Archive for Collage
What You REALLY Want
Posted by: | CommentsYou want to make artwork you feel proud of and love to look at. Work you think is really good.
You may also want other people to buy your work–your paintings, your beaded jewelry, your silk scarves, your stories, your songs–whatever art or craft work you’re passionate about creating.
You want to sell your work because it feels like a great way to do what you love doing all the time.
However, the other reason you might want to sell your work is that if your creative endeavor makes money, it will be considered legitimate in the larger culture.
Because in our culture, making money equals being successful. If you make money at it, then you’re a “real” whatever it is you are–artist/crafter/singer/writer.
And because the favorite introductory question in our society is “What do you do (for a living)?”, naturally you want to give the answer that reflects your true calling: “I’m an artist.”
Now, whether or not you can make money making your art (whatever that may be) is actually not the point.
The point is that the goal of making a living making your art often creates a serious confusion that muddies your creative goals and ruins the pleasure of the creative process.
It’s the cart that’s sitting in front of your horse.
Your horse is your artwork. It’s the doing, the creativity itself, it’s even the quest to make something great.
But instead of concentrating on creating great work, you’re concentrating instead on how to make a living being creative–and all your work gets tainted by this other, (very difficult, btw) making-a-living goal.
And ironically, this goal is secondary.
What you really want is to make things that are deeply satisfying, work you love to look at–work that you’re proud of.
You want to make your best stuff.
Concentrate on that, and address the money/making a living aspect later.
Don’t ask your art to solve the problem of hating your job or fixing your financial woes. Your art doesn’t deserve that pressure and it spoils your relationship with it.
Solve that problem a different way (at least for now).
Instead, focus on making work you love.
Making a Date with Your Creativity
In order to make work you love, you must make a lot of work. You’ll like some of it, hate some of it, and love some of it. But you have to make a lot.
And that has its own challenges–finding the time, facing your inner critic, honing your skills, etc.
So you need a structure in place to help you make a lot of work.
And one simple, structured way to do that is to make a regular date with your creativity. Which is why I created the Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class.
I created this class to provide a structure for you to lean on. To make it easier to show up every week for your art because
- It can be hard to muster that energy on your own–even when you want it.
- Because showing up every week is how you eventually start showing up several times a week.
- And showing up several times a week is how you create a lot of work.
- And creating a lot of work is the path to creating work you love.
It’s not easy, but it’s simple.
Making collages with me every week will help all your creative endeavors–regardless of your preferred medium. And making a weekly date with your creativity will genuinely help you build a creative momentum which, in turn, will enable you to make work you love.
And even though I talk about the Creative Breakthroughs Technique, it’s not something to learn and master, it’s more of an avenue in to your own aesthetic journey–a way to explore and consider both the formal aspects of creating–like light, color, balance, and scale–as well as the more expressive considerations–like mood, emotion, memory, and intuition.
So it’s a technique in the way that meditation is a technique: it’s simple enough to learn how and understand the point of it, but the reward is all in the regular practice. It’s a lifetime’s work play.
So create work you love by creating a lot of work. Create a lot of work by connecting it to your life. Connect it to your life by regularly making time to create.
Make time to create by signing up for the Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class. I teach it every Wednesday at two different times–1:30 EST and 7:30 EST. Sign up for the one that’s best for you.
And jeepers, the first one is free so what are you waiting for?
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What Do You GIVE Yourself?
Posted by: | CommentsLast week, I mentioned that I was teaching The Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class as part of the delightful Jennifer Hoffman’s January-A Call to Nourish program at Inspired Home Office.
Well, class was yesterday and we had a great time. And as I was talking to the class participants about the benefits of carving out a creative time for yourself on a regular basis, I realized how much I was needing this class myself.
Because lately, I’ve been stretching myself tthhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnn-thin-thin. I’ve been doing the juggling act of a lifetime, and some days, I think my head’s going to fall off.
And yesterday afternoon, teaching the class, I could feel the benefits of being creative–it genuinely lifted me out and up from my stress. And the relief I experienced–both physical and mental–felt like a nothing short of a godsend.
I love teaching this class, and I love living the benefits of the class. In the past several weeks, this has been the only art-making I’ve been squeezing in amid my myriad obligations and challenges–and frankly, I was grateful to have it.
