Week 11: creativity project 365

This is week 11 of my personal challenge to create one new thing every day.

Day 1: went a little more cartoony today with my owls.

Days 2 & 3: made magnets

Day 4: reindeer with the kids

Day 5: sugar cookies

Days 6 & 7:
I’m doing all the gift wrapping and that’s filling my creativity quota right now.
I think I’m going to give myself a few days off to enjoy Christmas without worrying about the project. We’ll see…

Creativity project week 7

Here goes week 7! Trying to keep up with my personal challenge of creating one thing per day.

Day 1: I made flubber for the kids and I to play with. You can get the recipe here. I love to grab washable markers and draw all over it and let it absorb the colour, instead of using food colouring in the recipe.

Day 2:
Got inspired by a stamp set at my local Target. Already had the shipping tags kicking around. The stamp set was $7 and the twine was $1.

Day 3:
I designed our annual family Christmas card and ordered them, and I also put out the invite for our annual Christmas party. That used up my creative energy for the day 🙂

Day 4:
Spent the night getting a start on addressing my Christmas cards. Of course I don’t really want to post a pic, cause I’d be displaying all my friend and family’s addresses.
I did post a board in Pinterest with my inspiration for handwriting the addresses. It’s under username iwonder27.

Day 5:
More addressing cards. And started painting another bird. Need some non-bird inspiration I think…

Day 6:
Found yet another image on Pinterest to replicate. I’m figuring that the best way for me to learn to draw/paint is by finding images I like and learning to re-create them. I’m building foundations of techniques and an inventory of styles I like. Every now and then I create something of my own but with the skills I’m picking up during my self-teaching process. People often learn to cook from existing recipes before they start inventing new recipes of their own, right? Same concept.
Below, the image on the left is my inspiration, and the right is my replication of it.

Day 7:
I spent my afternoon at a celebration of life for an incredible man who spent his life motivating and inspiring others. I sang. I sang from the bottom of my heart. I soaked in every word and every story. I reminisced. I reconnected with a part of my past that needed to be stirred. I drank a glass of red wine in his honour. I sketched a little frog in my sketchbook as a tribute to him. So that I see it when I flick through the pages and remember him. To remind myself to live for today. To inspire. To love. To not give up on those who need us. The things his memory will always stir in me.

Project 365 week 5: creation journal

Into week 5, a little delayed in posting but keeping busy and creative.

Day 1:
Painted a bird I saw on Pinterest. I was browsing through “making Monday’s” blog and clicked the link to her Pinterest wall. I was inspired by her folder “to make.” (making Mondays website here)

Day 2:
I snuck off to a hotel with some girlfriends and we had a kid-free girl’s night. Took the night off from the project.

Day 3:
Went to my favourite art supply store and picked up a few new pens and random supplies. My art store rule is:
-Buy something you actually need
-buy something in a colour you don’t already have
-buy something you’ve never tried before

So I bought a new pen to replace one that’s almost used up, a new colour of watercolour paint, and a calligraphy pen. I got a few different papers and some paintbrushes too.

Day 4:
Tried out the calligraphy pen. Not such a great first try. Think I need a different ink. My mom has one that I think will work so I’ll need to borrow it.

Day 5:
Redesigned a birth announcement for a friend of a friend. Hope they like it!

Day 6:
After the day I had, I think I need to invent a new drink. That’s where my creativity is bringing me today.
Maybe a Shirley temple with a vanilla vodka twist?

Day 7:
I didn’t “create” anything per say, but I did use my right brain to read a good book. Sorry, had to unwind and relax the past few days. Will get back at it soon!

Daily dose of right-brain

I have to admit I get a fair amount of inspiration from Pinterest. I follow Amanda from Wit & Whistle for her sketches and typography. I recently stumbled upon the following quote:
Draw something every day, even if it sucks.

I find myself curled up on the couch at the end of each crazy day, and these words repeat in my head. I can no longer idly watch a show without a pen and sketchbook in hand.

Or perhaps a rock and a sharpie marker.

Or maybe I won’t even let myself sit down until I’ve set the lights up in my makeshift studio (aka the living room) and taken a few photos.

I’m craving it like mad lately! I don’t know if I’m trying to balance the left brain or if I’m just scratching an itch, but I feel like there’s so much creativity in there that is wanting to pour out. I feel like I haven’t had a complete day if I haven’t created something.

So I’ve challenged myself to exactly that. Create something every day. Even if it sucks.

Thanks Amanda for the inspiration. http://witandwhistle.com/