Quiet moments of creativity

Hello hello friends. Hope you’re doing well, wherever you are. It is officially spring here and I have been loving spotting the signs of new life on my daily walks. The daffodils have come and gone, the cherry blossoms are slowing fading, and green buds are popping up everywhere I look.

I am quietly living through my sabbatical year, which has not gone as planned but that’s okay. I fantasized I would be this creative content machine, but I’m instead adjusting to different responsibilities and learning to trust things will be alright. Daily walks in the park, a little cooking, lots of reading and audiobooks comprise most of my days, with spurts of not-fun-but-necessary life admin stuff. Even though I haven’t kept to a productive creative content schedule, I’ve still managed to sneak in some quiet and small moments of creativity.

In honor of March being National Craft Month in the US, here are some crafty things I’ve been up to these days.

Collage

I started the 100 day project this year with some 4×4-inch collages. I’m hoping to make a few more and send the best ones to “Art for a Cause.” The collages will be displayed at Georgetown University Hospital, then later attached to greeting cards to be donated to the hospital community. If you’re interested, the deadline is May 10, and you can read more about it here.

Cyanotype

As soon as I saw the preview images of RM’s album, Indigo, I immediately ordered a cyanotype kit. Three months later, I finally opened it to print some bits of nature I foraged and gathered on my walks. I learned the hard way to check for any shadows on the paper before setting it out in the sun. Next time maybe I can intentionally utilize the shadows when printing.

Sketching

I’ve finally started using my Rendr sketchbook I mentioned in my 2023 Planners and Notebooks video. So far I’ve mostly been doing studies of cute animals seen on Instagram, as well as scenes of nature from the neighborhood.

Painted Tiles

One day on my daily walk I found an abandoned stub of chalk on the side of the path. I took it home and doodled a little design on the sidewalk in front of the house. Luckily my mom didn’t mind, and in fact “commissioned” me to decorate some broken tiles from her garden. I ordered a pack of acrylic markers, made various studies of tile designs, but really didn’t feel inspired by any of them. Finally, I just sat down one day and drew some rosehips from a book on roses I had. After a few coats of sealant, the tiles were returned to the garden and so far are holding up well through rain and wind.

Upcycled Pencil Roll

I cut up a pair of beyond-saving jeans to upcycle into an artist’s pencil roll. I don’t have a sewing machine so I hand stitched the dividers for the pencil pockets, as well as the roll tie. Also ironed on a patch on one of the pockets for decoration as well as extra support (these were well loved jeans, quite floppy). I don’t draw out on location too often (yet), but did take the pencil roll out for a spin on a sunny day.