Image credit: abcgallery.com

Learning is continual and constant and creative learning is an individual  journey.  What can we learn from the above quote from the great Michelangelo?  Whether you are an emerging leader or artist. If you are a seasoned veteran at your craft, there’s always more to learn and new ways to grow within that field . At 87 years old, Michelangelo said it well: Ancora imparo (“I’m still learning).

Club Creative Studio appreciates the learning curve and supports curious minds in pursuit of creative knowledge.  Like Michelangelo,  the continual association with learning can be a passion and a reality to get the know=how to become better at something. Learning opens doors to growth and opportunity.  What do you think that Michelangelo at age 87 meant when he said “I am still learning.”  Do you think that he meant to express that he did not know it all? Did he perhaps imply that there is so much to learn about so many topics in the span of a lifetime?

Thinking about this quote today, what do you think this quote would mean to you if you were near the age of 87 versus now at the age you are now? 

This quote is great for many reasons if you ask me. It gives me a sense of wonder that the love of learning is a gift at any age, as well as a part of our life at any stage.  We simply can’t know or experience everything in our life-time.  We are in a constant revolution of thoughts and learning episodes.  We learn from our own life and from each other’s journey. We face trial and error daily and we are on a vicious cycle to catch up with the new as we hold onto and learn from the past.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, known commonly as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance Artist: sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted unparalleled influences on the development of Western art.

This quote comes to mind for me whenever I attempt a new skill and I have much to learn.  Although we look at the list of talents Michelangelo shared with us, he had to have known that with each of his creative jumps, came a humbling thought that it was all  a learning process. 

My life and creative offerings take on a personal spin from what others have done on as well.  Each creative process brings me to the realization that I can be comfortable with my level of expertise but, I can also take notice that with each topic at hand, I have opportunities to learn even more.  Taking time as an example, to attend more art classes, workshops, seminars, teleseminars and hands-on lessons, I have gained a newfound love for learning once again.  I can take time to slow down for instruction from others.  I don’t have to learn it all by myself.  In this same light as Michelangelo, I can say today that I too am still learning. Still learning new techniques, skills, people, traits, still learning about history, present day events, creative expressions, and still learning the best way to learn.

As your learning adventure marches on, what can you share about the level of excitement of continual learning?  Share your comments below, we’d love to hear about your challenges, and success stories about learning something new that helped you grow creatively.

Club Creative Studio’s Feature Friday blog post: Inspired by wood.

Welcome to Club Creative Studio’s Feature Friday post.  This week, I was inspired by wood. The Asbury Park, New Jersey Artist: Laura Petrovich-Cheney creates in mixed media and her work is part of a solo series at the Abington Art Center.

I can appreciate her love of texture and creations from found wood items. Gathering her art supplies from her daily walks and traveling adventures, Laura uses reclaimed wood pieces in a creative quilt-like way.  Making small alterations to the wood she adds depth.  You may find wood intentionally burned, impressed, sawed, pierced, or hacked not to mention processes such as casting or cleaving.

I immediately thought of the “crazy quilt” pattern when I first laid eyes on the irregular grid organized wood scraps.  Her raised surfaces put dimension to that same material quality of a hand-made quilt. The recent tragic weather activity on the east coast has washed up interesting wood scrap treasures for Laura to consider in her art creations.  So, if you are venturing out along the coastline for a walk, you may find this MFA holder in Studio Art, MS in Fashion Art, and BA in Fine Arts artist walking along side you.  She will be the one gathering interesting scraps of found wood.

It seems upon looking closely to her art, she combines wood pieces from random finds and original objects. I was inspired to create future beads with similar random patterns and color combinations. Do you see the square with brown, sky blue and pumpkin orange colors in the first photo for example?  I’d love to replicate that feeling in a few beads.  Stay tuned as I attempt to incorporate the pattern or color choice into hand-rolled clay beads soon. You know that I will post pictures of my finished project here on the blog and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/clubcreativestudio.  Thanks for stopping by and admiring this found art.  Your comments are always welcome, especially if this technique strikes interest.

Portion of the Bead Soup I sent to my beading challenge partner Susan,

Club Creative Studio is taking part in the Bead Soup Challenge #7.  It will be fun sharing Bead Soup.

Please review past posts regarding the details of this wonderful sharing and creating challenge for those making hand-made beads and jewelry from them. Since the arrival of my beads from my bead exchange partner, Susan I have had time to simmer the ideas I have and will soon begin my creative thought process and my design using the beads she sent me last week.  I am looking forward to the creative growth.

