inspire create with artist karin taylor: activities

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Friday, June 29, 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 21 Weekend 30 June/1 July 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 21 Weekend 30 June/1 July 2012

Part 1:

Inspiration: Nature's collectables/found objects

What you will need: scissors, gloves (to protect your hands), a bag to store your collectables, camera and magnifying glass (optional)

In this creative exercise we will be venturing outside our front door or back door and beyond. We will be using our powers of observation to find things such as leaves, stones, seed pods, flowers, twigs and even garbage! The idea is to collect things we see that fill us with wonder and excitement. We don't collect just anything, so keep in mind, that the second part of this exercise will be drawing something we have found! But for this first part, all we need to do is take a walk, in order to begin gathering together a little collection of found objects that can inspire you to draw them! If you see something that you cannot bring home, you can take a photo of it instead. Be on the lookout for interesting patterns in nature, tree roots or fence palings, peeling paint, etc are a fabulous example of something you can't bring home but might be fun to draw later, so make sure your cameras are charged up and ready to go. The scissors are there to help if you want to snip off a leaf or a flower. You might not want to venture any further than your own backyard, especially if you are a busy parent, the kids can participate and help too with this one. There's no time like the present to teach them about really looking at their surroundings and you'll be surprised just how much there is to see!

Have fun on your walk everyone and look forward to seeing what you manage to collect and photograph. Once you have gathered your collectables, post photos of your collections on Facebook for us all to admire and enjoy!

Part 2 to follow.

NB: Please note that this blog is only being used as an archive/storage/resource facility for Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor on Facebook. It exists to help people find all the creative exercises I have posted on Facebook more easily. To engage and interact, to join in the fun, please join us at Facebook @Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor and please post your contributions, creations and artwork on Facebook rather than this blog. Thank you and aloha, Karin

Friday, June 22, 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 11 - Tue 19 June 2012

INSPIRING CREATIVITY THROUGH WORD ASSOCIATION

Today's inspiration is the "MOONBEAM" ...the description is a 'ray of light from the moon'. You can create anything you like. But first, there is a little process called daydreaming that will take less than 5 mins that I'd like you to try. Here are the steps:

1. Find a quiet place (inside or outside) where you hopefully won't be disturbed for between 1-5 mins. I know that might be too much to ask for those of you with little ones, but you could do this when they are napping sometime throughout the day. Sometimes going outside is a good idea, as the natural world, gardens, etc, are very inspirational places.

2. Get into a comfortable position, sitting or lying down. Take a deep breath and observe your breath going in and out. Think of the word "moonbeam" and then notice what images or words appear in your mind. Think about what you associate with moonbeams.

For example, I associate the ocean and always think of the light of the moon on the water or on a person's face. I imagine the moon loving the people below because it shines a light for us to see. I realise I have a deep fondness for the moon. The moon when full, is always for me, a very creative time. It sheds light. It seems friendly. I think of dancing under the light of the moon, I am reminded of the story of The Owl and the Pussycat. I think of the song with the words, "by the light, of the silvery moon" and all these associations begin to inspire me.

3. Create (draw, paint, write a poem or story) a creation that began with the "MOONBEAM" as your inspiration. It doesn't necessarily even have to include a moonbeam at all, it might be about the stars or something else that seems completely unrelated. This exercise is about how inspiration comes to us through word association.

4. This is a good thing to practise anytime you have a few minutes here and there, before you know it you'll have so many ideas, you won't be able to keep up with them all!

5. Once you have completed the exercise, I'd love to see or read your creations!

Have a wonderful creative day everyone!!
Love K xx

NB: The creative exercises archived here are available for anyone who wants more inspiration and creative expression in their lives. There is no limit on how often you particpate, how many exercises you do, or what order you do them in. They are an extension of my book "Beyond the Stick Figure: hope and encouragement for anyone who has ever wanted to be creative"

NB: Please note that this blog is only being used as an archive/storage/resource facility for Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor on Facebook. It exists to help people find all the creative exercises I have posted on Facebook more easily. To engage and interact, to join in the fun, please join us at Facebook @Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor and please post your contributions, creations and artwork on Facebook rather than this blog. Thank you and aloha, Karin

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 10 - Mon 18 June 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 10 - Mon 18 June 2012

Hi everyone! I hope this finds you all well and feeling excited about our next creative exercise, which I hope you'll find interesting, refreshing, fun and exciting.

I am going to combine our POP QUESTION with our CREATIVE EXERCISE today, so it's an all in one, that can be achieved in two simple parts. Part A and Part B...read on!
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Part A - Pop Question!

