A part of creativity is being willing to fail. Instead of taking a well-worn path, you strike out into the unknown, where it’s quite possible you will get lost, fall in a hole, or start singing with woodland creatures. Sometimes the trying and failing is about experimenting without knowing the outcome, sometimes it is about developing a new skill and making bad stuff until you gain experience. I have been doing both.
I am learning how to make stickers, something I thought would be easy. But I want to use my own art, which means learning how to use art programs on my IPad, learning how to create png files, learning how to use Cricut design, figuring out printing on vinyl by trying three different printers (apparently our printer isn’t quite up for the task). It involved learning by failure, making sheet after sheet of unusable blurred or warped stickers. I am making slow progress, but now I have rediscovered digital art, so it’s about the friends you make along the way.
My second endeavor is designing a new knitting pattern. I know what I want, but the only way I can see if it will work is by making it. The first prototype is done, and it is not what I want.
I started with the pattern I used for my costumed bunnies. But after making this guy, I want to make changes. The body should be bigger, the feet smaller and the legs shorter. Does he need bigger eyes? Do I eliminate the front chest plate ( which sort of looks like chest hair) or make a new type with small scales? Should his wings be a contrasting color? This process is sort of like cooking- you start with a recipe and then tweak it. The important thing is to write down what you are doing because while you think you will remember….well, you won’t.
if you, my readers, have ideas for things for me to make, let me know.