I have not gotten official word that my box has indeed arrived to New Hampshire however, it has had adequate time. With that in mind, I would like to go ahead and share what I included in my package of fun. The idea of sharing is to highlight some of your own hand-made beads and pair them with interesting items that can be utilized in a creative challenge for the artist on the receiving end to express in their own style.  Lori Anderson is the host and brain-child behind the organization of this particular bead challenge.  It is perfect “soup” , warming my soul on a cold winter day for me living in Philadelphia.  I welcome the challenge.

I included a variety of supplies and I hope she is inspired to do something fun and add her own components if she desires as well. I included items of stone, Czech glass, hand-rolled clay beads, hand-twisted wire worked beads, seed beads, ceramic, rhinestone and metal charm elements just to name a few.

Perhaps she will blog about her experience. I plan to document my creative journey on the Club Creative Studio Facebook page with photos and within this blogging platform. I am happy to share the experience of the creative thought process and creative expression of this beading challenge by sharing my Bead Soup Challenges.

It is my hope that you find the steps that I take interesting and keep in touch as I share the trials and tribulations of this beading challenge. Please check back for future posts on this topic here and on the page: http://www.facebook.com/clubcreativestudio

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Club Creative Studio is one of over 500 participants in the 7th Bead Challenge and Blog Party. Wonderful artists, wonderful talents, wonderful art, wonderful blogs and wonderful opportunity to learn about beads and beading.

Good Luck to all who are creating with beads for the love of art.

What would be reasons why someone would desire to participate in a bead challenge?

1. Taking part in a bead challenge is a creative growth step. Anyone who takes part in a bead challenge has a will to grow creatively.

2. Taking part in a bead challenge allows you to discover the power you have within to create with unknown factors and become successful from that.

3. A beading challenge brings together like-minded persons who create and design items using beads. They also bring together friendships with common grounds.

4. Taking part in a bead challenge is a welcome challenge for many to become aware of talents of others who are creating hand-made beads and items from them.

Here is a list of those who are participating within the 2013 creative journey alongside of me. I am happy that so many are inspiring and expressing with art. Thank you in advance to anyone from this list who stops by this blog to visit, or who follow my creativity on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/clubcreativestudio and who take time to browse or order from the Club Creative Studio website at http://www.clubcreativestudio.com

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Club Creative Studio’s post today highlights the special delivery from the mail this afternoon. My special arrival came today, it was a box of beautiful beads. The beads in my photograph were sent to me specifically for the Bead Challenge called:  Bead Soup Challenge & Blog Party, #7.

Susan Sheehan is my Bead Soup Bead Challenge Buddy.  We were paired from over 500 participants in Lori Anderson’s Bead Soup and Blog Party Challenge. She is from New Hampshire and works primarily in glass, creating wonderful beads, many with the floral motif theme (which is right up my alley). We exchanged boxes and I received mine today! She should get the box that I sent her by Monday.

The excitement starts to build the minute you are assigned your bead partner’s name and location. I had a chance to look on Susan’s website and read a few blogs once I knew she was assigned to me.  With exchanged contact information we are able to keep track and communicate along our creative journey.  It is wonderful that we have put together totally different packages to inspire each other.  She creates in her studio and can be found selling her art at: http://www.susansheehan.etsy.com  The challenge aspect comes next as we sit in front of the bead stash wondering what to create and how to use the elements in front of us.  I anticipate using a few of my own items as well, but, the majority of the supplies will come from the pile she has gifted me.

 What’s in her shared treasure box?

Admiring this selection, the first impression that I had was she has a great sense of color. The combinations are wonderful and I am inspired to create starting with a good color palate in front of me from the get-go. She included an array in styles of beads which will certainly make for an eclectic feel of whatever I end up creating from this collection of bead types. I am faced with working with a variety of shapes, sizes and weights of beads and that is a challenge unto itself.  I am not afraid of mixing metals so the copper-colored chain and the silver clasp and bead caps don’t frighten me.

Susan has challenged me to basically create using pink, turquoise, and brown. There are many larger beads all of which can combine to become focal beads or serve as a focal bead all alone. The obvious choice is using the large amber-colored glass round as the main focal bead.  It made me think immediately of using it as part of a center tassel, at first glance so I will see if that changes when I hit the design table or not.

The tube beads dotted with mini-seed beads and floral theme motif are about one inch long, there are four of those. Two brown rounds are not identical but have been made with the same feel. She included six interesting pink glass mosaic feel beads that shimmer in the light, those are cool as well.  With an interesting mixture of tiny crystals and Lucite, I can  imagine using them as little accents of color and dangle beads right now at first glance.

