Where Does The Creativity Go?

So, I've decided to start using this blog not only as a place to put up my art, but as a place to express my thoughts and ideas. So here I go (stay tuned for more)...

I've been thinking a lot lately about where our creativity goes over our life span. Some people are "artsy" and are always making things. Most of us, however, loose our natural creative ability and imagination when we grow up. This is very sad to me.

As kids, we were all given the chance to color with crayons/markers/paint/whatever. We made pictures on paper, colored in coloring books, drew on kids menus at restaurants, maybe even put paint on our bedroom walls and then got in trouble for it, etc... It was a wonderful time of playing, exploring and expressing ourselves creatively. Every child is born with the ability to imagine and to create! And every child loves to be praised for their creations.

The question I struggle with is where does that creativity go? I believe that we all have a creative side, whether it's drawing, painting, writing, poetry, screenplays, acting, making music, singing, sewing, scrapbooking, imagining, etc.... So why don't people recognize this in themselves? Are we afraid? Are we self-conscious? Are we insecure? Were we ridiculed by a former art teacher? Did our parents throw our artwork away? Did someone say our writing was awful? What happened to make so many people in this world loose touch with this important part of themselves?

I dream of a world where everyone is tapping into their creative juices - can you imagine! It would be an amazing, beautiful world!!!

My encouragement to everyone today is to think about what creative venture intrigues you and maybe try it out!!!! Write a poem, doodle on a post-it-note at work, sing a song in the car, style your hair in a different way, rearrange your living room.......realize that in art, there is no "right" or "wrong" so mix it up, get crazy, and try something new!

My quote of the day:
"Every day is the beginning of something beautiful" -- Erin Drez

Projects

I am the kind of person who, in order to stay sane, has to have at lease one project going at a time. I love working with my hands and having something fun and creative to think about. Here are a few recent endeavors...


I decided to introduce Caroline to the world of crayons. It was a big moment in my life to see my daughter "create" her first piece of art. I can't wait for all the wonderful things to come that will hang on our refrigerator, I'm sure!

Here is Caroline hard at work. Now, you might think "WOW", she's only 1 and is already drawing .... not exactly. She mostly just smooshed the crayons around, threw them down, rolled them with her foot, tried to eat them, etc... However, she did grasp the concept of putting the crayons on the paper before smooshing, rolling, etc. By doing this, the crayons left a lot of marks.

Here is her masterpiece after Day 1. I plan on doing this over the next few days so that the paper becomes full of beautiful little marks. I think she has done well for her first try. Stay tuned for the final piece at the end of the week.

Another project that I started while my parents were here was to paint our kitchen table and chairs. I put the final finish on it this weekend and it's done! It really brightens up the room and looks good with my Dad's boot painting and my floral painting in the background. Thanks Mom & Dad for all your help!!

Now on to the "Creative Room." This is the front room of our house which is my art studio. I am feeling the "itch" to get back into painting so I rearranged the room a bit and made these fun drapes for the corner to protect the wall from my splattering paint. The picture doesn't do it justice, it really is cool and cozy!

Here is a picture of the drapery fabric close up - it's such a fun, funky pattern - I love it!