What is ONE of your favourite things?
(eg I am choosing my Mulberry Tree as it's the first favourite thing that popped into my head, but a favourite thing may be a memory, an ornament, a person, etc...think outside the square)

Please post your answer below in a comment :)

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Part B - Create a piece of art incorporating that favourite thing you just revealed!

For example, you can take a creative PHOTOGRAPH of it, write a POEM about it, SEW about it, SING about it, SCULPT it...be as unique and individual as you are about creating something...

Then photograph it (if it isn't already photographed) and post it on our FB page at Inspire Create for us all to admire and be inspired!

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Have a gorgeous happy day creating, inspiring and loving life....K xx

Inspire Create: Exercise 8 - Frr 15 June 2012

Observation Drawing exercise with Magnifying glass or your Camera's zoo lens

Aloha everyone! I hope you are all well and feeling inspired and ready for some creative fun. In my book Beyond the stick figure, I talk about how observation is so important and helpful in developing skill. So I thought we could do a fun exercise to help us get the general idea.

OBSERVATION DRAWING STEPS:

a) Find an object you like:

Today's exercise is all about taking a few minutes to find a interesting object (an ornament, some fabric, a leaf, stone, petal or flower, it's completely up to you, so whatever takes your fancy).

b) Zoom in on a portion of your object:

For this youll need to get your magnifying glass or digital camera with zoom or macro ability. If you have neither, just use your own eyes and place your object in a well lit area (if you wear specs for reading you might need them for this also)

C) Draw the detail:

Draw the detail you see, the detail you have zoomed in on with your camera or magnifying glass. Draw only the detail, not the whole object/item

d) take a photo and share it here, (if you're comfortable doing so) and please include what the object actually is in your comment too, so we can enjoy your creation and feel extra inspired :)

Have a happy, healthy, creative day everybody and I look forward to your contributions, please post them on Facebook at Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor, thank you! ! :)

Inspire Create: Exercise 7 - Thur 14 June 2012

INSPIRATION: Rainbows

Aloha everyone! Because I've got a lot on tomorrow, which will take me away from the computer, I'm posting tomorrow's Exercise today :)

a) create a rainbow (draw, paint, plasticine, sew, use coloured desiccated coconut, or coloured beads, wool and string, etc..be as creative as possible)

b) write down what each colour of the rainbow represents for you, ie yellow means warmth, blue means cool and clear for me, purple means Im entering dangerous territory emotinally or represents an overload of emotion to me etc....different colours mean different things to different people...you can record the colour definitions on the same piece of paper

c) take a photo with your colour definitions included if possible and post it on Facebook at Inspire Create if you're feeling comfortable to do so :)

Inspire Create: Exercise 6 - Wed 13 June 2012

Easy Origami Exercise

Create a piece origami - if you are new to origami, I'd suggest a paper boat, paper plane or hat....I found the crane quite a challenge, but it's a lovely thing to do. If you makes lots, you can thread them onto string and make a door hanging or mobile. You don't have to use special paper. If you want you can just use computer paper, but make sure it's square. You could decorate your own paper with a patter (front and back) or just one side, befor you begin. Google YouTube for "easy origami projects" to get some help, or borrow a book from the library on origami...this can be done any time you like...when you have the time, make sure you can work uninterrupted for a good half hour with a nice hit cup of tea, warm bowl of soup or a refreshing cool drink if it's summer where ou are...we here n Australia are bracing ourselves for the cold weather right now :).

Finally,post pics on Facebook at Inspire Create of your origami projects for us all to marvel over (if you like to, that's not compulsory). While you are creating our origami, think about other projects you could do that might lead on from this one........ie like a mobile, a Poe, a story, a drawing, a sewing or cooking project, etc...share your additional ideas here with us, so we can all get inspired by you! Have a wonderful creative day :)

Inspire Create: Exercise 5 - Tue 12 June 2012

Writing/Poetry/Prose Exercise

Today's exercise is something a little different and out of the ordinary. I discovered this technique on a Sunday drive while listening to Angus and Julia Stone on the radio. Their music inspires me to write poetry/prose.

The beat of the music helps me to for the lines in rhyme. This happens quite naturally for me, so I thought it would be fun for you to try also.

a) choose some inspiring music (with or without words) something that evokes emotion in you and helps stir your creativity, music that you feel inspired by

b) Sit down with pen/paper/computer/ipad etc in a quiet place where you won't be interrupted for about 20 mins

c) Listen to the music through once without doing anything

d) listen to it a 2nd time and see if you can start writing a poem or some prose to the beat, if thats not working for you, jot down any ideas and inspiration from the music and write a poem after the music is finished. Just use the music to inspire something you write.

e) Post your poem here with a short explanation about your process, ie whether you wrote to the music or after the music and give us the title of the song/musician/band that inspired your poem/prose

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