Day 13 for the end of Creative Bootcamp

I am on a roll now with posting all the thoughts tumbling from my heart into my journal and the photos gathered form this bootcamp. I love this quote from Day 13
"Life beats you down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one."
There is the challenge to set some goals for maintaining creativity to feed the soul, listed as a few promises. Reminded me of promising to keep the Brownie Guide Law!

Anyway, some of the suggested promises I loved:

To be kind to my creative spirit.
(This last year I had the phrase to be kind to myself, so this is very much part of it for me.)

To cultivate relationships with people who share my creative interests.
(sounds fun and will help inspire, nurture and breathe creative life in order to grow.)

To call myself an artist.
(Ouch. The hard one. Right there. The challenge. The nail on the head. The one that makes me squirm.)

The creative prompt word: SMILE
I am sure he is smiling, don't you agree?





Creativity Bootcamp, thank you.
The End.

Or, just the beginning?

The fresh springboard into creativity.
Where future creativity begins.
by Luci, the artist.

Day 12 for Creativity Bootcamp

Creativity Bootcamp Day 12 had the creativity prompt: SMOOTH

So sit and enjoy a coffee, as you read some of the notes from my journal, following the journal prompt for Day 12.
We were asked to look at the dreams we have and look at the tiny baby steps we might take, as they might seem too big, for them to begin to achieve them. our dreams as children were limitless, perhaps silly and impractical but then as adults we just throw them all away. How can we remove some of the obstacles, smooth and make level the pathways for dreams to be fulfilled?
Some of the dreams I have for the future are still the marriage and family dream.
One of the things I wrote in my list for this year was to look at making my house bigger or to move to a bigger house. The impossible dream. And I love my house. But it is not big enough for children, currently. I had the fostering team come out and visit last year and they said it would need to be set up with my second bedroom set out as a spare room. Currently it is my spare room and office. Hmm. What would i do with all my stuff. I can't chuck it all out. Crafting, admin, stuff is all still needed but would need to go elsewhere. Loft? Maybe. Having spare bedrooms would then open up the opportunity for looking deeper into adoption/fostering possibilities.
Scary stuff and a risk. I go round in circles, thinking: Oh the mess of having my loft done and Can I afford it? Is my loft space suitable for a loft conversion? Will I have the energy, the capacity for children? What if I move or get my loft converted and then the adoption/fostering team turn me down?
This quote from Day 12 says:
" And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk took to blossom."
Over the last year and a half I have had the words of encouragement to enlarge my tent and to extend my borders and to think big. I think these are some of the tiny baby steps I need to do next.
What about you?
Think.
Dream.
Blossom.
Grow.
flourish.
It's time.
Seize the Day.
time to take a few risks.
To launch into my destiny.

Day 11 for Creativity Bootcamp

The creative word prompt for Day 11 was: HUSH
An opportunity to stop.
Think.
Pray.
Reflect.
Ponder.
Evaluate.
Renew.
Refresh.
Take Stock.
To Take A step Back.
Look.
To really look.
Rest.
Wait.
Relax.
These thoughts all seemed to flow with the journal prompt:
"We need creativity in order to break free from the temporary structures that have been set up by a particular sequence of experiences." Edward de Bono
The challenge for us to look back at key times of our lives and how they led to creativity. The springboards of new birth, growth, freedom when we break out of the mould. How have some of the directions I have taken led to this point.
The answer is that it has all happened in the unexpected twists and turns. Often key times of growth have been after significant changes, failings, hurts, times of silence. New directions born out of dead ends.
The opportunity that silence brings.
Space.
Breathing time.
The be still and know that I am God stuff.
The refiners fire where I come out as gold.
The no pain no gain experience.
The after when God seems to be on mute.
These are the times when creativity flows.

