Dancing to your own drum

I love that saying. It came up somewhere recently when someone said (about someone else) that she danced to her own drum. It sounds joyous and fun. I think it is something we should all do for ourselves more often if we don't already. It is fine to go along to the shared beat but every so often to dance to your own drum. Don't we always admire those people who do just that or are we afraid of them and turn away from them for their non conformity. I think it is a good thing for all of us to do from time to time - to be ourselves and to do something for ourselves without thinking what others would think of us or how they would see us.

Yes, let's dance to our own drum!

silk paper and book binding

Had a wonderful day learning how to make silk paper. We used different types of silk, mulberry, tussah and a couple of "natural" looking types - very rustic looking. Oh, and we also used hemp to make paper as well. It was a lot of fun - I particularly liked using the "natural" silks and the hemp to make paper - I am not so sure about the other papers - a bit thin perhaps. I was a little disappointed in the texture that the netting we used imprinted itself on the surface of the paper and made it "matt" and not the glorious shiny texture that I was expecting. We made bowls which was fun - again I think I would use a thicker silk paper than I did but I was pleased with what I made. Used a mixed silk/hemp paper to make a book cover - very basic but gives me an idea to go further. But I particularly liked and enjoyed making moulded silk shapes - I bought a leaf and a cat - they were neat. The leaf particularly will be good to use on my ATCs. And of course I can use snips of my silk paper and beads to decorate ATCs. I figure if I make a leaf a day (well probably most days) then that will give me a good supply for swapping.

I bought a lot of colour packs of silk fibre to make more paper. I will see what moulds Ken has from his scenery moulds that he made for his train layout. They could give me some good textures to use particularly with my ATCs.

I am also enthused to do some more book binding - had an idea for making a book using very heavy thick paper and only one folded sheet per set for coptic binding. It would give lots of scope for decorating and plenty of room if I don't do the binding too tightly. The heavy paper would bind well and give a good base for decorating. I bought an American magazine in stamping and scrapbooking and in it there was a very good idea for a small bound journal that would also be good for using as a decorated book as the binding is very open and there are good gaps between the pages.

So many new ideas, so much to do........

doodling

Having fun doodling and drawing. My latest are some horizontal and vertical lines on a page without taking the pencil off the page. I tried to then put black lines in some of the areas without having the black in adjoining areas. Could effectively use just the black lines to create an art work (very modernist). I like the look of some but obviously there are others that just do not make the cut. I will try these for my ATCs with just a slight colour wash for the background or should I add the background wash after drawing the lines? Worth some experimenting to see just how to adapt this technique. Another adaptation would be to use paper collage in the black line areas on a more tone on tone type background. Hmm , I think my weekend is going to be taken up playing with this and see how I can extend it into embroidery and fabric as well.

Creativity

I love to be working with my hands, to be creative and making something. It seems my problem is that I want to master the techniques of whatever I am trying to create immediately and don’t like to practice, practise practice.. Is that why I become despondent and don’t always finish things or stay the course. I love my quilting – just need to make more time for it in larger blocks of concerted effort. I think that one of the things that I like about quilting is that it is quick to (usually) make one block (at a time). There is something relaxing almost hypnotic about sitting at the sewing machine and piecing. Quilting itself is another matter – I concentrate very hard and often end up biting my lip with pulling all sorts of contortions with my face because I am concentrating so hard

I love reading “creative” and “inspirational” books but often am at a loss as to how to apply it in my own creative endeavours. It is going that next step of interpreting all the wonderful imaginative ideas and putting them into something achievable (for me anyway). I often can come up with the ideas for other people but never for myself. Funny how that is – I can always give lots of support and advice to someone else’s creations but get stuck with my own. Perhaps I become too intense and involved that I find it hard to step back and see things from another perspective.

Much as I value my privacy I find it easier to work creatively with others around me – as if I am drawing on their energy. It is always wonderful to see what other people are creating and it inspires me in my own creations. Perhaps I should surround myself more with other creative people. I did try that with a friend once where we tried to have weekly sessions of playing with decorating fabric with different techniques but she wasn’t prepared to explore beyond her own ideas and comfort zone and try anything that was too different. She was going in a set direction and had blinkers on that would not let her divert from her course – shame really. It didn’t stop her later coming to me and wanting all my ideas on some different techniques that she had shunned earlier. I had to admit to being not as helpful as I should have been – I was feeling a little piqued and used.

We should always be prepared to try different ideas beyond our comfort zone and it is always good to have someone else exploring with you – you can feed off each other and can often reach higher levels of creativity and inspiration than you would have achieved working by yourself.

It has been great to read blogs of creative artists and see their photos and just read about what they are doing and what inspires them. I think in part that is what I like about books – although I can’t always translate all the ideas and inspirations from them they help me maintain my curiosity and creative thoughts for when that lightning bolt of creativity hits me and I actually do something that works out! In part too I fear failure (don’t we all) and I don’t like to do things that might fail .

