Tax time. Really, it's the pits. I force myself into my work corner that is now piled high with papers, and wear my eyes out, fry my brain and mentally berate myself for not having kept up with it all for the past year. Having your own business is wonderful freedom for anyone who rebels at any sort of confinement most of the year but for those who simply take their W-2 and fill in a few blanks on 1040 EZ, tax time provides a moment to be grateful for being an employee. Every year I vow that I will be more organized, and keep up with all the income and expenses. However, it is more my style to label a box with the current year, and fill it up with receipts and notes that in the end require hours of sorting.
This year, the inner voice is stronger than ever. It talks to me of creative pursuits to come, tantalizing and teasing as I struggle to focus on the tax software and endless numerical entries. As I engage more and more with the left side of my brain, the right gets more seductive as it tantalizes me with visions so enchanting that I make promises to pursue them once I am through and mail off the offensive papers, forcing my attention ever onward. Needing a time out yesterday, I decided to try something new and used some Procion Fiber Reactive Dye to over-dye and 
hand-paint some yarn I had on hand. I am going to make a totally organic vest that resembles the bark of a tree. Hopefully, it will not make me resemble a tree. It will be completely left brain: no pattern, no direction, random stitches, and no particular shape. ...And when I run out of yarn it will be done. ...Maybe.
Making my senses tingle and promising appeasement for my left brain appetite, I happened to discover that the Creativity Bootcamp that I had such good results with last spring is going to ensue again this May 15th. The new slideshow shows most of what I did for last years challenge. I promptly signed up so that I can create along with all the other artists. This time however, I am planning ahead so that my creations do not take me as long to do. This is a project per day challenge, and knitting a sweater is just not suited to that time frame. However, I will plan projects like shawl pins, buttons, jewelry, and anything else that can meet the 24 hour criteria. Perhaps even the acrylic paints will come out of the storage box, and it would be fun to creatively journal the process that will last for 2 weeks. I urge anyone who seeks to bring out and charge up their creative spirit to join in.
Just for fun, here is an easy visual test to tell you whether you are a right brain or a left brain thinker.
right brain vs left brain
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SMILE" the final challenge.
The Bootcamp has been fun. I have not had the support of actually accomplishing it along with the others, as I discovered it a few days after it had started, and I had to wait a few more days to get my thoughts together. Working along by myself has been interesting because it is only a contract with myself, after all, and it has been my choice whether or not I finish. I have certainly planned to, in spite of delays of all sorts. What I have noticed is that there is a strong connection with Spirit, and the desire to move forward prevails and each day accomplished has motivated me to do the next. Now, I am seeing each day as things accomplished rather than things I have not done. Each day has a bit of creative excitement that keeps the connection thriving, in directions other than just the challenge for that day. So, even with the delays that were encountered, I find that I have created and finished several more projects in addition to the challenges, and I don't feel the least bit guilty about those delays. After all, creativity is where one finds it, and it is in the moment.
And I am smiling! Look at all the things I have created. So what if it took me over a month instead of 13 days? If I had been doing just photography as the other mostly did, it would have been 13 days. However, I was knitting, cooking, sewing, making jewelry, taking photos, blogging, and designing more, more, more in addition to housework and business "to-dos." So, how am I coming along? I am, really I am. It's just that I am doing so many things. I get inspired frequently now by the really great stuff that comes my way. It may be a photo I see, or some profound words, or a bit on the news, or the Bootcamp pages, or someone else's blog. Lately there are so many creative inspirations flying at me from all directions. It makes me feel like I am about to start a race and here I am at the starting line waiting for the shot to signal me to dash forward into yet another exciting creation.
Creativity Bootcamp Day 12
The days challenge is the theme "SMOOTH"
So what is smooth? Something like a smoothie?
Smoothies are so simple and so delicious and refreshing on a hot summer day. Our temps have been close to 100 F on both sides this past week. So this tall cool one really hit the spot. First, I cut up fruit into small chunks so that they puree in the blender easily. I like to use ripe bananas as the foundation and add other fruit to this. For each person, I take 1/2 frozen banana, and a handful of other fruits. This one has yummy ripe peach slices added in, but strawberries, blueberries, and other fruits are great too. I add about 1/2 cup of juice (not too sweet as this is already very sweet, I used Gojiberry this time, but like apple cider too), and perhaps a few ice cubes and blend on high speed, sometimes adding a little bit of water if its too thick.
Creativity Bootcamp Day 11
"Hush...."
I knew exactly what I would do the moment I read this challenge word. It took a few days to put together, but part of the hush was that I had to do this without the hubby's knowing. Silly really, but I have recycled a pair of old flannel lounge pants and also an old cotton T-shirt. The pants were shredded apart at the center back seam, and beyond any repair short of placing a giant patch up the back.
