I spent time in there a couple mornings last week. I wasn't completely sure what I was going to work on. The list of things I want to do is so long that it's hard to decide where to start. I pulled out some paper, watercolors, brushes and pens, and played around. I ended up spending a couple of hours doodling on these...
I was inspired by a tutorial on the "Peony and Parakeet" Blog. It would have been nice to add some white paint and some metallic highlights but I was using what I had. They're not really what I was aiming for. But, I feel good that I actually sat down to be creative.
I played around with some acrylic paints and brushes another day. This is all I did though. I felt stuck! Ugh!
I love fiber arts and I want to spend much more time on that. But, I really want to work with some other materials for a change...like I used to years ago.
I would love to know how really creative people do it. How to create and create without letting distractions of everyday life get in the way. Any tips, advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :-)
6 comments:
In my experience really creative people are not even aware of what we might note as "distractions". There is only the creation at hand and it seems to fill up the whole world for them.
I'm my own worst enemy! My studio is next to the laundry room so I do wash loads between weaving. Not a big deal and my choice but it does break your concentration.
Our Airedale spend time with me in there as well and she's one big distraction all by herself! She's young still and learning that this should be her nap time or at least entertain herself with her toys.
The big mystery: my husband sees the closed studio door but fails to do a gentle knock to help alert me to him coming through so the door opens with a bang! Its jerks me out of my space. Yes, I have explained the effect it has to him but that hasn't worked(so far). I'm putting a sign on the door reminding to 'please knock first'. The funny part is the only other room he can access through the studio is the laundry room... and he doesn't do laundry!
What is so #$%&^ attractive about the laundry room that he must go in there 4-6 times in one afternoon?
(He's also supposed to be writing so he's has his own avoidance issues)
Yes, distractions are a problem!
I can see why some people get studio space away from their homes and treat the time like a job!
Solution here? Let the phone go to the machine, a gentle but firm talk with the Hub and negotiate with the dog!
Oh, and weave.....
:) Susan
I agree with Susan, you need to treat it like a job. When I used to paint (for profit) I'd get the kids off to school and then paint until 11:30. This would be my lunch hour when I could run errands or do just have lunch. Then back to the painting by 12:30 or 1. Come 3:30 it was time for the kids to be home and my work day was over. I'd always do my laundry and housework on Saturdays. I'd never 'work' on the weekend. You wouldn't believe how much stuff I could crank out! Now days... I just get to knit in the evenings and on weekends (I still only do laundry on Saturdays), but of course I don't sell any of my knitting either.
That's a tough one. I used to be so good at ignoring everyday life and being creative all day long. It seems that since I started selling roving along with my handwovens that I spend way too much time on administrivia. I used to start my day by heading straight into the studio, once there it was hard to get me out....these days I'm having trouble getting in there.
With what you did with the water color would look awesome on silk scarves with silk dyes. Seriously! Just stretch the scarves onto stretcher bars really tightly and paint with the silk dyes diluted. Add dye thickener to the black and paint in your black lines.
For me, I find I have to sometimes incorporate the distractions. Like, when doing laundry, I bring along a simple knitting project. When I have to cook, I bring the camera so I make cooking an art project. USE the distractions as an escape into your art. I also keep many projects in various forms of completion so I can freely bounce from project to project until I land on one that just grabs me for hours. (Baskets of yarn already wound from the warping board and bobbins wound, and I can weave any of them if I'm in the mood.)
You just have to find a system that works.
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