Creativity on a Time Budget – Birds of a Feather
Like us all I also find it hard to create time for artistic and creative pursuits. I'm constantly looking for ways in which to make creativity a staple in my life. It's hard to find huge chunks of time to make complicated projects. But small pockets of time can be found throughout the day. Whether you're waiting at the doctor's office or for a meeting. Whether you have 10 minutes at the end of your lunch break or during a daily commute. These are all time chunks that can be used to do something creative.
Some folks use this time and time they spend at the GYM to listen to podcasts and audio books. Other folks catch up on TV series. I like to utilize this time to create and for that I want to use a small canvas, one that doesn't intimidate me and doesn't become a huge project to keep track of.
That's why I've started creating art on these little die-cut feathers. I use Canson water color paper to cut these out using my Cuttlebug and a beautiful Spellbinders die. It is so easy to create 30-40 of these in about 5 minutes.
After I cut them out the sky is the limit - I use them as a canvas for doodling, Zentangle, watercolor painting and brush lettering. I've made a short video for you to show a few things I do with these feathers. Watch the Elevenses with MZ episode below.
I find these little art pieces so much fun to do. They take between 5 - 15 minutes and are the perfect way to create an oasis of creativity in the middle of your day. This exercise helps me to clear my mind and then refocus on work. You'd be surprised how refreshed you can feel after 5-15 minutes of doing something creative.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
If you do not own a die-cutting machine you can cut these little canvases using paper templates and scissors too. You can also check if your local arts and crafts store has a machine and dies you can use or you can ask a friend. The fun thing is that you can make so many of these at one time - you will probably not need very frequent access to a machine. You can also vary the shapes or go with a simple circle, square or even triangle. Remember there are no rules in true creativity.
These little pieces of art can also be displayed together kind of like a mosaic - really the possibilities are endless! Will you give this a try? Let me know in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this episode of Elevenses with MZ please subscribe to my YouTube channel here, and you'll never miss a new episode. We put out new videos twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 11:00am CST focusing on creativity and how to nurture your right brain.
If you want to check out my videos and posts on Zentangle and Brush Lettering you can find them here and here.
Till next time! Happy creating,
MZ