I cut the legs off his freshly washed pants and cut them into strips along with the shirt, and then tied the strips together to create strippon yarn.
Knitted up loosely on large needles, and a fast project, this deep cowl is soft and warm.
Creativity Bootcamp Day 10
"Full Bodied" Definition: robust, concentrated, fruity, full-flavored, heady, heavy, lusty, mellow, potent,strong, well-matured,redolent, rich
Does this speak something yummy? Something like the most delectable blueberries I found at the store. So, I know what I will do today! They just called out to be a pie!
Well, pie was made and eaten! Sorry no pie photo, unless you want to see our purple tongues.
Creativity Bootcamp Day 8
So, finally back on track and only a few challenges away from completion. Day 8's challenge is "ornament." Struggling with not enough knowledge (I just dabble at jewelry making), I did a bit of research on what others have used for stringing, and it's still a hard decision to make. I am aiming for something with no shape of its own. The LBS recommends fine nylon. I just don't like nylon. Back in the 60-70's when everyone was stringing beads, we had something called tiger tail and it always broke. However, there was not that much available back then. I tried other stuff like nylon, but hated the results of everything I used. Now, here I am again, faced with the same issue, but now there are a gazillion products out there that promise perfect results. Sure. However, I have great hopes for the Power Pro string I bought. I am learning new tricks with my creation. Dabbler that I am, this excites me. I want results that look high quality and professional.In the meantime, I just did these danglers, while I figure out the others.
DRIZZLE
OK, I have gotten behind with the bootcamp big time! Well, I have not been totally off track though. With preparation for the Fourth of July and long weekend and everyone home 24/7, I had my hands full. Life is like that and we just do the best we can. Being a rather practical person, I like to make moments count and I just can't do something because it is something to do. Tomorrow(?), I will tackle Day 8 (ornament) , the jewelry stringing issue head on, and intend to be back knocking out projects and getting to the finish line with the bootcamp. ...After all, it's only a few more days! I have come too far to quit now! However, there is one thing that requires my attention today, and that is making a cake for 30 people. It's my mother's birthday, and I am taking cake to the senior center she has been going to for a few hours each weekday for nearly two years now.
I make my cakes from scratch. Always have. Its not that hard to do, and the end result is so worth it. This one is Boston Cream Pie. ...and guess what?!!! Bootcamp Day 9's challenge is "Drizzle." That certainly sounds like chocolate glaze topping on the cake! I plan to cut the cupcakes in half and spread a filling, replace the top and add chocolate glaze. Here is the recipe I followed. It's a petty good one, but I think the cakes are a little too dense. The one thing that really made me crazy was the way measurements were listed. I like to see a list of ingredients that tells me ALL I need of one thing. This had the ingredients broken up between the cake, filling and glaze, but had no separations that made me think about that. I also like to see separate sections for each part, not listed as the next step. Anyway, they are done now, and ready to go to the center for devouring. Thank goodness!
Creativity Bootcamp Day 8
An obvious solution for the "ornament" challenge is jewelry! This is almost too easy, as I have been thinking on a new pair of earrings for a few weeks now. It almost feels like cheating, as I didn't have to wrack my brain over what I could do. However, it makes up for Day 7's challenge that took me a few days to figure out before it came in like a lightning bolt. Sometimes though, even a simple thing can take on aspects of complexity. Dabbler that I am, I have tried using carpet thread for a few past projects that I wanted to dangle and have freedom of movement. After a few wears, the thread has stretched. so, I made a quick stop at the nearby bead store to make inquiries about what I ought to use to get this limp noodley result. What I was told was to use a nylon thread. It looks just like that nasty stuff that they used to sew into garments and the ends would poke out mercilessly attacking any skin within reach. I already tried some of that stuff years ago. It doesn't hold up well against wear, breaking easily. So, I am paused, once again looking for a solution.
In the meantime, I have been working on the Aruba sweater. The front is finished now.
Creativity Bootcamp Day 7
We are talking "Fly" for Day 7. It gave me pause, yet you can see that I have not been slacking. Then, out of the "blue" came an idea from the blog of my friend, Jocerane, in France. She suggested starting a tale of a traveling blue oak leaf, and I thought "Perfect!" So, to compliment her blog, here is my tale of the Little Blue Oak Leaf (leaf recycled from an envelope I received in the mail!):
The Little Blue Oak Leaf was caught into the winds and flew hither and thither, not knowing where it would land, or what condition it would be in when it did. Poor little leaf! Finally, in a furious storm in the dead of night, it felt itself caught and held fast. Exhausted, it fell fast asleep. When it awoke with the first rays of dawn, it knew a terrible dread! It was held fast in the jaws of a ferocious dragon.
Oh the terror it felt! Poor little leaf. Yet, as the dragon awoke, he gave a great yawn, and the little leaf lost no time in catching his escape on a breeze that nearly drowned him in a birdbath. Luck, however, was with him, and he was caught and saved by the fairy who inhabited the birdbath who fortunately was taking her morning splash.
