CREATIVE BLOCK a place you don't want to be

I have to admit it now.  I have been struggling for weeks with creative block.  It is a terrible place to be.  But the reality is that at some stage, for whatever reason, some artists stumble into this place where we are frozen.  I don't even want to call myself an artist.  I can call myself a doll maker or crafter, but do crafters' get creative block?  It's not even about being creative it's about doing the thing.  So why, when I am 'in demand' with my market stall and needing to replenish stock, that I have 'lost it' ?  I have my 'studio' set up very efficiently.  I have my fabrics and lots of patterns.  But I have not been able to go into that room and start making stuff.
I thought maybe I should try a whole new tactic and maybe do art journaling.  You know, you get a blank page book and just paint, draw, paste, colour with no limits.  It seems like fun.  Could not do it.
Got the book.  Got my pens, pencils, glue and paints and did nothing. Nothing.  Could not even draw a doodle.  The fact is I have never done a journal.  I occasionally wrote in a diary when I was a teen, the usual frustrations, boys, school, friends.  Not volumes and volumes.  And as a doll maker, I would scribble a design on a piece of paper.  Work out the pieces and throw the sketching away.  I am not a sketcher.  I can't draw.  I did go to a couple of  art classes and found out I could draw a capsicum, but as for scale...............when I had to draw 3 things in the same place, they were so out of scale I gave up in embarassment.  So I just can't do that stuff.
I was a little heartened when I found Jennibellie's blog.  She is a wonderful art journaller, and she makes little videos and talks about art and life.
Please  go to visit her blog  at     jennibelliestudio.blogspot.com/
When you get to the page you will see she has a whole piece relating to creative block and the one thing you can do to address it.   I also found a video piece she did about being all right where you are.
I suspect she is going through some tough stuff too and at least she is proactive.
There is also another site I found on wiki-how   Overcome-Artist's-Block
I have also found some inspirations from author Keri Smith.  She talks about giving your work your personality here  keri smith .  She has written quite a few books and I need to make time to explore her ideas further.
She also suggests having a wish jar.  That is the next thing I will do.  Try the wish jar

Amelia and the Volcano

This is a story about little Amelia, who lives at the base of a Volcano in a town called Mount Gambier in South Australia.  The volcano is very famous because it has the bluest water ever seen.  Lots of scientists have visited the volcano to see the blue water and test it to find out why is is so blue.

Amelia lives here because her mummy and daddy are teachers at the high school and she was born in this town.  Luckily the volcano is no longer active, but it is a very very cold place to live.  Not cold enough for snow, but very cold and damp.

So poor little Amelia sometimes gets a very bad cold. She tries to stay happy and her mummy and daddy look after her very well.  But she sometimes misses her Nannies and Grandpas, and all her uncles and aunties and cousins, because they live so far away from Mount Gambier.  She would love to see her family visit with her, especially when she is sick.

So last week Nannie Pine decided to go and visit her, because not only was little Amelia sick, but her daddy was sick too and her mummy was very worried about all of them.

So Nannie Pine drove 

499 Kilometres from her home to Amelia's house.

It was very exciting, and Nannie was so happy to see Amelia and her daddy and mummy.

Nannie helped to look after Amelia and soon daddy and Amelia were feeling much better and mummy was happy too because having Nannie there was a big help.

Only problem was Nannie did not have any time to make dolls or teddy bears for a whole week.

But Nannie was very happy to see Amelia and visit with the family.

Now she is home again

Nannie seems to have a bit of a sore throat today......

The giant Crayfish at Kingston halfway between Adelaide and Mount Gambier

All quiet on the home front - NOT!

