Guest post: Collaboration in art and crafts - part 3

Note: If you would like to guest post @ ArtMind please contact me (mitsy@artmind.eu) and I'll send you the 'how-to-blog@ArtMind' -info.

by Shauna Busto Gilligan and Annemiek Hamelink

Part 3 of 3 (read part 1 here and part 2 here)

Shauna and Annemiek got together in Ireland to define the details of their collaboration with as few restrictions as possible so as not to impose on the needed freedom.

As they had both arrived at the same idea – a bowl should inspire a story which in turn should be the source of inspiration for another bowl – the need for inspirational freedom was decided easily.

Shauna is to start with a story and Annemiek with a bowl. They will both work on their stories/ bowls for about a year, updating progress, issues, inspirations in a blog dedicated to the project.

What remained to be decided upon was a topic. Again, this had to be open as previous experience had shown that if this was too restrictive, it would block the inspiration and thus render the project impossible to do.

It happened (unusual for an Irish autumn!) that the weather was great when Annemiek was in Ireland. They decided to take a break from the blogging and took Shauna's children to the Botanic Gardens in Dublin where a temporary sculpture exhibition was on.

Interestingly the exhibition was called Sculpture In Context. It was during this wonderful autumn day when Annemiek took photographs and Shauna wrote in her notebook that they both realised that engaging in other types of art can lead to a feeling of freedom in ones own craft.

They decided to start from here:

We hope we inspired you to collaborate too;

Please feel free to follow our adventure on our blog dedicated to this project.

Guestpost: Similarties in collaborations

Note: If you would like to guest post @ ArtMind please contact me (mitsy@artmind.eu) and I'll send you the 'how-to-blog@ArtMind' -info.

by Shauna Busto Gilligan and Annemiek Hamelink

Part 2 of 3 (read part 1 here)

Shauna, the writer

After my initial collaboration with Annemiek, I presented a paper at Great Writing Conference 2010 (an international creative writing conference held at a UK university every year) with screen writer Karen Lee Street. We examined the creative processes Annemiek uses in jewellery making and analysised Karen’s collaboration with the painter Sam Street:

Karen and I found that while the outcomes and materials used differ hugely, the creative processes involved in creating jewellery/stories, art/stories have a lot in common – all rely on natural inspiration in order to create. Karen and Sam’s collaborations and inspirations echoed the “accidental” collaboration which myself and Annemiek had naturally experienced earlier. The academic research was an interesting way for me to then reflect on my collaboration with Annemiek.

After the initial story/bowl collaboration (see part 1) we attempted to collaborate using themes.

Based on my story “Lucky Horseshoe” we went with the idea of lucky numbers. Interestingly, neither of us were inspired by this to actually create. We talked via email about it, but still, nothing came of it. So, we decided to meet in person to talk about our collaborations. We both felt that meeting face to face would allow more freedom and movement to come into the collaboration.

Expression of Freedom
photograph by Astur Photograpy

Our previous “accidental” collaboration had followed the “process” of allowing creative freedom to work its way into a shape of its own. As we talked, we realised that we both felt the same - inspiration for both writing and craft was what led to the creation of something. So, the stories and the bowls, the products, will form the “plan” rather than a logical plan of “action”, we’re following now a plan led by the outcomes.

I’m currently working on a story based on one of Annemiek’s story bowls and we’re hoping that Annemiek in turn will be inspired by my story to create another bowl. In this way our collaboration is an evolving, cyclical process where image and word are assigned equal importance. The end results are tangible, measurable and indeed, for sale.

Every bowl, as they say, tells a story....

Annemiek, the crafter

As both Shauna and myself had left our desk jobs to create, very soon we both formed the idea to do something together, but as Shauna describes the initial idea of lucky numbers was too restricting and did not lead to anything. It was only when we let go that it started to work. And I guess that is part of the creative process, the freedom, the letting go.

I do like that way of working very much. Let a story, a line, the material speak to me and so create something new, very intuitive, nothing complicated. I do like the idea of a bowl leading to a story and leading to another completely new and different story. Thus the whole of bowls and stories form a never ending story and becomes part of the natural flow, thus reflecting the original inspiration of nature itself.

Even before I knew I would be creating story bowls and before I knew would be collaborating with Shauna, I had this logo designed for my company Two Trees which I wanted to be so that it would remind one of the circle of life too. Amazing how things always come together :-)

So how about you, do you get into a collaboration with other creative minds and if so how does it work for you? We would love to hear your comments.

Promise or not?

image by BigTallGuy

About a month ago, I announced on my blog that I wanted guestbloggers for my blog. Here is what I wrote at the end of my post:
I'd like to give back to the blogging community as I have received so much from it.
I hope this works and that you will all enjoy reading what the guest-blogger 'on duty' comes up with. I'm sure you will get to know a lot of awesome people this way. That's a promise!

Now I wonder if I kept my promise or not. I feel that guest posts bring more diversity to my blog and for me it's a wonderful experience meeting all these fun people that submit a guestpost.
But I do wonder: do you feel the same?
I'd like to know so please vote below to let me know...
Thank you & happy Sunday! :)

Guest post: I love books!

Note: If you would like to guest post @ ArtMind please contact me (mitsy@artmind.eu) and I'll send you the 'how-to-blog@ArtMind' -info.

By ronnie from art and etc.

