Creative Prompts (more prompts for fun

I've created the new prompt list for September 2020. While I will be creating cards with my friends that relate to these prompts I may also use them in my art journal or just topics to consider on my walk. Join us and please share your work on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kNACkofit

 September Prompts

[ ] 9.1 Turquoise and sand

[ ] 9.2 Coruscate: to reflect vibrantly, to sparkle

[ ] 9.3 food

[ ] 9.4 Oh my stars

[ ] 9.5 Too funny

[ ] 9.6 The 1-2 punch

[ ] 9.7 Friendship

[ ] 9.8 Bad habits

[ ] 9.9 Fun fold

[ ] 9.10 Manly

[ ] 9.11 Patrotic

[ ] 9.12 Sunshine

[ ] 9.13 Butterflies

[ ] 9.14 Have you got a wild hair?--today is your choice

[ ] 9.15 Zoo

[ ] 9.16 Just 2 layers

[ ] 9.17 Europe

[ ] 9.18 Rainbow

[ ] 9.19 Dance

[ ] 9.20 Circle

[ ] 9.21 Love, love, love

[ ] 9.22 Dogs or cats or both if it's raining haha

[ ] 9 23 Flower arrangement

[ ] 9.24 Weave

[ ] 9.25 Hello

[ ] 9.26 Glitter

[ ] 9.27 lumpy bumpy, you're going to need a cardboard protector and extra postage for this one

[ ] 9.28 Evening

[ ] 9.29 Halloween

[ ] 9.30 White on white

The card at left is from the August prompt "portrait." I painted/drew a face from my cousins collectiom. "Cousin Elsa will always have Paris."

The card below is for the sympathy prompt in August.

Bipolar Disorder--Healing doesn't always mean a cure but it can prevent death

The number one cause of premature death in people with bipolar disorder is suicide. http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/resources/briefing-papers-and-fact-sheets/159/46

Robin Williams had bipolar disorder. Lots of well-known people have bipolar disorder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_bipolar_disorder

 

 

·         I have been in treatment for bipolar disorder since 1996.

·         I see a counselor and a psychiatrist every month or more frequently if needed.

·         I call myself the poster child for the “take your mental illness medication club”

·         I’ve shared my bipolar adventures with limited audiences at various intervals of my life.

·         I struggle with the stigma and shame of mental illness.

·         I get angry with misconceptions and jokes about bipolar disorder.

·         I love being who I am and where I am.

 
 In the words of Katherine Brooks, “I actually believe it makes everything I do have more meaning, passion, and purpose. I’m thankful to be this way … thankful to be born Bipolar.”

Bring Change to Mind and the the National Association of Mental Health offer fabulous resources for understanding mental illness including bipolar disorder. Take a minute to bring change to mind:

http://www.bringchange2mind.org/

 

This is my senior portrait from college. At the time, I felt like there were two sides of myself--the calm and the crazy. Foreshadowing at my best...

 

We represent the lollipop kids...

I've been combing Pinterest for "pun" gifts. Stuff like an Owl image and the words "Owl always love you" or chocolate bars with a card that says, "you're the best, bar none." Supposedly these were for business promotions and gifts, but then the OBESSION kicked into the mix.
 
The obsession is candy bouquets. There is nothing new about candy bouquets. I made them in coffee mugs as gifts in the 80's and taught them several times as workshops.
 
My first venture into Candy Bouquets 2014 was a miserable failure. I should have taken pictures, but I was rushed. Bottom line: I had the wrong candy, the wrong Styrofoam, and I was rushed.
 
I was ready to give up. I promise I was totally ready to give up. I put the supplies away and put the candy in an area approved for in-home consumption. However, the sugary bright arrangements of confection would not release me.

I kept pinning ideas and pondering designs. I found myself  in stores picking up containers that would work well as a base for a candy bouquet. Then the containers jumped into my cart and followed me home.

Last week when I was out running errands and getting ready for our trip to California--it happened. I drove past a candy warehouse. It was right on my way home. I'd never noticed it before. This miraculous reveal right in front of my eyes was a sign from somewhere (probably not from the heavens) that I must move forward with the candy project.

A quick U-turn and I was there. An hour later I was leaving the store with brightly colored lollipops and a receipt (no refunds allowed) for $26.92.



 
Apparently the time was right for Candy Bouquets 2014. After only a couple hours I had four candy bouquets and 3 pieces of leftover candy (not counting the lollipop I taste tested for purely scientific reasons).

They are now all posted on my Pinterest Page under gifts.

Total supply cost including containers, ribbons, and better Styrofoam was $8.79 per bouquet. Not a bad cost for a gift and about the same as a bouquet of grocery store flowers. With good fortune and no similar OBSESSIONS on the horizon--I should be finished with my Candy Bouquets 2014 adventure. You never know though, I've always been a "sucker" for lollipop bouquets.

We'd like to welcome you to Munchkin Land.

You, yes you, are creative

My motto in life and in business is "live safe, live well, and live creatively." I have never encountered anyone who said they could not or did not want to live safe or live well.

The creative part though--that stumps a few. The most common response is, "I've never been creative, I just can't do that, or I don't know how to be creative."

Doodling is a craft, doodling as hair on a face

is creative. copyright nachattin.com 2014

I read a blog post this week that beautifully and succinctly expresses living creativity in terms that are easy to understand.

