Being Creative #4 - Things that Niggle!

Hello! Hello! So today the clocks sprang forward. That means I get to see some sunshine when I leave work although I get to sleep an hour lesser. But yay for seeing more sunshine!!! Double yay to everyone who created this week!

 

And a Big Thank You for participating last week :-). It was so much fun to see all the great work.

 

Today's topic is: Things that Niggle!

Do you find that when you are thinking of creating there are some things that bother you or stop you from creating? I found that it was the same/similar line of thoughts each time. If you pay attention to why you think you shouldn't create right now, a pattern of thoughts will emerge. 

So I started paying attention to the things that niggled me and kept them in mind. I didn't always come up with a solution to the niggle right away. But it helped knowing and identifying those problem spots. And eventually a solution popped up! Or if I was chatting with a friend and mentioned it, sometimes I would end up getting a suggestion that paid off! If I was passionate enough about that form of creativity (acrylic painting, collage, jewelery making, photography....) and really, really wanted to do it - some form of solution eventually appeared. 

 

I am going to share with you some of my niggles:

1. I don’t like messing up things that I can’t replace easily like tables, carpets, nice clothes. 

My solutions:

To not mess up carpet: I work on a corrugated plastic board that I can slosh paint on.

To not ruin the  plastic sheet too much: I put down used printer paper to cover the plastic (yeah, I worry about that too!).

To not ruin my coffee table when I am working on it: I work on magazine paper when I am gluing.

To not ruin good clothes - I wear grungy clothes or an apron when I am creating. Even when I go for a class I wear grungy stuff. 

 

2. I hate wasting paints, gels, media. For a long time I struggled with how much paint to get out of the tube? Too little and I would have trouble getting the same shade back. Too much meant it went waste. And I figured I would rather take out more paint than less.

So what to do with leftover paint? I keep a journal of 8"x8" to use up paint and other media. So no wasting precious paints! This was big for me. And when I talk to my creative pals, pretty much everyone talks about how they hate wasting paints, paper <insert material of you choice>. So find a way to use the leftovers.

 

3. I worry about toxicity of paints and materials. So I wear disposable plastic gloves when I paint. I wear them to classes too. If people want to laugh at me, let them. I don't just paint, I cook too. I chop vegetables, knead dough etc. etc...... I was concerned about paints being toxic. This too was a huge blocker for me, so the gloves helped me get past that. If you didn't know some colors are more toxic than others, they are! It depends on the pigments in the colors.

 

4. I don’t have enough natural light in my apartment to take good pictures, so I bought some photography daylight lamps. I do still prefer to shoot outside in natural light - in that case I wait for a sunny weekend.

 

5. Cleaning the palette after using acrylic paints, you don’t have to! I dreaded cleaning that thing and now it is a living history of all the work I have done.

 

6. I don’t have a studio space so where to wash my acrylic brushes? I don't want to ruin my kitchen sink or bathroom sink. So I put my brushes in a bowl of cold water. Wash them in that bowl, wipe them on paper towels and then flush the water. 

 

7. If I need to use the heat gun for embossing I use a Ranger Kraft sheet, it can take the heat! No more melting the carpet fibres.

 

So what things niggle/inhibit you and how did you get around them? And what are you going to share today? Please note that the party is open till Tuesday morning 10am EST to link up! Feel free to grab the button from the sidebar.

And this week I am sharing this canvas:

I can't really give instructions for this because the instructions would be play your with paints! So how about a story instead? I do love to talk :-). Although I still talk faster than I type.

Pay attention to the canvas - see her face? It's goth. I just couldn't resist using this stamp with candy colors and the prim and proper "keep calm and carry on". I had seen these "Stampotique" goth-ish stamps over a year back. And at that time my stamp club friends and I chuckled that these would be either good for Halloween or that someone special whom you are not so fond of. LOL.

Little did I know that a year later I would fall in love with them. See I took a class with Jenn Shurkus a month back. I needed to get out of my own head and play with paint. And I figured if I took a class I would learn something new and be inspired by the work of fellow class mates. Anyways at the end of this class not only did I have two canvases that I loved - I knew that some of these goth Stampotique stamps were definitely in my future.

 

Next week's topic - What counts as creative time? How much time do you need to create?

Keep Creating!

Amisha

Comments

[Beverly]

How fun is this, Amisha.

I miss being creative, and hopefully one day I will find time to fit it in again. Your niggles match some of mine. My biggest one is not wanting to start something that I won't be able to finish.

[karenharveycox]

Hi Amisha,

I like that word Niggle, it expresses the feeling when things get in the way. I love that canvas, the illustration, the colors that you used and the message is perfect!

I just linked up for your party.
Karen

[Tricia]

I guess I'm a week behind on topics. I don't know if I'll ever figure this out. This is a super busy time for me in my other life - ha! But you have posted another great topic! Have fun creating.

Blessings,
Tricia

[Cindy Adkins]

Oh, what a great creation, Amisha!!! And I'll have to link up!!!
XO

[Angela]

Those are some great tips! I have several aprons, but I usually forget to put one on until I am already covered in something.

[Dawn... The Bohemian]

Amisha thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Today I'm sharing some of my photography, lately I've been really 'into' photographing Nature and capturing a Bee in flight in front of one of my favorite and most fragrant of Garden Flowers (Texas Laurel) thrilled me half to death!

Things that niggle me:

Distractions, lack of privacy or lack of solitude while I'm in the creative Zone... it breaks my rhythm and ability to fully emmerse myself in my Art... interruptions often prevent me from working on something I'm creating.

Not enough time to devote to the creative process... I can get so lost in my Art that I enjoy having the luxury of time to devote to it fully and give it my full attention... alas, my schedule, Life and other commitments often don't provide sufficient time to be as creative as I'd like to be.

Having a creative "space"... once I had finally enjoyed having a Studio to work it and reaping the benefits... now NOT having one has been difficult because finding that little slice of Sanctuary and spot to lay everything out and leave it there without anyone getting into it or having to take it all out and put it all back.. well, it has caused me to be less creative.

Dawn... The Bohemian

[pat]

Dear Amisha,

I hope you try making some of these sweet little flowers!

Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. Have a great week.

Kind regards,
Pat

[Mary]

Hi Amisha, thanks for visiting my blog.
Your canvas is so cute! I like what it says too!
I won't use anything toxic. I use the little bottles of non toxic Acrylic paints at the craft store and my glue too is non toxic, so it dosen't matter how much I get on my hands. Same thing with cleaning products in our home. Mary

[Lynn @thevintagenest]

Great post Amisha. You should see my grungy painting clothes! LOL What niggles me is wasting paper, even little bitty pieces of it. I save even the tiniest little pieces of my pretty papers.

[Kellymac]

Sorry Amisha, it's Tuesday evening and I'm just now getting here. I won't link my post, but I was thinking of you. And I had even managed to create something. I just couldn't seem to get it on until now. What "niggles" me? Feeling like it has to be some kind of masterpiece before I can show it to someone, before I can even start really. Most of the time I feel defeated before I even begin. I keep trying to tell myself the beauty comes in being willing to try. Next week I'll try to be on time. =)

[Bohemian Valhalla]

Amisha, thanks for visiting my Tranquility Post, no, that gorgeous Fountain isn't mine, it's at a business I do my walks by and I love how much ambiance they were able to create in a narrow sidewalk space against a commercial building... very creative use of maximizing space.

Dawn... The Bohemian