Chasing the Creative Process by Nancy Bindig

A TRIBUTE TO MOTHER NATURE

2010-02-24T17:31:00.000-08:00

Here's the heron nest 2010, with a new basket of babies. You can hear them clacking away during their feeding time. Enjoy some pictures of my inspiration and the nest baskets that resulted.................

COMING HOME

2010-02-11T18:12:00.001-08:00

I'm coming home to the place that feels right and familiar, and it's where I want to spend some time now. Returning to spend time weaving with basketry techniques, the vessel form, and merging craft with concept. Why I left for so long I have no idea. What's important is that I can recognize that the passage of time has seasoned me for being where I am today. I was explaining to a friend how weaving and basketry can teach patience (has taught me patience). All underwater basketweaving jokes aside, it is so true that the act of weaving can be very soothing to the soul, and I encourage you to try it. I've grown to be patient with the act of making: I am happiest working on the pieces like I am now - I have no place for rushing, or pleasing someone else, or selling. It's just about pleasing the desires of my heart. And that dear friends, is what gives the chase (of the creative process) its' sweet reward.

On the Road Again

2010-01-22T22:44:00.000-08:00

Sometimes life just happens and we lose our focus. That happens to me alot, when it comes to my following my creative dreams. So the best I can do now is to shake off the dust and try to pick up from where I left off.
There are alot of new challenges for alot of people these days, including us. We are just trying to survive and at the same time trying to re-invent ourselves. This comes as a result of what is going on with our economy and our rapidly growing unemployment rate. (going on 6 months for us now) Then throw in all of your everyday life ingredients like family, sickness, special events, holidays... Suddenly you look up and the road you are on isn't the same one you started on. It split a ways back, and now the tricky part is to go back and find a place to merge in order to get back on track. That is where I am now. In the meantime, all of these ideas have been popping and exploding in my head and I can't seem to get past the everyday STUFF and get back to doing more artwork. It's like jiffy pop gone bad.
My blue herons still haunt me (see July/August 2009 blog post ) and I continue to work on one of my "nest" series. It's all about building on solid ground. It has been almost a year since that nest fell, and with it so much has changed here in my neighborhood. And yet everything returns to normal. Just two days ago the herons were back and scouting out a new nesting tree, but I haven't seen them since. Maybe they suddenly remembered what happened and decided to rebuild elsewhere. We'll see... When it comes down to it, some will always fly home and rebuild in the same way, no matter what they have learned or may know. Just look at New Orleans - now there's something to think about.

FAST FORWARD

2009-12-31T12:43:00.000-08:00

Y I K E S !

It's 2.5 months later.......

WHAT ROAD

HAVE I

BEEN ON ??

Green Glass Birds and other Artful Thoughts

2009-10-15T18:34:00.001-07:00

This will be a weekend full of ART DEMONSTRATIONS,
something I love to do. When I used to do craft shows, I would try to demo whenever I could. As a teacher, I think it's just a natural way to share my love for what I do, and to spark an interest in someone new. I can remember watching a glass blower in Sweden as a young girl, and coming home with a GREEN GLASS BIRD which I displayed in a prominent location wherever I lived.
It has been a subtle reminder of the artist and a hands on connection to an object that I've collected and loved...

GLASSY MEMORIES:
Once I tried to melt glass in a campfire (it didn't work)

BREAKING GLASS
The sounds of breaking glass from outside my basketry studio on a back street in Saratoga Springs. (Oh I love the sound of breaking glass, as the song goes) Sounds coming from a nearby recycling plant.

BEACH GLASS

Collected on many solo walks on the beaches of Maine,
hanging from a wire in my bathroom,
stored in jars,
displayed to catch the light
and capture a memory.

So, here my thoughts travel back to this coming weekend, and remind me that it's time to come back - to get some things together, figure out where to go from here, and hopefully to see you out there somewhere.

HANDMADE......................................................................... Think of the hands that have made you're favourite things. They come with that special ingredient that you can't seperate out: LOVE :-) Nancy

Back to Nature

2009-09-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

GOD ROCK

MY ROCKI spent the last 8 days in New England, where cell phone coverage is spotty, and access to a computer or internet was not available to me. To tell you the truth, I enjoyed the time away from electronics and getting back into the natural world that we belong to. I only wish I had more time there. The first day was spent on a favorite beach in Maine, where the rocks are polished and smooth, in various grey tones, and speckled in warm colours. I got to play while my crazy friend went swimming in the frigid ocean.

