Creative Update Tag

What am I working on?

At the moment it's Summer holidays, so I have heaps of spare time to create and make whatever I chose to do. It's weird not having the university studio atmosphere and having to create your own projects. I do miss being around my textiles group as you stay inspired constantly with everyone’s ideas bouncing off one another. That being said, I bought myself a nifty little embriodery sewing foot from eBay for £3 something which I attach to my Janome machine and it lets me 'free stitch'. You are basically illustrating with your machine and thread which I’m currently obsessed with plus it's a whole lot quicker than hand sewing!

Currently, I have been stitching lyrics onto canvas material just to get used to writing with the machine before I start illustrating with it. I am really interested in buildings and the contrast with woodland lately so I would like to see how this imagery will come out on canvas. I am just admiring simple black lines and messy free stitch thread. There's something nice about heavy canvas and the structure of it.

I have included below some photo’s of the sewing bits and projects I have been working on so far while I have been off university. I have been given a summer brief from Falmouth to create an entire sketchbook that shows who we are as a person so I am super excited to start that soon and have ordered my first two Posca pens!

How does my work differ from others of it's genre?

I think that I add my own personality to my work. I like to think I have a certain ‘style’ of working and my little daisy always manages to make it in my work somewhere. It’s like a cheeky trademark.

How does my creative process work?

Music inspires me a huge amount in my work. I think that being a musician as well as an artist flatters one another because I am able to work artistically to different songs that I listen to and this finalizes what colours and styles I end up using.

I think that for me, It's all about just beginning the work. I find that if I sit and think too much about my creative process beforehand then I'm not making. I’m just putting pressure on myself to create something too perfect. I just believe in experimenting as much as you can in your sketchbook and being expressive in what you observe. Being outdoors usually helps me work as I use a lot of botanicals in my pattern making and sketchbook.

Why do I create?

I create because it makes me feel accomplished as a person. I have always created art and been expressive since I was young and I love seeing something that I have envisioned in my mind come to 'life'. I think that as a creative person, you constantly want to see your work improve and grow by learning new skills and techniques. For me personally, I believe that in art there is no end to this creative process and I have so many ideas for how I want it to progress that I just can’t stop. I'm so grateful and blessed that I have understanding parents that encourage me to pursue a career in textile design and to do what makes me happy. Unfortunately, there is a lot of controversy around ‘art’ and why it should be taught as a subject in school from a young age but I believe being creative and having the ability to be original in what you do is so important. Being create makes me happy and fulfilled. To me, art is my hobby as well as being my career choice.

Hope you enjoyed reading my creative tag as much as I did writing it! It's definitely good to question what you are doing and creating now and again to keep yourself motivated and inspired. I've got a few ideas for upcoming blog posts so be sure to subscribe to my mailing list at the bottom if you're interested or leave a comment telling me why you create!