Tag: creativity

Time to Reconnect

Time to Reconnect

by ehueston ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hello lovely readers!

I have just come back from a lovely adventure and I feel all rejuvenated and ready to go!
As I am sure I mentioned in a post or two, I decided to being only specific activities with me on my trip. Since I started knitting my other hobbies have taken a bit of a back seat. On my trip I brought zero yarns. All I brought was my travel journal with markers and pens, and my Kobo filled with books. All my knitting friends would stare and ask again what project I was bringing but I stood my ground. My sketching and reading needed a turn.

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I am very glad that I stuck with this plan. First, we were backpacking, there wasn’t a lot of room in my bags and I would have definitely broken a needle or two.
Second, the days were pretty full and there was so much to see, so activities on day trip travels were just not a thing anyway.

At the end of the day I would wind down with some journal time. I would write about what we saw, interactions we had, and lovely memories I wanted to hold on to. I am so glad that I did this. We were so busy throughout the days that the locations and restaurants all started to blur. Having them down while the memories were fresh holds so much value to me. When I was done I would chill with my book for a bit.

I was able to take some time to sketch while we were on a cruise night. I am so rusty when it comes to life drawing, but I think that it came out alright. I really enjoyed getting lost in the art for a little while, very therapeutic. More on that experience coming soon.

I really enjoyed “reconnecting” with these mediums. I think that it will really help me to find a better balance in what I do in my free time. I found over the weekend that I would want to put the knitting down because I really wanted to read more of my book instead.

Now, before we freak out. I am not saying knitting is bad, or that it is ruining anything. It has wonderfully filled a gap in my creative atmosphere. I am able to be creative now in time that I was finding “wasted”. I am just noticing that I was knitting over doing any of my other outlets more often than not, and I was getting to a point where I felt guilty and a little stressed out that I wasn’t able to come to a balance.

I really enjoyed writing everyday, so I think that I am going to try and bring that back a little more. More that my “best moment” of the day and little notes that I have been doing anyway. And I really want to read more. I finished four books over my holidays and that felt so great! More of this please.

A Decent Start to the Year

A Decent Start to the Year

by ehueston ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Update time! It’s the first month into the new year and it’s time to take a look at how it’s all going.

This month I stuck to one project until it was done. I am working on a sample knit for a local yarn team (post to come), so I am focusing on getting that done ahead of some travel I have planned. As I write this it is blocking and then waiting for me to knit the neck and button holes. In the meantime, I am working on something small for me.

Art wise, I am already falling behind. I wanted to have more happening already. I am using the sample knit as an excuse for sure, which is ok, but still. I have a lot of fun ideas that keep cropping up, so I am thinking I’ll have my art journal out and open ALL THE TIME so that it’s easier for me to pick away at them. I am not bringing any knitting on my trip because I was to focus on the travel journaling in any down time I might have. Maybe that will help to get things jump started.

I think I am going to switch things up and focus on a book this month. I have been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately, a lot of autobiographies read by the author which I really enjoy. The author can put their own spin on their own stories which I really enjoy. One of these books I listened to this month was Drew Barrymore’s Wildflower. Her stories are so wonderful and out of control at the same time, but she also elaborates on what she learned, how she felt after, or what the silver lining was. She got something out of every experience and I love that! I try to be of the mind that there’s a positive side to most things, and listening to Drew’s stories really helped reinforce that mentality. I definitely recommend this book, whether you read or listen to it, either way it will be enjoyable.

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10 More Minutes

10 More Minutes

by ehueston ♥ 2 Comments

I feel like I have written about this piece of advice already but it comes up too often in my art life to not mention it at least once more.

Another beautiful piece of advice that I received from a college professor, one I use almost everyday in my work and personal art is: if you don’t like it, it’s not done yet. Just think about that for a second, let that gem marinate. I cannot tell you the number of pieces that have been saved by my spending 10 more minutes with it.

Note: I say 10 minutes as a suggestion, not the hard and fast gold standard. This is the amount of time that I usually give it, sometimes I need more, sometimes I need less, sometimes nothing will save the mess I made.

For an example, I might have a page layout that I do not love at all and would be embarrassed to show anyone (“you did how many years of school for this?”). I walk away, take lunch, give it a few more minutes and more often than not I will find the perfect solution that will make both me and my customer happy. Sometimes the change is something minor, sometimes it’s a full revamp of the original idea.

So many of my sketches have been saved by giving it a few extra minutes. I start out with an idea, work through it, but it’s just not getting there. High school me would have stopped right there. It’s frustrating, why won’t my brain and hand work together on this? But, I remember this piece of advice and I give it a few more minutes. I take that time to work on the problem areas, what I’m not liking. Restructure or come at it from a different angle maybe. Sometimes I move away from that problem part entirely (if the sketch allows) and try something different.

Now this isn’t to say that all of your creations will be amazing if you work for 10 more minutes. Some things cannot be saved, sometimes the idea just isn’t cooperative, the colours don’t work, whatever, but if you give it the time, at least you know for sure. Just make sure to keep them where they are.

I have used this advice outside of my art life too. “This clutter will never get organized”. Plug away for 10 more minutes and things usually start to pull together. “I can’t coordinate this Christmas list”. Walk away for 10 minutes, come back and try again. “I am feeling overwhelmed with this effort”. Give it 10 minutes, take a deep breath, try again.

Give it a try! Resist the urge to ball that annoying piece into a ball and throw it away. Just take a 10 minute break or work at it for 10 more minutes, either way, give it 10 more minutes.

November Update

November Update

by ehueston ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

As the lead up to the holidays begins, things get a little busy around here. I’ve been spending the month getting through Christmas projects and working on some projects for the people around me.

