Over a year ago I asked in my blog's Facebook what you'd like me to post about. Of course I shall continue sharing the crafts and DT work I do, but I wondered if there's something more that you'd like to know. Like something about the mediums I use, my favorite supplies, about my process or similar. What was suggested was a post about inspiration. So I decided to start a series of post concentrating on something that inspires me.
Here's links to previous posts on the series:
6) Inspiration: Instagram
7) Inspiration: Moodboards
8) My favorite supplies
9) Inspiration: Events, crops, workshops
10) Inspirarion: Photos
7) Inspiration: Moodboards
8) My favorite supplies
9) Inspiration: Events, crops, workshops
10) Inspirarion: Photos
I had the awesome opportunity to visit the great Suomen Kädentaidot event on last Friday. I was demoing at the Klemmarikellari's booth there but managed to quickly see the other booths as well. It was such a joy to see different artisans and crafters in one place! Oh the symphony of colors, textures and shapes!
Here's a little info about the show, quoted from the web site: "Finnish Handicrafts is Europe's largest fair event of the handicrafts and applied arts industry, attracting nearly 40 000 fair guests to Tampere. The most anticipated handicrafts fair is held at the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre 13–15 November 2015 for the 20th time." If you want to know more about the event, click here (link).
Like the info suggests, there's a great variety of different handicrafts shown on the event. So I thought that maybe I'd dedicate this post to all those other crafts. Usually when I write the inspiration post it's from the paper crafts point of view and maybe even more from the scrapbooking point, but I guess plenty of crafty people are just that the word says, crafty. So we don't limit ourselves to just one medium but do cards, knits and pottery. And decorate home and cakes as well. But the question is, do you draw inspiration from one craft to the other? Like you've done a wonderful new scarf and end up using the same color scheme to your next card? Or find a great new icing design and mimic it by doodling in your art journal? Or maybe you even want to keep them separate, to exercise different parts of your creative brain?
Visiting the show made my eyes open once again to the awesome variety of crafts and how they each intertwine. There's always something same - like the color theory or the golden ration, the design "rules" that can be bent and broken - but yet there's so much that differs. Different materials need different tools and what you are able to do with wood you might not be able to do with glass, for example. But what's also similar in each and every craft is the joy of making, the artistic part and the signature style of the crafter.
I strongly believe that inspiration can be found anywhere but boy, isn't there an overload when looking other people's projects! We all have our own way to use colors and shapes and create the composition so just by looking at someone else's art work can be a real eye opener. It makes you also think back and see your own work as well. By looking someone else's color palette makes you maybe realize what's your favorite color scheme and how you combine blue with pink and not red. In a way comparison is good - not the way which one is better or worse, but by seeing other people's projects might give you the tools to critique your own work better, see what are your strong points, what's your signature style.
And then think if the materials are completely different! Just play with the idea of translating a pottery piece into paper crafts or a knit into metal work! And you don't have to go that far either, just by browsing through the different stands in the event really started a flood of ideas in my head! So don't limit yourself to just paper crafts but keep an open mind.
Next time you do something creative whether it be knitting, decorating a cake or altered arts, think about your inspiration and try to capture that spark. Then when starting a paper crafts project just find that same spot and try out if you can use the same inspiration for that project, too!
Here's just a few ideas to get you going:
- if you only do paper crafts, support your local artisans and get yourself a merry little inspiring Christmas gift! Use that as inspiration for your next project
- do two crafty projects using the same color scheme but totally different materials
- go to a crafty event and find your favorite project, analyze what's appealing to your eye and try to translate that to a layout, card or other paper carfts project of your choice
- use calligraphy to your journaling and let it have the center of stage on your layout or art journal spread
- translate your non-paper project into a paper one - even if just by documenting the other crafty hobby!
- include materials or designs from other crafts to your paper crafts project - use yarn, cross stitch pattern, sewing, icing design or make little clay embellishments
- document your crafty hobbies
- instead of a photo in your layout, use the other craft to make the focal point
- buy or loan a magazine from a completely different craft segment and use that as a jumping off point
- go to a crafty event and find your favorite project, analyze what's appealing to your eye and try to translate that to a layout, card or other paper carfts project of your choice
- use calligraphy to your journaling and let it have the center of stage on your layout or art journal spread
- translate your non-paper project into a paper one - even if just by documenting the other crafty hobby!
- include materials or designs from other crafts to your paper crafts project - use yarn, cross stitch pattern, sewing, icing design or make little clay embellishments
- document your crafty hobbies
- instead of a photo in your layout, use the other craft to make the focal point
- buy or loan a magazine from a completely different craft segment and use that as a jumping off point
Like always, I hope you found this post interesting or perhaps even inspiring! I'm continuing to write these post to the end of the year so just one more to come! If you have any suggestions for the source on that, please let me know! Please also remember the "Inspired by" posts as I usually try to open up my process in them.
Thank you for stopping by today!
PS. All the photos in the post are taken in the Suomen Kädentaidot event - these projects or stands or colors inspired me instantly. I've also added links to each shop or site if you want to know more about the companies.
PS. All the photos in the post are taken in the Suomen Kädentaidot event - these projects or stands or colors inspired me instantly. I've also added links to each shop or site if you want to know more about the companies.
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