What do you love about your creative process?

Wow! I see what all the fuss is about with The Great Pottery Throw Down now! I like that James said it was a form of meditation for him - how true, I feel I lose myself in any creative process and realise that utter clear focus and absorbsion is what I love. Anyone feel the same?

I get engrossed in it, then realised I’ve not kept up with the housework, naughty girl!! Lol!!
I find what I do very relaxing.

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It’s fantastic to be totally absorbed in what you are doing. That, and the end result when you fish around in the tumbler and see the end product, makes it very worthwhile :slight_smile:️

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I suffer with OCD which can get really bad when I’m stressing about something. At times I could scream I feel so trapped by the repetitive cycles I find myself in.

When I’m busy creating goodies for my shop I’m completely relaxed, calm and at one with my environment. It’s blissful and cures me completely whilst I’m engrossed in the piece I’m working on.

I work mostly in miniature and I have to focus really carefully as I’m obsessed with making things as realistic as I can.

I love the feel of satisfaction once the polymer clay pieces have baked, cooled and had a loving coat of shiny glaze :smiley:

Karen :sparkles:

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People often say they don’t know how I find the time and energy to do my crafting as well as work for a living but like you all say it is a form of relaxation and the harder the day has been the more I am itching to get engrossed in a new make.

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I love it when something I’ve imagined turns out as well as it seemed in my head, which is rare, but lovely when it happens.

I hate the fact that time goes about 3 times as fast when I’m crafting as it does when I’m doing housework.

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Having just done a jewellery stall in my classroom yesterday, I get a similar reaction to Roz, where do you find the time? I create in the evening. Want my hands to be busy while I watch TV. I’ve done cross stitch and knitting since I was 7 and feel almost guilty if I’m doing nothing but watching. I always want to create something that brings out the beauty of the incredible gemstones that nature has created, to honour them. Even though the ways I am creating has changed as I’ve gotten older: cross stitch to knitting to jewellery to knitting to photography and jewellery again, I have to have a creative outlet to feel complete.

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I too find making very absorbing. When I had a very high pressure job, it was my way to destress. Since I gave up my job and started doing this full time, I have been like a new person. I think it’s because you are totally in the moment when working on something. I love planning and looking at colours and working out patterns. Having an end product is important to me too whether it has worked out as I imagined or not. My husband says I still work long hours, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. I just feel like I’m enjoying myself all the time!

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It’s definitely more fun than hoovering… :wink:

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Wow Karen your designs are realistic! So cute :relaxed:

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I love that feeling when you’re dying to get your teeth into working on something. Makes you feel alive!

What a lucky bunch we are! Pity I’ve got to go and make tea now. Want to make something crafty after reading all your inspiring posts! :smile: x

Thank you Karen @MillieMoth :blush:

Oh without a doubt! But I get a guilt feeling as nothing else gets done. You know what it’s like.:confounded:

It’s definitely very therapeutic once you get involved in the process of making. For me it’s carving out a sheet of Lino and the excitement of printing out the end result. I originally studied ceramics so The Great Pottery Throw down brings back some good memories.

I have a passion for fabric and when I have an idea for a design I love searching through fabric to find the colours, patterns and textures that will work best to bring it together. Designing in my head gets me through my day job until I can get back to my crafting in the evening and at weekends. My housework is badly neglected!

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You have such a lovely shop and your love of fabric shines through it! And as for housework…it gets in the way of much more important creative-type things and therefore should be banned! I love, literally, a blank canvas…a clean sheet of watercolour paper all ready for paint!

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I get caught up in the whole process of making my bears but the part I love the most…

… The last stitch always comes through my teddies belly-buttons. For me when I snip that last stitch it’s like I’m cutting the umbilical cord and my little teds take on a life of their own. Hope that doesn’t make me sound weird lol.

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I remember doing Lino printing in the sixth form! It was a fantastic feeling carving through it with all the different tools - I’d forgotten all about that! I like the look of all the messiness you get involved in in pottery. Somehow when you’re covered in paint, or in the garden covered in mud, it feels so much more real - like I’m a “proper” artist/gardener. :laughing:Have to admit I’m not so keen on the prep to get the messiness started, and clearing away is a chore! Usually you’ve given it your all in the creative process and there’s no heart left for tidying! Or is that just me? Sometimes I feel it’s like waking up when I’ve done something hugely enjoyable & satisfying only to find chaos all around me and no energy left. Hey ho, it’s worth it!

@PocketfulCreations I can identify with dreaming of designs through the day job! I work in a jewellery shop and the other girls there are amazingly crafty and full of ideas themselves so we have really good talks about ideas which helps (obviously while we’re hard at work! :wink:)

@mandielliottwilson that sounds so sweet cutting the little teds umbilical cords! Bet you feel so attached to each one. :bear::heart:️

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@mandielliottwilson yes that does sound weird, but I get so I guess … :wink:

I love the fact you can have a design idea in your head, sketch it out, decide upon the materials/colours and from then on it starts to evolve and sometimes, as it evolves other ideas explode in your head and you end up creating something very different to the original design!

I hate being engrossed in an evolving design thats looking gorgeous and … you suddenly find out what the time is!