Oh my, it has been nearly a month since I posted.  To say I have a lot going on is a bit of an understatement.  My idea to have a market stall has created a dilemma in that I am able to sell my dolls and bears, BUT I can't keep up.   I have sold so much, a lot of my cloth dolls that have been locked away in dark drawers for years!  So much that now I have run out of stock to sell.  How embarrassing   ;-(
People coming to the markets are lovely and their kind comments really make me happy and give me confidence I am on the right track.  I enjoy the markets.  I make things, I show them, people see them and if they like them they buy them!  It has taken a few weeks to know I have the right products at the right price.  Now I have to start making multiples of the best sellers.  This is all so new to me, but as I am no longer working in an office job, this will have to be my new job.  I have applied for office work, but I have not even been to an interview.  If the world serves you lemons, make lemonade.  So if you are out of a job make dolls!

Surprise Surprise Surprise

Well, quite a while back I started working on a doll for a challenge in our doll club.

see On My Table

Well I made this!!

She is meant to be steampunk, but I had a lot of trouble finding steampunky things, so she is just a bit turn of the century.

And it seems I finished the Barbara Willis fairy................

The doll face on this fairy is a circle of stretch cotton fabric, needle sculpted nose and mouth with tiny black beads for the pupils.  This is a very tricky technique, it is very easy to make an ugly kind of big nosed crosseyed face.  But I think I managed a pretty face.  I prefer pretty.  A lot of people like the ugly, unusual, quirky looking faces..............but I do pretty.......










And finally, my doll with the knitted outfit, that I have not seen for 2 years.  She has been travelling around town with some other dolls showing her style to select groups.  I have to say, she has been very well looked after.  As have my other dolls.  Thankyou Christine for looking after my girls so well.

The week that was

So I decided to open my Etsy shop, and I had a Saturday craft market at Port Elliot, and the Hahndorf doll and bear show was on this weekend.

Follow this link if you would like to see some gallery pics of past shows

http://www.adelaidehillsdollguild.org.au/doll-bear-show/

I actually enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the markets.  I always take projects to work on , I am always stitching a teddy bear or embroidering a dolly jacket in between customers.  People have such kind comments and there is no pressure to reach a sales target.  If they love it they buy it, if they do not, they move on.  Admittedly, my prices are very low. I assume (perhaps incorrectly) that people don't expect to pay a lot at the markets, but they really appreciate a bargain!  I factor in that the materials at the moment have cost me nothing and it is just my time and incidental costs that I want to cover,  At the moment, I guess you would say I am not making anything from my sales.  (I just spent my income at the doll and bear show).  But it is more about having my work acknowledged and appreciated so I know I can make a business from my craft, part of the future plan.
Aliyah (pictured)  has found a new home with a lovely customer and I had to  take down my doll for sale on Etsy because she sold at the market.

I also had a big surprise today because the Cloth Doll Club returned a couple of dolls I had lent them for display.  There is the little one in the foreground of the picture below, and two others.  You cannot imagine my surprise when I saw the dolls I had made and forgotten about!  Tomorrow I will show you pics of these girls.  If you scroll down to the post made in 2013, you will see the makings of a doll which was to be part of a challenge.  Wait till you see what I made. I am still in shock!

Till tomorrow then ......

What a difference a day makes.

Well, it has been many many days since I updated this blog.  And I have missed it.
But I was forced to focus on full time work and none of that complicated doll making stuff.
I was happy enough to dabble with the occasional quilt and knitting.  I love knitting.
And in the past couple of years, we sold our house, relocated to a small country town, closed down the business that was sapping our finances and souls, became proud grandparents and decided to focus on considering semi retirement.
Now, it is not really retirement, it is just getting back to an easier pace of life.  I love our little township.  The locals are so friendly.  Everyone you speak to loves where they live too, and I am slowly integrating into the community.  I am not going to work in the rat race anymore, so I decided to make a commitment to sell my craft. More about that tomorrow.  For now, lets just say this is a whole new start for me.  I was going to shut down the Art Doll Designs blog, but making the changes will just strengthen my plan to move in this new direction. Hey I even set up a market stall!  I will be at the Port Elliot market Saturday and the Goolwa market Sunday.  Just putting it out there........