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| A selection of the stuff Jenny Stacy makes. Picture taken a few years ago. |
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| I remember making this bunting and seeing the red pom-pom braid near to hand. |
My friend Carol asked me to write about creativity. So I'm writing this off the top of my head so forgive me, its just my personal thoughts on the subject.
First of all I know we're all creative. Some people feel they haven't the time to express their creativity but it's still in them. Others may play instruments or do a painting or write down their thoughts and get the same creative satisfaction that making something gives to us makers.
Visiting Handmade Happiness often triggers visitors to go off and make something. So exposing ourselves to inspiring artwork or a view when out for a walk, a certain photograph or even a colour of paint any of these things could make us sit down and use our creative powers to good effect. The enemy here is the practical side of our brains which tells us we'd better do the washing up first or check our bank statement or make the phone call we'd been dreading - anything to keep us away from the happy making time. I don't know why we trip ourselves up like this but I do and I dare say you do too.
Once we allow ourselves to get lost in creativity it's almost like stepping into another realm. Time seems to stand still. The focus is all on the job in hand. And once we finish making something the tremendous satisfaction and peace if what we produce is what we hoped to produce. For creativity starts as the germ of an idea in the imagination and we think about it, write about it, draw it even before finally getting down to making it. This is called the creative process and few of us are lucky enough to get paid for this vital planning stage that goes into producing anything original and worthwhile.
The creative person gets fulfilment from making something that is truly of them. From their imagination. That is why it's so hard for the maker to sell their own work. When a shop turns them down it's like a personal rejection. I am acutely conscious of this when makers show me their work. That is why I have a lot of respect for the quirky and weird, almost experimental pieces that people arrive at. Not much respect for work that is obviously a copy of something seen elsewhere.
Creativity is fed by all we see and experience around us. I think of the imagination as a big sieve. It extracts all that's relevant or exciting to us personally and anything we make is ideally a mish-mash of what we've seen but with our own unique personal spin on it.
First of all I know we're all creative. Some people feel they haven't the time to express their creativity but it's still in them. Others may play instruments or do a painting or write down their thoughts and get the same creative satisfaction that making something gives to us makers.
Visiting Handmade Happiness often triggers visitors to go off and make something. So exposing ourselves to inspiring artwork or a view when out for a walk, a certain photograph or even a colour of paint any of these things could make us sit down and use our creative powers to good effect. The enemy here is the practical side of our brains which tells us we'd better do the washing up first or check our bank statement or make the phone call we'd been dreading - anything to keep us away from the happy making time. I don't know why we trip ourselves up like this but I do and I dare say you do too.
Once we allow ourselves to get lost in creativity it's almost like stepping into another realm. Time seems to stand still. The focus is all on the job in hand. And once we finish making something the tremendous satisfaction and peace if what we produce is what we hoped to produce. For creativity starts as the germ of an idea in the imagination and we think about it, write about it, draw it even before finally getting down to making it. This is called the creative process and few of us are lucky enough to get paid for this vital planning stage that goes into producing anything original and worthwhile.
The creative person gets fulfilment from making something that is truly of them. From their imagination. That is why it's so hard for the maker to sell their own work. When a shop turns them down it's like a personal rejection. I am acutely conscious of this when makers show me their work. That is why I have a lot of respect for the quirky and weird, almost experimental pieces that people arrive at. Not much respect for work that is obviously a copy of something seen elsewhere.
Creativity is fed by all we see and experience around us. I think of the imagination as a big sieve. It extracts all that's relevant or exciting to us personally and anything we make is ideally a mish-mash of what we've seen but with our own unique personal spin on it.
3 comments:
Jenny, you put it so well, especially the part about making time for creativity- I'm sure we all know the 'I must do the hoovering' tug. Hope to be in to see you soon, C x
I have to say that I find creativity emormously frustrating because the learning process can be so long. It takes so many failed attempts to get a good result. That is why so many people want to follow a patter/recipe/craft book/copy so that their time isn't wasted and a good result is assured.
Craft is skill and is the relationship of hand to body. Art is the aesthetic. Lots of craft is well developed skills with poor asthetic. Lots of 'Art' has poor skill. When both come together you have a good result.
We makers are so fortunate to have HH as an outlet. Thank you Jenny.
Christine
Thank you for commenting Carol and Christine. I know from commenting on other blogs that making a comment requires patience and perseverence. It's not instant on blogger like it used to be. That's why I really appreciate comments all the more.x
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