Visual Diaries, Journaling Creativity, Getting it on paper...

Sketch books...

Journaling...

Visual dairies...

Every article I've come across regarding creativity bang on about these things being essential.

And by large they're right.

In order to live a creative life you need to first let go of the notion that you can only create when the  muse' or 'inspiration' hits ("I can only draw when I'm inspired"). Don't wait for things to strike you; pick one thing each day and then write about it or do a drawing from it. In this way, you'll train yourself to look at the world with a creative eye.

But if you've never keep a dairy or sketchbook - how do you start?

Step One: find a book that you like.

You could use:

• A pretty album designed specially for the purpose
• A lined school exercise book
• A spiral bound sketchbook
• A novel with gessoed-over pages
• A board book (peel off the laminated layer of paper)
• Loose pages that you've bound together

The only prerequisite is that it should be something that you like the size of and that you are comfortable with.

Step two: Scribble all over one page...Draw, doodle, write the name of your one true love surrounded with hearts - whatever - but MARK that fresh, clean paper as soon as you can. Get it out of the way - make that perfect book imperfect.

I ALWAYS feel guilty when I do this; a blank book is a beautiful thing, full of potential. It could contain ANYTHING. How dare I sully it with my pathetic scribblings...?

This impulse not to draw all over it is Artists Block - the entire purpose of keeping a sketchbook is to help you break out of this type of thinking..

You are not obligated to create fantastic art inside a sketchbook - just as you don't have to show anyone your personal dairy.

Step three: If you THINK you can't draw (and that is a WHOLE other topic - and one I'm very passionate about...) but want to draw in your book - then DRAW IN YOUR BOOK.

If you feel that your appalling spelling means that you will never be able to write, but want to write in your book - then WRITE IN YOUR BOOK.

If you want to glue things in there - WHO CARES if cutting and pasting is something done in kindergarten - then GLUE STUFF IN YOUR BOOK.

• Make notes
• Write lists
• Draw stars and circles and faces
• Thumbprint doodles
• Sketch your kitty
• Ask a small child for a suggestion of what to draw - and draw the first thing they suggest!
• Try writing some bad poetry!
• Collect pictures of haircuts you'd like to try
• Write your favorite quotes and illustrate them
• GET A GLITTER PEN!
• Write affirmations and goals
• Compose letters to fairy tale characters
• DRAW fairy tale characters

Basically, go nuts!

These books are meant to be records of your thoughts, of things that catch your eye, things you are trying to work out. My sketchbooks are eclectic, messy affairs - drawings interspersed with lists and diagrams for my day job. Watercolour paintings and Sharpie pen scratchings. Pencil studies and schematics for dolls. Character designs and Scrapbooking layout plans. Concepts for jewellery and balancing my budget. Pasted in print-outs of designs and toys that I love. No ryhme or reason to the order that these things appear in these books (but I'm working on that! Honest!).

A journal is for YOU! It is your rambling feelings on paper and whether those thoughts are drawn, written or cut'n'pasted from magazines does not matter. Just get them out.

---
Alana
xox

Applications for Feb are OPEN!

As the title says, the time has arrived - applications are open for the first 2010 Love Handmade Craft Market =)
Applications will close on the 22nd Jan at 6pm so don't miss out!
Alana and I have been working really hard over christmas on new ideas and marketing which is exciting!

Love Handmade Craft Market

Saturday 13th Feb

10am to 1pm

The Rose Centre, Belmont (near Takapuna)

COMING SOON: There will be a link to the right to download the PDF flyer (you can click on the image now to get a .gif) for you to send around to friends and family, to post on your blog, to post at work, to post on Facebook - anywhere you can think of =)
---
Rhiannon
xxx

Update for 2010

We hope everyone is ready for Christmas with it being only a day away (how did it get here so fast?!) I know I'm not and my last minute shopping is to be done tomorrow morning. I am hoping to miss the traffic but I think tomorrow will be crazy everywhere!

I thought it was time to give everyone an update as to what is happening between now and next year with Love Handmade. Alana and I have decided to have our first market in February instead of January because we want to have the extra time to work out a few kinks and re-look at our advertising strategies! We have got some exciting ideas which we are already working hard on and we are working on getting extra tables so that we can utilse the covered area out the back of the venue. Designing of our February flyer is already underway and we hope to have that finished early January.

