(364) Two Braclets and a Pair of Earrings

It is incredible how quickly time flies when you are beading!

Tonight I beaded two bracelets and a pair of earrings with beautiful Sapphires I picked up at a bead fair in November. I also made good progress on a necklace, but need to make a trip to the bead store for a few more beads to finish.






Maybe part of the reason why creativity has gotten lost in my life is because planning = time + energy. With all the different direction life pulls us no wonder it is easy to lose vision of the things we once enjoyed with the chaos of life takes over.



Art projects can take a lot of planning. I often find myself buying random materials with great intentions, but eventually the paint dries up, fabric gets donated, or items get packed away (out of sight out of mind). Maybe this is how hoarding starts?



I have found that setting a goal with a defined timeline in mind helps me stay focused. A perfect example is there Sapphire beads. I bought the beads to make Christmas present for my sister (as she is born in September and Sapphire is the stone). As I made hers on time I had great intentions to finish matching ones for my mother and I. So even if its not the holiday, it will be a nice surprise the next time I see my mom.

(365) Day One - One Day

A sheet of snow silhouetted the trees and valley floor tonight. Seeing the flurry drift past the office window I hoped that I might circumvent the traffic by staying late, but by half after six I could not force myself to work any longer.

Driving in snow is an art, but driving around panicked drivers is a practice in patience. By the time I battled sno-mageddon, ate dinner with the family and celebrated Christmas round 3 the evening had flow by. Eleven-eleven and here I write in the warm confines of my house accompanied by my cute fuzzy gray cat nestled to her comfort (and my discomfort) on my lap.

So despite my best intentions to bring in day one with a shower of creativity the most I was able to muster was to add some design to the site. I chose a simple palate of soothing greens and blues. I wanted to ensure that reading would be easy on the eyes (not to mention I tend to favor these colors). Choosing a picture was not quite as easy. After sifting through my many adventures I decided upon a simple picture taken at the Newport Aquarium last spring.

Vibrant colors come alive as majestic creatures rhythmic movements fascinate those who are able to catch a glimpse. The vast depths of unexplored caverns possess hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. All the while the ocean puts forward a soothing calm that can come crashing in at any moment. To me the ocean is full of mystery and passion; in essence it encapsulates many of the same emotions feel about creativity.

~~~

I remember the trip fondly. We headed to Newport to relax in a beach cabin and celebrate a friend’s college graduation. The weather was tumultuous (to be expected on the Northwest coast in March). The group was cabin bound and starting to become restless. The guys had started to be silly an play around with random decorative objects that lay around the house. As they simulated battle of the birds I suggested making a film.

Hundreds of still frame images later is the result of two grown men cooped up in a cabin. In tribute to their debut stop animation venture I present to you Awesome Pirate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIup5SqsnG8

Insert Creativity Here - Amber's Challenge

There is something about adult life that has the tendency to suck the creativity right out of your soul. It seemed when I was a child words slithered through my tongue smoothly and formed images onto page after endless page. Characters were alive and a whole world could find its home in my mind.

Now at the end of my day I escape my imprisonment from the confined four walled coffin only to come home and lack energy to create.

The sad part is that for the last year I have fell into the comfort of American life. Not to say I have not accomplished a ton of work on the home front (yeah domesticity), but more that I have not accomplished nearly enough on the creative front to feel fulfilled.

I work my 9 to 5 (plus), come home to a picket fence, and living room a-glow with television. I used to pride myself on NOT being one of "those" people. And here I land in the very place I avoided for years. For 10 years I didn't own a TV, did not care to, and was glad I did not have the slightest clue what people were talking about when they would mention the latest episode of so-and-so. During that time I filled the evening with music and strange people with equally strange tales. DJing brought to my life a similar rhythm (a whole different story all together). Looking back now I can see it provided a warm glowing hum that took my mind away from the rest of the world.

I keep trying to find ways to rekindle a spark that will ignite my soul again. This time I want it to be different.

I think part of the struggle is transitioning back to a creative life is that the things I once truly enjoyed I have lost so I have to relearn them. I started with the basics and where my road to creativity started - writing. I began writing again (shorts mostly), but the progress has been slower than I had hoped (not to mention my vocabulary and character building have been in a less than desirable state).

If there is one thing I have learned about being a creature on this earth, it is that behavior is learned. The more I lived with people who shared the practice of being artistic, the easier I found it to share the habit. Unfortunately my partner is...for lack of a better term...not the creative type. I am fine with this, but it leads back to the frustrating point that it is easier to share a passion for creativity with someone who can join in that passion.

So I am turning a new page. My goal is to fill the blank pages with my quest to reinsert creativity into my life. I am starting a blog to capture 365 days of ways to insert creativity into daily life.

Let the countdown begin.