art
Artistic, musical, creative, and entertaining topics in Journal's workplace sphere.
Life Made Of Collage
don’t want this to be a ‘poor me’ story, however, I feel a little background is necessary in order to connect to the craft-life I have today. As a child, I was always hyper-emotional and scared of trying new things, as well as being super withdrawn and reserved (this would later be diagnosed as ADHD in my adult life). I was terrified of showing my true self to others, in fear that they would laugh or make fun of me. This lack of confidence impacted my social life, and I’d often find myself having trouble making friends or being ostracised for being the ‘weird kid’. Someone who pioneered my love of the craft was my grandma, Patricia. My grandma always told me to ‘believe it can be done’; she always wanted me to achieve my best whilst having fun doing it. I’d 100% say that this woman was the most influential on who I am today, as her passion for life has inspired me to push the boundaries and not be afraid of new experiences. Through craft, she taught me lessons in self-expression and the power of believing in myself, and my craft.
By Amber Cunningham5 years ago in Journal
My Fiskars Scissors Are Always Open to the Next Project
I can still vividly recall standing on my tip toes on the chilly hardwood floors of the old farmhouse I grew up in, reaching into a metal sewing box and fishing around for my favorite pair of scissors, some thread, and a few stray mismatched buttons. Once in my hand, I’d go upstairs and disappear into my room for hours. Growing up in a rural area, I was far removed from the colorful and mesmerizing aisles of large fabric stores. Instead, I had to rely on my own creativity to plan my earliest quilts. At 6 years old, I remember repurposing some old flannel bed sheets into my first simple patchwork quilt, not for a person, but for my favorite doll. I ran my hands along the soft and fuzzy pink fabric as I cut, loving the textures and softness of the art of sewing. At that age, I only had tiny scissors and a single needle to sew by hand. The little doll quilt took hours, but that did not matter. As the quilt grew, so did a passion that I would embrace for life.
By Susan L Medved5 years ago in Journal
My Orange Scissors
I still have my first pair of scissors. I don't remember when I received them, but it must be before my earliest memories, because I do remember when they were taken away as a punishment for cutting my sister's hair. My parents put them in the top drawer of their tall dresser, much higher than I could reach, and I remember looking up to where they were, desperately wanting them back.
By Anastasia Karel5 years ago in Journal
The Forgotten Art Form of Papercutting
I’m a storyteller. My stories consist of words but I’ve always been drawn to visual art, even though I can’t draw or paint, or at least not well. I wanted to learn a new way of storytelling when I randomly saw an ad for papercutting. This is it, I thought. A new way to explore telling a story without having to draw or paint. I can use my hands and imagination and touch something other than a keyboard. A few videos later, a "papercutter" was born.
By Andrea Jardine5 years ago in Journal
Where are the good scissors?
“Where are the good scissors?” Growing up, this was a question my mother repeated often, growing more frustrated as my sisters and I got older. The “good scissors” differed from the numerous other pairs of scissors in the house as they were sharp and capable of reliably cutting through materials. Although the “good scissors” belonged in the cutlery drawer beside the stove, they were most often found anywhere else. When my mother would buy a new pair of good scissors to replace an old pair that had been lost – by us – we would promise her that once we had finished using them, we would return them promptly to the drawer where they belonged. We did not.
By BQ Boudreau5 years ago in Journal
My Tiny Sock Snowmen
I am a Neonatal ICU Nurse. Retired now, I worked for nearly 40 years in a level 3 Neonatal ICU. We were the tertiary center for the State, where the sickest of newborns were sent to receive care. We cared for infants with heart defects, surgical emergencies, inborn errors of metabolism, but the bulk of our population were premature infants. My heart was especially drawn to the extremely premature infants, otherwise known as "micro preemies". Imagine if you will, cupping a tiny life that fits neatly between your hands to gently turn them. Like a tiny bird fluttering as you contain their arms and legs to decrease stress.As you can imagine, this was an extremely stressful job, despite my love for it. And I frequently brought that stress home.
By Susanna Rhodes5 years ago in Journal
Wood Florist- From Hobby to Home Business
As a brand new bride-to-be in 2016, I began exploring all of my wedding vendor options. My criteria list was short: budget friendly, customizable package options, and high value to reasonable cost ratio. Kind of a tall order in the wedding industry.
By Michelle Bullock Ammerman5 years ago in Journal
The Frog on Roller Skates
It started with a sketch of a frog on roller skates. It is now an online shop full of handmade products, a podcast series, community-based events, and a long-term dream. It has taken me a while to find my pathway, dabbling in many crafts like music and prop making, but nothing has particularly stuck until I re-discovered rollerskating, or more specifically, park and ramp skating. I say re-rediscovered as I have been skating since I could walk. My dad was adamant that I would learn how to skate just like he did, and we went to the local rink every week together.
By Daiz Westbury5 years ago in Journal
Develop to Destroy; Rinse, Repeat, Rise
In 2018 I tried to commit suicide. I was sent to the psych ward after having a mental breakdown at my dream job working as an on set electrician on big time movies and tv. It was my dream job and I was working with my dream crew yet somehow I was not happy. As creative as the job may seem is more about making someone else’s creative vision come to life. As much as I learned there I was not feeling creatively fulfilled and after 14-16 hours a day five days a week and sometimes outside in the midst of a brutal Chicago winter, it started weighing heavily on me.
By Mawie Talion5 years ago in Journal
paper, scissors, happy
I've always loved how creative stage design, even with a minimum of materials, can build a magical world. My current craft is inspired by this art form, sculpting painted paper to make small dreamscapes that transport me to my happiest of places.
By P. D. Murray5 years ago in Journal