There was a time when my creativity would have simply gone out the window with the kind of schedule I’m trying to maintain right now.
And yet, ironically, it’s exactly what I need in order to be able to continue to keep all my balls in the air.
I talk so often about how much this class helps you get unstuck, lets you explore and experiment, helps you build a creative momentum so that you can live your life as the true artist you are–so you can regularly enjoy that feeling of being immersed in aesthetic decisions and artistic expression.
And as artistic people wanting to create artwork, that’s huge.
But in the context of Jennifer’s program, I fully appreciated, maybe even for the first time, the fundamental role in self-care that making a date with your creativity can have. It does nothing less than maintain your sanity and renew your energy.
Creativity feeds our human spirits. We need it. Tapping into your non-verbal mind, moving away from logic and planning, allowing yourself to feel your way along–all these things are essential to your well-being.
Like meditation and exercise, taking the time to be creative regularly will:
- help you perform better at work,
- improve your relationships,
- return you to your child’s mind,
- insert more FUN in your life and
- connect you to your spirit and your wordless understanding of the world.
So please think of the Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class as part of your self-care regimen.
What? You mean you don’t have a self-care regimen? 
No time like the New Year to get started! Making a weekly date with your creativity can be the first step in creating one.
And while I believe carving out time to be creative is truly beneficial for everyone, it’s absolutely critical for creative people like us. Your very soul requires it.
So. It’s a new year. 2011! What’s your commitment to your creativity and self-care going to be?
And when I ask that, what I ‘m really saying is:
What are you going to give yourself this year?
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Get Inspired by Mark Bradford
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The Creative Process
This summer, one of my best friends saw the collage artist and recent MacArthur Award winner Mark Bradford speak at a conference for art teachers in Chicago and was blown away.
This weekend, she came down from Vermont to visit me and we hopped on the subway to the Studio Museum in Harlem (great museum with a warm, lovely vibe) to see his latest work.
While we were there, we sat down to watch a PBS Art 21 episode about him, and it was awesome.
I love the way he talks about his creative process!
And since you know I like to talk about the creative process a lot here on the blog, I wanted to share the link to this video with you. Please, WATCH IT–you’ll be inspired, I promise.
It’s so good. He’s so good. Art21 is so good.
It’s all good-good-good.
Mark Bradford Video
Here’s the link:
Receive by Letting Go
Posted by: | CommentsEvery Friday for months I’ve been writing the 20 Minute Club Minutes–because using a timer for what I call the 20 Minute Technique can keep your creative momentum going in your busy, time-crunched life–20 minutes at a pop.
This week will be the last of the 20 Minute Club blog posts because I’ve decided to create an extra special “something” just for the 20 Minute Club–like an actual/virtual club! I hope to have it started by the new year.
In the meantime, just know I’ll be working furiously on a fun, cool way for you to connect with other busy, creative souls just like you who want their creativity to be as important as all the other parts of their lives. And we’ll do it by supporting each others’ efforts to build a soul nourishing, mind-expanding creative momentum–20 Minutes at a time!
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This Week with the Timer
Over the past 6-7 months, I’ve been working on transitioning my digital collages from small to big.
Lots of trial. Lots of error.
My initial small glass pieces were created using an unusual transfer method that I loved, but knew would be impossible to do really big–although I did keep trying to emulate the end result.
Big time-waster.
Which I only realized when my husband finally said to me, (after another disappointing attempt) “I think it’s a mistake to try to make them be the same as the small ones–make a new thing.”
OH. Yes, of course.
And once I truly did let go of wanting my collages to be the same only bigger, a new solution presented itself–quite quickly, I may add.
(See how the universe is? It’s so cooperative when you’re willing to listen.)
And now, the big ones are what they are–30″ x 40″ and laminated onto brushed metal with a sheer matte finish. Yay, sheer matte finish! I’m excited.
This picture shows one of my pieces, Tepotzlan, hanging in a room. What do you think?
The Waiting
During this problem solving period, I didn’t want to make any more digital collages because I knew the final scale and output “substrate” would have a big impact on what I created–so how could I create when I didn’t know those things?
But now I DO know those things, so I decided it was time to get back in the swing.
