My Solutions to a Creative Slump

This time I wanted to write a post about some work I have been creating. It's been a little while since I posted about being creative and things I have been working on. The difficult thing is however, that I haven't really been very creative or worked on anything recently. So today's post is going to be about what I do when I'm struggling to come up with ideas or just being creative at all. 

So, to start, I get really fed up and moany! I mope about a bit and sit at my desk with a blank page in front of me and all kinds of exciting materials like washi tape, stickers, Posca pens and graphic markers and still can't come up with anything. Cue more moping! 

When I've finally pulled myself together I get together a stack of books for inspiration. Our house is a bit like a non-fiction library. I have a problem. I admit it. BUT I am so grateful for having many exciting books to flick through in times of need. 

Just a the stack I'm currently pouring over!

I'll also doodle while watching TV. This stops me from worrying too much about the results. I find that because I make products I'm always thinking about if what I'm doing is worthwhile because I can make money from it. That is, in fact, utter madness. Every doodle and experiment is worthwhile because it's a journey, a process that may result in a fantastic idea and a very worthwhile product! Also just sketching or doodling is fun and keeps being creative exciting. 

I doodled this page while watching Exit Through The Gift Shop a documentary about Banksy. 

Another trick I do is try and recreate something that has really inspired me. You can learn so much about a material or a technique by trying to do it yourself and then you can manipulate it or develop it into your own work. 

This collage was inspired by the beautiful branding of the Sochi Winter Olympics and Paralympics. I liked the idea but not the result so much!

Share your own tips for getting out of a creative slump in the comments! 

Ideas 1, 2, 3 to 100

Today's post is going to be about the importance of refining and developing your ideas.

The reason I decided to write about it is because I spend a lot of time telling my students how important it is to come up with a variety of different ideas before making a final outcome. Every week and probably in most sessionz I'm telling them to come up with at least 3 different ideas and how their work will be improved for it, but as you have probably ascertained, they don't listen, or I wouldn't be saying it over and over again

I can preach this to my students because I know how important it is for me, as a maker of products. If I always went with the first idea that sprung into my head and didn't sketch it out first I would make a lot of rubbish and lose a lot of money!

So here is just a simple example of how I have played with ideas before refining and perfecting using Adobe Illustrator to create a final product. This image is now used for brooches, earrings, greeting cards and tote bags. They are selling well but if I'd chosen to use the first cat drawing at the top it may not have been so successful.

It can take a lot of thinking, experimenting, redrawing, and refining before I'm happy with an idea and it's a good job too. I have made the mistake of just screen printing first ideas in the past and those are definitely the products I now like the least and have to lower the price to sell.

Have you learnt this lesson the hard way as well? I wonder if my students will understand it one day!

How We Pick Stallholders For I Make Fun Stuff Markets

As an artist/maker and an organiser of craft and vintage markets I have experience of trying to make new, original and well made work for myself and judging other people's work by my own standards.

Today's blog is going to be a little bit about how we decide what we are looking for in stallholders for the I Make Fun Stuff markets and how that has made me work harder on my own work.

As market organisers it's really important to us that the quality of work on sale is really high, it is original, so you can't just walk into a high street shop and buy something similar and you wouldn't see it sold at a traditional craft market.We want to be different from the typical craft fair and offer the more contemporary makers a platform to sell their work and attract the right audience. The main reason we started I Make Fun Stuff is because my work wasn't selling at fairs where the others stallholders sold quilts, ceramics, wood turning etc. It just didn't fit in.

There are a few questions we ask ourselves when judging whether we think an applicants work is what we want or not.

• Have we seen it before? (Have we seen similar products from other people?)
• Would it be sold at a traditional craft fair? 
• Does it suit our target audience?
• Is it well made?
• Do I wish I'd thought of that myself?
• Do I want to buy their work?
• Does it "fit" with the general feel/ethos of the market?

It is important to us that we are confident and passionate about the work of everyone who sells at our events. We don't accept every application and that is really difficult, we don't want to let people down but not everything we see is what we are looking for. Not everything we see is made well enough. Not everything we see is new and original and when it comes down to it, if our customers don't want to buy it our stallholders don't make any money. If the standard of our markets drops because our customers aren't interested in the stalls we won't be able to do them anymore so we will stand by our decisions. Also, we want to offer something unique that is exciting for our good town of Ipswich and so the work on offer needs to be unique too.

All these amazing makers and artists inspire my own work greatly and motivate me to continue to develop my products and ensure that they are the highest quality possible. I have often compared my products to someone else's, for example someone else who screen prints bags, and felt their's are better. Whether they are or not it pushes me to improve what I do and that can't be bad!