On the return home, the security attendant had to re-scan my bag, and asked, "do you have rocks in there?". To which I replied "YES! We have NO ROCKS in Florida!!! The last time I came home from Maine, I had to repack our bags at the airport since they were so heavy laden with rocks and over limit on weight restrictions. I sadly refrained from loading up on rocks on this trip, but I did manage to bring a few home to make some more of my "sewn rocks".
KNOTLESS NETTING OVER A MAINE BEACH ROCK

In art,

there needs to exist a place for the eye to rest, in addition to being engaged in the composition. My brain found a resting place in these images and the time spent away from home last week. The beauty & inspiration in this world never ceases to amaze me.

I hope you will be encouraged to find your own resting place, and to find the beauty - even if it's in your own backyard.

Nesting

2009-09-09T08:45:00.001-07:00

Random Weave Nest: Round Reed and Palm

CAN YOU FOLLOW A RECIPE?

2009-09-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when people hear that I teach art, they immediately lay a claim that they "have no talent", "are not crafty"," can't do...", "never could...", etc. The teacher in me always feels compelled to try to find a way to help them realize that CREATIVITY is the foundation of anything "artsy" and that it comes in many different forms. Sometimes it's not even a visible form, but exists in the way that we live life and find solutions to our problems. Although we may not all be makers of art, we are ALL born with the innate quality to create. Therefore, we all are capable of becoming artists, especially if we throw away old preconcieved notions.

As I try to find that one thing that embodies creativity in someone, my hope is that they will gain the confidence to at least not judge themselves about their artistic abilities. I'd love for everyone who has ever made a comment or has had doubts about their artistic abilities to someday try something "artsy" again. As children we are born with a freedom to be without judgement in the realm of creating. This quality gets taught out of us as we age, usually toward the high school years. People need to break that perception of what "art" is and become free enough to find their personal expression.

I think that "craft" is so popular (especially for women) because it offers a blueprint for a project related item. It's like following a recipe, step by step. It builds confidence. Start here if you'd like. But know that you can also become the type of cook who works without a recipe. CREATIVITY is a state of mind. The "art" that results is merely a visual representation of that thought process. And alot of times the outcome doesn't look good. But that process builds upon itself and will be what's important.

Every good cook has had some failures in the kitchen. Keep experimenting and try new things until you find the ingredient that intimidates you the least and makes you the happiest. Don't think while you are at it. The time for thinking comes afterward to review and get ready ready for the next time.

Bon Appétit!

NEST - HOME - SELF - PLACE

2009-08-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

As I prep for my class on "Personal Nests" (using basketry and joinery techniques), I am thinking about two recent nest fatalities near my home. The first one was the baby blue herons; last week we discovered three baby squirrels that had fallen from their nest. We think that a raccoon invaded their home. So, I've been thinking about the qualities of a "nest" that I would like my woven structure to have:
to be sturdy;
built solid so that the wind cannot knock it down…
to have an entrance that is welcome and open:
that allows nourishment while at the same time being safe from predators…
to reflect my style and personality...
to be natural and freeform,
yet polished and refined…
I want to use strong materials:
materials that need to be cut with a knife, instead of gathered loosely by hand…

FOLLOW THE PROCESS AND PROJECT, Thursday, August 6, 2009

2009-08-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Along with my thoughts and comments about the creative process, I plan to document the progress of some projects that I'm involved with. Your best bet is to start at the beginning date of this blog ("TOTO", July 20, 2009), until I get to a point where I can organize each project seperately. I'll be adding pictures in a day or two...

What inspired me to do this entire blog springs from the blog of another artist that I met in Black Mountain, North Carolina: Joshua Hendry. Joshua is a phenominal artist who does pet portraits and book illustrations. When he recently moved to Charlotte, NC, he started a blog that shows each stage of his drawings. I fell in love with his idea of being able to show and educate people how he functions as an artist. If you're an animal lover like I am, you can commission him to draw your furry family member. Check out his blog and web site too: http://joshuahendryfineart.blogspot.com/

I've made some changes to the drawings that I was talking about in the last entry. I still haven't arrived at the exact solution, but I'm planning to use a combination of the drawings and their corresponding photographs, together in this book. We'll see (and I'll show you) what happens...