This kindly fairy gently set it down with some of it's distant relatives, the Pin Oak leaves of South Carolina. The Little Blue Oak Leaf had flown all the way across the Atlantic Ocean!
Creativity Bootcamp Day 5 "But as artists, how can we express the world as we see it if we are not feeling it on a deeply emotional level?" ...Exactly! That is just what I was feeling yesterday with the Heavy Metal assignment! I didn't FEEL it, so I had no desire to express it creatively. No guilt at all! Today however, I felt this one: Grow. I like to grow things. Especially herbs, but I don't have a very green thumb. What does grow well for me is devoured by the insect population. As I have an aversion to using herbs that have been toxified by pesticides, there is not much harvesting. Oh well. So I guess you could say I putter at gardening. My yard really has too much shade, and what grows best here is moss. You have seen it before in some of my previous blogs. So, I have to say all I grew here was the sprig of mint peeking out of the top of the recycled flower pot (lined with clear wrap because the pot probably has lead or something in it). Anyway, just a fun way to serve a refreshing treat of watermelon.
Creativity Bootcamp Day 4
Heavy Metal! I put a lot of thought into this and most of what comes to mind is my sons and their terrible teens. I am quite sure that at least half the "character", i.e. white hair on my head is due to those years in the 80's when Heavy Metal ruled the popular music scene. Back then my sons had long hair, pierced one ear and wore a tiny metal skull dangling on a chain. Ozzy Osbourne ate bats, and KISS had an serpently long tongue in my mind. Heavy Metal.
Oh well, I have thought of several projects from jewelry, and photos of various subjects. However, nothing really comes to mind that I want to create on this subject. So, I ask myself if I really want to spend the time to do something that I have no heart in? I don't think so. That would lower this challenge to a "to-do" list that has no meaning, or become an aversion to me. Perhaps, since I am doing this on my own anyway, I will have a back up plan to provide my own themes. Picking each word out of a jar randomly has a better sound to me. The one thing about these dealt out words is that they do make my brain churn around them. Maybe it is simply enough that I can think of ideas to create. The inspiration to create from words implies that there are special feelings attached or accessible, that spur one into artistic action.
Creativity Bootcamp Day 3
This is another day full of work and not feeling quite up to par with a tension headache. Sleeping "wrong" left me with a crick in my neck that went up into my head. I hate it when that happens. As a result, I looked for an easy way to accomplish the goal for day 3. The theme is "multi-layered." Still thinking along the lines of food, lasagna came to mind. Usually, I'll make up a quicky from leftover spaghetti, otherwise using the expected ingredients. Definitely layers. I served up spaghetti for lunch, but I guess we were all hungry, because there just wasn't enough left to think about lasagna.
Thinking cap on again, mu thoughts traveled in another direction. Memories of a screen saver I used a few computers back spoke to me and a flood of images told me what to do. Simply rocks! The first time I ever knew anyting about stacking rocks was during a knitting KAL on Ravelry. The pattern is on by Jane Thornley, called Culture Fushion Wrap. Based on a favorite place we have been , I chose China, and was searching the web for ancient temples in Asia. What I found, not Chinese at all, but Korean, was primally beautiful.
Enthralled by the colors and majesty of the temple and these stacks, I was smitten with a desire to know more about the simple act of stacking rock upon rock. A modern day marvel of stacking expertise is Bill Dan, of Sausilito, California. His website has more about the ancient Buddhist monk who created those pagodas at Tapsa temple, and a wonderful exploration of his own work and also that of his many followers.
My own simple stack is made with rocks that I brought years ago from the family "cabin" in Pennsylvania. I brought a box full to build a small indoor fountain. I had disassembled it recently when I performed my annual "hosing down of the porch" to get rid of the pollen. So, I recycled a few for this photo. This stack is posed at my favorite photo spot (always good lighting) atop a hypertufa (another story here!) ball in my yard.
Creativity Bootcamp Day 2
The theme is "picnic," and for me, picnics are rare these days. I would rather prep in my kitchen and grill in the back yard, then eat in the house while I enjoy the air conditioning and the absence of flying and crawling critters trying to eat me and share my feast.
Because so much of the work in doing a picnic is in the packing up of everything from salt and pepper to plates and napkins, and drinks to desserts, I prefer absolute simplicity. My preference is for a picnic of a bottle of wine or beer, a loaf of artisan bread, and some great cheese.
