Growth of knowledge

As I gain experience and confidence, I start to feel abilitated to give advice or guidance.  Of course, I do it withing the limit of my knowledge.  It feel empowering.  There are a few area where I feel confortable to give advice.

In creativity, there is no recipe.  Nothing is certain.  Each person have a personal process for reating.  Advice is not essential but it can help.  It can gives us a different angle in seeing the creation.  It can open up a possibility for experimenting something new.  It can trigger an idea for a a project that is stuck.

Creative and advice are based on something intangible.  They start as a concept and can end on a physical support.  This is why I find them well suited together.  They don't need to be always together.  It's when questions or problems arise that they are a powerful team.

It is a new role for me.  it start to grow on a personal level.  I am more self taught, learning everything the hard way most of the time.  I feel knowledgeable now, more than before.  Probably it is the same for everybody but not in the same area.   As I gives advice and talk about my experience, I sense a feeling of power.  This feeling is not really negative.  I don't give order, it is more what I got for what I lived through.

In Residence

Artists in residence are quite popular.  I just learned there is one in a library nearby.  I don't really get this popular trends.  The person have time in the library but she also goes around in sme group and makes writing project with them.  I feel artsy but I don't want to be in residence.  It sound a little bit show off.  I guess it is all about getting known.  Maybe I am old school.

I thought it was only limited to the parliment, for example.  There is a poet in the Canadian parliement.  From what I heard of it, that person in residence can write poems for events.  I am not sure if they can write on people.  I know that the person receive requests..  I don't think I could do that on every requests.  I just hope they upgraded that residence or I haven't seen every thing done by the poet in residence.

I feel less ignorant but I think it is not for every artists.  I don't feel at ease to look at others art and comment on it.  My craft have to come first because I feel already limited in my free time for creating.  I just wonder if it pays well.  I wouldn't sell off easily.  I am curious.  Does it depends on the artists portfolio?  The writer in residence that I meet only published one book.  It seems to be a popular book.  It makes me questioned why she had been choosen to be an artist in residence.  She had noe explained that., only what she could do with the group I was in.  I guess I will have to ask with some tack.

Labyrinth like place

There are places that are labyrinth like.  I consider myself having a good sense of direction.  Well, a decent one.  It is rare that I become lost.  When it happen, there is usually a reason.  Maybe it is becoming dark and I don't see as well as daylight.  There is also the unfamiliarity of the location.

There is one place that puzzle me right now.  It is the first time I feel really lost.  The place is where one of my child take swimming classes.  The locker room is like a box.  So, there should not be a problem, theorically.  It is the rows of lockers inaddition of the two floors of the locker room that bugs me.  Adding under identification sighs.  It makes me feel totally incompetent.

What I find dumbfounding: swimming class is in the same buidling place than the summer camp.  During summer camp, the indications were ultra clear.  There were also helpful people every step of the way, in clear view.  In the end of the swimming class, I hope to have a satisfaction's survey.  It will be a good place to put my concern.  I just hope I am not the only one in that situation.  I am sure they can put the signs a bit more visible.  Putting one or two persons in the beginning of the sessions for directing people would be nice too.

Thinking of labyrinth gives me a few ideas for labyrinth theme projects.  It will just take times because it involve a lot to do.  It is in the list that contain long time projects.

Good night,. good idea

Night is great to solve problems and get ideas.  I just had a dilemma  It is cross-stitches related.  In the kit that I have, there is a starting point.  That starting point is usually on the middle of the piece of fabric.  Well, it was for the ladybug and the duck.

It is different for the pinguin.  It was a little bit off centered.  It kind of bugs me.  I could place the starting point in the centre of the cloth.  It lead to be unsure if the picture would have enough place on the fabric.

I finally slept on it.  In the early morning, I got the answer.  I will start with a white thread and fill the belly of the penguin.  It will resolve my dilemma.  In addition, there won't be small holes there, well the holes of the fabrics.

It isn't in the design and there isn't any white threads in the kit.  I just put my own twist to  make the project easier to me.  The end result is nice and not out of shape.

Creatively working ouside the house.

