Creativity

Not a masterpiece but a pretty mess

November 18, 2015 by Angela

Whenever I’m stressed out, Kevin’s go to suggestion is to do arts and crafts. A lot of times, I come up with an excuse. There are a lot of problems (insert relaxation method) doesn’t solve. But solutions sometimes aren’t what we need. Change, however small, can be the answer. We went to an art sale at the park the other day and on the way back stopped by the art supply store, me finally heeding his advice. It’s one of those legit art stores. Nothing crafty about it. I mean, I love paints but those tubes of color are intimidating. I thought I’d try my hand at pastels, like I have many times before, one of my favorite materials as a kid… Second only to watercolor. [Read more…] about Not a masterpiece but a pretty mess

How perfectionism can paralyze your work

August 17, 2015 by Angela

Perfectionism is rampant in creative circles and it’s the killer of production. There’s advice floating around about making your creative passions careers, treating your blog or craft or art like a j-o-b. To me, this seems like the worst idea. Job has such bad connotation. The only good thing about a job is that you get a paycheck (which I think is where that stems from). But why, why would I want to turn the things I love so very much, into jobs? Do you get what I’m saying? Do what you love has turned into make what you love a job. What does this have to do with perfectionism, anyway? I think when you create art you have to accept that it’s messy and unfinished. A lot of artists feel their work is never finished. A lot of writers get published but that doesn’t mean it feels finished. But as creatives who are doing this for a living, we want everything to be perfect. We want to publish perfect blog posts, create perfect DIYs or perfect products to sell on Etsy (which by the way, I get, but also, it’s handmade, we should appreciate that it doesn‘t look like a machine made it), etc.

10 under the radar magazines for creative + conscious living

August 9, 2015 by Angela

It’s 8:21 am, Sunday. I’ve just arrived at my favorite local coffee shop, plucked the most sugar-laden pastry from the display, and purchased my 12oz latte for here complete with a partial-latte-art-heart a la the perfectly friendly (but not pre-9am obnoxiously so) barista. I’ve had this blog post dancing around my head for weeks now, since one late afternoon work break spent scrolling through Instagram on my phone in bed with the AC on in my sweltering LA apartment led to many a new magazine discovery. [Read more…] about 10 under the radar magazines for creative + conscious living

Do you need a creative space to work well?

December 5, 2014 by Angela

From creating a tranquil space out of Ikea furniture in my childhood bedroom after moving home from college to going from loving to loathing my LA apartment after the transition from office jobs to work-at-home, I’ve always tried to work my way around environmental circumstances beyond my control. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent scouring Craigslist hoping to even come across a dream creative studio—no matter that I’d never be able to afford one—or the time logged on Pinterest searching terms like “exposed brick” and “light space”, “white walls”, etc.

5 ways to spark creativity

May 29, 2014 by Angela

It seems like everything comes in fives lately. We can’t always control when we feel ready to tackle creative projects. For me, it’s a huge struggle because I need to bring my best ideas at work, and, I need other, separate, good ideas for my blog, shops, and a little thing I went to college for: creative writing/storytelling. Sometimes it’s more exhausting than liberating, but like they say: I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The passing of Maya Angelou reminds me more than ever just how much ONE person can do in a lifetime. Everything I want to do in life (cue big, sweeping statement) is defined in one word, creativity. This has helped me get and stay creative in my 24 years of being inspired by wonderful and surprising things: