{"id":537,"date":"2010-03-01T11:28:00","date_gmt":"2010-03-01T11:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/userblogs.ganoksin.com\/katherinemiess\/?guid=6ce30c1c683f162a1692525511ffa008"},"modified":"2010-03-01T11:28:00","modified_gmt":"2010-03-01T11:28:00","slug":"etsy-metal-blog-carnival-march-1st-2009-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userblogs.ganoksin.com\/katherinemiess\/2010\/03\/01\/etsy-metal-blog-carnival-march-1st-2009-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Etsy Metal Blog Carnival March 1st 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just became a member of Etsy Metal, and one of the challenges that they promote is to blog about a given subject each month. This month’s subject is <\/span>“Create an inspirational 20 things to do to kick start creativity.” So, here are my 20!<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Keep communication lines open. Talk to creative people and bounce ideas off of them.<\/span>
2. Always be on the lookout for good design. Whether it is jewelry, architecture, furniture, etc. If you like something enough, take a picture and archive it.<\/span>
3.Participate in activities that challenge you to think creatively. Join a club like Etsy Metal, SNAG, Crafthaus, or something as simple as reading and writing blogs on the subject.<\/span>
4. Take an “inspirational walk” get some fresh air. Get your legs and arms moving. This will help get your brain moving as well.<\/span>
5. Meditate. Close your eyes and picture yourself working in your space. I do this every chance I get. It’s like counting sheep for me when I can’t sleep.<\/span>
6. Subscribe to inspirational magazines. Metalsmith, Craft, Jewelry Artist.<\/span>
7. Seek out new books. Sign up for an account with Amazon and type in books that you own. They will recommend similar publications for you to check out. BE A BOOK STALKER! Search the wish lists of artists you admire and see what they are asking for. This is a great way to find inspirational publications! (No one has to know).<\/span>
8.Be a blog stalker! Find out what blogs your favorite artists are bookmarking.<\/span>
9.Be an Etsy stalker! Find out what shops your favorite artists are “hearting”…. you get the idea?<\/span>
10.Participate in challenges. Etsy metal offers daily, weekly, monthly project challenges. Art Jeweler is always asking for sketch submissions. Participate in as much as you can.<\/span>
11.Make models.<\/span>
12. Give yourself plenty of “play time” with your materials. Sometimes the best designs happen when you have no clue what you’re doing. Let the materials guide your decisions.<\/span>
13. Make your workspace comfortable. Take time to clean it if you can’t stand clutter. Find music that offers the best working mood for you.<\/span>
14. Sometimes just sitting at your bench will help kick start motivation. When you don’t feel like working, force yourself to just sit in your space.<\/span>
15. Remove distractions. I’ve learned to keep my laptop out of my studio if I need to get serious work done. Turn your phone off if you have to as well.<\/span>
16.Take workshops whenever possible! I know they are expensive, but save up, and deduct the expenses!<\/span>
17. Make friends with colleges and universities that offer metalsmithing and jewelry design courses. Friend them on FaceBook. Go to their art openings. See if they have guest lectures\/ workshops open to the public.<\/span>
19. Force yourself to learn a new technique. This opens up more design possibilities for you and will increase your knowledge and skills.<\/span>
20.SKETCH! This is a big one that I need to practice more. Draw every idea that comes to mind. Even the bad ones, and never throw out a notebook! As you grow as a metalsmith, sometimes ideas from old sketches will “click” later on. A good design that was previously beyond your skill level could now be a piece of cake to produce.<\/span><\/p>\n