Friday Photo Love: The Uncommonly Beautiful Variety

I first saw this amazing poster on Karen Walrond's blog, Chookooloonks. I immediately fell in love with it. Karen is an amazing writer and photographer. Her site never fails to inspire and uplift. The poster was created by artist Kal Barteski. 

I feel so strongly that this is a message every man, woman and child on earth should hear every single day.

If you love it too, you're in luck. You can pre-order a 16x20 print here.

Friday Photo Love: Acrylics

I am totally loving this collection of acrylic paint colors. I originally saw the image on one of my favorite blogs, Creature Comforts. The artist is named Koey - check out her blog In The Wonderland.

Here's wishing all of you a happy weekend! xoxo

P.S. This is my 100th blog post on Studio Jenn. Woo hoo! Thanks for reading and accompanying me on this journey called life.

Embracing Your Own Creativity

I have been musing a lot over the past few weeks on the concept of creativity, more specifically embracing personal creativity. I got started considering this idea after a friend of mine said to me, "I wish I could be as creative as you. I just know I could never do any of that stuff." My immediate response, "Of course you could. But there is a learning curve. Like with anything new, it does take time and practice." And then she responded sadly, "No. I'm just not creative."

This really bothered me. Because I just don't believe that. I refuse. I believe that we are all born with a sense of the creative. Creativity is akin to imagination. Everybody has it but not everybody knows how to use it.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of creativity is artistic or intellectual inventiveness. Creativity is marked by the ability or power to create or bring into existence, to invest with a new form, to produce through imaginative skill, to make or bring into existence something new.

 At its most basic form, creativity is birth, bringing something into existence. And we all have the power to do that.

Too often, creativity becomes synonymous with artistry or talent or genius. This does a disservice to all. Some of the world's most creative individuals, such as Albert Einstein, Linus Pauling or Marie Curie, had very little to do with art and very much to do with changing the world. It is less about talent and more about openness and a willingness to explore new things. It means continually looking at the world around us with fresh eyes and a new perspective. It is both vast and yet intimately personal. How creativity manifests in my life may be very different from how creativity is present in your lives.

I think that is why there so much resistance to creativity. It is powerful. It can be overwhelming. And it very often produces fear.

Fear is a natural enemy of creativity. So are self-doubt, insecurity, perfectionism, self-criticism, inflexibility and comparing one's self to others.

Conversely, there are many emotions available to you that will foster creativity: courage, acceptance, confidence, letting go, embracing imperfection, flexibility and focus.

I guess it is just a matter of choice. I have actively chosen to live my life creatively. And while I may not produce the kind of changes in the world as Albert Einstein, I certainly produce changes in my world that make me and those around me happy.
 
I wish you the same. Because you are creative, too.

Greetings from Studio Jenn

I am so excited to debut my brand new blog! You might remember my previous blog Just a Couple of Chippies that I shared with my BFF Deana. Or maybe not...since together we suck at blogging regularly.

So I wanted to start a blog that was wholly my own. A place that I could note my thoughts, but also post my crafty creations and DIY projects. A collection of things that inspire me. A portfolio of my own artistic offerings. A home for my everyday musings. An interactive journal, if you will.

I've been putting a lot of energy into scrapping lately. I took Ali's Yesterday & Today class at Big Picture Scrapbooking this past fall. The focus of this class is telling your stories using words + photos, a concept that I love. I have already been attempting to do this when I create layouts but the lessons I learned from Ali have taken my ideas to the next level. I enjoy delving deeper to tell my story. I have discovered a passion for creating that has been untapped. And I am wanting to do more like this. I want to share my art and my stories. I want to do this work as my main work. I am still exploring a way to make this dream a reality but I think it has to start with getting my work 'out there' so to speak. Here's my favorite layout from Y&T: