I have to share this because there might be some of you out there who might appreciate and relate. I started making these figurines having not done it in a long time. My fingers remembered and it felt good to be doing something I love. I had an updated vision of what I wanted to make but I was a little unsure how people who collected the tiny sculptures I had made before would like these new girls.
I told myself I would make eight, see how I liked them, post them to Etsy see how others liked them and if everyone was happy I would keep going. Well eight turned into three, I got a little frustrated not sure I like the way they looked white and drying, they seemed to fragile on their new itty bitty bodies and super slim legs. I second guessed myself but told myself I would follow through with these three.
It took them a couple days to completely dry, I reinforced all the wobbly parts, filled in cracks, and waited another day to paint them. I am not sure what happens when you begin painting but it's like they come to life. Do you remember that moment in The Wizard of Oz when everything goes from black and white to technicolor? It just makes you smile.
So I started painting and couldn't stop, I added string, and trim, made the bases, gave them a shiny coat to protect them and make them pretty and I thought to myself, "I am so glad I followed through, these are even better than I imagined they would be". I guess the lesson is to honor your vision, make what you love and don't get frustrated, trust the process.
If you work with paper clay (or any other medium) here are a few simple things to remember:
1. Sketch first, wait until an image sticks, if that means sketching a long time then it's what you do, its worth it. You will find yourself drawing one particular figure over and over, no matter where you started, and you will fall in love with it.
2. Play with scale, break rules, this is your world, create what you love, what makes your heart beat a little faster. I know I have it when I am sitting alone smiling like a dork.
3. Pay attention to detail, it makes difference. Detail doesn't mean "perfection" it means not taking a short cut, doing it over until it feels right to you. Sometimes you have to walk away, come back and get a fresh look. Be true to your own standards, even if it's something no one will ever notice.
4. Find your personal pallet. It is like sketching, you will find that you are attracted to the same colors over and over. Don't pay attention to trend or what you think other people will like, again this is your world, let people join you there.
5. Be a kid, a big kid. This is fun, this is play, this is pulling out whats in your head and making it tangible. It might be bright and happy, dark and disturbing, it might be about memory, or a dream, curiosity or all of it at the same time.
6. I don't do this for money, I do it because I love it. When people love what I do it's awesome. When money comes it becomes liquid creativity for me, allowing me to keep doing what I love. I trust the universe made me a creative person for a reason and things always seem to work out so that I can keep making. If you put money first then it stops being a creative journey and starts being something else.
( this is were I plug that these have been posted to Etsy this morning!)
Make Art=Be Happy
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