Showing posts with label creativity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creativity. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Eat, Pray, Love... and then Create
Once again an exceptional message from Elizabeth Gilbert, author of "Eat Pray Love." I believe I posted this before but it's still an exceptional commentary on what it means to be a person who does the work to show up and create. Count me a fan!
Happy Creating,
-Carmen Rose
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Some thoughts on Inspiration and Creativity
I spent some time at Oasis today, it’s a local co-op gallery and I’m the Exhibit Chair. For the next two months we’ll be featuring a changing display of wearable art. And so I was there creating displays today. First order of business was removing the artwork in the gallery that belongs to artists who were only with us for the holidays.
Then I uncovered the area where our featured artist display goes and found room for the work of the four artists whose work had been there. (The photo shows the display that I dismantled, that's my glass in the photo.) It’s a puzzle to create the displays in a gallery, many of those pieces could go in any number of locations. How to make them feel organized and yet organic to the clientele? That’s the challenge and the fun of it.
I moved lots of stock and gallery furniture, and then it was time to take a look at the exhibit area and begin the new display. I’ll tell ya, I was flummoxed. I had no sense of inspiration whatsoever, as Stuart, my sidekick-for-the-day can attest. I looked through the stock to find something that spoke to me. Most of the work was in colors that are very different from the ones I gravitate toward. But that’s just me, certainly our clientele reflects a wide range of taste and sensibility.
Finally, completely devoid of any feeling of inspiration, I put a scarf and matching purse on the wall. Then I added a few other things. Then the creative juices started to flow. And as I kept adding things, I’d step back and take a look at it, make adjustments and edit. I had all kinds of wearable artwork to chose from, hats, scarves, purses, wraps, shoes, all handmade, all one of a kind. Plus a range of styles, prices and colors. It took a while, but I kept adding items to the display. Each addition would suggest something else and on and on I went until most of the space was full. The original scarf/purse combination didn’t even stay in the display, but it had been enough to get the juices flowing. Funny how that goes sometimes.
Sometimes I think that artists wait on inspiration to get started. What most people mean when they use the word “inspiration” is some sort of emotional altered state. Perhaps a high moment or a lovely bit of angst will do. And as such “inspiration” may not be all that helpful to the process, it may actually cloud a person’s objectivity about their work. And those feelings of being inspired are a little like a cat (ahCHO0oo!! Pardon me!) illusive, unpredictable and maybe a little feisty. If one waits on inspiration, then doing the work of an artist becomes a bit like a freeway. There are on-ramps and off-ramps and a very defined area you can move in. There are simply LOTS of places you can't get to on a freeway. It's actually quite confining if you think about it.
Creativity is like a park. You can enter it from anywhere, anytime. And you can wander around in any direction and explore, either on the path or off. One can find things to look at, touch and smell. There are limitless possibilities. All you have to do is take the first step. As you move those creative juices will begin to flow. You don't have to feel it for it to happen. Some things we take on faith.
Take another step into your creativity today.
Grace,
-Carmen Rose
Then I uncovered the area where our featured artist display goes and found room for the work of the four artists whose work had been there. (The photo shows the display that I dismantled, that's my glass in the photo.) It’s a puzzle to create the displays in a gallery, many of those pieces could go in any number of locations. How to make them feel organized and yet organic to the clientele? That’s the challenge and the fun of it. I moved lots of stock and gallery furniture, and then it was time to take a look at the exhibit area and begin the new display. I’ll tell ya, I was flummoxed. I had no sense of inspiration whatsoever, as Stuart, my sidekick-for-the-day can attest. I looked through the stock to find something that spoke to me. Most of the work was in colors that are very different from the ones I gravitate toward. But that’s just me, certainly our clientele reflects a wide range of taste and sensibility.
Finally, completely devoid of any feeling of inspiration, I put a scarf and matching purse on the wall. Then I added a few other things. Then the creative juices started to flow. And as I kept adding things, I’d step back and take a look at it, make adjustments and edit. I had all kinds of wearable artwork to chose from, hats, scarves, purses, wraps, shoes, all handmade, all one of a kind. Plus a range of styles, prices and colors. It took a while, but I kept adding items to the display. Each addition would suggest something else and on and on I went until most of the space was full. The original scarf/purse combination didn’t even stay in the display, but it had been enough to get the juices flowing. Funny how that goes sometimes.
Sometimes I think that artists wait on inspiration to get started. What most people mean when they use the word “inspiration” is some sort of emotional altered state. Perhaps a high moment or a lovely bit of angst will do. And as such “inspiration” may not be all that helpful to the process, it may actually cloud a person’s objectivity about their work. And those feelings of being inspired are a little like a cat (ahCHO0oo!! Pardon me!) illusive, unpredictable and maybe a little feisty. If one waits on inspiration, then doing the work of an artist becomes a bit like a freeway. There are on-ramps and off-ramps and a very defined area you can move in. There are simply LOTS of places you can't get to on a freeway. It's actually quite confining if you think about it.
Creativity is like a park. You can enter it from anywhere, anytime. And you can wander around in any direction and explore, either on the path or off. One can find things to look at, touch and smell. There are limitless possibilities. All you have to do is take the first step. As you move those creative juices will begin to flow. You don't have to feel it for it to happen. Some things we take on faith.