We have also just started a mailing list which you can find on the right hand side of the blog. We will be creating a newsletter every two months, which will include news about local crafters, updates on Love Handmade, and anything else we think may interest crafters and the craft lovers of Auckland. So make sure you sign up - our first one will be sent out late Jan 2010.

We have a busy Christmas break ahead of us but it will all be worth it in the end - both for us and for you! So until 2010 - I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday! =)

---
Rhiannon
xxx

Christmas Market 09

It was such a beautiful day - sun shining through and lots of chatting and catch-ups to be had. It was a lot quieter than we had expected, despite the large amount of money we had spent on advertising, but it didn't seem to dampen the festivities =)

Check out some of our talented crafters who were at the December market.

Alana and I have been brainstorming on how to market the market (as such) for 2010 and after a pleasant “business meeting” accompanied by a coffee in the sun today, we have some great ideas that we are going to start working on today. So make sure you keep checking back for exciting updates!

Have a Merry Christmas and a great New Year everyone and see you in 2010! =D

Rhiannon

xxxx

Love Handmade Progress

I thought that it is about time to let everyone know what is going on with Love Handmade. Alana and I have been working around the clock to get as much done as possible to ensure a great outcome for the first market. Here is some of our advertising:

• Our listing on Eventfinder.co.nz has had just under 14,000 views (wow!!)
• We have had an advertisement in the local Coffee News (Takapuna/Devonport) and a few in the Auckland CBD Coffee News for over a month.
• We have a listing in the November edition of Shore Mix Magazine which is a free publication distributed to over 200+ cafes, retail outlets, ferry buildings and bars in the Takapnua, Devonport, Birkenhead and Milford area. Love Handmade will also have a double page spread in the December issue, and there will be a photographer there on the day to take photos for this feature. (Exciting!!)
• Podgypanda (a.k.a Richard Kuoch) had flyers on his table at the Auckland Armageddon which had around 40,000 people through over the three days - so thanks Richard =)

It is set to be an amazing day, with some amazing crafters! So be sure to come along and take part in the launch. There will be something there for everyone.

>> December Applications open this Saturday so be in quick for the Christmas Market <<

---
Rhiannon
xxx

Gordon Harris Raffle Pack

We would like to give a huge thanks to our wonderful friends at Gordon Harris who have sponsored an incredible pack of goodies to raffle off at our first craft market. Tickets will be $2.00 each and could win you $200 worth of Cristina Re’s designer paper craft materials.
The pack includes:
- 40 of her designer papers. Ranging from plain to elegant to beautiful, you will be able to find a use for all of these papers no matter what your favourite kind of crafting is.
- A copy of her newest book “Paper Styles” which has step by step instructions for the most beautiful wedding stationery. You can apply these techniques to any part of your life though. It’s a 176 pages, fabric bound hardcover book that has stunning pictures and great tips and techniques as well as templates to use.
- A copy of the “Printstation CD 3” which is an interactive software package that includes templates that you can edit and change the way you want for tags, cards, booklets, invitations and more.

Have a look at her website for more products =)
http://www.cristinare.com/

  
---
Rhiannon
xxx

New Flyer

We have now finally finished the flyer for our market and I can say that we are both very EXTREEMLY happy with it. So without any further babble, here it is:

---
Rhiannon & Alana
xxx

Darrinee Horton - A taster of things to come...

Darrinee ("D" to her friends) has had a fascination with all things crafty since she was young. It all started when she was making pom poms with her mum when she was about 8. But it wasn't until she got into Girl Guides and spent a week with her grandmother learning how to knit and sew that she begun to get more and more into her crafting.

She draws her inspiration in the infamous Tim Burton movies such as Beetlejuice (she even named her kitten after that movie!)

Take a look at some of her creations...

To quote Darrinee herself:

"I want to make every day halloween!"

Come and see Darrinee and many others at the first "Love Handmade" Craft Market on Saturday 14th November at the Rose Centre, 9am to 12pm

---
Rhiannon & Alana
xxx