✍️ Buffoonery! Silliness! Goof-ballery! I love these words!

Published 4 months ago • 2 min read

Hi Reader,

How's things? I hope you are doing ok and finding things to laugh about. Can I share something with you?... I am a big ol' silly-billy. You probably knew that already, because if you're here it means you're kind of ok with that...and you're my kind of peeps ☺️ I'm only saying it because I think silliness has a place in creative play, and it often gets forgotten about.

In art and crafts there is a whole heap of playtime to be enjoyed, which is vital for testing out random thoughts, trying new ideas and making all manner of mistakes. Without these times, when the pressure is off and it doesn't matter what we create, we can find it much harder to be brave later on.

Here in my shed recently I have been diving head-first into crafts that I haven't done in a while. The first on the list was Willow Weaving! Now, there is simply something magic about willow - its wibbliness turns me into an utter goofball. Below is a screenshot from a moment in my upcoming willow weaving YouTube video, where I just HAD to tickle the camera with the wobbly sticks. You don't want to know how long I did this for. I just found it hilarious. (Don't worry, a chunk of this moment is on the cutting room floor, because I realised it wouldn't tickle everyone's giggle-box, and that's ok 🤪)

My point here is that, if stuff makes you laugh - embrace it! Having moments in your creative process where you can just giggle at the ridiculousness of things is a great releaser. When your ideas are feeling blocked, worrying about it can make your thoughts cramp up even more - so if there is anything even vaguely funny about the materials you are using or the process you are trying out, give yourself a moment to be a nincompoop. Embrace your creative clown. Give in to the buffoonery!

Creative wanders I've been enjoying...

Mixed Media Animation (on Skillshare) by Isaiah Cardona

I have enjoyed using Procreate for a good while now, so when Procreate Dreams was launched I was intrigued. I took this class by Isaiah because I was inspired by the possibilities of using my analog art in animations. It's a cool process to explore!

Talk Art (Podcast) with Russell Tovey & Robert Diament

This podcast has been going for aaaages (there are so many episodes) but somehow I missed it and have only just come across it 😂 So, I'm playing catch-up - but the great thing about coming late to a series is you can jump around the episodes however you like! The latest one I listened to had Dan Levy as a guest (I am a big ol' Schitts Creek fan) and I found his outlook on art, and the art world, really interesting.

Grab a snack, let's chill & create together...

On My Youtube: Drawing on Graph Paper

Graph paper is just a bunch of little boxes but it can be weirdly helpful in taking pressure away when you're trying to get ideas flowing. In this chilled-out video I try out a few ideas with my trusty fine-liner - come try them too!

Youtube Creator Spotlight: Elisabeth Wellfare

Elisabeth has the friendliest, most welcoming presence and if you have not come across her YouTube channel yet, it's worth checking out. As an art teacher she has a wealth of knowledge to share and joyful creative enthusiasm to go with it!

Until the next time, Thank You for being here with me 💛

Keep Making Happy!