new year, new challenge

So for the few past weeks I have been floundering and flopping around about my work and the direction my art is going.  I have been pouring through many books, magazines and blogs about inspiration and 'living the creative life'.  In fact I have recently put a list of some of these books on this blog's sidebar. > 

matted origami dress with quote

 I am sure much of this insecurity and uncertainty stems from my current personal situation as well as the holidays. Besides both being mentally taxing I had not been in my studio for way too long.  So as I was hanging with my girls, I was also surfing the web, looking for inspiration, and one site I discovered was Creative Every Day Challenge by Leah Piken Kolidas. This site's description spoke directly to that place of longing and yearning that I had been feeling so acutely. I saw in this challenge a very informal and low stress community that speaks to my omnipresent, almost all consuming desire to create. 

In many ways I am doing something creative every day already.  This site just incorporates many of my  'projects'  in one place.  Here would be a place/way to record my daily work which I think is one of the important aspects of this 'site'.  As many of you know, I have some serious inner critics and I am thinking that documenting my daily activities may be a way to appease these critics, when they are berating me for not working.  Also I am hoping that this 'exercise' will help to diminish the 'precious' aspect of my work for me.  Much of the time I see myself getting stuck on the 'end' product, how a piece should look, how finished everything should be  presented.  And these thoughts are contrary to my true nature ~ I love a mess, I love to see process, I want to break down all shoulds;  I really just want to create, put myself out there, excavate my creative soul and see what comes out.

For many of you who follow me on facebook, some things maybe be repetitive ~ like the dresstags.  And I have a few friends wondering why I am even adding to my very long list of daily responsibilities, but for whatever reason I am going to try, I am going to jump in! 

I am still figuring out what this challenge will actually be for me but I am planning to post my daily creative 'acts' on my Daily Dress Project blog.  And I hope just to post them - not photoshop the photos, not write a long essay, just document.  So that is what I am up to, and my first posting is today, January 4th. :)

Below you will find the text from the Creative Every Day Challenge site.  If anyone out there is interested, come join the fun!! what I really love about this 'challenge', is that it is celebrating the act of creating - be it cooking, art, singing in the shower, arranging flowers, you get the idea :) and it is low pressure!!! that is key for me!!! 

So Happy Happy New Year to all and peace, Virginia

The Basics:

I started Creative Every Day Challenge in 2008 to help infuse my life and lives of others with daily creativity.

Creativity is meant in the broadest sense, so it doesn't have to be something art related. Your creative acts could be in cooking, taking pictures, knitting, doodling, writing, dancing, decorating, singing, playing with your kids, brainstorming ideas, gardening, or making art in the form of collage, paint, or clay...or whatever!

You do not have to post every day! I know for myself that having to post every day for a year would be too much. You can post about your creativity in whatever form you like, whether that be once a day, a few times a week, once a week, or once a month. Do what works for you!

This is a low pressure challenge, with the idea of bringing more creativity into our lives. I will not be the creativity police. I hope that we can all find ways, simple and grand to express our creative selves. Have fun with it!