The suggestion was to write a timeline. Here are a few of my twists and turns of the last year or so:

1.The growth in myself, I have realised, of just this last week in seeing my ex husband after so many years, in being able to and realising that sometimes it is still OK to say NO, with the beauty of family, their kindness and the joy and satisfaction in designing and making the wedding cake for my (ex)niece.
2.Last year, when I was poorly with post viral fatigue, a few months off work caused me to listen to my heart cry for some outflow of my perhaps dormant and stifled creativity. I started blogging and joined in with Make Some Art Monday and now Creative Bootcamp.
3.With help and encouragement from the same friend, Rachel over at My Slightly Crazy World, who helped me start blogging, I also began scrapbooking.
4.My friend Rachel is part of our housegroup, where we love to laugh, share creative ideas and eat cake. I did a cake decorating course last year, as an evening course, with my friend Abbie from the same housegroup. It was such fun and gave me skills and confidence to do the cake. And we got to eat lots of cake!
5. We started the housegroup, shortly after I moved churches. Not an easy decision, but the church I had been going to since I moved here, had gone through some changes as people left. I needed friends as well as Spiritual input, so I followed my friends. We had all become friends through church and later a cafe we set up, ran, and sadly closed together. It was a painful time but our coffee and waffles were amazing.
6. One of the first big creative projects we have done as a housegroup has been the banners we did for church. It was amazingly powerful to reflect on all that had happened to us in that year and a half as we cut, sewed, stitched, meshed together all the colours and textures.

Such a rich tapestry of life.

Day 10 for Creativity Bootcamp

The creative prompt for Day 10 was: FULL BODIED


The challenge to dial up our senses, to think about the memories, what stands out the most for Day 10 I came up with quite the list. Here is a glimpse:
1. The smell of Summer: cut grass, meadows, fields with memories of daisychains, lazy walks, laughter.Chocolate, coffee, strawberries, cakes baking in the oven and freshly baked bread. I love the smells of spices and freshly dried linen.
2. The sound of rain when I am indoors, the crackle of logs on the fire, the sounds of the waves on the sand. An orchestra, a cathedral choir, funky live music and the chatter in a restaurant or bar.
3. The taste of Sunday Roast, cake of course, chocolate that melts in your mouth, fresh salad, fresh fruit, pineapples, cherries, bananas, curry.
4. The feel of silk, smooth stones, sand, water running through my fingers,the fur on my kitten, the warmth of a hug.
5. Views through woods, across oceans wide, meadows and countryside, seeing snowflakes fall. The shades of pink, blues and rich spices.
"The artists world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep." Paul Strand.
I love this quote from Meagan. How true and refreshingly simple. Inspiration on my doorstep or wherever I am. I just have to learn to see with fresh eyes, breathe deep and tap into the wonderful possibilities.
Opportunity and Adventure.
Bring it On!

Creativity Bootcamp Day 9

I had to laugh when I saw the creative prompt for day 9: DRIZZLE
Would you believe it, the sun was actually shining?
Not a drizzle in sight.
Nope.
Not a drop.
Sun, sun, sun.
Me: at work.
Came home and looked longingly at this:

and found this:

I must be missing cake.
I had to eat toast and drizzle honey, instead.

I made the lemon drizzle cake today, as it is now Saturday, as I write this up.
My thoughts?
Read this:

Dear Jamie,
I love your book but I have to say, that your Nan's Lemon Drizzle Cake is a bit rubbish. I will eat this one, but have to make another one now as this one is flat.
love from Luci

Creativity Bootcamp Days 7 and 8

Well, as I was at THE Wedding for the weekend, I was oblivious to the prompts for the weekend or the fabulous creativity going on over at Creativity Bootcamp. Ignorance is bliss, I hear you say?
Well, I did have chance to clear my head, wind the windows down and listen to lots of music loud, talk to God in the pour out my heart kinda way stuff, reflect, enjoy, cry, give thanks,laugh, think, ponder, dream, and refresh as I drove.
I came back and saw the journalling challenges to write, which I hadn't done, but sometimes a long drive is similar.
I also came back to see these beauties emerging in my garden.
They seemed to fit with the creative prompt word: ORNAMENT, (Meagan says: which by definition lends grace or beauty.)


The second creative prompt was the word: FLY
There are a lot of these around at the moment, with the world cup football happening.


