When I can’t do much lying on the bed, looking at the ceiling and wondering how to kill time I feel so inspired and need to do something creative. This kind of inspiration is so compulsive; I feel the need to doodle like a student in college, listening to a lecture while trying to create something fresh and new on a piece of paper or on the back of a book. I used to doodle a lot in my school and college days and this habit continues even now. All I needed then is a blank space on a sheet of paper and a pen, now all I need now is a surface and I'll find my own tools to doodle on.
I dug into my craft box and the first things I found are some knives, paint and some clay. I doodle to my heart's content not giving a thought to what my hands are doing nor being worried about the medium I use. The lines aren't very clean or the painting very beautiful, but this is just practice session.
When your mind is preoccupied with other things and you have no specific plan on what to draw, your hand just moves ahead wanting to create something. Can you doodle art, mindlessly I wonder. I've found the answers to these questions in a little while.
A tube of paint in my hand and a surface to paint on ( I had a few food containers and planters on my bed side table) I started to doodle. The liberty to do whatever I want, (with no need to please or impress anyone), opens up a wide the world of creativity. I start with squirting little blobs of paint on the surface which grows into some squiggles and a design takes form. It takes me less than ten minutes to complete this one and the best part is I didn't have to sit up and strain my back.
Once I got started, I just went on doodling, hence I had to search through my treasures to find more surfaces to work with. A light application of clay this time and knife to play with can lead to a clay painting . By trial and error, I create something unplanned, off the cuff, birthed in complete freedom, on the spur a of the moment. It may not be great but I am happy with my first attempt at clay painting. I used waterproof sealant as my clay here as it was the only one I had on hand. I learned today that the clay I use needs to be thinner for painting. The surface I used was also heavily textured, which didn't allow free flow of clay.
Next, I rolled clay into tiny balls, tear shaped ones and long threads and let the bottle of glue decide the placement and direction of the clay threads and balls. With a little knife I begin to play around to give the clay some shape and this is the outcome.
In an hour's time I had run out of containers but I was satisfied with the results . This is just a practice session, I have plans to create wall murals and clay painting on canvas sometime when my back can take the strain.
The work on these containers may not be viewed by others. They may just be sitting in the garden gathering dirt and grime while they are being put to use. Nonetheless, projects like these are worth a try. Being creative gives me a deep sense of satisfaction and that is reward enough on such days when I can't do much.
While doing all this, I was also trying to figure out how to get this whole blog typed on my iPad. This iPad is the best gift I’ve received in long, long time. It was a gift from my son on mother's day. I am still trying to get the most out of this gadget. I have also been playing around on Pinterest which is perhaps firing up my imagination.
I couldn’t record much of the process of what I was doing firstly because I wasn’t thinking about recording or writing about them. Secondly it was done on an impulse before the inspiration faded. This exercise gives me hope that I can do quite a bit without having to sit up and strain my back. I only hope that you like what you see. Maybe something that I saw earlier on Pinterest inspired my doodling. I need to paint them when they are dried and ready for the next level of work.
I hope you like what you see, it isn't a master piece, its just an attempt to keep myself happy and put the gadget I have to good use. I need to keep on writing in Hive, it is an attempt to keep my sanity. I know my absences are getting longer these days, that is purely due to my physical condition. Now that I've figured how to dictate what using the voice to text app on notes I want t I hope to be more regular here.
Thanks for your support and time, it is much appreciated.