Creativity isn't about whether or not you can draw or write or sing or scrapbook--those are crafts that require skills. You can develop skills. Creativity, however, is about the approach to your skills.

"That’s when I understood that anything you might consider ‘art’ is made up of two parts; creativity and craft. The craft is the artistic skill to make the art, while creativity is the spark of life or the ingenuity behind it.
 
That also made me understand that when someone says they aren’t creative, they are mistaking creativity for craft."




Here's a direct link to the entire post:
http://meshack.com/creativity/changing-this-one-thought-lead-to-better-life/

Creativity is within us and all around us. If you've ever had an idea, you're creative.

Make something of it

Slipper Camp Workout #6:

Make something. The feeling of accomplishment when you make something yourself is a boost to the soul and the mind.

 Bonus: Make something that makes you laugh.

Silly Kissy Birds ACEO by Norma
Anne Chattin 2014 copyright

 

Tips and Enhancements:

·         Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to be “creative” to make something.

·         If you cook from box items, try making something from scratch.

·         If you only buy pre-made items, cook something from a box.

·         Write a handwritten thank you note or birthday wish.

·         If you have a hobby, make something with it—from knitting a scarf, to making a gift tag or card, to planting a seed or placing a carrot top in water.

·         Make a photo log of today by snapping shots all day lo

 

Obviously this is one of my favorite topics. For more tips and enhancements visit the Artful Tourist side of my website: http://www.nachattin.com/indexartonly.html

 

Slipper Camp: A kinder, gentler boot camp designed to assist you in living well.

Camp Motto: Being kind to yourself makes you strong.

Follow along with the  Slipper camp tasks on the Live Safe, Live Well Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kNACkofit?ref=br_rs

My little visitor

This original art ATC essentially just dropped into my studio yesterday. I was moving along, minding my own business in my journal and "poof" she flew in to my head and wouldn't let go until I gave her life on an ATC.

Mixed media: watercolor, Bic Marker, Sakura Glaze Gel Pens, lace, dictionary page die cut, PSX word stamp, white Sharpie paint pen.

Gearing up for the Challenges



Slide from my Tenants of Creativity
Gallery on the web site. Digi images
from Deviantscrap.com



As I emerge from my totally amateur status I am discovering some fun new twists in the paper arts world. One of these fun new (to me) twists is the online challenge. Essentially, the web site or blog owner posts a challenge to create a project using a certain theme, product, style, or combination of these and other requirements.

___Advantages of playing along____

Challenges are working well right now for many reasons. I love how they are just one more way to make the world a little smaller by allowing participants from all over the globe and all levels of experience to join in and have fun with the paper art. Some of the other advantages of challenges are:

o ability to surf and blog hop through links to challenges

o promote products

o inspire technique and process experimentation

o most are open to all levels of artists and crafters allowing the joy of creating to be shared

o allow creation of one unique project as opposed to creating time consuming multiples for swaps

o focus the artist’s efforts to a particular theme



Using my favorite products for upcoming challenges

As part of my designer work with Paper Temptress I will be using the PT products to enter some online challenges. Patricia, the amazing Temptress of Paper herself and host of the Paper Temptress Community Blog, has given the designers creative freedom to enter their choice of online challenges. Deciding which challenge to enter is a challenge in itself. Deb Felts has made the selection process easier by publishing a blog called The Daily Dare http://dailydare4u.blogspot.com  where she lists links to all the new blog challenges she can find as they open each day.

While I appreciate focus, I like to create more of the quirky, artsy style projects. In my quest to fiind challenge blogs that would feel comfortable for me and show off the Paper Temptress card stocks in the process—I found these favorites:

1. The Three Muses http://thethreemuseschallenge.blogspot.com/
2. Theme Thursday http://themethursday.wordpress.com/
3. Tag You are It http://tagartchallenge.blogspot.com/
4. Collage Obsession http://collageobsessionchallenge.blogspot.com/
5. Fun with ATCs http://funwithatcs.blogspot.com/
6. Sunday Post Card Art http://sundaypostcardart.wordpress.com/
7. A year in the life of an art journal http://oneyearartjournal.blogspot.com/ (naturally I cannot wait to roll with this one in my journal—wicked grin)

__Show and Tell__
I'll be playing along with the favorites I've listed here and I'd love to hear about your blog experiences too. If you have a a project on a challenge blog any time in July, please post a link to it on the comments or send me an email. Share your favorite challenges and why you like them here too. I'm totally fascinated by the folks I've seen entering one art  piece in 5 or more challenges at the same time. Do tell your secrets for getting all that done.

Artful Tourist Tenants of Creativity



Background from Designer Digitals, image from Deviant Scrap.

 By releasing the cumbersome burden of my old web site I am inspired to create new projects and pages. Today I took an extra hour of my Thursday morning scheduled renewal time (yes, I schedule renewal) to create imagery for my Tenants of Creativity. These nine tenants represent my personal philosophy of creativity. I made an art journal page in May that I've wanted to express digitally for weeks. I'm so refreshed by this process.




The art journal spread that inspired the Tenants of Creativity


Explore your own tenants of creativity the next time you visit your studio space or consider an Artful Tourist workshop to guide you in this process.

Look for individual tenants of creativity to be posted on the Artful Tourist Facebook page in the coming days. You are welcome to tag them or print them for your personal use and inspiration.