Are You Creative?

I believe that everyone is creative. Not everyone can draw or paint or sculpt, but we all have something in us that puts a creative signature on our life.

Maybe you cannot draw, but you have an eye for putting clothes together and you dress to the nines. You’ve tried your hand at painting, and a painter you are not, but you’ve beautifully decorated your home.

Whether you are cooking, woodworking, designing plans for building – whatever your creative endeavor – the outcome is unique because of your individual effort.

What inspires you? Do something creative.

Country Life

Living out in the country, as we do, has lent itself to be our inspiration for “Nature Art Studios.” We are surrounded by natural beauty – majestic fir trees, rolling green hillsides, starry nights, peace and serenity of country quiet, and of course, many of nature’s four-legged and winged creatures.

Our home here gives us the opportunity for reflection and creation. Every view out of our windows is awe-inspiring. There is always something going on. Birds of all types taking turns at the feeders. Deer sauntering through the yard. Visits by raccoons and skunks are not uncommon, and are part of country life. Birds of prey are often sighted high in the sky. And lots of squirrels – gray squirrels, and once in a while a ground squirrel or red squirrel.

It’s easy to get caught up in all the activity outdoors. You may wonder why Mark started with fish sculptures, rather than birds. That has to do with his biology background, and having grown up near the water.  Definitely he has been inspired by all the winged creatures we see around our home. Hummingbirds are one such type. We also see dragonflies and butterflies, especially in our gardens. Then there are those elusive birds of prey.

We are grateful for our surroundings. We try our best to show our appreciation by the artwork we create.

 

Handwriting

Writing, putting pen to paper, is an activity I enjoy. The content is important, certainly, but I also like to write neatly, so the writing looks good. Maybe this is why I enjoy doing calligraphy too.

The whole process of writing, for me, is enjoyable. Typing on a keyboard is just as fun, in a different way. What's great about using the keyboard is that you can easily rewrite, backspace, or delete, until it comes out exactly the way you want to say something. Not quite so easy with pen on paper -- you end up with lots of scratched out words.

Nevertheless, receiving anything handwritten is wonderful. You get a glimpse of that person's character, which doesn't come across with something typewritten.

For many people typing is a godsend because their handwriting isn't particularly legible. Although, people can relearn to write. And typing is a lot faster. But I do appreciate anyone's handwritten note, because that tells me he/she is taking the time to think of me.

Some people have beautiful handwriting. I had a godmother who wrote everything with flourishes, and each of her notes was like a work of art. All of that would have been lost if she had used a typewriter.

We're a world of internet-users now, mostly communicating like this. Try a handwritten note from time to time. Like someone's voice, no two are alike.

Art and Technology

Combining creativity and technology has opened up the world to many artists. Just look at the website http://www.etsy.com/ . All these creative folks are advertising and selling their artwork all over the world.

My husband, Mark, sells his metal artwork through etsy. We have met other artists through etsy. It's a great place to do shopping too.

I love both the old-fashioned ways of doing things, such as writing a letter and sending it through the postal service (now referred to a snail mail), and new technology where we can send a note instantly. The internet has given view to artists who may never have been discovered otherwise.

It is wonderful to embrace both.