DIY- Mini magic Creativity cards

CREATIVITY TIP OF THE WEEK – Give your Creativity an Art Energy Snack.

 Imagine kneeling beside a mountain stream and cuping your hands to drink the fresh, cold, clear water, standing under a waterfall or plunging into a pool or lake. Any one of these will make you feel wonderful. My favourite is the fresh, cold, mountain, spring water. It invigorates me, clears my head, and gives me energy to continue my hiking, to climb further up the mountain.

 

But getting to that cool, clear stream is not easy. It can take a long time of putting one foot in front of the other, over and over again. It is tiring and it absorbs my energy, and after a long time walking, I can feel I am not making any progress at all.

Art and creativity can be like a hike. You can feel that you are always doing the same old things, over and over again, and not making any progress. Does this happen to you? Do you sometimes find that your paintings just don’t turn out interesting? Feeling disappointed with one’s own work can be very discouraging. It can be a real killer. But this is not at all uncommon for anyone doing drawing and painting.

Mini magic

Now, what if I can give you a short cut?

Well, it is not really a short cut. It is more like an energy snack or a few squares of sweet chocolate to give you a boost when you need it most. Something that will help your push your weary art legs a little longer until you reach that cool fresh stream.

ART ENERGY SNACK 

Some time ago, I published a box of 100 cards full of ideas. It is in Norwegian, but today I have found a way to share some of the cards with you.

The cards can be used in several fun ways, but the simplest game is to draw a card, read it and then do what the card tells you to do. You can, for example draw a new card every 30 minutes and change the subject, or just stick to the first card you pull. Set your own rules before you start to play.
I hope they end up as successes in your eyes

Maybe you don’t like the task you get and you want to change it. Well, no one is watching, and if you really want, you can change it. But one very important thing I learnt in art school was, if there is something you don’t like doing………..you have to do it, for this is a trigger! And where there is a trigger, whether it is good or bad, there is energy and this energy will bring you somewhere. Maybe it will bring you far on your creative journey, who knows? That is how we learn and this is what makes us break into something new. Don’t be afraid to try new things. New is different, new is good. New is creative. What do you have to lose? The most important aspect is you will certainly learn something.

DIY

To make your Art Energy Snack cards, download this PDF and print it out. I recommend watercolour paper if your printer can handle it. (You should check the printer instructions if you haven’t tried to print on thick paper before.) Print them on the back of a drawing or painting you are not completely happy with. Then cut along the lines to make small creative cards. Next you can personalize them, give your cards a charm of their own. Decorate them more, write more ideas on them, add your own cards. Do what ever you want with them. Just have fun with them. I know they will reward you, if you give them a chance.

This was my tip of the week, but please tell me your tips too. What you do to keep going? I love to hear from you. I’m always pleased and often surprised with the wonderful ideas my readers share.