The highlight of her box are of course her hand-made glass floral beads. She has included ten for me to use in my creation.  They are dotted with spots of turquoise, pink, brown, orange and a little bit of purple. Wonderful!

After I let my  “soup” simmer overnight, I will think about what I want to create and then sit down and design, arrange and question.  I plan to document my creative thought process and share the development of my special arrival…my box of beautiful beads. Be sure to visit this blog again as well as the Club Creative Studio Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/clubcreativestudio for updates on my beading challenge process.

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It’s winter where Club Creative Studio is located and  it’s cold.  It’s time to enjoy a little taste of bead soup.  No, I have not decided to actually EAT, sleep and breathe beads no matter what others think that I already do.  I am taking part in a beading challenge called Bead Soup founded by artist Lori Anderson.  This bead soup challenge pairs up persons creating hand-made beads and places them in a challenge together where they put together a goodie package and mail them to each other, challenging them to create from the stash. 

This challenge has three separate reveal dates so that bead artists have time to complete their projects. Most like me, plan to document the journey.  This is the first time that I am taking part in this event.  I first got word that my “Bead Buddy” Susan was from New Hampshire a few days ago. We have a means to communicate and keep in contact throughout this project.  

The full content of our packages are supposed to be a secret until they are received by mail. We are allowed however to give sneak peeks or “teaser photos”. These are two photos that introduce with curiosity concerning what I have included for this challenge.  When I asked Susan for a hint of what she was going to send me in her package, she said with a bit of wit and humor that my beads all had holes…included something old, something new, something purchased, something hand-made, and something blue. Hummm…I can hardly wait!

My reason for taking part in this beading challenge is to experience a creative challenge and go through my steps of creative thinking with beads sent to me.  I am also in total support of the artist paired with me as I am of all of the artists also taking part in this creative process (which totals over 500 participants).  They all eagerly use their creativity and talent to make hand-made beads and share with others for artistic growth.

Please stop by this blog often as I continue to share photos and information about how my first Bead Soup challenge is going. I am ready and willing to enjoy my Bead Soup and share it with you.

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It is no secret that creativity is a form of expression.

Have you discovered the reasons why creativity allows you to express yourself?  There may be several reasons why allowing creative thoughts and actions into your life can benefit you. In today’s Club Creative Studio’s blog post I want to touch on  few aspects explaining how creativity can  help you define who you are.  While it is true that “you are you” as a unique being and you are capable of expressing your individuality in several ways, how you express your creativity is where being creative comes into play.  Being creative and allowing yourself to be true will give you the chance to express yourself to the fullest.

Let’s say you are naturally a shy person. There is nothing wrong with having this quality at all, I am thinking of a word that has a reference to a characteristic many seem to want to overcome in some degree level.  Some people wish they were more outgoing, more brave and daring, louder, more showing of self-confidence.

Whatever the challenge we see as a potential shortcoming which by we identify with for any reason, I believe that by adding creativity into the mix, we  allow ourselves to tackle those challenges more readily.  Art therapists will probably be among the first of many to tell you that the use of art in many forms will free you of many things. I too believe in the power of art as a means of expression and a break through to many situational problems or concerns.  Letting out what is inside is a release of sort that can have a healing and revealing process associated with it. Do you know how being creative can benefit you?

 My Five Benefits to Being Creative

1.  Release.  Using creativity as a means of release can free you up of unwanted stress and tension. Free your mind of worries for a bit, or share what is considered over-load information in a different venue.

2.  Answers an Inner Need. Being creative allows you to be satisfied with the needs that you have to express what your imagination fosters. Do you have a need to be expressive and share your inner thoughts? No matter if a creative need is expressed to yourself in a private journal entry or sung out loud to the roof tops, creativity can call upon your inner needs and be filled.

3.  It’s Natural.  It may not seem that way sometimes but, we all have the potential to be highly creative. It is only when we become older that we lose sight of how easily creativity can flow because of all of our hang-ups. Being creative can become automatic and freeing we can appreciate the natural built-in drive to strive to be creative we already have, naturally. Creativity is natural and it is contagious. Creativity begets Creativity.

4.  It’s a Brain Game.  Looking at creativity growth as a personal challenge is a way to increase it with intended purpose. It takes practice to be creative without having to think about what you are doing.  The more times you are calling upon yourself to think or act on a creative thought or impulse, the faster those opportunities appear when you need them the most. Your out-of-the-box thinking concepts will become more frequent when you train yourself to be more expressive and imaginative every chance you can.  I believe being more creative can become a personal challenge and attainable goal.  Practice of anything will bring about a change.

