Creativity at Play

An Update into What I've Been Doing and Notes on a Fresh Start! (P.S. This is mainly for myself)  It feels good to be back after not posting in a while. There is lots to catch-up on and that I want to write about even for my own self that seems worth noting. First off I intentionally chose to take it easy in May as far as any new or big projects. There was a lot I had to deal with and survive during that time that putting the extra pressure on myself won't and just didn't make sense. It wasn't easy, with creativity always being a great outlet for myself and the ability to express or want to express my experiences having to say "you know what this isn't the time to worry about this" but it was the best thing for me to do at the time. Doing so allowed me to recuperate and get the added rest I needed after the month's rough start and made moving forward easier. Now occasionally I was able to do a bit of creating during that time, for instance I lear...

Lessons in Creativity and Gardening; and the Connection between the Two! I hadn't realized this until taking a good look at my struggling plants desperately in need of water and my squelched recent creativity that there is a connection between the two, and that is both need to be cultivated. I've learned through taking care of the greenery that by doing this it's not just one type of care for all plants- each has it's own type of care instructions and therefore needs to be tended to differently. For some plants- such as succulents, they don't take as much care or water- whereas others like flowering plants need a little more TLC and sunshine. Both in the end need these three things from you: love, a certain level of commitment to keep happy, and most importantly patience . I've learned through the years that being creative takes similar efforts and considerations to grow our gardens as it does to cultivate a creative life. When first starting out it can t...

"The Creative Mind Plays with Objects it Loves"~ Carl Jung Given the fun and light-hearted experience of this year I thought this would be a great quote to pass onto any intrepid and curious creatives out there to inspire your own adventures and endeavours in creativity as it has inspired me. What I like best is that it hints that being creative is best as a "fun" "light-hearted" experience or exploration because the creative mind plays with what it loves; not studies, perfects, or beats oneself up over but rather plays with those things . It has served as a good reminder to me that my project (the Creative Challenge) is a fun thing, and therefore something not to take too seriously or beat myself up if things don't go exactly as planned because it's supposed to be fun and playful thing. Although it can be hard to remember in the midst of trying to figure things out, plan, fit everything in, get everything in on schedule and make it a huge ...

A Trip Down Memory Lane, Experiencing the Group of Seven first hand, and an aspiring artist's reward Written for: Wednesday March 29 With March being a great month of exploring the world of using pastels and experimenting I found it about time for a reward and burst of inspiration to help further explore this form of creativity and what better place to visit than the McMichael Art Gallery- home to the Group of Seven's artwork and much more. So with that decided I put the plan in motion to head back to there and revisit the gallery a second time. I looked forward to this trip after it being so long since the first time a second visit I'd hope would give me a greater chance to appreciate the artwork and doing it myself to appreciate the artist's styles and efforts.   Group of Seven The feeling of familiarity came almost instantly as we drove down the long driveway into the art gallery as if it were almost yesterday I was there. Now it wasn't just the b...

Introducing Dabbing and Creating Clouds Well as intended I finally got the chance to learn a new technique for the month of learning pastels. This time it was experimenting making clouds and applying a dabbling technique to make them look light and fluffy (that same interesting term used in baking, now appears a part of clouds I wonder which came first...). Having it be a while since I first took a lesson in between experimenting on my own and learning techniques I was nervous about returning but decided that since growing as a pastel artist means being open to improving and taking on techniques it was time to learn more on how to expand on my own style. Feeling more comfortable using them on my own and less intimidated by the pastels it made sense to transition into another technique. My pastel hands were ready to take on another experience.  Morning sun, created March 22/2017, first attempt using dabbing effect to create clouds. An intimidating second-err-third step, ...

Exploration into Making and Baking Tarts: Recipe from The Messy Baker cookbook/baking book, pg. 138, look under the Sloppy Section of the book While I did it. Finally I began my foray from cakes and cookies to pastry making starting with tarts. Although for my first recipe -Raspberry Butter tarts- I went with store bought pastry shells being shore on time, and a little intimidated on the process. Next time though I'll try it out. Anyways, they were delicious and the recipe was surprisingly easy to follow.  I've already decided it's one I would make again! (More on my thoughts, and review of this in another post) There is however an important lesson I'll share out of this experience and that is in baking patience is a key ingredient/step to follow. No matter how delicious they are smelling or impatient we may be if you want successful tarts or anything else it's best to wait . Now this has never been my strong suit with anything- waiting for Christmas, f...

The creative's difference between pastels, baking and knitting- a brief run down-. Have I mentioned how much I am enjoying playing around with pastels and getting comfortable with them... probably not since March technically started last week but settled into a good knitting routine and winding down for my "almost" baking break I decided to dive right into the medium only in preparation for March (in case it took me more time to adjust/get used to this part of the challenge.  This is a first experimentation draft using colours called "Stained Glass"©, Done: March 3, 2017 from this I got the idea So I've been trying my hand at this technique-  since February 14th- but heck! it's my challenge so why not. I must admit that before beginning I was quite intimidated with the prospect of having to learn this art. Which might have had something to do why it was third on the list. After all I always enjoy it from afar, appreciating others talents, an...