My garden. It was a wonderful haven away from "every day life" for me and things that bothered me. I would often go there when I needed some solace and connect to Nature, letting go of whatever bothered me while I worked. While I may have been sore, tired, and very sunned after a day spent there I was always at peace!
2. Remember what kinds of activities you enjoyed as a child. Were there types of art that especially called to you? Do you still practice them?
I loved to read and learn, and still do. However I find that as an adult I seem to have "less time" for such pursuits due to a need to do other things for whatever reason. I used to draw, doodle, and sketch a lot more when I was younger, and as I grew older I would also write a lot. I found that I wrote most often when I was upset and angry and therefore as I've moved away from those situations I do so less now.
3. Get some fingerpaint or crayons. Spend some time playing, remembering what it was like to create as a child.
This is definitely something I want to try to do as I have a plethora of crayons.
4. Take a stack of old magazines. Go through them quickly, looking for colorful pages. Tear them out. Then, tear shapes out of the pages. Lay the shapes onto a fresh piece of paper and arrange them to satisfy you. Paste them down, or just start over and make another.
I have always loved making collages and this is something I plan on revisiting again soon!
5. Put on some music and sing, or at least hum, along to it. If you feel inhibited, ask yourself why. What inner messages do you give yourself about your singing abilities?
I don't mind singing when I'm alone but I have some stigmas about doing so where anyone can hear me. When I was a child I wanted to sing and would often hum little tunes to myself but as I expressed a desire to write music and sing I was shot down by my mother which caused me to give up entirely on it.
6. Remember a piece of art you started to create but didn't finish. Why didn't you finish it? Where is it now? What happened to make you stop?
I have what I refer to as "artistic ADD". I like to have a lot of projects going on because I find it difficult to sit and do a single piece of art depending on what it is. With things like knit and crochet which take a lot of time to make I find myself taking frequent and long breaks, whereas with painting, drawing, or writing I do not.
7. Make a list of words you associate with the word "artist". Circle all the negative words. Do you see a pattern to your attitudes? What is it?
Messy, haphazard, absent-minded, creative, expressive, distinct, different, disorganized, creative chaos, out of the box, unique. The pattern I notice is that the "negatives" seem to reflect a lack of order, as though to be artistic to me means you do things willy nilly rather than with any particular technique. However as an artist I tend to be rather traditional & out of the box at the same time. I try to keep to the "way" things are meant to be done, while expressing myself in a new/different way through the medium (eg using strange colors or subject matter.)
8. Make a list of artists you admire. What is it about them that draws you? In what ways do you want to be like them?
Salvador Dali - I love his surreal expression.
Picasso - Really expressed himself well out of the box.
Ansel Adams - I love his capturing of Nature via black and white photography.
Krystal Hobeck - She and I have similar style and I appreciate her "rogue" designs and methods.
Lauren Toney - I think she's a great photographer and love her unique take on things!
9. Think of an artist or performer you don't like. Make a list of words describing him or her. Look at that list and imagine those words being applied to you. How do you feel? Why do you feel these qualities are frightening?
Jay-Z: I can't think of any specific words so much as I just don't consider him (or most modern rappers and musicians) to be musicians. They don't play instruments and may not even write the songs they sing so to me they don't have a real connection to their work other than their name. I also think that art in any form should be something you can personally connect to as the creator, it's not just something you do - it's something you are...
10. If you could create only one work of art before you died, what would it be? What's stopping you from creating that artwork now?
That is a large and lofty question. I think perhaps making a tapestry using crochet, knit, and cross stitch/needlepoint/embroidery could be really neat. But I don't have any particular subject matter I feel called to make in that manner...requires further thought or at least inspiration...might be something I look into doing now...
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