Wednesday, September 4, 2013

A Creative Spiral

Creativity has the power to grow exponentially. Yes, we are all busy. School just started back into full swing and many of us have other things on our plates. While I am very lucky that many of the things on my plate are very creative in nature, I do admit that I need a quick start every so often. There are times when you are working on a bigger project in which that very project begins to lose it's luster. In those moments, it helps to just do something for the fun of it.

Yesterday, I had one of those moments. I decided to grab a photo and some supplies. Then I set out to search the internet for a challenge. Something not too hard and that could be done fairly quick. I settled on the latest sketch from Document Life Workshop and ended up with a layout completed in short order.

Kid + Cat =Love by Christy Strickler Supplies| Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Amy Tangerine; Letters, Vellum Pocket: American Crafts;Ink: Tsukineko; Confetti, Tape,Stamp: Studio Calico; Other: Sequins, Glass Beads

I was struggling with a title, so I went back through some of the Ali Edwards Hello Story prompts. The class itself may have moved onward, but I still enjoy going back and using something I have learned more than once. If it's something I like, it becomes part of my regular techniques. You could say that creating titles is a technique of it's own.





I was able to create this layout quickly because I chose supplies and stuck with those choices. The sketch became a jumping off point. Once the layout was finished, I was able to return back to my larger project with renewed interest. Creative play inspires more creative work to be completed. The more you create, the more you want to create. When you feel like a project feels stale, put it down for a bit and try a new,quick project. It doesn't have to be a layout. It can be a tag or a hand made embellishment. After all, creating things should be fun and should never feel like a chore.




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3 comments:

  1. Great idea for refreshing your creativity Christy! Love how you used the cards and vellum envelope as a border under your photo!

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  2. Isn't it great to find that one thing that gets us going? I find that the busy busy that life brings can be very deterring to creativity- and we are so lucky to have a tool such as the internet to get us back in line where we need to be.

    Awesome work- I love it :)

    xErin

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  3. Super cute layout! Sometimes I need to just create for me also. It's refreshing!

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