Travel Art Journal (junior edition)

Hello, you look good today :)

Its time to share Olivia's Travel Art Journal from our trip to London last week. She really was absorbed by it and I always love watching her get creative.

A little rant...
I believe creativity to be one of the most (actually THE most) important skill to develop and nurture, and utterly essential to our future on this planet. I do not think Arts subjects get enough priority in schools, and alarmingly I think schools often crush the natural creativity in ALL of us; it's not entirely their fault as they are driven by the need to teach skills to fit in with exam board requirements.
I chose to take on a new kind of Art GCSE a couple of years ago: OCR Art and Design (Textiles Design) and it has seriously changed my practice and enhanced creativity back into what I teach, it is a very free and open course allowing a lot of independence of thought and action. I love teaching it and the students on the whole, love the freedom. However I also have experience in other areas where creativity is quite literally stamped on. Where the emphasis is on 'perfection' rather that 'trial and error'. Perfection is sought in endless line drawing, when it should be mixed up with other drawing skills that create less tension and frustration.
I would love to see Art subjects being studied daily as well as physical education, why on earth is Science held above these life-skills? We should not be pushing our youngsters toward academia, but rather towards a more human friendly balance that encapsulates a holistic view. Arts allow for expression and connection to the body and soul - if that isn't a priority then we are going to get into a bit of a mess in the future, or rather...we are leaving a mess for them to sort out!

---Rant Over---
Thank you for listening. I saw a really inspirational lecture via this blog the other day and it echoes everything I fundamentally believe. I have tagged it on at the end, it's long but worth it!

Sooooooooo...
Prety pictures time.

Some of her pages aren't quite finished but I love the work anyway. That she has made choices to tear, cut, rip or layer...these are all imporant choices to make to determine what works, what looks good.



Did you have a good experience of Art at school, or did you leave with the feeling that you 'weren't good enough?'
Love, me x

Creative Friends

I was very lucky this Christmas and got to spend lots of time with a very dear friend: Laura. She lives in Thailand, so I rarely get the chance to see her, and when she is usually back she is rushed of her feet with visits and commitments.
We have such a lot in common it's crazy, and she inspires me so much I can't even begin to tell you. I credit Laura for bringing back into my life something that I had lost: me. I met her when I was not long back from a 5 year overstayed holiday in the Caribbean and I had no clue who I was, I was so 'out of it'. Laura breezed in as a new Teaching Assistant and I instantly fell in love with her, she is such a free spirit and so full of love and laughter...just my kinda person.

So this Christmas I wanted to give something back, I decided we would have a creative session together. While her beautiful daughter Laela slept for a couple of hours we got out all my Art equipment and took over the dining table for a mega session on Art Journals, (Laela did join in when she woke up):

It was a great day.
We ate Cambodian noodle soup for lunch, pizza and salad for dinner, drank ridiculous amounts of tea and played with Laela lots. We felt a bit housebound later so decided to go out for chocolate bars at the co-op...an adventure in itself!

Do you have any friends who inspire you?
Love, me x

Year in Review - 2011 Creativity

Looking back over the year is such a brilliant exercise, I have just amazed myself with how much creativity I have squeezed in around my teaching job! (Pat on the back and a clip round the ear, as my Grandad -who sadly passed away this year- might have said).
So here it is:

This is not even all, but some highlights of things like: launching my blog and Re:Loved, getting my packaging and company ID finalised, meeting Kim Smith, teaching amazing creative sketchbook lessons at school after going on a course, commissions for large artworks and shoes, starting my art journal - which has been the key to my creative year, making artworks and accessories, selling in two shops locally as well as craft fayres.

It has honestly been the best year for me creatively, and I have had friends say I have inspired them to work on their own books/ ideas/ products...I am really humbled by that. I feel I have reached a point where I can just go ahead and be creative without suffering massive blocks, the major one of which I overcame this year, which was recovering from the damage my degree did to my work. Blogs really helped me this year, they have been my inspiration.

So, in the words of Julia Cameron, and the book 'Heart Steps - prayers and declarations for a creative life' I leave you with this on Creativity and Spirituality:

Life is energy, pure creative energy. This energy is the source of all I desire, all I need, all I want. When I call upon this source to supply me, I am freed from depending on people, institutions, and hierarchies. My good comes from me in all directions, from all quarters. No one person can block my good. No circumstance can circumvent me.

I have more round-ups planned over the next couple days as well as mine and Olivia's resolutions, which we are currently working on. For now, Happy New Year lovely people. Mucho Love x x x