IT'S O.K. TO CHANGE WHAT YOU DO, Tuesday, August 4, 2009

2009-08-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

The computer is such a wonderful tool, but I am beginning to hate it. I am spending far too much time working on it and my neck and back, shoulders ache, my fingers and hands too…

Yesterday I got the idea to use some of my digital photographs and use them as a jumping off place for some drawings that I wanted to include in my handmade book. Although I LOVE my photographs, this is what I learned: Photography is an art in and of itself. Although I love taking photos and am quite happy with the results, for me to then try to draw what my minds eye has already captured through the lens is a disappointment. I felt like I wasted the day (although I know that what I learned will save me a great deal of time in the future). I know a few artists that work from photographs (theirs and others) and it seems like a great way to work backwards to the moment in time when you first were inspired with an image. But for me, something was lost. While I enjoy drawing, enjoy drawing even the same subject matter (although in an entirely different way), I absolutely HATED using my time the way I did yesterday. And I wasn’t at all happy with the results. Sooo...my next book is going to be made from another series of beach photographs from Jetty Park. The light and colour that I captured in those photographs really please me. We’ll see what they look like when I try to print them out on artist paper.

And about prisma coloured pencils. They are great! I love them for my "stream of consciousness" drawings. But not so for working with and trying to capture this subject matter. GUESS WHAT!? Give yourself permission to use another medium if the one you love and have used in the past is no longer working! Prisma coloured pencil were not working for me with my book pages, mainly because they smudge too much since they are oil based. You can do some great blending with them though, so I'll reserve them for my other drawings.

My good friend Barbara reminded me today to just play and and have fun. It seems simple enough, but sometimes we need someone to tell us that it's O.K. to do this. And it's also necessary, because it usually leads to a discovery of some sort. Those discovery's will most assuradely be incorporated into a planned piece somewhere down the line. I think I’m going to follow her lead and break out the felt tip markers for awhile.

ON PREPPING FOR A CLASS, Monday, July 20, 2009

2009-08-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

I have been working on making samples for my book arts workshop that will take place at the Art Gallery of Viera next month. There's alot to coordinate for teaching: the class descriptions, marketing, trying to get a blog and web site up, getting samples and lesson plans made, organizing my studio work space. (and trying to keep up with everything else in life) Everything in my life right now is a work in progress. I'm still a results oriented, instant gratification, product of our times kind of girl and I wonder when things will start to gel together…

I do love the solitude, the time to process thoughts, all the while listening to good music. I have a renewed commitment to do more art and to teach again. To get to a place of solitude that is necessary to create, I try not to distract myself with the usual phone calls, visits, errands, running around, television, and just plain filling up time in any wasteful way - those distractions only serve to keep me from staying focused and moving forward. I'm reminded of the prerequisite to making: that creating takes solitude, time, and pulling back from things, and to allow creative thought to process and marinate till ready. It takes a tremendous amount of time to create - so much more than what you see as the tangible outcome. Be patient...

THE STORMS ARE PART OF LIFE, Saturday, July 11, 2009

2009-08-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

The stormy references are due to this last week of intense afternoon storms. I mention it briefly because of an image that's etched in my mind after the storm deluge hit us last Sunday. (What does this have to do with creativity you ask? - stay with me and you'll see...) I was at a neighbors and suddenly a storm came up. Nothing unusual here in Florida on a hot July afternoon...a typical 100 degrees with stifling humidity... But as I ran home the sky grew strangely dim with an eerie hint of a green glow. With fierce intensity, a rage of 40+ mile an hour winds whipped up and died down all within a few minutes time.

Later as Dave was walking the dog, he came back into the house with some very sad news. The two blue heron fledglings that we had been waiting on and watching for months, met a quick death after their nest blew down in the storm. I can only tell you that the image of seeing them lying so close together, wings spread out in a sisterly embrace, (nest still touching their magnificiant growing bodies) touched me in a way that made it's way IN. The image of this event, along with the emotions it evoked is churning about my soul just waiting for a creative response to capture their effect on me. I don't yet know what kind of creative response will happen. But this much I do know. For me, when something touches my heart in a big way (like these birds do each year they come to nest by our home), it will make some way IN and then OUT of my life again. Part of the process becomes part of another cycle.

The lesson in the meantime is this: LIFE IS FRAGILE. Hold onto precious moments before they go away. We never know... Keep your eyes and ears open in the meantime: discover all of the daily gifts of our time. If we miss seeing them, we'll never be able to recall them or play their sweet memory somewhere down the road.

TOTO, Friday, July 10, 2009

2009-08-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

Like a storm chaser, I am ready to venture in and try to see what is at the center of how we process life and churn out art. In breaking with the adage "Garbage in - garbage out", I conclude that EVERYTHING that goes in gets filtered by the unique sense of who we are. The artist has the potential to whip up any number of creative concoctions. As a fiber artist and teacher I'm fascinated by it and want to understand more about how it works for me. Follow me as I share this next journey of mine: chasing the creative process as both a maker and teacher. I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore............