Hopping around the world

Good evening! Some time ago I got a lovely mail from Natalia asking me to join a blog hop that has been traveling around the world. And just a few hours after the mail I got a message from Birgit asking me to join as Janna had already done the hop. I also had actually taken part to this before but as the post is almost 6 months old, I thought to do it again. So thank you Natalia and Birgit for inviting me to hop! Here's the link to Natalia's post (in Russian) and to Birgit's post. 

The hop consists of four questions so let's get started!

  

1. What am I working on right now?

Shorter version: I just finished my December DT projects and I'm moving to January ones. I also have a few magazine assignments that need to be done and also some guest designing to do.

Longer version: I just finished four cards for future assignments and also shot some step photos of a piece for a magazine article. Now I'm thinking what kind of project to do fro Finnabair team in January and also preparing for a small get together on Saturday. Last week the main project I had on my worktable was a princess dress for my 4-year-old. Pink and lace, on "belle epoque" style.

I try to always mix something I've done in the past and try something new. It seems that same techniques of supplies surface from time to time as I discover them again and fell in love. Not so long ago I found acrylic paints again and have been using them more. 

If you wish to see what I have on my craft table on weekly basis, please follow my Instagram feed as I try to share some sneaks there.

  

2. How does my work differ from other’s

This is almost impossible for me to answer as I'm the one doing the works. It's so hard to see your own work through the eyes of a stranger. I guess someone else would be a better judge to say how my work differs from others in the genre! 

If you think about scrapbooking in general, the thing that my layouts have now in common is the use of different mediums in them. I love to add inks, paints and mists in my pages and I love to layer different mediums. I usually do a mixed media influenced background, use just one photo and cluster all the other elements around the photo and sometimes add a balancing cluster to the other corner. I tend to use composition with the vocal point on the bottom part of the page. I also tend to use analogous color scheme.

I guess my main elements would be splashes, layering different media and minimal journaling on the front side, to be seen. 

  

3. Why do I create?

Simply because I love it. I must create. I need to create. 

And I'm not talking about deadlines here but the urge to create and have things made by me. To stick my hands to the paint and have my fingertips colored in inks. Even my husband knows that I get all grumpy if there's no time to be creative or just ink a piece of paper. To keep me going and wheels turning I just need to ink, stamp, paint or do something like that. A quick art journal spread, a tag or an ATC will do when in a hurry. 

I love to document our stories and family life, but I also love the play with materials. Scrapbooking or crafting in general is a form of self expression and it keeps me going. It's my own time and my thing.

  

4. How does my creative process work?

I love this subject! If I would be a scientist I would love to study inspiration and creative process. How the creative process varies from people to people and is there some things that are in common. I guess as we humans are individuals so are the processes to create. As my creative process is highly visual, I really would love to know if there's something similar with the creative process of musicians or choreographers as their means of expression are very different than mine. 

There's a great number of way what triggers the process for me. I've started making the series about inspiration sharing some ideas what inspires me. But usually my project starts evolving from a given theme, a photo or a supply. If I'm designing for a certain company I usually start with the products I need to use and work my way from there. 

The next step, if I'm doing a layout, is to choose the photo that goes to the theme and then work the color scheme from there or the subject itself. From there I just go with the flow - mist something or stamp or use acrylics. I differ the way I make the background from time to time. But what guides me through the creative process are the colors. If I've started the layout as green and blue I'm not going to skip to purple in the middle but stay in the blue-green range. 

I work fast when creating, even so that Marsha has started calling me "Speedy Gonzales". I guess a part of it is that I don't think much when I'm creating. Or perhaps I should say that I don't ponder much, when I'm creating. Of course I'm thinking about the design and which embellishments to use, how I place my title and such, but it all works in an instant. I can try a certain embellishment to two different places, but decide which to use in seconds. I usually finish the project at one go and would go crazy if I'd have to think about the composition for days as it's not my style of doing.

One way to see my creative process is also to watch some of my start to finish videos (link) as then you can watch how the craft takes it's shape. 

Ok, there's the answers this time! Thank you for managing to read the long post! And thank you for stopping by today!

Ps. Talking about around the world - next year marks my first workshop outside Finland! I'm overjoyed and in awe! I'm traveling to Norway to teach - here's the link to the event. See you there?