I love this quote by one of my favourite authors, Meagan has included in the bootcamp challenge:
"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." Maya Angelou

Creativity Bootcamp Day 6

As I travelled south after work with the wedding cakes, in boxes, within boxes, surrounded by towels to be secure and all lain on a duvet for cushioning to add to the suspension in my car, Creativity Bootcamp Day 6 was well underway.
I had had time to check the prompt for the day: FLUID and snap this shot:

Dreams,
Like clouds,
Watch, wait, stare, hope,gaze,
Come away with me,
Float, soft, fluffy,
Like candy floss,
Escape,
Movement,
Freedom,
No constraints,
Always unique,
Never seen before,
Original clouds,
Never the same.
I love you sky clouds.
Let me dream with you.
I'll come away with you anytime.
Let's do it.
Dream.
Time to Dream.
Perchance to dream,
Again.
Anew.
Afresh.
Breath Life.
My creative soul.

Creativity Bootcamp Day 5

For more inspiring thoughts and creations for this Creativity Bootcamp, you can look here
My notes from my journalling follow along the threads of the challenge to write about our hopes and dreams and the expectations of life and a trip down memory lane with the music we loved growing up.
If I share with you some of my hopes and dreams I had growing up they included being married with children and serving God in some way. I dreamed of living in a house in the country with dogs and cats and a big family table for us all to sit around with friends gathered.
The trip down memory music lane was fun. I tried to be all neat and tidy and come up with a list of my top 5 or my top 10, but couldn't. I am not tidy, so my list is here: my top 14.
1. U2
2. Simple Minds
3. The Waterboys
4. Blondie
5. Eurythmics
6. Everything But the Girl
7. Depeche Mode
8. Madonna
9. Ultravox
10. Madness
11. The Police
12. Sting
13. Bruce Springsteen
14. Abba
Thinking and writing about some of my hopes and dreams with the prompt word: GROW was interesting too as I put the finishing touches to the wedding cake, last week ready for the wedding last weekend.
The wedding cake for my niece.
My "ex-niece" strictly speaking, I guess, as it is my ex-husband's family, where I would see my ex-husband for the first time in 16 years. I have stayed in good contact with the rest of my ex-family all these years and love them dearly, but not seen the ex for all this time. Weddings always bring back memories and are quite emotive events, aren't they? They are for me. A big trip down memory lane right there. Memories of hopes and dreams broken and shattered, tossed aside and trampled on, some still yet to be replaced and renewed.
And yet, the amazing reality and contrast perhaps, that the last 16 years have been with amazing growth, joy, peace, safety, love, kindness, increased friends and family, creativity, opportunities and adventures and new hopes and dreams too, for me. Wow.
My hopes and dreams have taken on whole new meanings and twists and turns.
Some I never thought would have been possible.
Some of it has been excrutiatingly painful, some wonderful moments of experiencing mourning into dancing, lovely surprises and some renewed dreams and rediscovering of gifts, talents and creativity.
New adventures, new possibilities, new promises and possibilities and surprises.
So, here is my tribute to the word Grow is right here in the wedding cake.
All 3 tiers.



I want to continue to grow, don't you?

Creativity Bootcamp day 4

Creative Bootcamp is in Day 4. I had been working on the prompts and journalling challenges one day and posting it the next but somehow I woke early this morning to be mulling over the prompt for today all day.
And then didn't post it.
Then reality kicked in with time pressure of needing to finish and pack up the wedding cakes for the wedding last weekend.my life became work and wedding cake.
So, here I am, Saturday, a week after the wedding and finally sitting down to pull together all my journalled and photographed creative thoughts to share with you of the last few days.
Day 4 prompt:"HEAVY METAL"
It has felt a bit like doing the full metal challenge.
Let me explain why:
There has been a lot of soul searching and re-aligning going on in my heart and head with the journalling prompts during this creativity bootcamp. Yesterday, we were thinking about the things that kill and destroy creativity. Today, when I saw the creative prompt HEAVY METAL, I continued with my thoughts of the protection I wear around my heart/head/soul - some of it is good and needed. The extinguishing fiery arrows kind of armour - those negative thoughts, doubt, disbelief, words spoken but also how sometimes we (or I) shield myslef form possibilities and opprotunities.
I need to live and breathe afresh my creativity and throw off the things that hinder.
Welcome to my full metal challenge.
As part of processing this, I went for a walk. Wind, fresh air, sunshine is great for clearing some cobwebs.
The river and my local park, with the question from today's prompt: What inspires me?
Opportunities, the sense of adventure and possibilities.


