So, I made this tonight. Here lately, I haven’t really had much great craft revelations or things I’ve been dying to make. I guess everyone goes through a more or less inspired phase, right? Well, I have been wanting to make stuff, but honestly, like many people, I have soooo much stuff that I need to use before I buy new and if I do go and buy stuff at the craft store it just inevitably becomes more stuff. So this is another good ol’ recycled project!

This box top was my surface. It was to a photo box that has now basically collapsed and really doesn’t need a top anymore. I saw it sitting there, and thought, “Hey, I’ll just use that!”. Anyway, I didn’t have a rhyme or reason to what I created. I just created in my own way. I would describe my intuitive style to be graphic, bold, and bright. For me, paper crafting and collage is very planned. Some people take a little more loose and almost spiritual approach to placing their art together, but the graphic designer in me always wants control, grids, and boxes. That’s the way I’ve designed for a really long time. Everything has it’s own space and doesn’t intersect. I guess those sensibilities go beyond the computer screen.

Another thing about my own crafting style is that I am very messy. I just cut out scrapbook paper with scissors and glued it into place with Aleene’s Tacky Glue. I then used a postcard from a POP ART postcard book that a friend got me for the central focus. For this project, I did it for more personal reasons, so I seriously didn’t care if it was perfectly cut even. For me, it’s all about creating, then going back in and modifying and covering up any trouble spots. If I sewed more stuff, you better believe I would be putting lots of fancy trims and ribbons on it to cover up my mistakes. I’m very messy and imperfect.

When I was in college, I would submit my stuff into shows and it would rarely get in. I was often discouraged about this. I didn’t really have enough insight at the time, but I really think it was judged more crafty than art. It was like having a crafty sensibility was a bad thing. I wish now that I would have been able to realize that my craftiness is a good thing and that I should have pushed myself harder to create high-concept craft pieces (I think a lot of stuff back then lacked general direction). The act of creating is so powerful and different for different people. I’m glad that I’m able to accept how I create now. It’s something I would get discouraged about. I think just getting older and more knowledgable about my skills has helped in this area.

So have you ever felt like you had to defend or downplay your craftiness in the name or art and did you have to come to terms with your creativity? Or have you always just gone your own way and totally owned your creativity? I think this is definitely something we as crafters think about! Let me know your thoughts.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa