Sunday, November 20, 2011

What Do You Do...Create!

I've been away quite a little while, but I have been busy creating! With all of the creating I have done of late not much of it has included the written word which has always been the backbone of my creativity. The funny thing about creativity and creating is that the creators are often so hard on themselves. You never think you are really any good. There is a voice that lingers in your head questioning your every step and stating with authority that you are not "all that and a bag of chips" even though you may think so.

This voice or gremlin (thank you Karen Walrond) is very loud and fills your mind, and head with so much doubt you begin to suffer from creative block. Writers refer to this as Writers Block, but I speak of creative block because as the title says I create! I create through words, photography and papercrafting! These are the things that bring me joy, but these are also the things that leave me feeling less than more often than not.

Kat Sloma recently wrote a post about the many hats she wears and how it is difficult to answer the question "What do you do?" with a single response. I too would be limiting myself and the things I love to do by simply stating "I am a Marketing Manager," in response to that question.

As I close out 2011 it is with the strong desire that I will learn to ignore the GREMLINS in my mind and continue to pursue and practice the things that I love to do.

Here's some of the work I have been creating of late:

Taken for both the texture and the composition - I came across this fence during a recent Photo Walk.
I really love this next picture because it shows how beautiful, and intriguing nature can be. I have recently become a big fan of the outdoors and trying to see the beauty that exists around us, but that we rarely take the time to see.

Hairy Tree is what I call this photo, because I never recall seeing a tree with all of this hair or fur.
This last shot would fall under the category of paper crafting I believe and is my first attempt at Subway Art. Thanks to Jessica Sprague for her recent class Mouse, Paper, Scissors - Give which incorporates Photo Shop and paper crafting as ways to create wonderful gifts and works of art. Joining Jessica in presenting the class is Heidi Swapp. The class has been a true journey and I've learned a great deal about Photo Shop! If you're not familiar with the work of Jessica Sprague, you must check out her site here.

Subway Art