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hi. I’ve missed you.

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Every once and awhile I need a break. I think it’s important to embrace those times and let myself recharge, but afterward there’s always that awkward period of starting up again.

I just finished reading Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon and it reminded me that sometimes you have to just start doing. If you’re not doing, talk about what you want to be doing or wish you have time to be doing.

(I could probably fill post after post with what my daughter is doing. In fact, I just might do that. She’s a creative machine, that one.)

I highly recommend both of Kleon’s books: Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work! If you don’t know him, there’s plenty on his website to dig into. It doesn’t matter what your passion is, his message is universal: do good work and share it with others.

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lisa frank’s office space is awesome.

Growing up I was into all things rainbows and unicorns, but I don’t remember any of these characters. Maybe they were a little bit after my time? Lisa Frank is making a comeback, though. Urban Outfitters is now selling a line of vintage items that have “been hiding away in Lisa’s own secret stash.”

Frank recently agreed to an on-camera interview with the store, and her headquarters in Arizona is quite something. My favorite part of this short film is getting a peek at her original artwork. She has saved it all — along with a sample of each product ever made. The details and colors of her pre-computer pieces are simply amazing.

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the beauty in imperfection

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One of the most accurate signs of Spring are dandelions. You can have a few warm days or an itchy nose from tree pollen, but Spring hasn’t truly arrived until the dandelions come up. Most adults consider them a scourge on their lush, perfectly manicured lawn, but not me. I actually think they’re quite beautiful, and how can you not when…

…watching children run around all smiles and giggles picking giant bouquets of them.
…discovering them thriving in the harshest of environments, like cracks in the pavement.
…seeing a group of kids in the store all wearing them on their heads in the shape of a crown.
…knowing that you can pick them, mow them, and poison them, yet they still survive.

Dandelions are little puff balls of sunshine that turn into magical featherlight wisps perfect for blowing in the wind. They are tenacious survivors. They take whatever we give them and continue to bloom in spite of us. They are strong with their roots fiercely attached to this earth, while their seeds blow high and far away, searching for new places to live.

I know I’ll never convince anyone not to yank them out of their yard, my husband included. However, the next time you see a lone dandelion growing out of some impossible place or a field of them by the side of the road, take a moment to admire their unique beauty.

Or not. They don’t really care. They’ll keep on growing no matter what you think.

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noro eye candy

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What is it about Noro yarn? The colors are so intense. They make any project look exceptionally beautiful.

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I was casually browsing the library shelves when I found this book. The pictures are gorgeous. The colors are amazing.

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I don’t think I’ll be being buying this for my collection. There aren’t even any patterns that I’m dying to make.

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But for the entire time it was checked out, I stared at these pages. I stared at the beautiful photography. I got inspired.

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After I finish the Honey Cowl, I just might dig out some Noro from my stash and make something amazing.

You can look inside the Noro Crochet on amazon.

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inspiration from space

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Col. Chris Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut living on the International Space Station. I started following him on twitter because my daughter is studying Sally Ride in school. He posts cool stuff like the kind of food he eats and how his watch floats around his wrist.

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The past few days, though, he has been posting some phenomenal photos of earth. They almost look like paintings and are beautiful displays of color and texture.

australia

If you’re the kind of person who looks to the world around you for inspiration, you should definitely be following him on twitter. His photos are posted on a tumblr blog, as well. In case you were wondering, the images above are of Mumbai, India; The Bahamas; and The Australian Outback.

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creative books on my nightstand

signature styles jenny doh shutter sisters guide to shooting zakka style

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about creativity after my last post. I’ve also been spending time with some good books and I thought I’d share them with you. (all links go to amazon.com)

Jenny Doh’s Signature Styles: Some of my favorite artists are in here, as well as a few I’ve never heard of before. It doesn’t focus on their work as much as their own personal style. Although, they’ve each shared a pattern, too. I love reading about what inspires these women.

The Shutter Sisters’ Expressive Photography: I had to get this one via Interlibrary Loan and it was worth the wait. I like how each topic, whether it be portraits or nature, is broken down the same way: approach, perspective, composition, lighting, details and processing. I need to spend more time behind my camera lens.

Rashida Coleman-Hale’s Zakka Style: I’m a huge fan of linen and love pretty much anything zakka. This book contains patterns from 24 different artists. I don’t know if I’ll actually make any of them. I keep flipping through it like it’s a picture book. Coleman-Hale just happens to be featured in Signature Styles.

That’s what I’m reading these days. What about you? Share in the comments and have creative day!

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how pinterest killed my creativity

I’ve been thinking a lot about inspiration lately, and how technology is kind of killing mine.

It started with browser bookmarks. I had a folder called inspiration that contained my favorite websites. Then RSS feeds came and I moved all of those bookmarks over for faster, easier access. Flickr was next; I searched and added all of my favorites and discovered some new ones, too. Then came Twitter, Facebook and Ravelry, and now there is Pinterest.

All of these ways to manage inspiration have left me very uninspired.

A few weeks ago I was helping my daughter research her next artist, Paula Scher. Our library only had one title that mentioned her: Inspirability. When I opened the book, I found one of my favorite inspirational pieces of all time: Michael Bierut’s “Design Counts.” postcard.* This card has literally sat on my desk or been pinned to my bulletin board for over 10 years.