Take another step into your creativity today.
Grace,
-Carmen Rose
Saturday, November 7, 2009
With Gratitude, my 200th Blog Post! (And a Give-Away!!)
It’s hard to believe I’ve written 200 posts on this blog but I have. I’m grateful for those of you who pop by and leave your comments, thanks for being out there and interested in whatever is coming out of Studio B at the moment. No doubt that it’s always going to be something different.
I’ve put together a little package as my way of saying thanks for being out there, thanks for reading and thanks for leaving comments.
First, a small vase. I call these “rose vases” because they are perfect for a little bouquet of whatever is in bloom. I’m not a big gardener but I like picking up a bouquet of flowers at the supermarket sometimes and bringing them home. This is the kind of vase I always reach for when I do that, add a few marbles in the bottom and trim all the stems on the flowers and pop them in one at a time. Before long you’ve got a lovely little bouquet for the kitchen counter, the office or the bathroom. It’s a great way to brighten up the place or greet guests, and of course a small vase with some lovely fresh blooms is always a lovely gift.
This is a painted vase that has been fired to thermo harden the glaze resulting in a dishwasher resistant finish. In other words, you can run it through the dishwasher but if you do it too often you’ll start to lose the texture on the vase. But really, I think most of us can hand wash a small vase with no trouble.
Secondly, a small dichroic glass pendant with a little millefiori flower at the lower edge. Add a simple chain or tie with the satin cord I’ll include and it will be a lovely and delicate accent for whatever you’ve chosen to wear.
Finally, three olive oil guest soaps complete the package. First, Lapis Clove is inspired by the stone Lapis and has gold leaf in it to mimic the gold flecks in the stone. The fragrance is a fresh crisp men’s spice combination of clove and eucalyptus (I created it as a men’s combination but I love it and would certainly use it myself!) Tangerine Splash has some orange rind in it to exfoliate your skin. The fragrance includes Tangerine, Orange, Bergamot, Nutmeg, Rosemary and lemongrass essential oils. The final bar is Jasmine Clementine with calendula petals in it. The fragrance includes Orange, tangerine, Mandarin Orange, Jasmine and Amber, a blend of essential and fragrance oils.
So thanks for dropping by and checking out the things I make and the words I write. I can tell you that there is no other life that I’d rather live than the life of an artist!
In order to qualify for the giveaway, please become a “follower” of my blog using the link at the right. Then leave a comment below and I’ll draw someone at random on November the 14th and announce the winner that day. Make sure I have a way to email you, so either have your email address in your profile info, provide a link to your address or (in a pinch) post it in your comment. Thanks so much for dropping by. Happy creating!
-Carmen Rose
I’ve put together a little package as my way of saying thanks for being out there, thanks for reading and thanks for leaving comments.
First, a small vase. I call these “rose vases” because they are perfect for a little bouquet of whatever is in bloom. I’m not a big gardener but I like picking up a bouquet of flowers at the supermarket sometimes and bringing them home. This is the kind of vase I always reach for when I do that, add a few marbles in the bottom and trim all the stems on the flowers and pop them in one at a time. Before long you’ve got a lovely little bouquet for the kitchen counter, the office or the bathroom. It’s a great way to brighten up the place or greet guests, and of course a small vase with some lovely fresh blooms is always a lovely gift.This is a painted vase that has been fired to thermo harden the glaze resulting in a dishwasher resistant finish. In other words, you can run it through the dishwasher but if you do it too often you’ll start to lose the texture on the vase. But really, I think most of us can hand wash a small vase with no trouble.
Secondly, a small dichroic glass pendant with a little millefiori flower at the lower edge. Add a simple chain or tie with the satin cord I’ll include and it will be a lovely and delicate accent for whatever you’ve chosen to wear.
Finally, three olive oil guest soaps complete the package. First, Lapis Clove is inspired by the stone Lapis and has gold leaf in it to mimic the gold flecks in the stone. The fragrance is a fresh crisp men’s spice combination of clove and eucalyptus (I created it as a men’s combination but I love it and would certainly use it myself!) Tangerine Splash has some orange rind in it to exfoliate your skin. The fragrance includes Tangerine, Orange, Bergamot, Nutmeg, Rosemary and lemongrass essential oils. The final bar is Jasmine Clementine with calendula petals in it. The fragrance includes Orange, tangerine, Mandarin Orange, Jasmine and Amber, a blend of essential and fragrance oils.
So thanks for dropping by and checking out the things I make and the words I write. I can tell you that there is no other life that I’d rather live than the life of an artist!
In order to qualify for the giveaway, please become a “follower” of my blog using the link at the right. Then leave a comment below and I’ll draw someone at random on November the 14th and announce the winner that day. Make sure I have a way to email you, so either have your email address in your profile info, provide a link to your address or (in a pinch) post it in your comment. Thanks so much for dropping by. Happy creating!
-Carmen Rose
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Vision Quest Class
The thirteen week Vision Quest class I am teaching begins January 4th, so please stop by my Mystic Call blog to learn more about this great opportunity to grow and clarify your vision for 2009.
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