nicki crafts too much

Find Inspiration in Unique Places

Mixed Media

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.
 

Pile of journals...

Fashion and Decor

Art Inspiration Journal

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.

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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.

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This is the paper from a pattern, butcher paper and newsprint, starched onto a canvas and painted over with diluted white acrylic. 

April 1 2006 054

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