I love my job as a writer. I get to wake up every morning and transport myself to distant lands and distant times, all the while making them accessible and relatable to readers. I get to do research and live inside my head for months at a time. But, let's face it, after a long day of writing, it can be difficult to feel a sense of accomplishment. I don't have a newly-built bridge, or a painted wall, or even a stack of completed forms to look at. Just a few more megabytes on my computer hard drive.
One of my favorite things to do when I'm not writing is bake. I love combining ingredients in specific combinations, I love the process, the meditation of it (as Nico Rosso might say). I love that it gives me a sense of actually completing something. And at the end of it, I have something delicious to eat. But since Nico and I both work at home, I don't get to bake very often, unless I want to risk him and I eating everything ourselves–which might taste good, but isn't the healthiest option.
But I still need a creative outlet outside of my creativity. Something that gives me that sense of achievement but without all the calories. I've done a little painting (back when I was much younger, I was torn between visual arts and writing, then finally decided to pursue writing), but getting out my paints and canvases can be a little tedious.
A few months ago, my friends K.B. Alan and Vivienne Westlake introduced me to something called Artist Trading Cards–collages or works of art that measure about 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches. They invited me over one afternoon for a day of crafting and making ATCs. I was new to the art form, so I was overwhelmed and excited when I saw stacks of beautiful paper, rubber stamps, ribbons, metal charms, glitter, and glue.
I wasn't sure exactly what making ATCs entailed, but K.B. and Vivienne soon showed me (and Nico) what the process was about. Basically, anything goes. Make them minimal or make them ornate. They can even extend off their tiny canvases. It's all about self expression.
Within moments, I was addicted. I made ATC after ATC, cutting, stamping, gluing, and drawing myself into a creative frenzy. And the more I made, the more inspired I got, until, within the span of just a few hours, I'd made over nine ATCs!
Since that fateful day, I've become mildly obsessed with ATCs. After a long day of writing, after dinner, I like to take out my tub of crafting supplies and let my imagination go. And then, a few hours later, I look up and realize its time to go to bed, and now I have five or six brand new ATCs that are physical expressions of my creativity. It's an incredible thing to be able to hold your expressiveness and imagination in your hand, and I've found it to be a wonderful counterpoint to writing all day.
If you'd like to learn more about what ATCs are or how to make them, you can find out more information here. And stores like JoAnn and Michaels sell the supplies*, but you might find yourself spending lots and lots of money (like a certain author whose initials are Z and A…ahem) in pursuit of this pastime. And I do believe it's helped my writing too; allowing me to express myself in new ways enriches everything I do.
Tell me, what are some of your favorite forms of creative expression? Since ATCs are meant to be given away, I'll be giving some of my own creations out to commenters. Don't forget to get creative in your responses!
*I'm not being compensated by either JoAnn or Michaels for mentioning them.
This entry was posted in art, giveaway, writing and tagged Artist Trading Cards, creativity, writing by Zoe. Bookmark the permalink.
I´ve always enjoyed embroidery, there´s something about cross stiches that make up something you like in the end. Unfortunately, with cats and dogs, I´ve given up doing it. I´ve got a bunch in a pile, waiting for a room where I can stich in peace LOL but that´ll take a while.
ps. hope it´s OK that I´m International, in case I do win ..
I haven't tried embroidery, though I have done some knitting. And I hear you about animals making any yarncraft challenging! What we see as tools to creativity, they see as a playground.
I like to scrapbook, which involves some of the same things as ATC's. I love paper and can spend hours looking at it, selecting different styles and matching them together with solid cardstock. My husband says I have enough paper to open my own store. That's not quite true, but I do have tons and tons of beautiful paper. I also have a nice supply of embellishments, stickers, glitter, chalk, paper punches and stencils. I agree that creating a scrapbook page gets other creative ideas flowing. I love it.
I love this idea! When I'm really exhausted, I often color — I have a great collection of colored pencils and a few design books, and it's really relaxing. But this looks like a great project, especially given the size!
As a preteen, a friend and I were addicted to making collages, and in the past few years I've made fannish cloth dolls. But this is something I could do with all the little scraps lying of paper and fabric I always hoard.
That's funny you mention the coloring, Amy! A friend of mine gave me a My Little Pony coloring book and crayons for my birthday for that very reason.I hope you give ATCs a try. Because they are so small, it's fast and not that big of a commitment, but you still get the creative outlet.
Oh, I love my crayons, too. I have mine, and my nine-year-old has hers, and … mine are mine. Coloring is so ridiculously relaxing.
I love the idea of these. I saw them in a craft book (I don't remember which one because I read a lot of them). I thought it's a great idea and want to do them with our teens (I work in a library). I haven't yet though. They asked for movies instead of crafts, so we tried movies. We're back to crafts because they didn't come to the movies. Thanks for reminding me of this idea!
Personally, I do all sorts of things, jewelry, circle loom knitting, sewing… Lately I've been making little blank books. I use the cardboard from food packaging for the covers.