Play Time
One of the things I love to do in my studio is "play." What is "play time" in your studio? Think of it in terms of being a child...what is play time for them? Play time is running off energy, finding something new (a caterpillar under a rock in the garden), and using their imagination.
The same should be true for all of us in our studio's "play time," regardless of our medium. I'm a "clayer" which means I get into a little bit of everything. My truest heart is making whimsical characters, like Parker (featured at left). But I need to branch out and experiment very often. Because of my need to "play" I have over 30 polymer clay & mixed media books sitting on my shelf. Why? Because I need inspiration. I get that inspiration through color, ideas, and so much more. Our most recent venture was with Julie Picarello's Imprinted Mokume Gane technique. I loved doing this "new" technique for Mokume Gane. It provided me with several challenges and unique perspectives on the "art" involved with Polymer Clay. (You can see my Mokume Gane technique here). We have listed several of those results in our store.
Without "play time" in our studios, we can never truly become dedicated to our work. Though I am NOT a full time crafter, I do devote a significant portion of my week to my hobby, talent, & craft, polymer clay. Think of your full time job. The reason the majority of the professional world requires continuing education. Why? The world is constantly changing, there are new ideas, new theories, new territories that have yet to be discovered. People are a continuing progress of ideas. We are constantly evolving. Your work should do the same.
It's okay if your "play time" involves something that isn't currently in your shop. You can always add them in and see how they do. Or do what I do...GIFT IT! I have LOTS of occasions to give gifts during a year. Most often those gifts include my "play time" experiments.
But what about those "rejects." Those are the things that you just can't sell because they are not perfect or there's some kind of huge design flaw. Those are the things you sit on your studio shelves as "examples" of what NOT to do in the future. Eventually you will learn to love and appreciate even your failures. This being said, I will say that several of my items have ended their life in the family garbage can with a "lesson well learned" attached to the end of them...but those pieces are few and far between. Not every piece is salvageable and that's okay. But don't admit defeat just because you want to "play." Be free, be wild, and PLAY in your studio or you will limit yourself and your abilities.
The old adage says, "practice makes perfect." This is true in our studios too. Parker didn't become Parker over night. Parker went from my sketch pad and into reality. The same can be said of Mickey Mouse, the Law of Gravity, Beethoven's Sonata, and so many other things. The only way to master something is with practice...especially in our artistic mediums.
Throughout this post I have featured a few polymer clay artists from Etsy whose work I love and admire, but they like others did not become good at what they do overnight, they too were works in progress.
5 comments:
It's true that playing results in great items. I played with my wire beaded kippah and now sell them fairly regularly.
And sometimes, the items are just for me.
Thanks for sharing.
Very nice blog post.
Isn't it nice that what I WANT to do is what I SHOULD do? hehehe
Cute post Katie!
I love to "play" in my studio. I like to try new things, mix fragrances, change colors, add different ingredients. It's so much fun and a change from the normal step-by-step creation sometimes :)
Great article! I love playtime in my studio and it's important... A lot is learned during playtime, plus it's fun!
Thank you so much for including my Lion and Lamb Cake Topper Katie!! Very honored to be part of your article today!
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