Remember To Breathe

It has been a great year of creative growth and there are new ideas in store for the upcoming year.  Creating Art That Sets You Apart continues to be the main focus of Club Creative Studio art.  What is your mantra for the new creative year?

As the creative year of 2010 ends, remember to breathe a sigh of relief.  Do you remember the relief  you felt as you made it through creative road blocks?  Recall the relief you felt when you worked through a specific creative problem. 

                                   Just breathe!

For me, whenever a creative problem arises, my first gut reaction is fear.  I am afraid that the problem may not be able to be solved.  Then, the tables quickly turn to the natural reaction of thinking of the problem as a challenge.  Steps in solving the problem become the next chain of event process.  The problems may be due to technique or individual circumstances dealing with your art.  For example, there may have had a communication breakdown with a customer, or a missed  deadline.  Perhaps you promised too much in producing a custom piece of art or you made a costly miscalculation in material needs.  Have you ever tried a new product or technique and failed at the first attempt to gain the level of success you expected?  Whatever  road block you encountered in your creative endeavor, the adrenaline rush of fear may have halted your speed reaction to solve that problem.  What can you get in the habit of doing to make the alarm sound less blarring? Answer:  Breathe!

You may have heard that "counting to ten" when angry gives you the needed time to refocus your thoughts and actions.  The same can be said of stopping to take a deep breath.  This method can be a useful ( FREE) tool in your creative toolbox.  The shift will guide you from the threat and into the new focus challenge.  Just five to six deep breaths should make a difference.  You will find yourself becoming more creative and more effective.  You will find that your focus will change over from fear and threat of failure to the rush of excitement of getting back in charge of your creative situation.

Remember to breathe...
                                                     
Thich Nhat Hanh has a lovely meditation to use while concentrating on your breathing:  ”Breathing in, I dwell deeply in the present moment; Breathing out, I know this is a wonderful moment.”

Make a promise to yourself in this new creative year to see your problems and take the needed pause.  Figure out how to solve or work around your creative road blocking circumstances.  Vow to not get too overwhelmed.  In 2011, I have decided to find other ways to move toward the goals that have intimidating solutions.  I will remember to breathe.  Will you join me?

My Most Important Tools Aren't In A Box

My most important tools aren't in a box.  An artist's toolbox can consist of state-of-the-art equipment but, when the day is done, the reality is that the tools on the workbench need to be time-tested, efficient, and ready to use at any second for any stage of your creative project.

An artist relies on imagination and creativity in the production of their art but, they also need to have a system that is productive to their method and incorporates their skills and special techniques. They have to have the right tools available for a given task.  They don't have to be high-tech.  They do have to be useful.  They should be proven by you that they have stood the test of time and will always work for you in your situation.

As an artist, you take yourself from idea to reality on a daily basis.  To travel from creative points "A" to "Z" which means that you are aware that many steps are involved in your entire production process.  The steps may include trial and error situations as well.  The important tools that you have to use to make it through your process are the stepping stones to the manufacturing of your artful item.  These tools have to be effective to you or they are rendered useless.  They need to be efficient tools.  They need to be safe, sharp, and they need to do the job easily that you intend for them to do- always.

I don't have a "tool box" full of equipment accumulated that is kept out of sight in storage.  I do however, have tools "on display" of sorts, that are in immediate sight for me to use.  My most important tools aren't stuck in a box waiting for me to pull them out for use.  They are readily available on my design tables.  All of the main tools that I need are placed close at hand for use.  I have cute mugs with inspirational quotes on them holding various paint brushes.  I have a few beaded decorated jars that hold items like small clay tools.  I have rotating shelves and containers of items that I need for almost every task.  I also have a few zipper shut travel size tool pouches that hold and organize my hand tools that I need.  Most items in use also have identical "back-ups" for the times when one is misplaced or needs to be replaced due to over-use.  It is always good to keep tabs on the tools that you have and replace them as needed.

Remember, vital instruments need to be close at hand so that they are utilized and found quickly.  Evaluate your tools often for wear and tear for better efficient use of them.  Make sure that you have plenty of tools so that you are never without and have to compromise for the tools that you heavily rely on as "must haves".  Lastly, don't just collect tools in a tool box.  Use your most important tools for your most important projects- your daily creative outlets!

Terms In My Trade

I use techniques in my art that are included in a wide range of traditional and contemporary methods, with varying degrees of skill level difficulty.  When I create, I am not tied to a certain method but, I do demonstrate what works best for me during a process.  The most important ingredient needed for any project you do is enthusiasm and patience.  Skill is also essential but, that can be learned. 

A general rule for being dedicated to a project from start to finish would be to first take time to visualize the steps you need to take in order to get to an outcome in the end.  Once you have visualized your goal, you can prepare with research, and then experiment.  I experiment daily especially with design concepts and hand color mixing of my clays. Sometimes the simplest color combinations convey the most complex contrasts, it does not always happen automatically or naturally.

