Roz View: How Making Changes Inspires Art & Creativity
I just posted this novella on another site in response to a question on how "Making Changes Inspires One's Art and Creativity." It's a look into my own life and how life's changes inspire my art and creativity on a daily basis.
Art, Creativity and Making Changes
I am not a formally trained artist and until five-six years or so ago would have laughed if anyone would have told me that I had a *graphically* artistic side. However, when I came to the web I discovered I needed to learn HTML. Then I needed graphics for my pages and I then discovered copyright infringement laws and the lack of art that was really available for the taking/using. Even the programs which I bought, I found to have *very limited* usage.
With all of this I discovered I was in trouble when I needed to find some Judaic graphic images for my very first Passover page (This was my learning time. I started doing holiday pages, for lack of a better topic!). After two weeks I found one image that I could use. It was nice, but I was clueless what to do with it. An Internet friend made it into a left border background for me and all was well, NOT! I wanted to know how to do it myself. She invited me to a weekly free Paint Shop Pro class on the web. I went and met some other caring souls who took me under their wing and taught me enough to be dangerous.
So now I discovered that I had a flair for digital art and enjoyed it as well. I think I first enjoyed the amazement that I was able to create things that people actually liked! Took a while to accept the term artist, but I eventually accepted digital artist with pride!
After 911 I decided, since we did not know how long we were going to be here, I was going to follow my dream of setting up a Judaic eCard club. Not being religious this was a stretch, but I plugged along. I was/am blessed to have a friend who IS religious and she was able to guide me. But... I HAD great difficulty coming up with the words and even some ideas. The images were ok, but I was lost when it came to the words as I came from a VERY dysfunctional family and I DID NOT have much to draw from -- that was good, that is. Much negative was stored, but very little positive!
FINALLY, at my lowest moment I discovered Tony Robbins via a late-night infomercial. I wish I would have found him many years ago as my life would have been so much different, but... as Tony says *Your past does not equal your future!* This was a life-changing statement for me. I unloaded lots of heavy baggage the first time I heard it.
MY POINT... AFTER... I started doing *Personal Power Classic* with *Get The Edge* I found that *my artistic side* was blossoming. I could look at almost anything and be artistic about it: Even a crack in the sidewalk inspired me - literally!
BEFORE... Tony Robbins I did realize that my creativity was inspired by *my deep emotions and compassion for others.* But AFTER, I worked with Tony's programs... I embraced this fact!
Now... I am able to draw/pull ideas from my emotions daily if need be. IF I am scared, then I realize that others are feeling as I do or will or have, or know someone who is at that moment. IF I am glad, then the same applies. I draw from all of this when I design.
I can't really draw much with pencil and paper, but I have learned that I can draw a few simple things where before I would not have even tried. Mostly my art is created digitally using Photoshop, filters, plugins, images, etc. etc. I design from scratch or using other images and manipulating them *most of the time* into something that does not resemble what I started out with. For example, I have learned that even bad digital images can turn out to be beauties.
I started to write this in response to the original thread, but am not sure I hit the mark.
But I will say, that artistic creativity comes in many flavors and I find my biggest inspiration *everyday life!* (whether good, bad or ugly)
NOW... if I can support myself with all of this that would be the ultimate prize!
My card site is at:
Graphics Schmaphics Exclusive Judaic Greetings
http://www.GraphicsSchmaphicsExclusive.com
SHORTER URL: http://www.GSExclusive.com
Hope this saga helps in some way. I have far from reached my goal, but I am light years away from where I was. I have Tony's programs to thank for that. Like he says: *I did the work, but he... provided the tools and the support!*
I guess after all of this I am trying to say... IF you can somehow introduce your clients to their artistic side, the rest might take care of itself as they discover that they really do have talent -- drawing, writing, helping others, etc.
I am in NYC and have gone to the National Stationery Show for the past three years or so. Just walking around there and seeing what some call art is inspiring. There seems to be a market for almost anything!
Roz / BlogViewsByRoz.com