I come from Sams Creek, which is an itty-bitty little place on the far south coast of NSW, Australia. The entire (human) population of Sams Creek consists of myself, my partner and our two kids- we live on a large (by our area's standard) farm and do all manner of farm activities but mostly I'm known as the-mad-lady-with-all-the-books...... or rather... the-mad-lady-who-DOES-MAD-THINGS-with-all-the-books

Rhonda Ayliffe - 'ars gratia artis'
carved copy of my old high school art textbook

Oh dear, I think I can hear the sound of book-lovers the world over starting to hyperventilate... maybe you should look away now - 'cause this is what I get up to....

Rhonda Ayliffe - 'Fahrenheit 451'
ephemeral sculpture/photography

OK - maybe I should explain. Nothing inherently valuable gets my mad-book-lady treatment. Indeed I make most of my work from unwanted books, discarded and destined for the trash pile (and that means mostly old encyclopaedias, out-dated textbooks or atlases, and cheap paperback romances)
Are you feeling a bit better yet? Well, how about if I tell you that I buy these from charities that would otherwise have to pay to have them carted off to landfill? Well that always makes me feel better!

Aside from some of the more destructive 'fiery' things I make (or maybe it's better described as 'un-make') I also like to put books back together again...

Rhonda Ayliffe - 'serpens volumen - arcus pluvius'
(the rainbow serpent book)
this is a very very loooooong coptic-bound book,
made from a whole heap of old science year books

The truth is I really love books, and love love LOVE all the crafts associated with their creation: calligraphy, letterpress, paper crafts, bookbinding, collage, marbling, photography, printmaking... and I like to play around with these and a whole lot more in all sorts of ways - but I'd love to come back and tell another tale on another day.
In the meantime, if you love book arts you might like to check out Artists Books 3.0 - a place 'where artists' books and the book arts meet online', and here is my AB 3.0 page (be warned.... there's a whole lot more pics of books getting the mad-book-lady treatment!)

cheers from Sams Creek - ronnie x

Guest Post: Good morning. I miss you!

Note: If you would like to guest post @ ArtMind please contact me (mitsy@artmind.eu) and I'll send you the 'how-to-blog@ArtMind' -info.

By Anka of happyhangaround.com

I like images a lot. They tickle my imagination so I often make up little stories when I look at a picture. This is one of those stories, inspired by the photography of Frank Kunert, Das Leben geht weiter.

'Morning, sunshine! Had a good night sleep?
I had a strange dream last night.
We were leaving for a long trip, but we didn't carry any luggage at all.
That's not too bad, if I think about it, but strange nevertheless, you know me and luggage...
The morning was cool and the sky was storm red, but not a single drop of rain.

I had my coffee while standing up and no breakfast.
Don't be mad, but you know I don't like eating alone.
I'll buy a pretzel or something on the way to work.
I promise I won't leave it on the car seat. Again.
I have to stop by the post office and I promised your parents I'll drop by for lunch.
I will also meet with the editor today, the book is ready.
But the fine tuning is a totally different story.
Don't worry, I'm ready to fight for every single word.

Tonight I have movie tickets with the girls and then we'll go for a short concert down by the lake.
A string quartet, your favorite.
So, if all things go as planned, I'll have plenty to talk to you about tomorrow.

Take care.
Hope you miss me.
I brought you the newspaper.

Das Leben geht weiter, by Frank Kunert. Photo from here

Wanted: guest bloggers

image via Amber & Adolph

I try to blog daily. I like blogging. No doubt about that.
You wonder why?
The fact that the things that keep me busy on a daily basis, are all in one place.
A place where I can 'keep' stuff and 'share' stuff.
A place where everyone is welcome.
Even without knocking.

Blogging has been a learning curve.
I've learned to enjoy making pictures and stories to share.
I've learned that sharing gives joy.
I've learned that joy makes me look at things from a different angle.
I love to look at things from a different angle.

image via clumsy bird

I also love the support from all of you who read this blog.
I appreciate the comments, opinions and feedback.
Be it anonymous or not.
I feel good vibes coming from this place.
It makes me jippety jappety happy.
It would not be the same without those vibes and they are coming from you so, thank you!

I sometimes wonder what this blog would look like if it was written by my readers.
I'd like to know so let's try, OK?
If you are interested in writing a guest blog post, please contact me via e-mail: mitsy@artmind.eu
I'll send you an invite and some guidelines to 'blog@ArtMind' so you can prepare your post.
I'll copy/paste it in my blog on the next 'free' blog day.
I'm not setting a certain 'guest-blog-day'.
Just whenever someone feels like sharing something.
'cause nothing beats an unexpected surprise.

image via Littleputbooks

I'm open to any ideas.
Be it an image you want to share.
Or perhaps something crafty you're working on.
A recipe that you think everyone should try.
Your worst nightmare.
Your favorite poem.
Your most cherished book.
Or just random, happy thoughts.

I'm so excited about this.
I hope you are too.

Note about the guestblogging after reading the comments and feedback:
The idea is to try and post one guest post per week, sometimes two, depending on my own blogging schedule.
I have no means of letting this blog become a guest bloggers-blog.
I will continue posting my own work in progress, flickr favorites, my creative space, crochet doodles, merry-go-round-posts, happy stats,...
I merely want to give readers a chance to post something they would like to share on here.
So, on a blog day, that I have not planned a post, I'll post a guest post.
I'd like to give back to the blogging community as I have received so much from it.
I hope this works and that you will all enjoy reading what the guest-blogger 'on duty' comes up with.
I'm sure you will get to know a lot of awesome people this way.
That's a promise!