Friday, April 23, 2010

Our first event! Saturday, 15 May 2010

Hi there lovelies,



If you are a creative person looking for support to get the ball rolling towards a better and more creative way of living, I want to invite you to become part of this community.  What we need is positive can-do-people.  We need people willing to not only share ideas but help make it work.  I know we live in terrible hard times and that everything is against any small venture working.  Believe me, I am living it.  I know the facts about starting a business from scratch and the chances of it not succeeding.  But this is not about that.  This is about sharing, teaching, encouraging each other to not give up, to keep on trying out ideas until you get to the big idea that sells and changes your life.  It is about women encouraging women.  It is about the community.  It is about joy and sharing it.  It is about living out what you have been given.  It is about discovering your true purpose and a life that gives meaning.

So, if you have something to share, something arty, something creative that feels like it is just waiting to burst out of you, please become part of this group.

I am still looking for a great creative place that would be suitable for our first event, and I am busy designing the invite (something creative to do! :-) ), but let me know if you would be interested to attend.

The idea is the following:
Design something, anything.  Bring it with you.
Look for a great recipe that is healthy and that you can share.  Try it out. Give it your own special twist to make it your own.  Don't just copy someone's idea. We will put it in our cookbook and your name will be appearing next to your very own recipe.
Take a picture of your designs and together with something you wrote about it, email it to me to put on the blog.
Include a picture of yourself.
At the event, we will have tea, share ideas, share our designs and see how things go from there.

More details to follow...

I am really getting excited about this.  :-)

RSVP by emailing me: ansu@ivytreestudio.co.za




Thursday, April 22, 2010

First starting out


Hi there lovelies,

This is one of my card projects way back when. When I started out, I would play with other people's art and make cards with images I randomly found. I quickly realised that this is not how I would grow my own thumbprint, but it was part of my learning process. As an educator, that is how we teach kids to acquire new skills. First, we demonstrate something to them, we give them the steps and then we let them "play" with projects and submit what they found. In the end, this leads to self-knowledge and then you start with your own work. You use what you have learned from others and then you apply that.

As an artist, I love giving credit where credit is due. This artwork however I don't really remember where I found it or who's drawing this was. I wish I did. I loved the playfulness of it. 

It is really important to artists that they receive the credit they deserve for the work they do. So, next time you use someone else art, give them public credit for it. It doesn't minimise your effort or process. Instead, it gives you more credibility. 

It is OK to admit that you, like most artists, started out copying the work of the "masters" because you were "in training". We all have to start somewhere. The important thing is that you do start. 

So let this be an inspiration to you to start where you are right now and try something new. 



Getting involved in the card making industry (still, a very large industry worldwide…more than 200 printed cards are sold every hour) and home crafts industry:

Making designer cards and handmade cards using all types of medium including paper art, stamping/scrapbooking, painting/drawing with all types of medium, photography and any other mediums for all occasions.



If you have a creative idea, let it work for you.