bestowing names on robots

Upon the request of a friend, I finally got around to naming my robots. And, through the process, I decided that picking out names is serious work. There's a lot of thought, meaning, and consideration that goes into the delicate art of name selection. I can't imagine the pressure that must be felt when naming a child. Phew. I'm worn out just from naming three little robots. Of course, these creations do feel like my children at times. I grow so very attached.

In any case, meet Reggie, Sal, and Scoot...a somewhat motley (but nevertheless endearing) threesome.

assessing creativity

Well, here I sit, on the last day of June. My creative progress has been different than I imagined it would be when I started this month. Perhaps not in a bad way. Just in a way that I wasn't expecting. No masterpieces made. Only a few new illustrations to show for myself. But, goals were met nonetheless. And, when creativity is happening, no matter what the form, I think there's little to complain about.

creative check-list

There's something about setting creative goals and making a physical list of said goals that really does push me into action. And, since June has been deemed my month of creativity, I figure that I owe it to myself to check things off my "to do" list. I've been whittling away at this for the past several days and am happy to report the following: Robot prints have been added to Etsy. New greeting cards have been made. And, sketches are done for an invitation job that I'm working on. I am breathing a sigh of relief as I type this. It feels good to get things done...and then to consequently have room on my "to do" list for a whole new batch of projects!

in a fit to knit

A whole lot of knitting has been going on around here over the past 2 days. The striped hat, which has been sitting in my living room unfinished for too many weeks, is finally done. It feels a little Harry Potter-ish, which is just fine by me. No harm in getting one's baby off to a magical start, I'd say. The brown one is for a dear friend's new baby. I can't wait to deliver it to its rightful little owner this weekend!

Whenever I get on these knitting spurts, I just want to keep going and going. It's almost midnight, and yet, I've considered pulling out all my yarn to decide which color will be the inspiration for my next itty bitty hat. They are just so darling that I can't stop making them. So, be prepared. If you're having a baby, you're most likely going to be the proud recipient of a Heather-made baby hat. Like it or not. But, really, how could you not?

pen to paper

In an effort to fill the month of June with creativity (and diverse methods of creativity at that), I've returned to my love of journaling. The past several days have included significant periods of time spent in writing and thinking and the construction of creative yet meaningful lists. I suppose that blogging about the act of journaling may be a difficult task. I can't exactly capture a photo of my journaling nor do I feel so inclined as to share portions of the entries I've been pouring myself into. So, I'll just leave it at this... Creativity comes in many forms, and I am accepting more and more that I just need to stumble upon the appropriate outlet for each creative moment. This may be different from one day to the next, one hour to the next, or even one minute to the next. The only thing I can do wrong is to deny my creative self the ability to escape by forcing it into some contrived box that I think should provide the right answer to some creative dilemma. Other than that, there are no wrong answers.

diversions

My creative ventures of the past several days haven't been quite as straightforward as drawing or painting or working in Illustrator. Creating has pushed ever so slightly over the border from conventional to at least somewhat unconventional.

Yesterday, as well as many of the days leading up to yesterday, found me hunched rather dutifully over a stack of photo albums. You see, organization has become my obsession of choice these days, and the latest victim of my organizational rampage has been our photographs. The details of such rampage are interesting, I'm sure, to no one other than myself. But, suffice it to say that all my creative energies have been poured into making these albums both strategically organized as well as artistic and charming. Hopefully the mission is being accomplished.

Today, we strapped on the sandals, packed a picnic lunch, and ventured outside, embracing the beautiful weather that we'd almost come to believe would never return. A week of rain and overhanging clouds has a dreadful way of dashing one's hopes of any future sunshine. In any case, our outdoor adventure led us to a bit of beach-combing, which led (of course) to much excitement on my part. Bits of sea glass, smooth-edged "beach pottery," and flat, circular skipping stones are amongst my favorite finds. And, with each piece that I claim as my own, I feel that I am collecting bits of creative fuel. Many pieces, however, I leave behind. Some stay exactly where I found them, while others are placed in impromptu sculptures or piles on nearby rocks for the next adventurer to find and (hopefully) marvel over.

So, have I come to end of these past few days with artwork to show for myself? Not exactly. But, I think that the journey and the creative pursuits are just as worthwhile. For a result-driven one such as myself, this is an important lesson indeed.

a favorite bird

I've been working on a project for a friend. We share a common love of the tufted titmouse. So, when she asked me to create an illustration of this sweet, little bird, I figured there was no better bird to draw. The final piece is not quite finished, but I think this little guy is still ready for his blog debut.

revisiting old friends

It's been awhile since I've created any little bird illustrations. Tonight seemed like the right night to revisit this sweet, well-loved subject matter. So, here's a feathered threesome that I drew earlier this evening. Tweet!

three days of knitting

This weekend's trip home took my creative quest down a slightly different path than I've been pursuing so far this month. With several hours in the car and many more hours manning a tag sale with my dad, I set my creative sites on knitting. A good friend just had her first baby a few days ago, and I wanted to be sure to get my promised baby hat to her as soon as possible. The little brown hat succeeded in evoking questions and comments from many of the tag-sale-goers who wondered what exactly I was so busy working on. As soon as the hat is complete, it'll gain its own spot amongst the various June creations that have captured my attention this month.

fly away

This little guy was amongst the many creatures I sketched in Vermont over Memorial Day weekend. This evening, his sketchy self took a quick flight through Illustrator for some much-needed color and spiff.