As you know I belong to a Yahoo Group called All Thing Tim. It's a on line list that gathers people from around the world to focus on Tim Holtz. From Tim's blog "Tim Holtz is the Creative Director for Ranger Industries, one of the
leading manufacturers of innovative inks, paints, and embossing
products" Because we all love Ranger products and Tim's ideas, All Things Tim is a great place to get together to share ideas and swap art using Tim's techniques.
Recently one of the moderators, Stephen, (http://bearcrazyman.blogspot.com/) started asking weekly questions to keep the list moving.
This weeks Question of the Week is:
What lead you to do what you do art-wise? Be it stamping, scrap booking,
painting, mix media, altering..
Lets us all know why you do what you do.
I thought my response would be a good item for my blog. So for those of you interested or who may have missed it on the ATT list - here is my response:
I was never artsy/crafty and never really had a
passion for art other than appreciating the art of others. I can not draw a
straight line with a ruler. When I do it doesn't look straight to me.
When I don't it looks straight but it's not.
I always gravitated to arty greeting cards which 20 years ago were hard to find. I walked into a local card shop that I frequented and saw a sign for a class on making your own cards. For some reason this sounded interesting so I signed up. From the moment I stamped my first image I was hooked. The class was just about stamping and embossing but it started the foundation of what I do today.
After thinking, "I'll save money making my own cards" I've spent more money making cards that I ever would have spent in the last 17 years. But I've spent more time relaxing, making other people happy with my creations and mostly making myself happier than I was when I was buying greeting cards.
I do more than make cards now. I've made wall hangings, Tim's Configurations Shadow Boxes, canvass work, clothing and more. I've learn so many techniques above and beyond embossing. I've learned how to use color in many mediums. I've gone so far away from needing a ruler to draw a straight line but I am better at using it when I need to.
I don't consider what I do crafting because it entails more than that. I consider my work art. Never in my life before 1995 would I have called myself at artist but now I can and do. Walking into that card shop all those years ago changed my life for the better. I do this because I love it. I can't imagine not being able to create because it's become an important part of my life and it has become apart of me. That's why I continue to make my art. Some days it's good art, some days it's bad art, but it's all art.
Did I mention all the great people I've met all because I put some ink to paper one day. This has been a great journey in the art world. I hope it continues the rest of m y life.
I always gravitated to arty greeting cards which 20 years ago were hard to find. I walked into a local card shop that I frequented and saw a sign for a class on making your own cards. For some reason this sounded interesting so I signed up. From the moment I stamped my first image I was hooked. The class was just about stamping and embossing but it started the foundation of what I do today.
After thinking, "I'll save money making my own cards" I've spent more money making cards that I ever would have spent in the last 17 years. But I've spent more time relaxing, making other people happy with my creations and mostly making myself happier than I was when I was buying greeting cards.
I do more than make cards now. I've made wall hangings, Tim's Configurations Shadow Boxes, canvass work, clothing and more. I've learn so many techniques above and beyond embossing. I've learned how to use color in many mediums. I've gone so far away from needing a ruler to draw a straight line but I am better at using it when I need to.
I don't consider what I do crafting because it entails more than that. I consider my work art. Never in my life before 1995 would I have called myself at artist but now I can and do. Walking into that card shop all those years ago changed my life for the better. I do this because I love it. I can't imagine not being able to create because it's become an important part of my life and it has become apart of me. That's why I continue to make my art. Some days it's good art, some days it's bad art, but it's all art.
Did I mention all the great people I've met all because I put some ink to paper one day. This has been a great journey in the art world. I hope it continues the rest of m y life.
