into the family home three years ago I decided to fill the walls with favourite photos of friends and family, a framed map of my European travels, and other memorabilia, to make a sort of personal gallery. Recently I've been looking at a few of these and thinking that they no longer reflect who I am. Others I would like to frame differently, but keep, and some photos need updating. It already frightens me how young I look in my graduation photo, not yet five years ago!

I've also embraced my artistic side more over the past few years, and decided I would love more handmade pieces, and pieces I've created myself. I hope that they can be enjoyed when I move out again, too, so I've been putting a lot of thought into the pieces I want to create, and what they will say about me. (Definitely planning some more embroidery as well!)

Above is a piece I made recently. I've decided to try more free, expressive art this year. I really enjoy crafts and art which require me to be very precise, as I'm quite a detail-oriented person, but sometimes it's good to push myself to be a little more spontaneous, and to worry less about planning a project to the nth degree before making a mark on paper. 

So I got messy (such fun!), did a hand print, and then wrote five qualities I'd like to keep to hand at all times (geddit?) on the fingers, in my own handwriting - my handwriting being a unique part of my personality. 'Bravery', on the thumb, is my word of 2013. 

I think it's important to wear my heart on my sleeve, too! 

No doubt I'll be thinking up more detailed and skilled pieces as well, but this was a fun, and will serve as a reminder to go out into the world and be myself every day. 

Which qualities would you write on your own hand art?

5 Last Minute Handmade Christmas Present Ideas

If you're like me and are still feverishly working away at making your Christmas presents, you may be in need of a few last minute ideas. I've had a fish around in my blog archives and produced five, none of which should take you any more than an hour to make. Phew!

1. A Felt Owl Keyring/Trolley Buddy

2. A Fimo Clay Teapot Necklace

3. A Fabric Clutch Bag (How-to courtesy of The Making Spot)

4. Use fabric to make letter paper

5. ...And finally, why not gather washi tape, stickers and other embellishments together with a sketch book and give someone the gift of their own smash book? My mum has asked for this for Christmas as she keeps trying to steal my smashing supplies! You could even decorate the smash book to make it even more special. 

Lots of luck! I'm declaring this Thursday's Creatives Unite a two hour Christmas special to help with all the making, wrapping and decorating which may still need to be done!

Have a crafty Monday,

How to Be a Thrifty Crafter, Part 1

If you're reading this, it's probably a fair bet that you're quite a crafty person. And crafty people often own all sorts of materials relevant to their creative interests, whether it be art supplies, wool and knitting needles, sewing patterns, paper or well - you name it. 

If you're like me, you also seem to gather crafting materials wherever you go. You never come out of Hobbycraft with just that glue you went in for. You often find yourself scrolling through the listings on eBay, drooling over pretty ribbons, stamps and novelty cookie cutters. And let's face it, few of us would like to tot up exactly how much we spend on craft materials over the course of the year. 

This crafting thing we do can get pretty expensive. Many retailers charge an absolute fortune for items too, leaving us feeling that if we want to finish a project to the high standards we set for ourselves, we need to spend cash.

One of my favourite ways to keep my art and craft supplies well stocked and ready for anything my imagination can throw at them is to buy from the kiddies' section of art shops. Glue, acrylic paint, brushes, paper, card and clay are all so much cheaper than in the 'grown up' sections. 

To be creative means to use your imagination to make something original. I firmly believe that your imagination is the only craft material you ever really need to make a craft project you can be proud of. Anything else is an added bonus. So I use my imagination to look at typical kids' craft supplies in a different way. Pom poms, dolly pegs, clay, balloons for papier mache, glitter, foam, googly eyes and felt can all be used to make some really professional-looking projects... and at a fraction of the cost.

Shops such as The Works, Wilkinsons, Hobbycraft and Homecrafts have great kids' art sections where you can not only pick up bargains, but bright, colourful art and craft treasures that will get you excited too, after all, they're meant to inspire imaginative play in children, so why not us! Just yesterday I picked up some stickers, glitter, a new paint mixing tray, some white acrylic paint and some card from Wilkinsons and The Works and the whole lot came to £4. Now I can play and experiment to my heart's content and not worry about wasting precious materials. 

You'll often find exactly the same product as in the more sophisticated arts section, but in different packaging. I get through a fair few paintbrushes, so I now only have a couple of expensive fine ones, and the rest of the time I buy cheaper multipacks I can use without feeling precious about them. 

Lastly, I often turn to shops such as those above for crafting related supplies such as disposable gloves, picture hanging wire, tester paint pots (brilliant - grab yourself a few!), sponges (Poundland), tin foil, wallpaper samples (those are free!) and items such as cheap lunchboxes for storing tiny beads and jewellery findings. By looking outside of the typical crafter's shopping haunts for your materials you can save a lot of money and find new ways to use interesting materials in future projects, too.

Join me on Monday when I'll be sharing a post on finding crafting supplies even closer to home... for free!

Do you shop for art and craft supplies in the kiddies' section? If you have any shop recommendations please share them below!

Have a brightly coloured, messy Friday,

Latest Smash Book Page: A Tea Party

P.S: I realised last night that I have now been blogging a year! Talk about an eleventh hour realisation there. Thank you to all readers, followers, penpals, fellow bloggers, retweeters and commenters for all of your support over the past year, it's been an amazing journey so far, and I have learned so much about myself, creativity and the world of blogging. Long may it continue! x

Quick Firework Art

I got myself in a bit of a pickle yesterday. It was my dad's birthday, family were gathering for a meal and I was so busy making a special key lime pie, keeping Beatrix out from under people's feet and joining in the celebrations that I completely forgot it was my brother and his girlfriend's anniversary today. There they were in the room with me and I hadn't got a card to give them before they left.