Originally, I had another plan, but it fell through because I forgot to get an essential part when we went grocery shopping this morning. DH and I make the trip to the commissary about every two weeks, and this time it was longer due to our not feeling well. ...Summer colds are the pits! Anyway, I had to give more thought to how I would tie "picnic" and recycling together in another way and make this one a quick project. What I came up with is bread. The recycled element is "bubba" my sourdough starter, and my whole grain, seed
ed experiment is rising as I type. What better for a picnic than hearty homemade bread, Boar's Head cheese, and a glass of American wine? In this first photo, I am trying out a new recipe that after an hour of "rising" looks like the dough has no back-bone at all. Just a glob of gooey dough. I took it from here and kneaded in more unbleached flour to increase gluten, and added in some honey to sweeten it up a little and give the yeastie beasties something to grow on, and after a good rise, it baked into a fine loaf.
Pairing it up with wine and cheese is all good, but another favorite recipe is a triumph truly fit for a picnic.
Recipe for picnic loaf:
- Slice the boule in half horizontally. Scoop out the inner portion, leaving the crust walls about 3/4" think.
- Brush the entire inner surface with plain or herbed olive oil.
- Add filling below by spooning it in and packing it high so it will fill the upper part of the crust too.
- Cap with top crust.
- Wrap snuggly with foil.
- Allow to "season" overnight in the refrigerator. Flavors will blend and enhance.
- The following day, carefully unwrap and cut into wedges, being careful to preserve the shape and contents.
- Re-wrap and its ready for the picnic!
Filling:
- scramble one dozen eggs (depends on the size of your boule)
- add shredded cheese as desired
- add seasonings as desired
- in pan, saute diced onions, bell peppers, and garlic. You can also add diced ham , bacon, or sausage if you want a meat.
- stir the egg mixture into the other ingredients and cook til set.
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Day 1 was great! I feel like I got so much done. Not only did I meet the days challenge, but I also managed to situate myself with a photo editing solution for a problem that has been making me crazy. The new pc was not loaded with a program to edit photos, and was not compatible with software I have on hand. ...Yet one more mountain to climb. Anyway, I settled on Picasa, which seems to be good, ....for now anyway. The challenge theme for Day 1 is "ivory." My medium of choice is anything that can be recycled. What I have done is to create a Jewelry Tree.
I started with a twig, which I trimmed, and an old can of primer. I painted the entire surface with primer, then painted over that with an "ivory" latex paint. So far, I am recycling the twig, which I saved from a tree being trimmed, and using paints that I have had in storage. All "free!" Then, I had to go shopping. I bought one 25 foot roll of 18 gauge copper wire, which cost me $4.80. That was the only thing I had to purchase. I also had about 6 feet of a much thinner copper wire in my craft stash, which was salvaged from an electrical wire which is made up of several small strands held together by a coating. Cut the coating away, separate the strands.
Then, I got out
some beads saved from a scrunchie I had purchased several years ago. The glass beads were a disaster to my hair, so I cut them all off and saved them. Never throw anything away!
Next, I studied the twig to determine if it had enough places to hang necklaces and earrings from. They never do, so I added a few. I began wrapping the twig with the 18 gauge wire, being careful to reinforce the tiny branches with doubled wire and wraps. I added the beads to the smaller wire, which I spiraled the ends of to slip over the larger wire, so it was attached on both ends of the beads.Where I wanted to add hanging places, I made a skinny loop of wire and wrapped it on the twig. I embellished the hangers with beads so that the jewelry would be supported.
In all, it took only about two hours of time, and cost was just $4.80. Not bad! Now, I just need to attach it to my wall. I have seen copper plated pipe hanging "tape" with pre-drilled holes. I can cut this and screw the jewelry tree to the wall using toggles.
Here is the full view of the tree hung on my wall fountain so that I could photograph it.
Just the other day, I found an interesting link to a blogsite through the Ravelry forums. It is The Creativity Bootcamp. Megan Beishline is an incredibly creative lady who has lots of energy and likes to motivate others to reach higher levels of achievement. I can so honor and appreciate this. The bootcamp is a ten day challenge to create something new each day, in a medium of our own choosing, based on a random word that Madeline gives the group on that day. I am coming into the Bootcamp late, as all the others are finishing up, but does this really matter?
As it so happens, I was just talking with the DH about doing something very similar for a period of a month. Well, a month may be a little long and maybe I would get behind and way off course. Ten days is definitely doable. My trouble is choosing a medium to work in. I am a changeable and variety loving creator that would be sorely challenged to stay in one medium. After giving this some thought, I have decided that it is really up to me and for my supreme benefit. Most of the participants are into photography, so a few photos a day is easy. Crafting something each day is a whole different challenge. However I feel up to it, and have decided that my "medium" is going to be anything recycled. I will be blogging daily about my experience along the way.
hand-paint some yarn I had on hand. I am going to make a totally organic vest that resembles the bark of a tree. Hopefully, it will not make me resemble a tree. It will be completely left brain: no pattern, no direction, random stitches, and no particular shape. ...And when I run out of yarn it will be done. ...Maybe.
