As part of my one little word for this year ("selfhood"), I'm exploring my various creative endeavors by setting a different creative intention each month and exploring where that bit of creativity fits in my life. In January, I focused on sketching and began to develop a style I liked. Here are my last two January sketches:
In February,I've been keeping up with the sketching, but in a faster and more relaxed style that fits me. Here are two recent examples of what I mean:
I did these two sketches in about 15 minutes while waiting for my daughter to be ready to leave for an appointment. They fulfilled my need for a quick art fix and are the types of things that I can incorporate into my art journals. I think this is where I need to go with my drawing/find arts. I don't think I have the patience or desire to learn how to draw better, paint, etc. As a result, I think I'm going to officially give up on the Studying Under the Masters class which I bought in 2014 and worked about half-way through. It was a good class, but not something which feeds my creative passions at the moment.
In February, I've started to focus on scrapbooking. I made two huge photobooks at shutterfly for Clara, using her cross country and track photos from last year. I got these done during the 50% off sale on hard cover books. I need to make one more book but want to wait for the next sale. I also updated my Christmas card photo albums and ordered a bunch of current photos to scrap. I'm trying pernsnickety prints for ones taken with my big camera and ordered some iphone prints from shutterfly. I have found that neither the shutterfly nor the persnickety iphone apps work very well - they tend to crash half way through the ordering process. Very, extremely frustrating! Look for some actual scrapbook pages coming soon. I also need to do some organizing to figure out what other photos I have to be scrapped (either printed already or on my computer hard drive).
In February, I've started to focus on scrapbooking. I made two huge photobooks at shutterfly for Clara, using her cross country and track photos from last year. I got these done during the 50% off sale on hard cover books. I need to make one more book but want to wait for the next sale. I also updated my Christmas card photo albums and ordered a bunch of current photos to scrap. I'm trying pernsnickety prints for ones taken with my big camera and ordered some iphone prints from shutterfly. I have found that neither the shutterfly nor the persnickety iphone apps work very well - they tend to crash half way through the ordering process. Very, extremely frustrating! Look for some actual scrapbook pages coming soon. I also need to do some organizing to figure out what other photos I have to be scrapped (either printed already or on my computer hard drive).
I'm also very much enjoying the still life photo class I've been taking.
Which brings me to the question of balance. I'm trying to figure out to make time for all my various creative pursuits. How do I fit in scrap booking and sketching and photography? Let alone art journaling, card making and the other intentions I have lined up to examine this year? Are you able to balance a variety of creative endeavors? If so, how? Do you do a "fly by the seat of your pants approach?" Or something more structured?
![LEAP [into lightroom]](http://learn.kimklassen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Kim-Klassen_20151223_6459.jpg)
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8 comments:
Personally, I am still trying to work it out! Your creativity is a wide river, Rinda - it's always interesting to come and admire your work. I do like your Celtic-looking cross.
I find doing the creative and domestic part of my life very frustrating as I want to do it all and can't seem to find a good balance for all of it. What is more frustrating is the awareness of how I use to be able to do it. Then I started working full time in the private sector-meaning A LOT less holiday time off. Now there are only the three hours after work to fit it all in and It. Doesn't. Fit.
I pretty much just do whatever I'm inspired to at the moment, which works perfect for my year of INSPIRATION! I am focusing on completing some projects this year, but I don't have any problem doing other things at the same time or in between. (Of course, I have an advantage as I'm not working at the moment, no kids, no leadership positions at church, no big commitments, etc!)
I never find enough time for all the creative things that I would like to do.
I tend to get immmersed in one discipline....and then move onto another....and then back again!!!
I'm having the same conversation with myself. I'm not willing to give up any of my interests, but even retired, I'm far too busy with volunteering and other commitments to keep up with all my creative pursuits. Recently I've been doing whatever calls me---lots of cards for Valentine's Day and challenges. Now I need to focus on getting the March birthday cards made. We leave in two weeks for nearly a month of traveling. Hoping to catch up with my sketching on the road. Scrapbooking will have to wait until April. Photography just gets squeezed in there between all the rest. I haven't lost my interest in art journaling, but that's taken a real back seat.
I'm definitely a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl. Too much planning takes the fun out of any hobby for me.I think the downside of that view, though, is that maybe I don't explore things as fully as I could and move on without learning everything I could. But a hobby is about relaxing too, so maybe I don't always have to be using my brain
I think that you are about a month ahead of me Rinda - on this journey to figure out where and how all our creative pursuits fit into our lives. I was thinking the other day that it would be so much easier if there were LESS things I enjoyed in the realm of creative play! After last year's commitment to sending a handmade birthday card to everyone (which I did complete) I discovered that I don't really enjoy making cards all that much, so at least one thing I can cross off the list! But I'm still struggling to make time for all the things I love.. so you aren't alone. And I think I pretty much do whatever is calling to me at the moment. This month is focused on scrapbooking of course.
I totally admire you for all that you manage to do and work. I can't seem to focus on more than one thing at a time which is really stupid considering I'm retired and have no calls on my time. Guess I'd say that I'm a seat of the pants person. Your thoughts on iPhone pictures is making me think I really should organize them separately from our "regular" cameras. I've downloaded them all on to the computer but that's as far as it got. Looking forward to seeing some of your scrapbooking.
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