Colour and fun.

Life and vibrancy and gentleness and peace found in a garden.


I love being inspired, don't you?
I also took a few pictures of some HEAVY METAL for my scrapbook pages.




I visited my local hobby carft, treated myslef to these beautiful scrapbook papers to use. One a bit grungy, reminding me of the heaviness, the cacophany of sound of heavy metal music with the beautiful contrast of the coordinating flowers of creativity and inspiration. I found them inspiring and can't wait to use them.

What inspires you?

Creativity Bootcamp Day 3

I said it was complicated.
MULTILAYERED was the word prompt for day 3.
I immediately thought of the film shrek and donkey chattering on about us all being like onions as we all have layers.
How true.
I am multilayered. Complicated, even.
As I am wrestling with peeling back the layers to reveal my true creative self, I am also aware of the layers I have added of protection, the negative thoughts, words that cause me to doubt or false protect.
Hmm.
The following quotes were given as part of our journalling prompts:
"Conformity is the jailor of freedom and the enemy of growth." John F Kennedy.
We have been challenged to think about the things that kill our creativity: negative thoughts, doubt can do it for me.
Inspiration comes quickly buzzing, bzz, bzz, thwap. dud.
Silence.
as I think: Nah, I could never do that.
Creativity dead right there.
I wrote in my journal a reminder to take every thought captive and a note to self to extinguish those fiery arrows that come to wound my creative heart and soul.
As I took some multilayered photos, I thought that perhaps I ought to turn the word MULTILAYERED into MULTIFACETED.




The many talents of Luci. The artist.
I will stick to one layer at a time, for now.
In the meantime, these are the funky striped, layered scrapbook papers I will use.

I have nearly finished all the prep for day 4!

Creativity Bootcamp Day 2

The prompt word for day 2 was "PICNIC" over at Creativity Bootcamp
I immediately thought of red and white checked tablecloths and baskets, summertime, romance, relaxing, buttercups and daisy chains.
I found these scrapbooking papers from my stash: daisy paper, orange red and white check and a dark green and thought: perfect.

I grabbed my picnic blanket from my car, some apples and some sparkly bubbly and took a few photos.



Simple.
Fun.
That warm, glowing feeling.
Still dreaming of Summer, I set about the journalling part.
The challenge: to start calling myself an artist.
What?
No way!
suddenly Life was no Picnic at all, with this statement.
Me? An artist? Nooo.
I am just one sandwich short of the picnic, there.
I have friends who are artists and I immediately put myself waaay out of their league.
I always think of an artist as someone who is proven to be one, known as, others say, qualifications, good at what they do.
Then there is me.
Told I am creative, artistic perhaps, learned a few artistic skills, described as quite arty, imaginative, bold, flexible.
I would describe myself as a bit artistic and one who enjoys being in touch with my creative side...
I obediently wrote in my journal, as asked, the words:
Luci is an artist.
I felt numb and went "pah!" in disbelief...
yet actually having a bit of a dream, to fan into flame the creativity, the yearnings for that creative flair and outlet, to fan into flame the gifts that God has given me. As small and as insignificant as I might feel it is. My wee talent of a mish mash of bits of creativity.
Doubts, negative thoughts, failings, words spoken, comparisons all flooding around, crashing, more than the belief in myself.
Help me more, lord to cancel out the negative words, the put downs, disbelief and limitations and to breathe life in the creative artistic parts of Luci.
To flourish.
This was my prayer.
It is a hard process for me.
One of the quotes given was this: " Most people are much more unusual and complicated and eccentric and playful and creative than they have time to express." When I let my creativity go, I have millions of ideas and sooo little time to do things. It would be great to really embrace my creative soul, as battered and tight as a wee bud it is, perhaps.
Apparently the word artist in Webster means: one who creates objects of beauty.
See now that doesn't sound so bad, does it?
Day 3 has the word: MULTILAYERED, which I have been working on today.
Let's just say, it's complicated...