I am starting to consider working outside the house, at least creatively.  Lately, I have lot of waiting room time.  It is during that time that I feel more productive.  I guess if I had all my time in a waiting room, the productivity would decrease.  Anyway, I consider at laest experimenting on this.

So, right now, I have the right amount of time outside the home to creatively working on my projects.  I just want to vary in the places I am in.  There is no other distractions, only work.  Now, I will have to find the place to do it.  Library aren't always open.  Their hours are a bit too restrictive or too weird to my taste.  Going to a business like a coffee shop isn't better.  I would have to buy something to justivfy my presence.

I also would like to find a place near my place.  I don't want to go far away, just enough to fee outside the home.  It won't be easy to find the perfect spot.  Better start the search right now.  I hope to have a bright idea.  Waiting room isn't always enough and I am not always there.  Renting a place isn't an opting either right now.  I have to keep my eye open for the perfect creative free place.

Inspired by a first draft

Last Nanowrimo (nanowrimo.org), I wrote a story on werewolves.  It was the last part in a trilogy of military experiment.  it was nice to end that trilogy.  It is taking more than expected to do the correction.  Usually, at this time of the year, the text had gone through a full revision.  So, I am late in doing it.  I really feel a bit late on my schedule.

On the other haned, there is a positive note.  It makes me feel the urge to write again.  There is no big idea for this year nanowrimo.  Nothing planned either.  I don't know if I will go free in the writing or if I will take a project that I already started.

I remember when I started writing.  I was not able to make a revision.  My first try at a revision was brutal and horrible.  It resulted in a long period where I was unable to work on my writng.  There was no improvement in that area.  Now, I have more knowledge.  The first step I took in my revision was grammar errors.  After that, it was the phrases.  I am not perfect but I am now able to improve my first drafts.

Doing revision is making me better.   The process also make it easier to do.  NOw, I have to work on writing a bit faster.  I know I have big projects.  I may be very ambitious.  It may be my weak point.  This is why there is a need, for me, to write faster.

More than finger paints

I found this painting:

I never had the idea to use hands and feets prints in a painting.  It gives me an idea.  Of course, I will give it my own twist.  Instead of using ink, I will use finger paints.  It will open up the colours option.

Another change: I won't repeat the same painting.  I am thinking to make flowers with the finger's tips or the toes.  I will also use adult's hands and feet.  So, I don't think to use my hands in totality.  I think to use only part of my hand, part of my feet.  My canvas will also be bigger.

I just got another idea: I could use finger print to do jewelry.  Like a pendant.  The finger print would be on a piece of paper.  The piece of paper would be glued to a bezel.  On top of it, transparent resin would be placed as a protection.  It could be a modern version of the lock of hair in a medallion.

I think I will have fun with the finger art!

Ode to the forest

The forest is an inspiration for me.  The forest is the spring of my creativity.  I must admit it.  It is a big influence.  In my writing, there a lot of scenes set in the forest.  In cross stiches, I had bought a lot of kit with animals' drawing.  There is a few jewelry pieces that are linked with the forest.  I am also attracted to leaves in jewelry components.

What surround us shape us.  The forest was surrounding me as a child.  People can go to the city but they can't leave the forest.  It is what I realize as time goes by.  I never had expected that when I was younger.  Maybe I was a little bit naive.  I like writing scene set in a forest, I like shaping pieces that are related to part of a tree.  It is a major theme in my life.  I may have other ones but this one is the one that come back the most.

Handmade on a different scale

Soap, drawing, jewelry.  There are many objects that can be handmade.  One thing hit me recently: houses are handmade.  It can be personzlized.  It is handmade on a larger scale.  There are people that work manually on them.  People nail woods beams together, raising walls, putting all the necessities  like plumbing and electricity.  There isn't machines able to rise a house from the earth.  Not yet.  Tools and some machines are used to help.  Excavator dig the ground, booms lift heavy materials to the roof, cement can be mixed in a big drum.

The best is in some details.  Foyer, real ones, are really an work of art.

The same can be said of the landscape, as seen on the first photo.

Flowers in a pot

I never guessed that flowers could grow as much as the flowers on the picture.  Those flowery plants could have stunning effects.  It could do a nice transition on each side of a garage and it's entrance.  It could have a great punch against a grey wall.

