Creative Every Day

Since signing up for CED 08, I’ve been more conscious of all the ways I’m creative in my life. Some are obvious, like the camouflage scarf I’m knitting for a solider, writing on my blog, creating jewelry from metal clay, etc.

But looking beyond the projects, I’m realizing how I wrap creativity around most of what I think about, see, hear and feel. I’m now honoring my creative mind and recognizing how real and unique it is — because it’s mine.

I think feeling creative every day is also opening my soul to see the raw creativity that’s in everyone. Creativity isn’t limited to artistic pursuits. It includes one’s sense of humor, problem-solving abilities, interpersonal skills, decision making and more.

I realize that CED is about creating artsy/crafty things, and I’m relishing all of the fun projects I’ll work on over the year. However, I’m already excited about how it’s opened my eye to the creativity that’s all around in its many forms. How inspiring!

First Knitting Project Completed!

Tonight I finished my first knitting project, a scarf made from alpaca fiber (click on the image for a larger view). I learned how to knit last spring and struggled with a different project. Then I went to the Minnesota State Fair and discovered wonderful fibers from Pure Country Alpacas. I selected a natural colored bulky yarn that I could use with nice, big needles.

I started my scarf on December’s trip to Vegas with my mom, but ran out of yarn. I made my scarf a bit wider than it probably needs to be and could have used bigger needles. In the end, I used 3 2/3 hanks (50 yards each) on size 13 (9 mm) needles. Pat with Pure Country used size 17 (12.75 mm) needles and 2 hanks on her sample scarf that I was trying to model mine after.

I tested my new scarf out on an evening walk with the pooches, and it is wonderfully warm and cozy. I can’t wait to start on some camouflage scarfs I’m knitting for soldiers in Iraq. I may even try purling!

Art Pecking Order

Monuments
..Masterpieces
….Masterworks
……Classics
……..Works of Art
……….Art Works
…………Antiques
…………..Objets d’Art
…………….Artifacts
………………Collectibles
………………..Keep-sakes
………………….Tchotchkes
……………………Junk

[From an "Interactive Learning Center" console at the The Minneapolis Institute of Arts.]

I visited the MIA the other day to view a special exhibit, “Georgia O’Keeffe: Circling Around Abstraction.” This exhibit displayed forty-four works, including drawings, watercolors, paintings, pastels, and sculptures dating from 1915 to the 1970s, that track the evolution of O’Keeffe’s use of the circle. It was an amazing exhibit. I loved the altered perspectives, especially when she used the unconventional bird’s eye point of view.

The MIA’s press release regarding the exhibit puts O’Keeffe at the “masterworks” end of the art pecking order. She definitely deserves this acclaim. I can only aspire to reach the “keep-sakes” end with my creative contributions. If they sit on my shelf for 50 years, do they automatically rise to the level of “antiques??”

Creativity Calendar

I never run out of artsy/crafty projects I’d like to try. However, I sometimes get so overwhelmed by everything I’m interested in that I end up not doing much of anything. Not good! So, I’m tackling my “dream-but-not-do” problem by focusing on a particular creative medium each month. I like the idea of concentrating on a primary subject area for an entire month.

Here’s the breakdown …

• (12) December – knitting
• (01) January – beading
• (02) February – mosaic tiles
• (03) March – handmade bags
• (04) April – polymer clay
• (05) May – silver metal clay
• (06) June – pinhole photography
• (07) July – sun prints/cyanotypes
• (08) August – stencil printing (freezer paper, contact paper, screen printing, etc.)
• (09) September – digital photography/Photoshop
• (10) October – relief printing (linoleum, woodcuts, potato, etc.)
• (11) November – reserved for NaNoWriMo

This calendar is not rigid. If I really get into something, it will be okay for me to keep going another month. Or, if I start something and decide that it’s not as interesting as I thought, I’ll move on. Plus, some projects may encompass multiple mediums. All good. This “workshopping” plan is to help me focus and not get so distracted. I think this immersion approach will be great fun!

I’ll post photos in my Flickr account of my projects and list any great resources I come across here in my blog. How about you? If you like this approach, what would your creativity calendar look like?