I used my timer and the 20 Minute Technique to start a new digital collage and I’m really liking how it’s working out. In fact, I think it’s almost done…although you and I both know how that last 10% of any project can take the longest!
I’ll keep you posted.
Appreciation
Appreciating yourself is an important part of the 20 Minute Club because it helps you keep your creative momentum going.
Carving out the time to create is important of course, but it’s not enough. Getting (and eventually staying) on your own side is a critical factor for helping you take bigger risks with your work, get yourself out of a creative rut, or just enjoy the process more.
Taking the time to remember to appreciate yourself and all your efforts (big or small, creative or not) is a powerful way to make this happen.
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Here are my five this week:
1. I appreciate my willingness to grow.
2. I appreciate my willingness to do hard things.
3. I appreciate my willingness to learn the difference between giving something time to work and changing it for the better.
4. I appreciate my desire to change family patterns that don’t work for me.
5. I appreciate my love of creating.
Your Turn
What did you create this week? Did you use a timer? How’d it go? Making any gifts? Please leave a comment, I love hearing from you!
20 Minute Holidays
Posted by: | CommentsEvery Friday I write the 20 Minute Club Minutes–because using a timer for what I call the 20 Minute Technique can keep your creative momentum going in your busy, time-crunched life–20 minutes at a pop.
Please join in and share your 20 Minute Experiences in the Comments–good/bad, it’s all fair game, because sharing your experiences about the process is a great way to figure things out and increase your creativity.
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Brain Wave!
It’s almost November. The holidays are right around the corner.
Wouldn’t a great use of the 20 Minute Technique be to use it to work on making some holiday cards or gifts?
Heck Yes!
You know you wish you made (at least some) of your gifts–and finding the time is always the big challenge. But this way, we can make it actually happen together–20 Minutes at a time.
So what do you say we all try to carve out 20 minutes 3x a week to create handmade bits for the holidays?
Are you in?
The trick is to keep it manageable and fun for yourself. Remember, small, handmade gestures go a long way–don’t let your brain turn this idea into such a gigantic project that you end up doing nothing.
With that in mind, I thought I’d create an do-able idea list to inspire your imagination–so after you read this, if you don’t have a timer yet, head over to local electronics store and get one already.
You’ll be amazed at what you can get done–20 minutes at a time!
Handmade Holidays Idea List
- Stamp & Emboss
- Still give books to those book lovers, but stamp & emboss them each a special bookmark that’s tucked inside.
- I wrote about the benefits of making small gifts or parts of gifts last holiday season, and I think this is a perfect example of adding a wonderful handmade touch to a larger gift.
- I’ve got great links to online stamping resources in this post.
- If you’ve never stamped and embossed, get great tips and watch my short how-to video here.
- If you need supplies to get started stamping & embossing, click here or here.
- Still give books to those book lovers, but stamp & emboss them each a special bookmark that’s tucked inside.
- Handmade Gift Tags or Holiday Cards
- For another easy, handmade touch, buy your gifts but make your own fabulous gift tags or greeting cards.
- These could also be stamped and embossed–You could make classic “From/To” tags, or use ribbon and tie your tags around a wine bottle for a cute hostess gift, or send your 10 favorite people a handmade card.
- Decorate Holiday Gift Bags:
- Rather than create wrapping paper, it’s simpler to decorate plain bags.
- Just cut strips of decorative paper and/or use paper punches to create repeat patterns that you can glue onto plain gift bags. to make it feel festive, use lots and lots of curly ribbon around the handle.
- I made this one on the right for a crafting store one season. (You can get often get pre-cut strips and shapes that make this super easy.)
- Also, here’s a cute, simple Hanukkah gift pail example I also made just using stickers.
- Fabulous, Fast & Easy Decoupage Vase:
- Get a cheap vase on sale at a big box discounter–look for an elegant, simple shape and don’t worry about the color or design on the surface–it’s even better if you hate it–and transform it with decoupage.
- My Fast & Easy Decoupage Vase video shows you how. People really love this technique–it’s very do-able.
- Or, use all the same techniques I show on the vase, but on a simple frame or box instead. Make a set if you’re feeling ambitious.