Why I Like To Buy Handmade

I love to buy handmade and most of all I love to buy handmade jewellery, accessories and artwork. Today I'm going to tell you why, as well as show you some of my favourite handmade items I've bought online, from craft markets and independent shops.

I bought this fabulous bow from an awesome shop called Cherry Cherry that used to be in Norwich. Sadly it closed down but you can find Dolly Knits online. Click the name for the shop!

When I started making my own products one of the first things I did was create an Etsy account and make a shop. This was a great place to start because I could easily see what other people from all over the world were making and it gave me a bar to work towards when it came to the quality of my work. It also meant I was massively inspired and tempted by all the wonderful handmade things. I will admit I did spend some of my hard earned pennies on goodies from Etsy.

Lucie Ellen and No Milk Today can both be found on Etsy. Click the names for their shops!

The main reason I like to buy handmade is because you know the passion that has gone in to making each product. As creative people we want to be happy with what we make, we want it to be high quality and we want it to last, because if we aren't happy with it, if it isn't high quality or if it doesn't last we are solely to blame and we have let ourselves down. We are judged by our products in a way that big retailers like Topshop, Habitat etc aren't. You complain to a customer service assistant, or you complain to me, to my face.

You also know, when buying handmade, that you won't find that product on your high street (unless you're lucky enough to have awesome independent shops selling handmade items) You are in pretty good stead to own something none of your friends have, and lets admit, who doesn't love an "exclusive"? Sometimes you may own the only one of that kind if the maker won't make two items the same! My grey and mustard knitted necklace by Aeron Hall-Apps is just that. (Sorry guys she doesn't have a website or Etsy shop, but often takes a stall at our Handmade & Timeless markets so i'll keep you posted)

Lastly, buying artwork straight from the artist really does it for me. You get to chat to them about their work and get to know why they make the work they do. You also see a great range of what they make, it might not just be prints, paintings, collages or photographs. They may use those images for other products like notebooks, greetings cards or postcards. Katrine Macklin sells t-shirts, button badges, notebooks and artwork as well as the cards you see below.

Katrine's work can be found on her website. She promises she will be opening an Etsy shop soon. She had a stall at the last I Make Fun Stuff market too so hopefully she'll join us again soon. 

So that's a little about why I love to buy handmade. Have you got any handmade treasures? Tell me your favourite makers in the comments below!

Tiny Cats

I'l be honest, I find it really hard to blog regularly. From the dates and frequency of my last posts you will definitely see that I just can't post even once a week. I just don't feel like my life is generally interesting enough to post often but I am endeavoring to change that.

I have been making so many new things recently that it seems a shame to not share them and you know how it is, blogging gets you followers and followers like your work, I'll do my best to keep you interested!

It's taken a little while to get these little cats made, just because of Christmas and having to rework the images (and i'm bad at Photoshop/Illustrator so try to avoid it!) The wait was worth it though, they are so cute and tiny when sat next to the cat brooches! Sorry there are no images of them in ears, I can't wear my own earrings. Some day I will pluck up the courage to go and get them pierced again. The cuteness of these may help me find some balls!

They're available from my Etsy shop priced at £4.00. Select them in my little shop widget on the side or click the hotlink.

Cats!

Anyone who knows me, knows I absolutely love cats. So it's a big surprise that I haven't made any cat shaped products before now. The truth is I've never created a sketch or a drawing that I either liked or could see as a product. Until now that is! 

May I preset the cat cards! Cat bags are coming up and another little surprise in the weeks to come...

These chaps are available in orange too. Find them in my Etsy shop http://www.hellopushkin.etsy.com

That time of year again

Is it really that time of year again? Those of you with children will understand what I mean. No, I am not talking about the weather!

I don't have children but as some of you may know I teach them and here it is again, the beginning of the year and another troop of sixteen year olds are under my care. It takes a lot of the year to get back in the swing of things and to get to know the students. Once you've reached the point where you understand how they work and they understand what you expect of them you can have really entertaining lessons for yourself and the students.

So for now I am filling in paperwork, writing projects, organising materials and sending numerous emails. Because my world is currently ruled  by work I thought i'd give you a glimpse into a project i'll be running with our L3 Art & Design students. To give you an idea of what L3 means; these guys have just left school and have A*-C grades.

Ok, so they have a drawing lesson on a Tuesday, creative practices on Wednesday and a specialist workshop on a Friday. They'll be doing textiles with me on Fridays so we're going to start by drawing birds at the museum and then using those images to make paper stencils and then screen print them. These are the artists i'll be suggesting they look at for visual reference, all images are from the websites/blogs of the artists.

Abigail Brown

Mister Finch

Jane Foster