Charlene Anderson: Purveyor of all Things Creative

Newsletter

April 2012 

In This Issue
Quick Links 
 
Greetings!
Tulips and Hyacinths

Is it Spring where you live? The weather here in Jackson Hole has been decidedly mixed...one day it is warm enough to open the windows to air out the house and the next day it is snowing!

 

Unfortunately, those are NOT my tulips on the left...but enjoy them any way!

 

Keep creating,


Charlene Anderson 

 

Jump Start Your Creativity

 

Are you looking for ways to kick your creative side into gear? Here are some ideas:

As a former graphic artist I am very familiar with "swipe files." These are notebooks or files or bulletin boards that hold clippings and swatches and ideas that appeal to you. They may be contain colors you never thought of using together, or an unusual placement of a clasp on a necklace. The modern version of a swipe file can be Pinterest boards or an app like Moodboard for the iPad.

Take a look through beading and jewelry magazines, not necessarily to use the patterns they contain, but to see trends and styles and new techniques. You never know when a photo of a bracelet can inspire the most beautiful necklace you have ever made. When you look through these magazines, look with a critical eye. Did the artist choose colors that were appealing? Did the clasp and other findings add to the total design? What would you do differently if you were doing this project? Just because it appears in a magazine doesn't mean it is well designed or well executed.

Keep a notebook beside your bed for the inspiration that strikes just before you drift off to sleep or when you first wake up. I have found this to be the most valuable tool I use as I try to "meditate" (I use quotes as it is not meditation in the traditional sense but rather letting my mind wander through design ideas before I fall asleep). The last thing I do before I go to sleep is to jot down the ideas that have popped into my mind during this period. It is amazing what the free and unfettered mind can come up with.

Study color. Many people believe that you are either born with a color sense or you or you are not. I don't think this is true. Color sense can be developed through observation, practice, reading and trying out combinations you wouldn't think would go together. Don't be afraid to try new things. Yes, red and purple can go together! 

If things aren't going well, if the technique is not working or the colors don't sing, don't be afraid to start over. Part of the pleasure in working in any creative medium is learning, growing, and experimenting. Don't let the fact that a piece is not working stifle the creativity in your soul. Take the project apart, put it aside, or throw it away (a drastic but very cathartic measure---especially if you live in the 18th floor of a condo and can hear the project hit the bottom of the trash chute after falling almost 200 feet) and start on something else. By working on a new project you may find solutions to the problems you were having with the disobedient piece.

Sometimes the ideas come easily, and the time spent in your studio is pure joy. Then there are the times you can't gather together the energy to find your way into the studio, much less create something. Maybe it is time to do away with the guilt and give yourself permission not to make art. If you tell yourself you can't make jewelry and do totally unrelated tasks, you'll be so anxious to get to your workroom that the ideas will come pouring out of you. Clean behind the refrigerator, dust door jambs and baseboards, clean the grout and caulk in the bathroom, vacuum under the sofa and bed, and do laundry. Yuk. The studio looks pretty good now, doesn't it?

Work on a list of the successful pieces you've made and why they were successful. I try to take photos of all my work before it leaves the studio so I can keep my portfolio up-to-date and have photos to send to prospective clients, web sites, blogs or magazines.

 

I wish you many hours and days of joyous creativity!  

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