***Please note this is the personal intellectual property of Helen Tilbury -
sharing is caring but please credit me & link back to my blog if you do ***
Inspired by my online friend & fellow Prima teamie, Fran HERE I decided
to write a quick "How to be Creative" post before I dive into bed!
This is totally off-the-cuff so I hope you will find it useful! Especially if
you are wanting to start out with scrapbooking and/or mixed media art
& don't know how to begin. You can use my searchbar (in my sidebar)
to search similar posts. I have written quite a few! I really need to
spend some time making some permanent sidebar links to them
to make them totally easy to find. For now this is what I think...
1)
SACRIFICE, SAVE, RESEARCH!
We all have many things we want to do in life but how many of
them do we actually do? I have a mental bucket list including going
back to France, learning how to speak basic Polish, learning the
violin, oh yes the list goes on & I have an ambitious mind!
But in reality, not a lot of time or money!!
So - how to start being creative. You ARE going to have to
SPLASH SOME CASH. You can't do that if something else doesn't
budge, unless you can afford to of course. For me I don't splurge on
shoes, handbags, or jewellery. Even clothes don't really excite me.
Sure, I have a nice selection & I enjoy dressing "well" but I find great
"dupes" {duplicates} at low-end stores & save my disposable pennies
for exciting new product. Sacrifice is key or you will become one of
those annoying people that say "I wish I could do what you do, but
I just can't afford it!"
If you are starting out I suggest being VERY CAREFUL with your
purchases. Do NOT rush into buying. Rather spend time making
great friends with Google & researching craft blogs to see first
what you really like!!
2)
CHOOSE ONE HOBBY & FOCUS SOLELY ON IT!
There are many different crafts - I suggest sticking to one!
I papercraft. That includes scrapbooking, collages, canvases,
art journal pages, off-the-page projects & mini- albums. My
point is, papercrafting is a pretty diverse hobby & I imagine
other crafts to be similar, so, if time & space are an issue
(in other words if you are human, hence have all the
usual restrictions) JUST CHOOSE ONE HOBBY!!
If you are a naturally creative person it may well become a
PASSION & a DEVOTION therefore it will eat up your
money, your time & your space!!!
Avoid at all costs being a "Jack of all trades & master of none"
but strive, rather, to become an expert in what you do.
Research reckons that takes 10 000 hours of practice
in your chosen field so you'll be busy for a while...
3.
GO SHOPPING!!
Once you have decided on what you want to do & what you need
for it - it's time to go & get it!! Your favourite You-Tubers, Bloggers
and/or Instagrammers offer great recommendations based on personal
experience. If you like their work & the results they get, follow their
advice. GO OUT & BUY! Spend well & don't go cheap!!
That's a sure way to end up hating your hobby (bad materials cost less
because they suck & by that I mean they suck the joy out of creating by
not being able to do the job efficiently) so go for tried & tested brands.
Mixed media products especially, seem to last FOREVER but I do
suggest starting out with the smallest sizes, even though these
are less economical, because we all have our faves.
Shop with a list (although of course you can add some impulse
buys!) but make sure you have the basics you need to get started.
Don't scrimp on tools. I still have mine after a decade. Go Fiskars
for your trimmer, Tim Holtz for your scissors & get as big a grid mat
as you can fit! Martha Stewart & Prima tools are both fantastic.
4.
Make time to do it & be prepared to struggle.
Nothing new is much fun. Working out how to do things
is always a challenge. If you don't resolve to stick with it
you won't. Find joy in the process, not the results.
That way the results will eventually come :)
5.
Keep learning!
NEVER think that you have arrived!!
That is a COMPLETE CREATIVITY KILLER!!!
That is a COMPLETE CREATIVITY KILLER!!!
Stay humble & teachable. There is always more to learn.
If you enjoyed this post please check that you are subscribed to my
blog via Google Friend Connect in my top right hand sidebar HERE.
I would also love a follow on my Facebook Artist Page HERE,
especially as I have a GIVEAWAY going on right now that
you can read all about HERE. Lastly I LOVE Instagram!
It's such a QUICK way to stay inspired!!
If you're on it you can find me HERE.
10 comments:
Perfect advice Helen!!!!!!!
Some great advice for newbies and beginners there. Thanks for the shoutout too x
Fantastic advice Helen and a good read even for those of us who have been doing this for a while!! xx
Great post for an off the cuff one! Tried and true advice, too..... :):)
Another very good article...Nodding my head in agreement...Thank you for taking the time to write and share with us...I will do a shout out on FB for you...
Another very good article...Nodding my head in agreement...Thank you for taking the time to write and share with us...I will do a shout out on FB for you...
hehehe I can't believe you just dashed this off before falling into bed Helen. Another inspirating and motivational post full of wise words TFS :o)
Great advice Helen. I also say if you have a favourite colour invest in those colours first.
Helen - your article is wonderful - not only for beginners - but for everyone. Lots of good advice. Thanks for sharing.
Lots of great advise for those starting on the creative journey.
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