It's times like these, friends, that I stand by my claim that you can never have too many arts and craft supplies. I hot footed it upstairs during a quiet moment, pulled out a random selection of materials, and desperately tried to come up with an idea for a quick card. 

Their anniversary is on Bonfire Night, and I had black card, so the idea of a firework card developed. Then I remembered how much I had loved playing with pastels in art class at school, and after a quick practise...

And a lot of smudging, followed by some speedy work with ink stamps...

...I had a card! Phew! 

If you don't have art sealant spray hairspray works just as well, which was fortunate for me! 

I hate being disorganised, but it's true that sometimes forced creativity can produce some interesting ideas.

Wishing you an explosive (and safe) Bonfire Night!

A Very Special Birthday Tea Party in Miniature

Three years ago in June, it was my nan's 80th birthday, and all of the family gathered together to celebrate. I nervously handed over a very special handmade present, carefully wrapped and topped with blue ribbon...

Just before Nan opened her gift I turned it round for her, and she saw this inside...

...A very special 80th birthday tea party was waiting within! 

Every item in the room box has been collected or handmade, and every piece symbolises something of significance in my nan's life. On the tea table is a pork pie because my Grandpa was a butcher by trade, his beloved pipe and favourite brand of Swan Vesta matches, as well as a box of Bird's Custard - the packaging from the decade my grandparents met - because it was his favourite custard brand. I painted the tea set the same colour as the one my mum remembers as a child. A copy of Betty's Paper sits on the left chair, perfect for the lady of the same name. The tea cosy was made from a pair of my grandpa's favourite corduroy trousers! My nan is a huge fan of a good old cup of tea, so I knew it needed to feature heavily in the scene... now you know where I get it from!

And can you see who's sitting on the chair?

One of my special felt hats - slightly wonky because it's the first I ever made. On the wall are photos from my parents' wedding, a family photo from when I was a toddler, and on the right, African elephants. My uncle and his partner lived out in South Africa for a couple of years, and Nan had a wonderful time when she went to visit. 

Birthday cards on the mantelpiece, and a photo of my young mum and uncle above, with a photo of my parents propped up there. The standard lamp to the left was in my childhood doll's house, and has been re-covered in fabric from my mum's cousin's bridesmaid's dress from Mum's wedding. 

I have never been entirely happy with the way the flames of the fire turned out - I would have liked them to look more realistic - but the potential for special effects was limited in this case!

It wouldn't be a birthday without a box of Quality Street chocolates. On the shelf is a duck. I love ducks and Nan used to take me to feed them when I was small. She lives by the sea in North Wales, and we used to collect shells together too, so they also had to be included. To the right of the shelf is a picture of mini me with my nan and her brother at her wedding anniversary. I couldn't find any photo frames to fit so making them was quite an experiment.

You may recognise this hat as one of the two I made as my celebration of the Queen's Jubilee this year. I gave it to my nan for her birthday in June to add to this scene, as she is the only one in the family to have been alive when our queen was crowned! The toy car is because my uncle and brother are both car-mad, and my brother owns a white VW Scirocco - his pride and joy. One of my favourite places to visit when I go to Wales is the Ffestiniog Steam Railway, one of my Grandpa's favourite haunts, so a book about steam trains had to be one of the birthday gifts.

A rather scary toby jug still sits in my nan's living room to this day, so here's my amused nod to it here! Winnie the Pooh and The Wind in the Willows are there because I now own copies of each from the 1920s, which belonged to my nan's father. 

A stunning Victorian grandfather clock chimes out every hour in my nan's living room and the whole family are so fond of it, so a grandfather clock stands in this room, too. At its foot is a carpet bag (again made from those corduroy trousers), a familiar-looking hat, a chimney sweep's brush, a black umbrella and a book. Whenever I visited Wales as a child I would watch Mary Poppins with my nan and found it utterly magical; it's still one of my favourites today. Nan has always appreciated literature and encourages my interest in it, so the Mad Hatter's top hat adds the final touch here. 

My favourite photo of my grandparents. My grandpa died when I was nine but I treasure so many happy memories of him, and the full-size version of this photo lives in my purse. I love how happy they look here. 

Nan has a table just like this one. She taught me to sew on a Victorian Singer sewing machine - a genius idea because a child can use the wheel to control the speed, making learning less scary. We often write letters to each other so here are a pile waiting to be read, and a cheeky bottle of her favourite ginger wine waits for later! 

My nan's brother's family are very talented musically, so the violin and sheet music represent this. 

The tortoise under the table? My mum and her cousins each had a pet tortoise when they were small - Topsy could apparently move surprisingly quickly when she wanted to!

There's the other one, hoping for cake, clearly. 

Birthday parcels wait to be unwrapped. The cushion is made from the fabric of a chair that sits in my nan's sitting room. Don't worry, I didn't cut a square out of it when she wasn't looking. 

A cheeky mouse running up the clock and a working electric light complete the scene.

I haven't been able to visit Wales for a couple of years so I was so pleased to finally make it over there last weekend and snap some photos to show you! It was such an exciting project to work on, with the whole family contributing ideas and memories for me to turn into items, and my brother made the box itself.

 I'm working on a smaller scale room scene at the moment, so hope to be able to share it with you next week.

If you could capture any scene in miniature, what would you choose?