About my Creative Art & Writing Practice

This blog post is part of the Round the World Blog Hop, sent to me by Quinn McDonald. Read more about the blog hop at the end of this post. But now you’ve arrived in Europe, the oblong country of Sweden to be exact, and here are my answers to 4 questions in the blog-hop, all about my creative/art/writing practice!

Why do I write/create what I do?

My reasons to be creative is not complicated, and probably common among all creative people… I could write a thesis on the subject of creativity and creating, or a couple of books. And I guess I have, because this blog is all about this question and I’ve been writing it for ten years. I create because it makes me happy, and because I need to, especially when it comes to writing and journaling. I’ve been writing my entire life, and it’s my favorite way to live in the world. Writing aids me in thinking, seeing and making decisions. My biggest wish is always to inspire others to explore their own kind of creativity, in what ever form it wants to come out. I think we’re all creative, and that it is beneficial to health, body and soul to do creative activities as much as we can. I hope that I, by writing this post for example, might inspire you to think about your own creative process…

[tweet “I create because it makes me happy, and because I need to / simply must! #creativity”]

How does your writing/creating process work?

Since I create all kinds of things, from knitted & crochted items to art journal pages, 365-projects, short videos, notebooks, textile art, crafts, blog posts, books, everyday photos, articles, collages, and more, the process is always different and always changing. But it almost always comes from the deep need to explore: a material, my thoughts, an idea, a picture in my head, the way light looks captured in a photo… I also know that I love to work in bulk, and once I get into what ever I’m working on I can not stop. I sit by the computer for 10 hours working on a layout without hesitation, even though I know I shouldn’t (it would be saner to take breaks and plan it out better). But once I’m in a creative flow I don’t want to stop and hours feels like minutes. I love to keep going, and continue on much longer than my body really wants to…

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

When I first got the question I just wanted to shout: it isn’t! There is nothing special about what I do – and I can not claim to be unique! On the other hand of course it is unique, because I’m the only one who can make it. And my work differs from millions of people in this world because I am doing the work! There are so many who isn’t creating their art, who doesn’t listen to their thoughts long enough to write them down – and who doesn’t capture their life in photography or art or collage or… But I am. So my work differs from others in that it exists. My work, often colorful like a rainbow, is born, again and again and ever day. And like I said, it makes me very happy.

What am I working on?

I am working on lots of small projects, as always, among other things a instagram/photo book for myself. But as I thought about the question I realized that I lack a bigger goal right now. Or maybe my big thing is that I am working on creating “a work flow”, a way to live. I am working on my life, from waking up and getting started, to blocking out time in my days to include both work-work and fun play in my art journal and with crafts. This has always been a struggle for me, where I constantly disappoint myself by getting stuck, having to start over and/or giving up. Finding balance is hard. But it’s a work in progress that is worth pursuing I think, so I will keep at it.

Round the world blog hop

I got the blog hop request from author and creative coach Quinn McDonald in Phoenix, Arizona, far away from me in the American Southwest — on the Sonoran Desert floor. I’ve reviewed her awesome journaling books, Raw Art Journaling and recently Inner Hero, and if you haven’t read them I recommend you to check them out. This blog hop started with Wendy of Late Start Studio from New Zealand, and will continue to new places for sure, one link at a time.

I’m sending the questions on to two other awesome bloggers that I have been following for years and greatly admire. I will post links to their around-the-world-blog-hop-posts next week for sure, but in the meantime you should visit them and do some blog reading there. I’m pretty sure you’ll be inspired! They’re artist and painter Zom Osborn (who used to blog at pinch me to see if you’re dreaming but now has a new blog) and author and crafter Kim Werker whose new book Might Ugly is the first ever book that I’ve pre-ordered before it is published! Check them out, and have a beautiful creative day!

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