I have many samples, drawings, design boards and memo boards that serve as part of my planning stage.  I feel that I have learned to work confidently because of my past experiences and my own intuitive love and application of color and self assurance of my talents and skills. 

Another aspect of great importance are environmental issues.  How do you tackle concerns and bi-products of making your artful item or incorporating it into your method of creation? Are you able to find products and materials that are biodegradable, or low-waste items?  Some of my freely available tools are multipurpose.  Reusing old spray bottles for spritzing water, recycled spice containers for storage, a few thrift store knitting needles or other unique items for clay working tools,  broken common household kitchen items for textured effects are just a few that I have to mention in my studio.

Realize that everyone has a different style in taste and a different creative style.  Allow yourself to appreciate the basic concept of imagination. Your personal interpretation will flow in as part of that creative process. Have fun creating!

Club Creative Studio

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Club Creative Studio

View more presentations from Veronica Campos-Hallstrom.

Finding the Perfect Hand-made Gift

Need to find a gift for someone special that has it all or is just plain hard to buy for?  Consider a hand-made item.  Giving hand-made items is not a sign of extreme frugality.  In fact, it is actually a thought provoking action.  It takes much more effort to seek out a hand-made item and it also definitely takes much more time and thought into creating it.

Club Creative Studio offers cost-efficient items both online and at craft fairs.  The convince of finding unique one-of-a-kind gift items online are at your finger tips by viewing and ordering from the online store: www.clubcreativestudio.com

We have expanded our jewelry line to include many price points and have also ventured into making several new items that incorporate the hand-rolled clay beads and the hand-torched glass beads.  I strive to create focal points for your everyday wardrobe,  and now have created many items to be used and appreciated in your home decor efforts.

Our hand-made art is an excellent way to make a statement about your unique personality, interests, and lifestyle.  To obtain a hand-crafted item shows that you have an eye and an appreciation for art and the artists you have purchased from. As you avoid the normal preference to shop and give gifts that are mass-produced, know that you are supporting the creative efforts of artists and own the sophistication of sharing enchanting expressive art.

Remember, when you bequest an artful item, you give gifts filled with imagination, distinctiveness, aptitude, substance, enterprise, zeal, style, and merit from your exemplary acquisition.  Your efforts are appreciated for finding a great gift!

Color My World- With Paint Chip Samples

One of the reasons why I loved being an Art Teacher in the past was because I had a range of freedom on lesson plans and how I wanted to introduce a topic and engage the students.  Sometimes I miss that interaction time of instruction and inspiration of others on a daily basis.  It is however, still  a  joy to get or give ideas based on a seemingly everyday or normal occurrence and turn it into a teachable or inventive moment.

Author, Keri Smith has a creative book out that I am experiencing called: How To Be An Explorer  Of  The World - Portable Art/Life Museum.  It is a hands-on book, ready for fill-in-the-blanks, self-discoveries, and assignments.  On page 41, there is a fantastic exercise that reminded me of a lesson plan that I made for my art students in the past.  My lesson included the normal box of crayons and an additional larger box of a larger count and variety.  The task was to investigate the names of the crayons and rename them or mix a new color and name that hue.  Based on the student's life experiences, the color name choices ranged from personal (Dawson's dirty baby diaper) to inventive (kitty's fur ball gray) for example.   The exploration in this book deals with paint chip samples.  And, if I were still teaching I would use this as an exercise in creativity.  It's really along the same line of thinking that I challenged my art students with several years ago. For example: in the book, a few paint chip samples are named: ladybug red,  you are my sunshine, golden vista and calypso blue.  The examples of what came to mind as an association were: ladybug red= my red shoes, you are my sunshine=Nana's House, golden vista=sunset on 01/09/08, and calypso blue=the mailbox.  It would be fun to see how creative a class could be with this.

Storage for the Storage

There are times that your storage system takes room and then you have to make room for your storage system plus the items you need to store.  What do you look for in storage?  It may be important to have a system look good, fit properly, take up as little space as possible, be portable, be stackable, and of course, hold the things you need to store securely.

I found, by accident a great system for  adding to my storage and organization.  It fits many characteristics that are favorable for holding many items close at hand.  At Target, near the stationery aisle, there is often times a discounted area.  This is where i found these collapsible boxes.  They snap together and stack well.  The available colors were bright and bold colors and the snaps on the sides make for portable storage as you need it.  I paid only $2.00 per box.  the original price was still manageable at $3.00 per box.

If you are looking for new storage, look in this section of a store from time to time, as well as in the home ware section where plastic bins or other containers are.  You may find a great fit for the size items you normally work with.  It feels great to have things stored attractively as well as easily.  Best wishes for finding what works the best for your crafts.

This system was offered in bright colors and included a window for adding identifying content.  It has silver tone details.

The flat box is pre-folded.  It is easy to form by folding upward and pushing snaps.

The box snaps are fashionable and the finished boxes stack well for display purposes.

When not in use or for waiting use, the box can easily collapse again...great find!