Member Monday: What drives you to create?

Yesterday over at the Hippie Peaceniks facebook group, we decided to try something a little different for our Member Monday! We wanted you to meet more of our members, so we posed the question "What drives you to create? How do you find inspiration or motivation?" and boy did we get some great answers! I hope you get to enjoy a little taste of behind the minds of some of my favorite Etsy shop owners and artists. They truly are such an inspiring and wonderful bunch! 

 

 

 

 Sarah from StarJewels   

 

 

"Both my parents are/were artists so I think creativity is in my blood. I always have a need to create and do something artistic. Lately it has been jewelry but I also did ceramics for 16 years. I just love making jewelry and seem to have no shortage of inspiration and motivation. I am inspired by styles, by stones and beads and other materials, by techniques, and by nature...things like flowers, and the ocean. Selling on Etsy encourages me to make more because there is an outlet for it all and some profit, so that is motivation."

Jayne from TwiggyandOpal 

                                                                                                                                          "Color is my driving force! I love to experiment with color, which leads to unique and artistic designs. To me, bolder is better! My motivation is my daughter! She has been a huge influence in my designs. From critics, ideas to support!"

Robin from TheHangingPenguin and PraytorProject

"Colors affect me on such a deep emotional level..as well as music also does. Sometimes texture begins the process however...I cannot keep my hands off of anything with interesting texture...we almost got thrown out of a museum once because I loved on-(just touched...lol) this wonderful piece of glass which had multiple textured worked into it! I feel so incomplete as a human if I cannot create whether it is jewelry, mosaics, or music...it has to happen...most of it just gets in my head and HAS to GET OUT. (It's scary in there sometimes;)"

  

Margalita from MosaicMargalita 

"I'm effected by colors and materials in my Mosaic works, Many times I have no idea what I'm going to do. and I just follow colors and textures, and materials and they "lead" me...till it feels right. I guess it's more intuition than knowledge that I follow." 

Terri from TerriJeansAdornments 

" I love to create. I have to be doing something creative. I too am effected by colors, textures and shapes. My love for animals, and nature is my inspiration in most all my designs. I like to be different and try new techniques in my designs. Although currently my focus is making jewelry and hair accessories, I use to sew a lot and work with ceramics and painting. There are so many areas I would love to try like felting and creating jewelry with clay, but for now I am so full of ideas when it comes to jewelry it feels like my head will explode. Getting these ideas made, and seeing the finished outcome inspires me to do more, especially when these pieces are purchased. It is such an amazing feeling knowing others love and want what I have made, especially since I know my creations are not necessarily trendy and are a bit different."

Lisa from ArtisticFunk 

" I am driven to create by sight. When I see bold color, patterns, textures, anything in a newspaper ad, magazine print ad, hospital hallway benches or artwork, a documentary about historic tribes showing their clothing and colors, the costumes on the show ‘Once Upon A Time’ and the landscape across my canal interspersed between the branches of the tree in my backyard that is yet to bud, or the shadows the tree casts on the ground, I am suddenly SEIZED by the need to create something. Generally that takes me to my studio where I look among all the pieces of materials, beads, leather, hemp cord, yarn strings, buttons, that I begin to drape together in an attempt to CAPTURE and re-create the FEEL from the combination of colors and juxtaposition of lines that just inspired me. I also take to computer where I search for that new thing I MUST add to my materials repertoire that seems to be taking me in a direction of color and design that is still finding it’s way towards it’s ultimate goal of “THE LOOK” “THE FEEL” “THE CLOTHING ITEM” “THE JEWELRY PIECE” “THE ARTWORK ON that piece of glass, or bottle, or tank top, or bag or canvas” and find where it goes and what and where and how it all fits together to form that final creative vision. And, then, when it comes together JUST right, there’s this BIG aaaaah!
But that aaaaah may take an hour or a week or a month or a year to get to! I LOVE my creative journey! It actually is helping me to find myself, who I am, a thing I never knew because I was SO busy surviving life that there never seemed to be time to ask the question who am I? what can I bring to the table? What do I want? How can I help others? What will I leave behind that will show I was here?" 

Fiona from TheHappyMushroom 

"I am inspired by pattern, as the greatest part of my craft is making the patterned millefiori 'canes' to slice and apply and turn into my beads, pendants and little fairy houses. The patterns can be found in nature or on fabric prints or almost anywhere. I sometimes wonder where inspiration comes from. Sometimes it is like I am being bombarded by a thousand tiny ideas. Recently I have been making 'canes' inspired by patterns found in Native American beadwork." 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope everyone starts their week out feeling inspired and motivated by these gals, I know I did! Stop by next Monday for another look inside the minds of the Hippie Peaceniks family. 

Smile, and pass it on! 

Lulu from DivineLuluCreations