This week lets each be inspired to "see" what is around us and how it can inspire our own creativity.
To PONDER...
What do you regularly observe in life that triggers your creativity?
Has this week's study encouraged you to 'see' art differently?
What did you like about the three paintings Jane chose to focus on?
What creative afternoon ideas can you suggest for children (of varying ages)?
I have bird feeders on the deck and in the front yard. I love to watch the birds and wish they would all stay all year but alas I have the Juncos in Winter and the Hummingbirds in Spring/Summer. The rest of the year I have the rest of the usuals: Sparrows, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Doves, Starlings, Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmouse, Wrens, Finches, Grackles, and an occasional Hawk swoops in.
I often take pictures of my flowers, the birds, and sunrises and sunsets. While I don't paint they would inspire me if I did. I used to get a lot of catalogs and I would go through them and tear out pictures of things I wanted to make or recipes to try or just to hang on the frig for awhile.
I don't know that the birds trigger my creativity but I do enjoy watching them. They can be so comical and I have to wonder how they withstand the heat and cold.
The pages we read this week had some art work of women mostly knitting. The one picture had them all sitting around a room and just knitting alone. One of the reasons I love my 3 knit groups is that we visit and get to know each other and share our lives. I have been known to walk up to strangers and ask to take a picture of a knitted or crocheted item to go home to see if I can re-create it. Every week someone brings in a pattern that we all want to make and so we get the yarn and create our own version sometimes making some changes.
My neighbor kids love to finger paint, so I always keep cheap white construction paper and finger paint for them. A couple years ago on of them made the cutest snowman, their imagination runs wild mixing colors and thinking of what to paint. We also make popsicles in the summer and can't wait to eat them. The Dollar Tree store creates juices to make things as well with their packages of beads, etc.
I have to admit I spend a LOT of time on Pinterest. I used my Boards as file folders for ideas. When I need some ideas to make something I go there first. Sometimes nothing catches my eye and other times after an hour I have added lots of ideas to my bulletin boards. My niece has a board of things she wants me to make her and it grows almost daily at times.
The sun is out today. It is an inspiration to get up and get things done which I have had a very productive day. We have so many days/weeks here in the Winter without sun that it gets depressing and you just want to do nothing. Today I am taking advantage of the sun even though we have ice and snow and it is cold, I got a lot done.
