Find Inspiration in Unique Places
Part of the reason the things we make stay in the craft realm instead of transcending to art is lack of creativity in inspiration. Think about it. Millions of people who like to make things read Martha Stewart or shop for craft supplies exclusively at Michael's. The same goes for Joann Fabrics, Better Homes and Gardens -- you get the picture.
If you really want to make things that are unique, look to different places for inspiration, and follow your own tastes.Don't be afraid to look at magazines that are not craft related! A few of my favorites: Dwell, Italian Vogue, Elle Decor, and even Domino. Also great are art magazines: Art Forum, Art in America, and any sort of mixed media sculpture mag. People are manipulating materials in all sorts of lovely ways these days.
Take inspiration days...Visit a museum, take a hike, or scour small boutiques-- just for aesthetic indulgence. Take pictures, make sketches, commit your findings to memory!
I keep an Inspiration Journal (or three) where I paste clippings from magazines, pictures, or jot down ideas I have.
Finally, don't be afraid to mix and match your findings. You really liked that outfit in the last Anthropologie catalog? What did you like about it? The colors, the composition/balance of the ensemble? Would these ideas lend themselves well to your living room? A painting? Maybe a knitted article in the same vein.
Don't Let This Happen to You!
After visiting San Francisco this weekend, I was waiting for my delayed flight at the Oakland airport. Across from me were four terrifying women. Terrifying, you ask? Yes, terrifying. They were scary enough to drive me to change everything about myself, because as crafters, we are all on the same team.
They must have just come from a crafting convention funded
by Michael’s. Their pants had elastic waist bands. They all had short,
stale hair with a giant-bang roll. They were loudly discussing decorating for a
community theater event and had settled on a “Winnie the Pooh” theme, their
debate centered on who would dress up as Eyore.
As I looked at their bedazzled shirts and quilted bags I was reminded of
the “crafty” stereotype. And unfortunately,
as hip as we think our creations are, we all fall dangerously close from time
to time of knitting an acrylic toaster cozy. Part of the “crafty” problem is
making objects that are ordinary.
Ordinary is not worth your time! We need to make beautiful and interesting objects. So, here I have started to devise set of rules
that will help keep all of our crafting closer to art.
Here’s the first one.
Manipulation of Materials
The easiest way to create a “wow” factor is manipulation of materials. When your audience cannot tell how something was created, or what it is, it makes your object beautiful and unique.
Manipulation takes a little time, but is well worth the
effort. One of my favorite tricks is
amber colored shellac. It ages anything,
waterproofs anything, is a wonderful glue, etc.
I’ve used it on paper, fabric, wood, plaster, metal. Shellac is the nectar of the gods.
Dying materials is a great manipulation tool too. If coffee and tea aren’t cutting it for you anymore,
I find that Rit dye in tan adds age to just about any fabric or yarn.
When using wood, change it! 2 x 4s are always recognizable. If you run them through a planer a few times, you change the size, therefore making them unique. Or ding lumber up with a hammer, make it look like it has a checkered past.
Not the best picture, but here is an example of amber colored shellac on paper. You can see on the lower left corner how the material builds up on itself, creating different textures and shades.
oh--the mess!
Here is Jenny working on a small apron, drowning in the mess.
my sexy, sexy iron who was rescued from the dusty shelves of a thrift store brick brack section . she is the hottest iron ever. don't mess with stuff made half a century ago!
one of the finished products!
More product pictures coming soon!
Write your first post
Tell us a little about yourself. How’s your day going? What brought you here? What’s something you’re really excited about? If you need a little inspiration, answer the Question of the Day. Or introduce yourself to the Vox community. Click on compose to write your first post.
Display your favorite music, movies and books
Show us what you’re enjoying. You can add your favorite music, movies and books to your Vox with just a few clicks. Under the My Vox menu, click on Organize to start adding media.
Find inspiration by exploring
See what other Voxers are blogging about by visiting the Explore page. Join the conversation by commenting, leaving a [this is good] or adding people to your Neighborhood.
Only you can see this post. You may delete it at any time.
I apologize for how long it has taken me to respond to your comment...of course Green Slate would love to... read more
on Don't Let This Happen to...