What will I do with it?

Hi friends!  Yesterday I took a photo of a pretty bouquet at a funky restaurant and I decided I wanted to paint it while it was fresh in my mind. I wanted to use a large sheet of really nice watercolor paper and just express the colors from my photo. I quickly started to gather my supplies before the Practical Party Pooper (aka the PPP) could chime in. I am sure you have heard the “PPP” before. That that voice in your head that says “What will you do with that after you make it?” or “What’s the point of that silly project?” Often the point in in the creation! Do children wonder what they are going to do with the mud pies after they make them? No! They have fun and play in the dirt. The joy is in the process!

I went to the bookstore with my sister a couple of weeks ago and I was pondering the choices in the art and craft section. I saw a wonderful book on bookbinding. It’s called Making Handmade Books by Alisa Golden and there were like 100 different binding techniques and ideas.  I was delighted by the projects and photography and I knew it was something I would enjoy reading as well as trying the projects inside. I almost didn’t buy it because of the PPP. “You have so many sketchbook and journals, what’s the point of making more?” and of course the old classic “What will you do with the handmade books after you make them?” And I thought you know what?  I don’t have to “do” anything with it. I can make it because I enjoy it. I can give it away. I could put it in my next craft fair booth. I can set it on a shelf and look at it. I can store it. I can use it or it can just be. Your art does not have to have another purpose other than to make you happy. Art is meant to be created. An artist creates. That’s what we do. What happens to the creations after we are done is not as important as the process we go through to create it. That in itself is enough. Nobody asks a musician “What are you going to do with that song after you play it?” They just play it! Musicians play, actors act, runners run and artists create! Enjoy the process. Sure, we all want something to show for our effort. Nobody wants to feel like they are wasting time or materials or feeling like our creations are useless dust collectors but if you think of the “product” of our art to be personal enrichment and education you can let go of that pressure.

It’s why I like working in a sketchbook so much, even if the art isn’t anything I want to display I can keep it stored compactly and look at it later to see how much I have progressed. But don’t let that stop you from making something big and impractical once in a while. The real waste is art supplies and our creativity going unused. I think one of the downsides of going through the Konmari method (the decluttering technique from the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo) and paring away excess is that I have avoided making some things that I really enjoyed because I didn’t know what I would do with it afterward.  That that is the main “Con” of Konmari LOL! Everything in moderation, especially moderation! Go make something fun and frivolous and til next time Happy crafting!

PS I will share that big painting of the bouquet I mentioned with you on Wednesday with a tutorial, sneak peek of the first layer above:)