Ideas to Share on Friday the 13th!

Fun Ideas for Developing Your Creative Self

Keep an art journal or sketchbook. The daily practice of creating art will strengthen your artistic voice.

Create self portraits—what better model do you have to work with?  Don’t be shy—photograph yourself, sketch yourself, and explore the inner you.

If you don’t have an outside studio for your art, designate an area of your home to be your creative sanctuary.  Be it a separate room or a corner table, having a special area you can go to will inspire you to get creative.

Save horoscopes for interesting words to use in your art.  Cut words out of the newspaper or a magazine to create a short story---maybe you can illustrate it too!

Create an altered-book travel album!  Use an old travel guide about your favorite country (or countries) and add your altered photographs to the pages.  You can also create an album for a fantasy destination, i.e., Never Never Land or Oz.

Incorporate some colored foil candy wrappers into a collage.  Keep your eyes open during the holiday seasons when you might find truly vibrant colors!

Take photographs or create portraits of your loved ones’ hands or faces and alter them.

Take a trip to the hardware store or “Habitat for Humanity” resale store with art supplies in mind.  You might find treasures with creative potential on the shelves.

Invite friends over for an art party.  Cover a big table or the floor with plastic table covers or drop cloths, whip out the supplies, and have fun!  You can also propose a “contest” where each friend gets a bag with an assortment of odd things (maybe from the dollar store?), and then each person creates a statement with their bag’s contents.  One rule—no trading or sharing contents. 

Plan a day to explore art galleries and museums in your area.   Consider a road trip to a special exhibition in the region.  Don’t forget your sketchbook or journal to capture the inspiration!

Carve an alphabet stamp set—buy a box of erasers and design your own personal font.  Or create a poem/haiku collage using alphabet macaroni to spell out your words.

Draw, paint or collage your favorite food on a paper plate. Invite friends over to do their special dishes and host a “picnic,” showing off the plates.  Then host a real potluck meal with real food.

SOURCE:  The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery by Karen Michel, ©2005.