Today’s prompt is to create a list of things that you could do to nurture your creativity. In this case, it’s all about the brainstorming process.
Step one: choose how you want to be creative. Do you want to write a story, draw or paint a picture, sew, embroider, do other fabric arts, cook or bake? How about woodworking, stained glass, welding? There are so many ways to be creative so you have a wide variety of methods to choose from. Recently, I’ve been watching Youtube videos about furniture restoration/makeovers, and I’ve been amazed at the methods that people use to transform a tired out piece of furniture into a masterpiece that would make any home gorgeous. It’s an amazing creative process that I’m witnessing with the furniture restorations/makeovers. There is absolutely no limit as to the form your creativity can take.
Step two: Figure out how much time you have to devote to your project. For example, on Friday, I went to a workshop to learn an art form called kinusaiga. It’s a Japanese tecnique of creating a design with fabric that does not involve sewing. It gives the impression of quilting. When I went, I had no idea of what to expect. I was just excited about doing it because the samples that were displayed were gorgeous. Although it turned out to be a time consuming project, it was still fun and I would definitely do it again.
Step three: make sure that you have all of the materials that you need for your project. That will save you from a lot of frustration. There’s nothing like really getting into a project, only to have to stop because you ran out of something that you really need. But, that’s not an insurmountable barrier. Check step four.
Step four: if you run out of the necessary materials, be prepared to brainstorm methods of improvisation. Your creation might not turn out as you originally envisioned it. Which is why it’s the process, not the result, that’s the most important thing. It’s very similar to “it’s the journey, not the destination, that matters.” I find that I learn more about being creative by experiencing those twists and turns than by doing a project that falls into place easily. There is definitely room for both. Just try to be open to the possibilities.
The collage element of this picture was a happy accident. I had originally drawn the bear on a sheet of paper that couldn’t handle the amount of ink it would take to paint in the background. Which made collage a good plan B.
Step five: Create your project!!! It’s going to be awesome. Remember. It’s the creative journey you are on that matters the most. Reaching the destination is just an added bonus.
Tomorrow, I’m going to share the next episode of the steampunk bear’s journey.
Create your project!!! It’s going to be awesome. Remember. It’s the creative journey you are on that matters the most. Reaching the destination is just an added bonus.
YES!! A great reminder and my big takeaway from your post
Just reminded of a project when I lived in Portland that was called the chair project and was a fundraiser for the community warehouse. I had friends who did chairs some of the years, and it was always fun to see what interesting things people could do with different kinds of chairs. I was always impressed.
The chair project! That sounds so interesting. What a great fundraiser!
Alice, this could be a booklet for the Terminally Uncreative! I love everything you said! There are more creative areas I would take up if I had more space– like stained glass. Now where will I file all those projects to store them? 🙂
filing could definitely be an issue with stained glass. It is for painting. I’ve run out of space for paintings but I keep making more, lol.
What a great list you have come up with Alice! I think step 3 is most important because if you don’t have all the supplies needed, some people may get frustrated and just quit before they finish. But step 4 with brainstorming is what I love to do to make things work!
Agreed. I do think that step four is the most fun part of the project!!!