I never been interested in flowers and plants.  I don't really have a green thumb.  I don't have the knowledge to take care of the organic green world.  While looking at the flowers on the photo, I feel inspired of what I could do with them than taking care of them.  Never  guessed that I could be inspired by flowers, one day.

It seems that my mind sees more and more creative possibilities around me.  The expansion of source of inspiration is nice even if I don't think I can't apply every ideas I get. Maybe this could be useful as a descriptive in a scene...

I feel ackward

It is the time where I am in a waiting room.  The conditions are optimal.  No othertalking parents.  No children playing in the waiting room.  Peace and quiet.  Great time to be productive and concentrate fully on some tasks.

I can work on any project I want.  It is perfect for experimenting.  Time to do cross stitches.  I find it hard to start the duck.  I start to see all the bad sides of this place.  Motivation to start a project is the hardest.  I feel a barrier even if there are no witnesses.  There is also the time I am in the waiting room for a set period of time,  It bother me a little.  I am a bit affraid in having to stop when I feel the most absorbed in the project.  It is not something big but it is an annoying situation.  It broke the momentum I have.

The problem that bug me the most and that I haven't foreseen: not much space to put the equipment.  I don,t need much space.  A small space will do to put the thread, scissors and needles down.  This time, I am lucky to be able to have all the space I want.  I can take chair and a small table.  It won't always be the case.  There will be time where people will be on chairs or on the table will be used.  In that case, it will be harder to do cross stitches.

Next time, I will try to come with a project that is already started.  Maybe it will help me do it more easily.  Now, I see that not all waiting room are created equal.  The one I am in is not that big, so I can concentrate when it is calm, quiet and with a minimal presence of parents.  I guess it would be even better in other waiting room.

I did end up with a few stitches.  Writing about my discomfort help me.  I had time to do the beak of the duck.

Panic for nothing, advice for free

 I freak out too quickly for the ladybug project (https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2758842815612261477#editor/target=post;postID=5283872035441078434;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=1;src=postname).  When I opened the kit, it looked very frightening.  It seems impossible to do.  The task seems huge.

 Once knowing what to do, it was easy to reproduce the ladybug.  Here is what I came up to:

It was just a case of knowing what to do.  I also had chosen wisely.  The ladybug was easy to make because of the two colours.  The trick was to find the center of the fabric and start from there.  It is a matter to go line by line and count the Xs.  The other 2 projects (duck and penguin) have more colours than the ladybug.

I am ready to tackle the duck and the penguin.  As those two projects have more colours, I am thinking to use as many needles as there is colours.  I want to see if it will be easier to make each line with the correct colours instead than one colour at one time.

I feel a bit more confident.  I will see where it lead me in the future.

Can I panic?

I decided to try cross stitches.  I found nice and simple projects to start my experimentation.  In addition it says 8 years old and above on the package.  Sound reassuring.  If a child can do it, I will too.

Three of them seems to be beginner's projects (the ladybug, the duck and the penguin).  I will start with them.  The last one (with the wolves) is the last one I planned to do, when I feel more confident and have experience.  It is my plan because the one with the wolves is more elaborate, so I'll see if I can do it eventually.

I decided to start with the ladybug one.  It seems to be the most easy.  I hope si, was my first thought when looking at them.  I may be mistaken but I  won't know if I don't try.  So, I opened the ladybug package.  There was everything I needed even instruction.  It is where the panic set in.  The instruction were a bit difficult to understand (especially when there isn't much experience on my part) but the worst was the white canvas/fabric.  There wasn't any design on it.  It made me feel stuck.  I am not good at reproducing picture free handed.  I need some guidance on the fabric.  Well, it would have been nice to have some help on the fabric.

For the rest of the day, I was a bit depressed and very moody.  I surestimated my capacities and didn't expected to stumble on this unexpected discovery.  This show my point each time I say that classes have it's usefulness.  Having access to someone knowledgeable is always a good thing.  I am lucky enough to know someone that can help me.  I will bring the kit to her and ask for her advice.  The panic had subsided since the opening of the kit but I may be wiser the next time I see a nice kit that I wanted to try.