- Earrings:
- Earrings are great gifts and perfect for the 20 Minute Club–they’re great gifts and you can make them while watching TV. It’s also a fun way to enjoy using a variety of exciting, special beads without breaking the bank because you don’t need that many.
- If you want to get started beading or learn about some great online bead resources, click here, here, and here.
- Frame Your Artwork:
- Use your coupon for a FREE trial of the Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-Class and give a work of art or three. I LOVE this idea and may do this myself with some of the collages I created that I’ve really liked.
- Make it really special with a gallery mat and get an inexpensive metal or wood frame from a big box craft supplies store–they’re always having sales.
- You’ll be surprised how much matting and framing will take your collage to the next level.
- A Tele-class session could also be a great way to create the design for your holiday card this season–all you need is a color theme to give your image holiday feeling–blue and white, red and green, metallics, you name it!
- Make Pretty Ornaments!
- My Glitter Decoupage Ornaments are pretty, inexpensive, and super fast and easy to make. Great teacher and co-worker gifts.
- My Byzantine Baubles Ornament kit is my personal favorite and also great for the 20 minute technique because you’ll probably work on it in stages and it looks GORGEOUS when you’re done.
- (Buy any 2 kits and the shipping is FREE.)
- Sew, knit or crochet a gift:
- It probably helps if you already know how to sew, knit or crochet, but making a gift can also be an incredible incentive to learn, so if you’ve always wanted to ___________(fill in the blank) maybe now is the time?
- If threading your sewing machine often stops your sewing efforts, watch my clear how-to video.
- If you’re looking for inspiring sewing projects for the holidays, I noticed Threads Magazine just released gift project issue.
I’ll keep adding to this list as I think of more ideas.
And if you’ve got some good, do-able ideas as well, please share them in the comments!
Just remember, your handmade gift ideas don’t have to be big. It’s important to keep things doable.
I’ll share my 20 Minute Club gift making efforts with you here each week this holiday season, and I’d really love it if you joined me so you can find yourself adding a wonderful handmade element to your holiday season.
Appreciation
Appreciating yourself is an important part of the 20 Minute Club because it helps you keep your creative momentum going.
Carving out the time to create is important of course, but it’s not enough. Getting (and eventually staying) on your own side is a critical factor for helping you take bigger risks with your work, get yourself out of a creative rut, or just enjoy the process more.
Taking the time to remember to appreciate yourself and all your efforts (big or small, creative or not) is a powerful way to make this happen.
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Here are my five self-appreciations for this week:
1. I appreciate that I took a photo of my latest incarnation in the evolution of my digital collages because I was so struck by how seeing a photo of it hanging up in a room made me feel–so resolved finally–after 6 months of problem solving!
2. I appreciate how much my life in product design has taught me the patience to hang in there through difficult design problems. It took me ages to figure out how to offer my collages big and still have them look the way I wanted them to look, but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, (often 20 minutes here and 20 minutes there, no lie.) until it worked itself out.
3. I appreciate a shift in my thinking this week where I’m no longer questioning whether things I’m trying are going to work, and instead, just working on making them work.
4. I appreciate that I nervously bought professional lights for my videos and photos a couple of months ago. Owning them is really benefiting me and my projects now, even though I’m still a novice. The right tools help!
5. I appreciate that I’m getting better and better and not letting the quest for perfect get in the way of the good. It’s very helpful. I hope I keep it up.
Your Turn
What do you think? Are you up for creating gifts using your timer and the 20 Minute Technique? Or have you already started on some holiday projects? Please share your thoughts in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!
No Pressure
Posted by: | CommentsLast week I launched my latest offer–a FREE trial of the Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class for anyone who subscribes to my site.
(If you subscribe and haven’t received your coupon, just fill out that box in the top of the right hand sidebar of my site (underneath my picture) and you’ll get one!)
Yay, so excited.
And then a friend who hasn’t made work in a long time, but went to art school back in the day called me up. “I got that free trial offer yesterday and I panicked….and then I closed my email as fast as I could.”
“Oh my.” I said. “Did you watch the video?”
“No,” she said, “I was too freaked out.”
OH!
Yes, Of course. So excited by my launch, I forgot to talk about the best part of this tele-class because I say it in the video.
But if you panicked and didn’t see the video, then you don’t know.
