Kayla Carrier

The Bunny Dresser

Whether I’m starting a sewing, woodworking, crafting or painting project, I always begin by sketching out some concept art in my journal. Scrapbooking and storyboarding helps me gather my thoughts and ideas before they escape forever from my head. Pinterest is good and all, but nothing beats marking your ideas onto something tangible, something that can be manipulated – cut, shaped, beat up and pasted. I often flip back to old pages of my journal and it sparks so much more joy than looking through old “pins” – seeing the visualizations of my past thoughts helps inspire new ones. The only way to control my racing thoughts sometimes is to get them on paper and have them run a marathon across the pages. I love seeing the marks from my pencil smudge across the paper. Seeing text on a screen does nothing for my creative mind – I need the tactile feedback of a physical medium. The sound of scissors going cleanly through paper or fabric is music to my ears. Sometimes I start off a project with the intent of painting something and I end up at my sewing machine. Sometimes I start with a small idea and it expands and grows into a huge piece. Jumping from medium to medium and project to project is my exercise.