The Internet - your new best friend!

So we all spend time on the net - after all, it is the new time sucker of our generation! Back in the day we would spend time going to the library and pouring through art/craft magazines, or books to find a project to get started on. Now we are more than likely to search for the information online. However, the results are often better than any book or magazine. You can find videos, podcasts, blogs, websites, groups and forums full of information that provide ideas/help - all in the comfort of your fave PJ's and sipping your fave brew(or vino).

With time at a premium, your next project or idea is only a few clicks away. Schedule some Internet time for yourself to look for inspiration. A simple Google search can uncover the secrets to felting, a recipe to make your own Organic Orange loaf, the technique of wire wrapping, how to make a bag out of gaffa tape or even a step-by-step guide on making your own pair of shoes! A huge and varied amount of information.....

The secret to using the Internet for ideas is to be organized. Schedule a set period of time per day/week and make sure you stick to it. No point in using your spare 2 hours every week solely for Internet use. Trust me, it gets you nowhere.

So to help you out, here are some websites that have been helpful to both of us as we develop our skills and acquire new ones.....


** Good websites with step-by-step instructions on lots of projects/art techniques **

http://www.youtube.com
http://www.marthatstewart.com
http://www.instructables.com/


** Good websites to get inspired by other artists **

http://www.juxtapoz.com/
http://www.flickr.com/
http://www.lostateminor.com/
http://www.watim.com/

** Good websites to see how other artists are making money off their respective arts/crafts (if this is the direction you want to go with yours) **

http://www.etsy.com/
http://www.ebay.com/
http://www.madeit.com.au/
http://www.redbubble.com/

These are just a few. Please feel free to share others with us that you find along your travels......

Have a great weekend all!

claudes

Tools to get you going

Not those kids of tools ;) For most of my artistic life, I was bogged down with the mental clutter of doing too many things at once, and hence not finishing projects. Here is a short but sweet list to get you started in whatever creative field you're in.

1. Get a diary - truth be told, I would organise my life in my mobile's calender! Nevertheless, it wasn't very organised... get a diary you can carry with you.

2. Have a designated art/creative space - only for you, not for your kids or your partner. Make sure you can see this space (eg. it's not hidden in a closet). This can be a small desk with good light, or somewhere in your bedroom, the corner of the lounge, a third room, etc. Somewhere you can see it so it is mentally noted everytime your eyes gaze in that direction. My looong art desk is in my bedroom. The light is good there and it is the first thing I see when I wake up (after my partner LOL!). I know then that I have things to finish, it's at the forefront of my mind always.

3. Mobile phone - ok here it IS needed :) I have alerts on my mobile when I have to get down and create something. I learnt that sitting round waiting for the artist 'feeling' to come over me was not making me any cashola. Now I get into the artist feeling by making myself do it.

4. Time. This is a hard one, as per Claudia's last post. BUT Rome was never built in a day, as the old saying goes. Many think one need's to have ample time to delve into your creative side. I don't think that for a second. Like every other aspect of your life, this is something you have to make time for if you want to get it off the ground - as a career or even just as a hobby. Making time also puts you into check, as when you are organised with time, you are organised with accomplishing work.

5. Sacred 6. I got this from good old JB at Morningcoach.com. I loooove my sacred 6. Each night before I nod off, I list the 6 things which need to be accomplished the next day. The things which make that sacred 6 list are already going through a process of elimination in my head as I'm writing them down. This way I am focusing directly on what is related to what I am doing, and not writing mindless points on there like 'take the garbage out'. How is that going to help me artistically? LOL. Going thru this process, I have 6 'sacred' things ready for the next day - 6 amazingly focused points that I am very keen to have ticked off by midnight.

If I've forgotten any please do add!
Lin x

I really want to create....but I just dont have time......

Ok so how many of us have said this to ourselves before? As women we know that many of the daily duties of being a caring mother, partner, flat mate etc comes with many sacrifices. Often, we let things fall in the "I'll do it when I have a bit more time" basket - and we know that that basket - along with the washing - just never seems to empty! The inspiration is there, the creative urge bubbling, the itch needs to be scratched - but alas - we feel torn. Just how do we make this work/life/love balance also incorporate our need to be creative?? Well as with anything in life the answer is very simple - ONE STEP AT A TIME! So just as time can be our enemy (not enough) it can also be our friend. Just a little bit of it is all we need. So start tomorrow! 15 minutes is all you need. Pick up that sketch book, grab those knitting needles, clean out the box of paints you saved from High School, borrow your kids crayons, pick up that recipe book you bought on Ebay - just start! So make sure you give yourself the pleasure of being creative and productive.....go on, you deserve it!So share your stories. What have you created recently?

Claudia

Creative Women: we will be uploading your art works here, as well as a link to your contact details. The blog will be marketed in many avenues such as Etsy and Online Art forums plus much more.