Crafts Report: Public Opinion

WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?

Each month, The Crafts Report invites readers to respond to the Public Opinion question. Responses are published in the magazine.

This month’s question is: What are the pros and cons of trading merchandise with other artists at shows?

Please respond by Nov. 8, 2002. Responses to this question will appear in the January 2003 issue.

E-mail:
publicopinion@craftsreport.com; or CLICK HERE

Send responses to:
“Public Opinion”
The Crafts Report
100 Rogers Rd.
Wilmington, DE 19801
fax: (302) 656-4894.

Anonymous responses will no longer be published.

I do something different and maybe a little (a lot) crazy, forcing myself to take a mental and physical break. I don’t ever force myself to be creative because once I’m back in the groove, I can drown in my own idea pool.

I buy new materials. As a beaded jewelry designer, all I need to inspire me is something new to work with. I keep an enormous selection of beads on hand, and whenever I need a new design the beads just seem to tell me what to do.

I relax about my block and then expose myself to the work of as many artists’ work as possible by visiting museums, galleries, looking at publications and books on many of my favorite artists. I also like to look at mediums outside of my own when I feel stuck.

I think all art media overlaps each other in some form or another, so I have reference books and materials relating to quilting, collage art, paper making, sewing, doll making and fabric arts, even though I’m a jewelry artist. I also have several photographic books relating to Asian and African culture, so if I’m in a slump, I can flip through a few pages to renew myself. If that doesn’t work, I simply switch to making something other than jewelry.

I also recently discovered the beauty of taking an art class. I’m a self-taught artist who recently completed a week-long workshop and I feel completely refreshed.

When I get a creative block, I have to spend some time looking around at what other people are doing. I try to imagine where they got their inspiration, what did they see or feel that lead them to choose a particular design or form.

I also try to plan a few inexpensive weekend excursions away from home. It is amazing how much inspiration can be gleaned from travel … having the opportunity to see things a little differently.

I keep a notebook of ideas, drawings, pictures and whatever else I find interesting. Whenever I am feeling blocked I thumb through these papers. I find this is sometimes as good as attending an art show for re-stimulating my creative juices. It jogs my memory for ideas I wanted to try and usually sends me flying back to my studio ready to work again.

I turn to relaxation activities, exercise, and go somewhere I can see creative work and talk to the creator(s). Visiting a fellow craftsperson “primes my pump” and I find I can then move from routine work to creative.

Take a break, go for a walk, watch TV, make a phone call, look at a book, go to sleep, leave the table, get a cup of tea, do something else, clear your mind, start fresh later, listen to music … [Your] mind will clear again and [you] will be back with a new idea.

When I am blocked I like to get a decorator magazine and find a picture of a room they have decorated. Taking the colors and the feel of the room I try and design a piece specifically for that room. This will often stretch my style and introduce me to new colors in my pallete.