5,  Shake It Up. Expressions of creativity shakes up our senses.  Adding a new view to a situation, a twist on a solution, or a vision of enlightenment stemming from a creative thought adds spice to life.  Even if you are not the one being creative but you are listening to a creative person or thought, their creative actions or words can inspire you to act in a creative manner as well.  Why not use creativity to shake up your world?  The world needs MORE creative thinkers. We need different solutions, we desire our days to be exciting and worth remembering. When creativity shakes up and changes something, we take notice.

If creativity or calling upon your creativity is not your strong suit, I guess I made this list for you in mind. If you can find one of the numbers helpful to inspire a creative spark and reason to be creative today, I’d love to hear about it by a comment below this post. Have a great day being “Creative Everyday”!

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Club Creative Studio. Samples in Red.

It seems that the color red is around us more during December and February.  You are probably seeing red hearts, roses, bows, candy wrappings, candy boxes, clothing and jewelry highlighting the color red now-a-days.

Club Creative Studio loves to create with the color red.

Does the color red invoke certain feelings for you? I recently asked Club Creative Studio Facebook friends this very question: What comes to mind when you see the color red?  Here are some of their responses in a word: power, passion. love, lipstick, hearts. blood, roses. I think that the color red is also fiery, hot and bright.  It awakens our imagination and stimulates our brain.  Have you heard of the “power tie”?  A power tie is a necktie that is red.  Red gives you strength and confidence.

Take a look at yourself the next time you are wearing the color red. Are you acting with extra spunk or attitude?  Are you happy and loving when you sport red? 

You don’t need to be covered from head to toe to get a taste of red in your life. If it is not your normal color to wear try an accessory or small pop of color from a necklace, bracelet or earrings.

I do not have items “color-coded” on the website but, you will find red integrated into hand-made art within the Club Creative Studio online storefront found at http://www.clubcreativestudio.com  I welcome you to browse and see if something catches your eye there.  Maybe it will be something created in the color red, maybe in an unexpected color combination. Happy Shopping!

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Be supportive of fellow artists, they are just like you- creating with love.

Image: prettythingsblog.com

Today I would like to highlight the efforts of those working with artist Lori Anderson from her Bead Soup Bead Challenge. There should be a message to this madness and it could be to BE CALM and LOVE JEWELRY, while taking part in a beading challenge.  Ready? Set? Bring on the beads!

I have had my share of taking part in beading challenges. Some situations were formal and some projects were casual.  The main characteristic known within a beading challenge is that there is an organizational factor associated with the challenge and there is a level of commitment that is demanded to take part in a beading challenge.  Beading challenges allow you to reach deep within and try your best with what is on hand or work within a box of limited creativity to the fullest.

If you have decided to dedicate your efforts to a challenge of any type dealing with creativity, take a few deep breaths and dive right into the creative building phase.  Use the opportunity to express your creativity and build to new heights.

My latest challenge dealing with beading is going to be an interesting one.  Two artists who are creating hand-made beads are paired together and are asked to exchange beads and create using them.  The person who as founded this has been offering this opportunity for seven years.  She is seemingly extremely organized and has a great system for getting from point A to point B.  This is one reason that I was drawn to take part in her beading challenge. She recently sent me an e-mail and explained what she was up against in her beginning stages of setting up our beading partners. I give nothing but credit to her and her husband for dedicating their time and love of beading to bring others together in the same love of beads.

1) Visit Blogs. Lori takes time to look at all of our blogs because some are just contest entry blogs and that is not in our interests.  Some of our blogs weren’t entered correctly and she had to physically find them.  She takes steps to do this to insure that we are paired with someone who doesn’t work in too similar styles.  She uses a spreadsheet  to track what each person works with in their beading, and finds that out by visiting all of our blogs.

2) Highlight Participant List.  There are 142 international people taking part in this year’s challenge.  Many are in Canada and the UK, but  she reports that there are some from Bahrain, France, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland, among a few other places.  Her system involves matching bead artists who have requested to be paired within certain areas or other needs.  There are three separate “reveal dates” that the artists get to chose from for their projects.  So, knowing that date is another aspect that she pairs us with the best she can.  Those who have indicated that they have no preference to their reveal are probably her instant friends (Smile). Her husband on a second computer helps at this point and together they work out the pairing.

Last year’s Party.