Creating Creative Kids | March Inspiration en Masse

Hey, time for another massive inspirational post! Please note that not all links are about creating creative kids by letting your kids create or being creative together with them – but let’s start there and then get into crafts, art journaling, book recommendation of the day and more…

I am posting an epic and awesome monthly link love post in the beginning of each month to keep us, you as well as me, inspired for the entire month. Bookmark this post and go through it all if you want to, there is a lot of inspiration, knowledge and ideas that I think are worth sharing here. With the monthly post Inspiration en masse I bring you a lot in just one post, so if you get anything out of it I’d love to know. Or if you go visit, tell ’em iHanna sent you.

Creating Creative Kids

So, creating with kids in tow… Is it possible? I don’t have kids of my own, but I love borrowing some and creating with them. I don’t know anything that is as tiring and as inspiring at the same time. I do think it’s super sad that not all mom’s have the chance, time or courage to create with their kids daily. I know a mom who constantly criticizes her self when sitting down to color or draw with her kids. It’s sad and heart-wrenching to see, especially when you start hearing the same things coming out of the kids mouth…

So here are some advice to get you going…

Creating with a kid – by artist Alisa Burke, who has the best and most freeing way ever to allow her kid to find her own style and becoming an artist (or whatever she wants to become) using paints and even clay…

  The three C’s – creativity, crafting and kids – we should learn from the kids, not the other way!

 What do two kids do when they can’t afford Pokémon cards? They draw their own. – What do you do when you don’t have much money growing-up, but love Pokémon? If you’re brothers Richard and Henry, you create your own decks of cards. At about ages 10 and 12 respectively, they started the project.

Video: Beyond the Lines – a short film on youtube by Monica Mazel, a fun movie that has a very important message: be yourself!

And if you’re thinking that you can’t, start here:

How to Raise a Creative Child. Step One: Back Off!

Inspiration en masse

Layer Cake Art Journal Tutorial  – I love Tammy’s videos sooo much! Here’s a tutorial for creating grungy wicked texture on your art journal page using acrylics and fiber paste.

 A Magic Box Tutorial – make someone you like a tiny message in a matchbox, and send out some love (because it’s not only for Valentine’s Day)

 Interview with embroidery artist Liz Payne – She is one of my favorite embroi­dery artist, here asked: How Did You Do That? Her vibrant works are hand-painted tex­tiles with embell­ish­ments like bead­ing, intri­cate stitches, and sequins. They’re a feast for the eyes—a collision of color, tex­tures, and shapes.

Displaying and hanging textile art – yummy images and some great info for showing of your textile art as wall hangings

Make your own DIY mini paint palette – I really want one of these, just because it’s SO cute.

6 ways to make your own diamonds – in wood, paper and other materials. If you’re into the diamond trend that is…

Sew a gem zipper – free pattern for a cute pouch

 Kickstarter is really cool, especially when you find the projects that really spark something within you. I just “found” it and I am very close to backing the Spirit Cats Inspirational Card Deck for a cat loving friend of mine, or something like The modular notebook or a unicorn poop scarf (!!) for me to try out – but it’s all kind of expensive and with shipping to Sweden… Gasp! Can’t do it right now. But I thought maybe you’d want to check ’em out?

Social media stuff

 How Facebook Makes Us Dumber – Why does misinformation spread so quickly on the social media? Why doesn’t it get corrected? When the truth is so easy to find, why do people accept falsehoods? Confirmation bias turns out to play a pivotal role in the creation of online echo chambers.

The Noob’s Guide to Using Snapchat – reading this helped me get started. I’ve been obsessed with posting little video snippets of my day over there the past month or so, but I’m not sure I’ll keep it up. If you’re on there I’d love to know you. And if you want to snap with me, let me know. My username is my domain name without the dot: ihannanu

Sign up for my Newsletter – in March I’m giving away two spots in the art journal class I’m teaching to my subscribers, so this is a good time to sign up. Just sayin… And since I’m reading stuff like this it might be better than it has been:

 13 Steps to Launch an Email Newsletter: Here you’ll find out how a newsletter can be more effective than social media at getting you clients and building your expertise, how to format, design, and plan your newsletter, tips for what to write wand more…

My Book Recommendation

I’ve been reading Hugh Howey’s Silo Saga Wool and Shift and I can totally recommend them if you too are into dystopian sci-fi! I’ve started the last book in the series, Dust, and I’m so excited to read more this weekend. Whare are you reading?

…and I’ve been watching these

Inspiration Videos

Sit back and sip some coffee.

I don’t feel I need the book but I love the promo-video, so cute:

How to be a Wildflower Book Trailer from Gabriel James on Vimeo [found via the blog Dispatch from LA]

I’m not into electronic music at all, but my brother told me about Pogo on YouTube and I think it’s kind of cool. A mix of sounds and clips from an animated movie turns music:

Wishery | Pogo on YouTube

A beautiful watercolor journal flip through by Wei Taillandier on YouTube:

Listening through the list of 16 Songs That Have Helped People Through Depression and found this fight song that I’m loving right now:

Fight Song (Official Video on YouTube) by Rachel Platten

Even more cool videos and links in previous Inspiration en Masse-posts! Check out November’s Big Magic, December was all about Setting Goals, January was titled A Year of Making and last month was all about Self-Love and Self-Compassion Ideas.

Also feel free to like and follow Studio iHanna on Facebook for even more inspiration there – all year long. And I’m iHanna on Pinterest too.

Wishing you a all the best in March! I’ll be here, blogging.