Projects that I can share include a hat that my Mom requested for the cold weather. She purchased the yarn back in the summer and we chose the Astra hat. It is usually intended for DK weight yarn, but we had worsted and bulky on hand. To accommodate I kept the needle size required for the ribbing, went up a size for the body. I decided to go down a hat size to allow for the larger yarn. It all worked out really well. The contrast colour was a bulky yarn so it made the overall fabric of the hat really warm and cozy. Overall, the colours worked out really well and the hat looks great!

I was also able to participate in a local Paint Nite at the end of the month that revolved around the holidays. It included the making of Christmas ornaments and it was a lot of fun. I think that they turned out really well. I highly recommend them no matter what your experience level is. The classes walk you through every step of the process. I have had a paint brush in my hand for as long as I can remember and I learn something new at each one of these sessions. They are a great night out, and I know that my parents had a really good time too.

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I have a few other projects underway that I can’t share right now but hopefully soon. That’s where things are at heading into the holidays.

Thanks for checking in readers! More chats next week.

PUT THE ERASER. DOWN!

PUT THE ERASER. DOWN!

by ehueston ♥ 2 Comments

I had a lot of fantastic professors when I was at Sheridan, and each one seemed to have a key piece of advice that has stuck with me through the years. These little pieces of advice have come back to me on a regular basis, and more often than not, have saved A LOT of my art work from a terrible fate.

Today’s piece of advice came from one professor who told us to never use an eraser. Wait, wait, wait… hear me out! This is seriously some of the best advice I have ever received. He encouraged us to get all of the “crap” out on paper. If you’re not loving your sketch, move on to a new sheet and try again. Just leave that little guy where it is for right now.

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Now, I am not saying throw out all of your erasers. I use mine for little touch ups, or areas that are getting a little too built up to know where I am going. Erasers still have a purpose. What I AM saying is, if you are hating your sketch, leave it there, don’t erase the whole thing and start over. Get that guy out of your head and out of the way.

The reasoning behind this professor’s advice was this: leaving these sketches or ideas out on the page makes room for the “good” ideas to breathe and come to be the amazing art that you do this for. Everyone wants to have that perfect sketchbook full of daVinci level amazing but that’s just not realistic most of the time. You should be free to explore new ideas, concepts, media and approaches. That’s what your sketchbook can be there for. And who knows, maybe one of those “crappy” ideas will be just what you’re looking for later on.

Speaking from personal experience, I have sat down on many occasions to develop an idea that has been swirling around in my head, but the pencil and the page have a different idea. Rather than erasing and starting over, I remember the advice that was given and I keep those lines on the page, I just let it happen and explore where it takes me. These almost always end up in my top favourite sketches. No, it isn’t what I set out to do, but I might never have come to this new idea by forcing it and erasing my lines and starting over.

Sometimes ideas need to breathe. Let out the clutter, clear up the space and let it do its thing. You never know what you might come up with.

 

Creativity… who has it?

Creativity… who has it?

by ehueston ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

It was Thanksgiving in Canada this past weekend, so I have been a little overloaded with food and hostess prep. As a result I will be keeping this post short and sweet. I have done a lot of chatting here, and now I’d like to hear from you!

I mentioned in my September recap that I had participated in a few interesting discussions on the topic of creativity, and that I need to learn more. I don’t want to lead this in any specific direction so I am just going to dive in and see what comes out.

What do you think about creativity? What is creativity to you? Who has it? How do you use it (if at all)?

I am really interested in hearing what you think. So please comment below, send me an email, post on my Facebook or Instagram, whatever you’re most comfortable with. I’ll be collecting all of your answers and having them help me out with upcoming posts. Thanks in advance for your help and I hope you all have a wonderful week!

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September Updates

September Updates

by ehueston ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

What happened? It was early September two minutes ago!

Overall, September was a time for finishing things up and challenging myself, but mostly for producing the spark on what’s to come for the rest of the year. This past month I was able to wrap up a few long in-progress projects and start a few that have been waiting patiently. But, I think that the better descriptor of September would be “inspirational”. A few things happened in September that have set a few potential things in motion for me.

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First, TIFF. I went to the Toronto International Film Festival with my aunt this year. The energy was insane! I was able to see new movies that I am so excited for others to see, and some movies that I am sorry won’t be more wide spread. I was able to watch movies with other movie lovers! It was such an amazing experience. I have always loved the movies, and am constantly on the edge of diving right in to that world. This trip has provided some inspiration on my end to dig deeper in my movie experiences and look into how I can see a wider range of movies!

Second, this month I had multiple conversations on the topic of creativity. There are some wonderful perspectives out there. Whether you are a trained artist or not, the view of creativity is so different across the board. This triggered the researcher in me and I have been looking into this further to see what else I can learn on the topic. Reading all of those articles has been completely fascinating, I honestly can’t get enough. I have a very large post brewing on the topic of creativity, so stay tuned, I’ll be asking all of you lovely readers for some assistance soon!

Finally, a few different little things have re-ignited my interest in art therapy. This is an area of study that I briefly looked into a few years back but didn’t pursue. I am interested again! I have a few books that I am looking into to see what I can learn before I dive too deep. Just something I am interested in researching at the moment.

On top of all that, I am working on some requests and gifts, I am starting some Christmas projects, and trying to squeeze in a few things for me. October has a lot of potential. Now, full disclaimer, this IS coming at the end of a cold on my side, so I am running on that “return to being a human” burst of energy. We will see what sticks all the way through, but there’s (at very least) a lot of fun research coming my way and research is my jam! Make sure that you are following me on Facebook and Instagram for more regular updates. It’s an exciting time!