My Process

Most Thursdays I join in with Our Creative Spaces which is great place to go and have a look at what people have been making each week - there are sewing projects, drawing, songs, craft, quilts, crochet, knitting.... anyway.
This week the challenge was to talk about what inspires us, our tips for creativity and I guess our 'process'.

Personally I am inspired by lots of things - colours and colour combinations often grab my attention and make me want to start making. There are definitely times when I see something and set out to make myself one. I'm not too worried by that because a) I know I will never actually make something the same and b) we all start from some jump point even when we feel our work is entirely original and uninspired by anything else we often find someone else just around the corner doing the same (or worse doing it better!) and c) I don't sell my work so I am not effecting another person's livelihood.

I was walking around a fabric shop with a friend one day when she asked me if I realised I was touching all the fabric and making noises - I hadn't realised but I definitely recognise that I feel fabric and I often go fabric shopping with no set plans in mind. I see fabric and then I develop an idea.

In life I hate the thought of a 'uniformity' or 'sameness' for me the great adventure is indeed that we are CREATED, UNIQUE and we each have a PLACE in history. Somewhere to stand, something to do, a voice. I think this pervades into every aspect of how I create - I find following patterns to the 't' impossible, I rarely follow a recipe exactly, I'd never make the look on the pattern envelope.

For me creativity is a lot about 'play' - mucking around with stacks of fabrics and stacks of patterns. Looking at wonderful inspiring images online or on books - my creative inspiration on Pinterest can be found here - and as Pooh Bear would say 'letting things come, it's the best way to write poetry (or create) letting things come'.

I often make changes as I go along - if something doesn't work as I thought it would or if some great idea comes to me.

The things I have made that I am proudest of most often are things that came to me when I played with ideas or started creating on some crazy whim.

I love colour and I love variety I sew, bake, felting, craft, I've done stained glass window making, jewellery making, decoupage, lighting, embroidery, photography, quilt making, written stories and poems, .... I'm sure there is other stuff I've forgotten....point is I like the process of making - it's the finishing I find tricky

I love:
the imagining
the ideas
the owning, wearing, giving a thing that is unique

So what is your creative process? Do you start with a pattern? Do your ideas translate as you expect them to? Do you see the creative process as playing or do you take it more seriously or in a more considered way?

Click on the Creative Spaces button on the right for other people's tips and thoughts and projects
Other stuff I've made this year
All images are things I have made in the last wee while
Also joining in with Simone - because it's great to see what other people are blogging about