WorldWide Artist Blog Hop

I was tagged by the slightly insane Mad CroScientist, Tina, of Mad Crochet Lab to participate in the Worldwide Artist Blog Hop.  This is a blog hop where artists answer 4 questions and then invite other artists to do the same in the following week.  You can read Mad’s answers here.  Here are my answers:

1) Why do I do what I do? 

Good Question! I have always been creative, and love to make things.  I love that there are so many different materials to combine, and that particularly yarn and crochet can be used to create almost anything, from accessories, to toys, sculptures, even furniture.  I love experimenting with colour and texture, and being able to satisfy that at the same time as creating something useful or enjoyable, seems to me a great reason to pick up my hook in the mornings. 

2) What am I working on now? 

I always have lots of things going on… I’m working on some orders for customers, a few Christmas gifts for loved ones, (All top secret stuff 😉 and also my latest venture, writing up some of the patterns that have been floating around my head for so long.  I needed to take a little step back from making physical items since usually Christmastime is a very busy time for me, but has resulted in burnout in the past, so I’ve limited the amount of orders and indulged in teaching myself the art of pattern writing.  I’m enjoying the process. 

I love learning new skills, and working on developing and honing them til I can be the best I can be. 

Its been lovely to see people making the items I’ve designed, and I have plenty of patterns in various stages of testing and completion that I will be adding to my website, Ravelry and Craftsy stores over the coming weeks. 

3) How does my work differ from others of it’s genre? 

I don’t think I really fit snugly into a genre. 

        I’m an eclectic type of person particularly in my crafting… I’m well known for making hats, especially the crazy ones, but I’ve also made so many other things too.  I love to be different.  I look at the work of others, not to imitate or copy them, but to ask myself what I could do to be different.  If I come up with an idea for an item, I research a little first so that whatever I design isn’t too similar to what other people have already made.  I find it hard to make things “en-masse” so even making 15 or 20 beanies for bulk orders in the same design, each one has something about it that differs from the next. I tend to be the person who makes the stuff that nobody else thought of, or was unhinged enough to do before…yes, the giraffe has sparkly eyelashes…

I do find it a little frustrating to see the same things coming up in my news feeds again and again.  I try to break those cycles and rules, and think of fun and exciting ways to work that allows people to express themselves in a new and individual way. 

I try to ensure that my patterns are clear and well explained, since some of them employ unusual techniques to achieve the looks, trying to encourage people out there to experiment more. My philosophy is that if you break any pattern down far enough, it will be simple enough for anyone to follow.  I believe you should always try to push yourself to improve, dare to try something way higher than your perceived skill level, since sometimes, you get a lovely surprise and realise you’re actually better than you thought you were. 🙂

4) How does my creative process work? 

I’m one of those annoying people who, once I see something in my head, I can make it real, either as a sculpture, a drawing or painting, an item of clothing, or a piece of writing or music.  to make one simple design, a million questions need to be asked… What kind of yarn, what size of hook, what kind of stitches, etc.  Sometimes, it can take a while for those questions and they usually resolve themselves at the most inopportune times… in the middle of a meeting, or at daft o’clock in the morning when I should really be catching up on my sleep. Lots of my creations are at least slightly inspired from real life events. Others are just ideas that fell out of my head one day.  Around 3am GMT is the best time for my creativity…  all kinds of bizarre things happen.  If I see something in my head, I create a sketch, to remind myself of that inspiring thought.   Or I’ll record my thoughts on a voice recorder if it’s too early for my eyes to remember how to see. 😛  I’ll try to add it to my to-do or to make list.  Many of the hats I’ve made to look like characters were done purely to test and show my skill in re-creating an existing something-or-other.  The things I make that are original are exactly like I see in my head.  I’ve learned that if I wake up in the morning thinking about making something in particular, there is no real point in trying to work on anything else.   I could try but in reality, I’ll end up frustrated and displeased by the item I make. 

Ideas sometimes grow to the point where I simply must make them just to clear a bit of space in my mind for other things or get back to what I should be doing. 

I always try to include humour in my work, especially with the amigurumi or character hats.  Life is too short not to be able to see the funny side.

I would love to see the following people answer these same questions on their blogs or fb pages!

Ryan MacLeod of MacLeod Dragons – when I grow up, I’d love to be half as good at sculpting as this guy!

Kathy James of the A Quirk of Felt Facebook Page – I own a lot of her pieces, her work is truly beautiful.  You need to see.

The Treblemaking Hookers – This is a new discovery for me.  I want to know more!

Martina Staniek of My Top Teddy is the queen of intricate knitting and crochet, and also an incredibly talented bear-maker

Kelly Dean of Kelly Dean & Co.  His bears look more real than real bears.  Truly.  And his photography is breathtaking.

Monica Slavici of Gandalf’s Beard – her whimsical, magical world is definitely somewhere I could emigrate too.

There are so many wonderful talented artists out there that it is difficult to create a list that you can get through in a day.  The photos of many simply don’t do the pieces justice.  Please take the time to go back and browse when you have time to take it all in.

I would love to hear each of these great artists’ answers to these questions.  It’s so much fun to learn a little about their ideas and processes.