Michael Bierut Design Counts

I’ve been thinking a lot about that card and how it influences my work. Would it have had the same effect on me over the past 10 years if I had simply pinned it to an electronic bulletin board? I sat down and made a list of some of the things that inspired the designers in this book: music, art, photography, food, movies, books, history, fashion, architecture, details, curiosity, living. That last one got to me. Living.

Now there’s something to be said for having a resource to keep track of recipes I want to try or patterns I want to make. However, using it to manage things that inspire me was overwhelming. As a visual artist, it’s hard to pull myself away from the gorgeous photographs streaming down the page. And there’s a lot of beautiful work out there. I spent so much time glued to my screen that I stopped noticing the beauty around me. I spent so much time looking at everyone else’s work that I had little time left for my own.

I stopped living my life creatively.

So I did something drastic. I deleted almost a year’s worth of pins. Surprisingly, it wasn’t very hard. I deleted the app from my phone, too. I’ve been Pinterest-free for a few weeks and it feels good.

This is hard to admit and even harder to write about. I love how social media has brought the creative community together in so many different ways. I’m not deleting my accounts or anything — I’m not crazy! I am looking forward to rediscovering my creativity offline, however, and most importantly, sharing that here on the blog.

How has social media affected your creativity? How about your life in general? Feel free to discuss in the comments. I’m interested in your perspectives!

*For those who aren’t familiar with the 2000 presidential election chaos in Florida, the image is a “butterfly ballot” used by Palm Beach County. Almost 7,000 votes had to be discarded because this poorly designed ballot confused voters and caused many to punch the incorrect hole for their candidate or to vote for more than one candidate.

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the house that giacometti and biedrzycki built

giacometti and biedrzycki art project

Last month my daughter studied the artist Alberto Giacometti. For her project, she chose to make a sculpture in the style of The Palace at 4 a.m.

Also during March, her school was learning about David Biedrzycki and reading the Ace Lacewing Bug Detective series. Although odd to some, it made perfect sense to me when she decided to fill her house with insects. We started calling them her Biedrzycki bugs.

giacometti and biedrzycki art project

Most of the materials are wood: bamboo skewers, dowels, beads, toothpicks and sticks. There’s also a bit of yarn, foil and clay. I’m not sure what the pink stuff is! I can tell you that one of the pink bugs is a bee and the other is a cocoon with a little green caterpillar sticking out. Also taking up residence is a walking stick and spider.

giacometti and biedrzycki art project

There’s a front and back door, a shelf for holding books, knitting and crochet (yes! she drew yarn, needles and hooks on the shelves!), a table and a painting hanging on the “wall.”

I’m constantly amazed by this girl of mine and can’t help but wonder where her interests will lead her in life.

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crafty finds the library book sale

library book sale

I love books — old, new, hardback, paperback, electronic — I just can’t get enough of them. I am currently downsizing my collection, but couldn’t resist going to our city library’s book sale. I found non-fiction titles for myself, brand new books that will become gifts for others, and children’s books for my daughter.

Of course I had to check out the craft books and I came home with some not-so-typical choices. No sewing, knitting or crochet! Here’s what I got:

The Creative License: Giving Yourself Permission to Be The Artist You Truly Are This book looks like fun. Here’s the sentence on the back cover that sold me: “Somewhere deep inside, we all have a longing to make things — be they drawings, music, hand-knit sweaters or loaves of bread.”

Country Living Making & Displaying Quilts I don’t ever see myself making a quilt and don’t own any other quilt books, but I love Country Living publications. The beautiful pictures always inspire me.

Crafts and Keepsakes for the Holidays: Christmas with Martha Stewart Living I don’t own any holiday craft books, either. I am still committed to handmade holiday gifts and there are some really cute ideas in here, plus lots of yummy recipes.

Good Things from Tag Sales and Flea Markets Does this book even need an explanation? Honestly, I think I have checked out this exact copy at least twice. It’s filled with information on how to shop, what to buy, and how to restore thrifted items.

Print Magazine’s 2004 European Design Annual: Print is one of my favorite graphic design magazines. I love all of the annuals, but there’s something special about the European edition. It’s a nice change of pace from the design we are surrounded by every day.

I’ll be devouring these over the next few weeks and will let you know how they are. I’m curious what everyone else is reading these days.

Share your favorite crafty recommendations in the comments!

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savoring the last days of summer

this moment

I find this time of year difficult. I love Autumn. I can’t wait for bright red and yellow leaves, crisp breezes, wool scarves and pumpkin soup. I have to stop and remind myself that the last few weeks of summer are also wonderful:

  • warm, sunny days without the oppressive heat
  • cool evenings with chirping crickets
  • long daylight hours, which are slowly getting shorter!
  • a three-day weekend with “daddy home!”

I’m noticing the soft grass between my toes, the lush green trees on the horizon and the brilliantly colored flowers that are still in bloom. I’m trying not to wish it all away in anticipation of the next season. It will be here soon enough.

I made a desktop background with my little mantra as a daily reminder. You are welcome to download it here.