11 November 2014

I am number 4

Creatively speaking, I am feeling stymied. Sty. Mied. I lay awake into the small hours for two nights last week excited by the prospect of some creative ideas and then I check the internet and see that they've already been done and so I start to wonder if I will ever come up with a truly original concept. So, I forge ahead with one idea because I am stubborn like that, and I spend a whole day drafting a pattern and then another two days sewing it up. And still I am not happy with it. And I begin to wonder what is the point of reworking it at all when the cost and time to make it is going to chew into any idea of a profit, meaning the price would need to be raised so high that few would consider buying it. Hmmm. So, I quietly pack it all up and go back to the drawing board. It reminded me of this:
Sorry about the swearwords grandparents, my children and any future grandchildren.
So that was my week. I'll eventually arrive at number 6. Perseverance and all that.

I know two of your fridges are going to feel some love because Ellen Giggenbach's magnets are coming to live at your place. One set is off to Elizabeth in Sweden and the other (drum roll) is going to Amy at Love Made My Home *tickertape and rainbows streaming from the sky*.

Congratulations my EU buddies and thank you so much to everyone else who entered. I am so glad you love Ellen's work too. Renee and I spent a few hours on Saturday making up some of the projects, and I thought you might like to see how they turned out:
These are a definite 6 on the creative process continuum.

Enjoy your week everyone and come and say hi on Facebook too if you feel inclined. I just set it up last week and the Facebook strategists have cunningly decided that a minimum of 30 likes are needed before I can access my stats. Just sayin'.

5 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness I know exactly what you are talking about!! I have endless sleepless nights looking for the right project and often end up in the same point. The products would probably cost $500 each by the time you charge a decent hourly rate and then you look on the internet or in shops and feel intimidated by all the coolness that already exists for reasonable pricing and you feel...dejected, deflated and running out of hope!! Thank you so much for sharing this as you have made me feel less alone in my creative journey :)

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  2. I love the paper creations!!! As you say, a definite 6!! I hope that you will get to 6 very soon, but don't worry, I think that a lot of us feel like a 4 quite a lot of the time. My hat that I tried to turn into a bird that couldn't even make the cut as a bird springs to mind - don't ask!!! Thank you for the win of the magnets, too kind of you to be willing to post all the way here! I will e-mail you! I hope that the creative process works out!! Congratulations as well to Elizabeth. Oh, and I can't like you on facebook because i'm not on it, but I would like you and indeed I do!! Do I win anything for the worlds longest comment!! xx

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  3. Ugh yeah I hear you! I have long ago given up on any prospect of actually making money by personally buying and handmaking goodies. I just dont see how it's possible. But if someone can do it - you can! Cant wait to see when you get to #6! and seeing those creations... that book is going into my trolley right now! Hope today is a great day x

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  4. If there is one thing I have learned in all my years as a professional graphic designer: nothing is original. Everything has been done. So as long as you are not blatantly copying somebody else's work and you've genuinely come up with an idea, then just go for it. Enjoy it and stop beating yourself up! Pep talk over :-) x

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  5. I totally love this post - I have felt so much like number 4 too - I'm thick in the middle of building and launching my new photography website and it's been so frustrating and time consuming and I just feel like why am I even bothering - and only 1 week to go to launch now. I'm so going to refer to your post in my post talking about it - hope that's OK!

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