What tools do you need to be creative?
As many as you want, can find, already have, or none. All of those are the right answer.
When you go to any craft store, hardware store, art store, fabric store, wood store, and so on, there are always a myriad of tools on the walls and shelves that can be used to be creative. They whisper “buy me and see what you can do”.
I hear that whisper a lot, therefore I have a lot of tools for being creative. Wool, paint, hand tools, material. Lots of tools.
But what you need first is imagination. What do I want to create? What have I seen that inspires me? I’m not sure I know all the questions that I ask me when I start a project.
After imagination, then you need belief. Belief in yourself that you can do it. Or at least try. We are never quite as perfect as we want to be when we start. With practice we approach that desired perfection. Sometimes, that first time is to find out if you really want to do this as much as you thought you did when you started. And it goes from there. Either you do more to improve skills or stop and chase something else. Either is right.
I decided I wanted to make things out of clay. Not sure I remember exactly why. Perhaps after watch Wallace and Gromit or Shaun the Sheep. These artists are masters at taking clay and making it into believable characters with emotions and action. If you don’t think so, watch the train chase scene in The Wrong Trousers. Brilliant. And such patience to make the film.
So I went to the craft store and bought what I needed to make something in clay including a pattern book (of course). And this picture is of what I came up with. I gave many of them to friends. Asked them to put them somewhere so that they would know I am thinking of them when they see it. I have a few of the well cooked versions on my shelf to remind me that even a little brown, they still are a cute little creation.
I’m going to try to mould the penguin from The Wrong Trousers next. See if I too can create an expression with just some black clay for eye balls. Amazing.