And that best thing is that it’s SAFE, SAFE, SAFE!
Not a Test
If you haven’t made anything in a long time, perhaps you’re reading this blog to get yourself warmed up to the idea.
This is an important, legitimate step in the process of getting unstuck.
But then suddenly, this free trial pops up out of nowhere and maybe you suddenly feel… PRESSURE. As if I’m saying, “Now, you have to make something–ready or not!”
Or you might feel afraid because you’re worried that if you take the class and make something “terrible,” it’ll prove that those cherished beliefs you hold about yourself–that you’re creative and artistic–aren’t true. That you’re not the creative artistic soul you feel like you are.
And that somehow, if this happens, you’ll be forced to let that go. And you don’t want to.
Of course you don’t. Because you ARE a creative artistic soul with plenty of art inside you.
The part of you that doesn’t want to let that go is the smart part that knows the truth of who you are.
The part of you that thinks you’ll have to let go of this essential part of who you are if you make something “bad” is the harsh, critical, societal, inner critic ego part that twists your creativity into a big knot and turns it into a pressured test.
Strangely, it does this to protect you–by stopping you from starting.
Sigh.
But this freaked out inner critic is deeply misinformed.
Attention: Mean Inner Critic Secretly Trying to Protect You by Keeping You Paralyzed:
Under NO circumstances must you surrender this essential definition of who you are. No matter what you make or don’t make. No matter how rusty you are, no matter how long it’s been, no matter how “bad” something might be that you create.
Triple Safe!
In the meantime, you might still be feeling pretty vulnerable. That’s totally normal.
It can take a while to undo our unhelpful beliefs, because, like everyone else, they like existing and do everything they can to maintain their status quo.
Which is why my favorite part of the Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class is that it’s safe.
You not only get to be supported by being in a class, and feel less isolated by creating with other artistic people, but you also have COMPLETE PRIVACY at the same time because we’re on the phone.
Yes!
Not having to try in front of other people can be a huge relief because you can take risks without feeling exposed.
It’s hard to feel exposed if you’re feeling super vulnerable.
That’s why I designed this as a tele-class. Because I know those terrible fears of exposure. Of feeling rusty. I know that yuck.
And I wanted to create a class that could work around that problem–to help you feel supported, freed up, and safe to create. To provide a time to play and experiment.
Will you make something you love? I don’t know. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t.
I just know that when I don’t, it doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to create. No one makes me hand in my artist card.
And no one will make you hand in yours either.
It might be hard, but that’s okay, it’s a supportive atmosphere and the technique I use is designed to make the hard easier.
I must say, though, that mostly, this tele-class is just SO MUCH FUN!
So if you haven’t watched the video–watch it now and see what you think. If you like what you see, sign up to get your free coupon.
And if you already have your free coupon, sign up for the next class and let’s get this party started!
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Free Trial!
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve got an exciting new offer! You can now get a FREE trial of the Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class just by signing up for my newsletter–right up there on the right of your screen.
Watch my short video where I explain all about it:
(if you’re receiving this in your email and you can’t see the video, click on this link: http://makegreatstuff.com/free-trial/)
Yay, FREE!
How Do Current Subscribers Get the Coupon?
If you already subscribe to my blog, thank you!
However, I’d love for you to re-subscribe because I’m using a different service that behaves better, lets me put the title of the post into the email subject line (so you can tell before you open it if it’s probably something that interests you), and sends prettier emails.
And if you do, you’ll get a coupon for a FREE trial of the Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class.
This class is a great way to get unstuck, work around your self–censorship, and make time for your creativity every week.
And if you’ve already taken a Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class, you still completely qualify for a FREE coupon–just re-subscribe and it should arrive in your email shortly.
(You’re doing me a huge favor by switching subscription services, so I’m happy for you to have a free coupon.)
Please Share
I’d be honored if you’d share this offer with everyone you think might benefit so they can get back to their creative selves as well.
Tweet it, put the link in your FB profile, or email it to friends and family.
Here’s the link that has the video and explains all about it: http://makegreatstuff.com/free-trial/
Thank you, I really appreciate your willingness to spread the creative love.
I hope to “see” you on a call soon, and I really look forward to making art together!
Big hugs, Sarah