Surfing

I have been doing a lot of surfing the net lately. Checking out one or two blogs and some photo galleries. There are some wonderful creative people out there and I love to see what they are doing and it is interesting to read about other peoples lives. People are so interesting even in their day to day activities - well I suppose not everyone but lots of people though. I pick up all sorts of ideas and have read a few books that others have talked about and recommended. I always find it interesting too when I am waiting somewhere to watch people - what they are wearing, how they are wearing it, how they walk, their interaction with other people, their behaviour - it is fascinating to be that fly on the wall to their world. I can't say that I am really that observant, in one eye and out the other type of thing at times but at the time it is great to just sit and watch people.

When I was young I loved to go visit the airport and watch all the activity going on out there. It was a wonderful adventure to wander all through the buildings and outside onto the roof. People were everywhere and there was so much activity. A wonderful place to just sit and observe all that goes on.

These days the only people watching I do is while I am at the supermarket doing my shopping - seeing all the people and what they have in their trolleys and wondering about the significance of some of the items they are buying. Mind you people might equally wonder about the contents of my trolley too!

Old Friends

Wow - out of the blue I had an email from someone I had been to school with over 30 years ago - makes me realise how much I have change and how much has happened in all that time. It bought back a lot of memories and it was interesting to hear what she remembered as well. This unexpected contact is like a message, a beacon almost to me. I am not sure fully of the message but I do believe in signs and this to me is definitely a sign of something more. I am really enjoying this contact that we are having and hope after such a long time that it will be maintained and will last.

rain, rain go away

I know that we need the rain for the paddocks but it is so cold and miserable. The fire is on which is good and the cats have all the good spots close to the fire. I somehow think there will be no biking today (I am not that stoic). I have already been playing with some new stamps that I bought (for printing onto fabric) and they were great. I think I will get the water colour paints out later and have a play with some new paper that I have bought and see what sort of mess I can come up with. Sure as eggs I will have a little helper want to walk through it all and have coloured paw prints everywhere - could add to the texture! Must get on and get some cards finished for a swap - I have the backgrounds done and now it is just to decorate them a little more to finish off. I really must pull myself together and get some fibre ones done too.

And now back to the warmth of the fire.

Photographs

I must find out how to put in photographs - it can't be too difficult surely. The biggest difficult I will probably face will be getting my hands on a digital camera and it isn't that we don't have two high quality ones in the house. There is sure to be a how to do it type page somewhere so I must check it out and try some photos. Something to add to 43 things.

Trotting along - only just

I haven't been out cycling lately and just haven't been particularly active lately. I can't totally blame the weather but I do need to get outside more - fresh air and all that. I need to be stronger with myself and not procrastinate.

I must take control of my time and write a list of what I want to accomplish each day, mane and nocte. From my experience of writing to do lists it will need to be realistic - little steps. It should help stop me wasting my time that could be more creatively utilised. I have been managing though to do more doodling which I am pleased about. But I must be more positive about my doodling and stop doing it on scraps of paper and have a notebook with my doodles in - be proud of them.

ATCs

It is ages since I have written and so much has happened. After receiving my latest Quilting Arts magazine I was keen to do some Artist Trading Cards and of course fabric ones but I have gone completely in a different direction. I joined up with two Yahoo groups that do cards and swaps. The photo albums are great to see and I have so much to learn. I am not sure about doing so many themed swaps and at the moment would prefer more one on one swaps. I find it hard to think about doing more than one of each card but I suppose when you start into a theme you just want to go on and on. It has encouraged me to doodle more which was one of my 43 things. And boy did I cut that list down - I didn't really visit the site much to make it worth having too many things on my list - too easy to neglect the list. I must have a hard copy of the list written somewhere to remind me of the 43 things that I wish I could accomplish (but not necessarily so).

But I digress away from ATCs. I have had a few attempts and gone off the fabric and have found that I like collage but not sure about the talent, it may be lacking a little. Still it is fun and creative. The Keepsake Quilting catalogues have been cut up and lots of pictures and bits of colour have been put in a bag, ready to use. The paper is a bit shiny though so must come up with a way to cut the shine down a little. Saw a wonderful technique of crackling that could be interesting to use over them. I did some collage with newsprint and liked that.

Need to get away from white card as a background for some things. I have found all my hand made paper and glued those to card and cut up ready to use. Love the texture that I now have as a background. When I do use a plain card for background I should at least use an Ecru and look at other colours.

Found a blog - Janeysjourney, that has encouraged me to doodle more and so that is what I have been doing for the last hour. Must get some marker pens to colour them in though.

There is so much to share but that will have to do for the moment.