Happy Friday Creatives!
Inspiration for creativity comes in many forms. There is a plethora of information out there for absolutely anything you could ever desire to know or learn. So how do you decide what to take in, what to leave behind, and what to sock away for a rainy day?
There are days that browsing through Instagram gets me so inspired that I’m almost frozen. I simply don’t know where to begin with all of the beautiful and creative expression I see out there. So here is the best advice that I can give you:
START WHERE YOU ARE
This may seem like an over simplified suggestion, but think about it. Your abilities and knowledge are going to be quite different than mine or anyone elses. You may be new to the creative spirit and just learning what that means for you. Or artistic expression could be a significant part of your existence and you simply need to get out of a creative rut. I’ve been both places….sometimes at the same time.
CONSIDER WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW
In order to not become frustrated with a process, I always think about what I’ve done before. There is almost always something that will resonate with you. For instance if you want to learn how to combine collage and paint, you may not be strong in sketching a layout or combining colored paper effectively, but maybe were an outstanding finger painter in school (albeit was most likely a long time ago 😉
Use that. Learn the technique of choosing collage elements and composition, but when it comes to the painting aspect, just use your fingers. Knowing a piece of the puzzle helps you to relax and focus on the other pieces, and could create a whole new dimension to the project that was never even considered. Incorporating something you already know takes the pressure off of performing that process in exactly the same way someone else did. Learning techniques is awesome, but don’t rely on them so heavily that originality and a joyful flow is absent.
USE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE
I don’t know about you, but I have a significant amount of art supplies. I’ve spent this whole week trying to get them organized into my studio space before the weather becomes too cold to take it all outside – which is my preferred place to create. Right now there are stacks and stacks of books, paint, fabric, glue, canvas….. the process is exhausting! So, going to the art supply is definitely not on my radar.
Try limiting yourself to using only what you have on hand. For instance if the project calls for watercolor paper, but all you have is that thin cardboard roll from the cabinets that you installed last month, and it is taking up a significant portion of your creative space (story there!) Use it. Brush some gesso on it – either white, black or clear would be amazing and will produce drastically different results – then proceed with the planned art expression. You may find a whole new set of supplies you didn’t even know you had.
It doesn’t have to cost a lot to be creative, even mentally. The process is all about connecting with the creative spirit we all have inside…and that is a beautiful thing!
This week for our inspiration, we are going to do something a bit different.
Creative Cooking!
With the falling temperatures comes my desire to cook and can, freeze and jellify. (is that even a word?) But, I just didn’t want to spend the morning shopping, only cooking. So I did what I just recommended you to do in your art – I Used What I Had
I love traditional zucchini bread. It is a perfect blend of sweet and savory. But I only had a bit of zucchini, and a ton of other produce that needed to be used up, including two bananas that were turning that I stuffed in the freezer a few days ago –heh heh
…and Gallimaufry Bread was born!
I can be a pretty lazy baker. I love fresh ingredients and homemade things, but my time doesn’t always allow the extra time it takes to do it from scratch. Soooooo….this is what I did…
Gallimaufry Bread
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cake mixes (1 spice and 1 cherry chip – weird I know, but that is what I had)
- 2 boxes of vanilla instant pudding
- 6 eggs
- 2/3 cup of canola oil
- 2 small zucchini – shredded
- 2 medium carrots – shredded
- 2 small granny smith apples – chopped
- 2 over ripe frozen bananas – mashed
- ½ cup dried cherries – you can use raisins, or any other dried fruit for that matter
~ Mix everything together. No sifting, no blending, no segregation. We are all created equal here. -Just mix.
Fill your greased and floured pans (I had 5 of various sizes) halfway full (no more than 2/3) of this really colorful mixture, and place in a 350 degree oven.
So, the time is going to depend greatly upon how big your pan is and how much you fill it. Since I have all different sizes, I put them all in and set my timer for 15 minutes to check the small one. Amazingly, that one took 25 minutes (only 5 minutes less than the next size up which was significantly larger. I added more time to the others in 5 and 10 minute increments until at last they were all done. You will know this when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the bread springs back to your touch. Certainly it is much easier to do all the same size and have them all coming out at the same time (usually 30 minutes for a regular bread pan).
Gallimaufry bread is basically a – whatever I have in the refrigerator today – kind of bread. Tomorrow? Hmmmm, maybe acorn squash, sweet potato, green apple and onion using a corn bread mix. Who knows, it could be amazing!
How can you use today what you already have? What new kind of bread can you create from the leftovers in your fridge? I would love to hear some of your amazing combinations! Leave a comment and maybe we will all try it J
Creative Soul-Journs 