Creative Bootcamp Day 1

So, the prompt for Day One of Creativity Bootcamp was the random word: "IVORY".
A few notes from my journalling, started with the the 2 given quotes:
" Art is the stored honey of the soul, gathered on the wings of misrey and travail." Theodore Dreiser.
" Wisdom begins in wonder. Be as you wish to seem." Socrates
I began thinking about the word honey: sweet, rich, golden, beautiful.
Reflecting on my own life with travail and misery and the contrast of honey. Life in all it's richness. Out of the hard times, something beautiful does come. Creativity stored, like treasure bursts forth from deep within.
Peace comes on the wings of a dove, I am treasure as God ses me and Ivory is delicate, beautiful, reminding me of this tresure within. The wonder of it all. The WOW factor.
For the creativity art work, I quickly gathered a few Ivory coloured favourite objects in my wee house and took a few photos, focussing on my composition. A bit like setting up still life to draw, I thought!
My favourite new Ivory/beige satin shoes, a Picasso print, a treasure jewellry bow that has ivory buttons on top, a set against my duvet: Ivory, without the covers on.



I then gathered a few Ivory pages from my scrapbook pages that I will use.

The ideas I have for my layout is this: I will print out the photos for my scrapbook page and do a huge word WOW in Ivory down the left hand side. I will add a honey bee and the words: who taught the honey bee to dance... going across the page and include my journal notes and the quotes.
Now on with Day 2

Creativity Bootcamp Begins!

I am so excited and apprehensive all at once.
Know that feeling?
Today is the first day of Creativity Bootcamp.
Are you joining in?
I decided to join in the other week. I hope that joining in will stretch me and help shape and define me, as I explore my own creativity more.
It is the first blog course I have done, so hope I can keep up and enjoy the challenges it brings. The daily prompts are for my own journalling and for something creative to do each day, in my chosen medium. The bootcamp runs from June 6-18.

I will share some of my thoughts from my journal as I go along this journey these next few weeks.

For the creative part, I would love to do some artwork - perhaps some collage - as I could have hours of fun with mixed media and mess coming together - but realistically, with finishing wedding cakes and the wedding this next week on top of work it really isn't practical for me.
Summer holidays are looming and wedding cakes will soon be out of the way, so I will have lots of time to be creative, then. In the meantime, I will get my creative juices to step up a gear, through some hopefully inspiring photos and some scrapbooking ideas too. I am going to do some photos as my chosen medium as I go along and plan some layouts for scrapbooking as sketches in my notebook based on the thoughts and word prompts for each day. I guess I will be looking at composition for the photos and then experiment with layout ideas for scrapbooking.

Last year, I felt both challenged and encouraged to stir up some of the gifts within me, like creativity, that had perhaps lain dormant for a while. I began scrapbooking and blogging and have found both to be great fun and fulfilling. I have a lot to learn. With entering bloggyland, I have been thrilled to start things like Make Some Art Monday as I hadn't done any art for years. So this bootcamp is taking my creativity to the next level.
Also, journalling is one of my passions. I use it as part of my personal prayer and Bible reading so to look at this creatively will be good for me to do. I often for ease, just write notes in my journal but it would be good for me to do some art/collage work as part of my journalling. I've done it once before and have let it slip.
Time for bootcamp, to tighten up on a few lax habits, I think.
I have a new journal to start.

I love it - it even has a teapot on the back too!

You can see today's full prompt here.

Ready or Not!

So I saw this idea at Ruth's blog.
It sounds like fun and a challenge and stretching my creativity to the limits all at once.
She says it started here.
But I've only just joined a gym, I said.
Creativity?
You got me!
I'm in.
Are you?
I'm in ready or not.
Scary but true.
As someone once said, it might be a can of worms, or a can of butterflies.
Let's see.
Live dangerously, life on the edge, adventure.
I am usually always up for a dare.