Creativity Gets a Shot in the Arm...

Hello friends and hi there! 

I'm back from a recent vacation and I have things to tell you!  Mr B and I flew off to Florida 10 days ago (because the beaches in AZ aren't as nice as the ones in FL) and after we'd sunned, swam, read and lazed, we headed to Tampa to meet up with some friends and then the fun really began!  The Misters went off to look at all the airplanes at the 2nd largest Air Show in the US (we felt badly for them, knowing that our fun was so much funner than theirs), and the Misses took themselves to an art store, brushes in hand, chattering excitedly, for 2 days of art classes!  The teacher, Joanne Sharpe, publisher of multiple art books, ambassador for Bernina sewing machines, holder of a Master's degree in Art Education and Extremely Creative Person, came all the way from Rochester, NY to teach 4 completely different classes, to groups of 15-30 students.

People's thoughts and opinions on the subject of creativity are as varied as those people themselves.  Some believe you have it or you don't.  That it's a talent you're born with.  I disagree.  I wholeheartedly believe that everyone has some creativity in them.  And, that with exercise and practice it becomes stronger and more useful.  Like a muscle.  I don't have as much creativity as flows from Joanne's pinkie finger;  I haven't spent the years in the practice and pursuit of creativity like she has, but I do have a very strong "copying-to-learn-how" skill and enough of my own creativity to jump off the idea platform she provides, to make something different, unique and beautiful in it's own right.

For the last year or more, I've been working one side of my creativity muscle (card making) and because it's been exercised frequently, it's grown stronger.  But that's not the case for the other sides of my creativity.  And some days that's been stressful and not very fun.  Not to mention, lopsided.  There are many ideas for ways to jumpstart your creative mojo, from browsing Pinterest (my personal fave), to cleaning your craft table and rediscovering things you'd forgotten you had, to sorting and purging supplies to shopping for more supplies, to reading a magazine or going for a walk.  But last weekend, I discovered and re-ignited a passion for creating that had been missing for a long time, by attending those 4 art classes.  On vacation.  With a friend.  In FLORIDA forcryingoutloud!!  If my mojo couldn't show up for that party, there was no hope!

Here is a glimpse of what I came away with after two days.  I have a pretty, watercolored painting where I learned how to see the negative spaces and paint them.  And a small (not very good) landscape painting.  I have a fabric, quilted and decoratively sewn journal cover.  And the start of a wildly painted quote book.  Not everything is finished, or display-worthy, but every one of these projects helped to re-ignite a passion (for color, if nothing else!) and fuel a fresh excitement and burst of creativity that I welcomed with open arms!

I for one, can't wait to see what all this color, and these techniques, and pushing ourselves up hills of genius and inspiration will produce!  

This post is also up on the blog at Love is in the Details, along with some Save the Date info about upcoming classes in Winkler, Manitoba in July. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!