From Cat’s eyes to Creative Seed - How do you get there?

[Barbara/Hopscotch]

I thought it would be fun to tell the story behind my Avatar the 'Creative Eye'.   This was yet another experiment which resulted in a textile sample.

Many a time I’ve tried to analyze my thought and work processes! You know, how to get from A(the idea) to B(the resulting piece of work) 
Every time I attempt it - I fail miserably. Why? Because it’s boring! This may sound naive and un-businesslike, but is it?
I think that sometimes, when it feels right, imagination and passion are the only powerful allies I need in the creative process.

If you are constantly stopping to evaluate:

What you are doing?
Which techniques you are going to use?
How long it will take?
Which materials are suitable?
The impetus is lost and “The train done gone”, so to speak!  Yes, I know I still haven’t explained how I got to the end product, but I’ll try.

It all started with a little nocturnal foraging over on e-Bay. I found a strange little advertisement in the ‘not specified’ category(my favourite because I like ‘outside the box’ kind of stuff!).

3 Cats’ eyes.   Please do not rush for the smelling salts! No fluffy felines were harmed during the attainment of these items,(no little kitties wearing eye patches). These were copper-clad, “road kill” items that just happened to pop out for a break. “So novel”, I hear you say.

Q. What were you going to create with them?
A. I haven’t the slightest idea, I just took a shine to them(pardon the pun)
Anyway, I wanted to create a textile postcard so I started with an eye/my inner eye -  a cat’s eye?, Why not?

 

The little devils were on my mind and it just shows how small things can influence you. One small thing becomes a creative seed, that seed germinates in my inner eye. This filters down onto the “blank canvas” as stitches in threads and silks for the fine rain and beads, yes, seed beads, ready to germinate an idea!

The shape at the base of this piece is?
What you make of it. For me, it became an idea for a future piece, a future W.I.P. so to speak, hence the embryonic shape.
I started thinking, maybe this Embryo/W.I.P. had now begun to nurture me!(Or at least my creative thoughts) and so the umbilical cord was added to represent the link from the embryo or the seed of future ideas back to me, where it all starts again.

Either way, I loved the journey and I’m sure more Creative Seeds will grow in the future.

What strange things have been a catalysts for some of your work?  I'd love to know!

Barbara

[Barbara/Hopscotch]

Thanks for dropping by, Anneliese :)

Barbara

[Anneliese]

I loved to read about your cat's eye and all the other comments.

[Barbara/Hopscotch]

Good luck!  Sharon, 

 I think that when you give yourself time to play; your mind can take a side-step, away from that famiiliar route of make to sell.

When you create something by practicing  methods you're attracted to, it seems to flow easier(well, that's how it works for me)

Hope you are successful :)

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[Sharon Taverner]

I hear where you aare coming from. I cannot for the life of me preplan or preprepare a piece. I usually have an idea of what I would like to create, browse through loads of technique books, find something that I think might work and begin. Inevitably what I wanted to create doesn't appear but more often than not going with the flow and running with what if's something lovely appears.

For the last couple of years I have been selling at craft fairs so basically making stuf and I reiterate STUFF that sells. My enjoyment and mojo got up and ran off. This year I have decided not to do any and the creative juices are flowing and I am enjoying playing again. I am submitting to a gallery in May for a Textile Exhibition in June but it will be work that I have enjoyed PLAYING with.

Even when I was at College doing an HND in 3D design I was always being told off for going with my first idea and playing with it instead of drawing and planning and changing  the design on paper. SOOOOO Boring. I think as Adults we can sometimes forget to play through doing....isn't that how kids learn and have fun?

 

[Oma Rose]

I love Baa Baa. I have now made the step away from counting after a particularly tedious cross stitch...Never again!!   and am now enjoying the opportunity to play with textiles and creativity. I have also started puddling with watercolours, but unfortunately i can't combine the two. Acrylics may ultimately be the answer....for now, I have finished a quilt challenge and will have a play with TAST until some inspiration hits me in the face:)

[Barbara/Hopscotch]

I love the way you've turned this into such a fun piece!  I know sometimes I feel outside my comfort zone, usually when something has to be counted and structured in a set way.

  I don't think your creativity is spent at all!  Every now and then a step sideways into unfamiliar territory does you the world of good!

Happy stitching!

Barbara

[Julie Thomson]

Love that story Barbara.... normally I only do embroidery that involves counting but I had a go at wet felting and ended up with an odd shaped piece with holes AND I am not sure how this happened, but a hook type thing on the back... I needlefelted some white "blobs" then did some very basic stitchery...the result looked like, well to me anyway, sheep !!! Baa Baa was created...I think that used up all my creativeness.... back to counting

[Barbara/Hopscotch]

Please leave me your strangest ones :)

Barbara