A Creative Odyssey - My Creative Plans for 2011

Today's post is part of the Creative Odyssey blog hop organised by the oh-so prolific Jess of Epheriell Designs.  We're now near the end of week two, with a couple more to go.  You can get the schedule of places to visit, people's creative dreams for the year to visit, here.

I'm planning on 2011 being a huge year.  And in a number of ways, getting back on my creative track.

I plan to "set myself and my work free".  I'm not sure how much sense this first one is going to make, but please try to bear with me.  As my regular readers will know, for much of the last year, due to family health issues, we were locked into a state of quarantine.  We needed to create our own little world, our own little safe bubble.  And I think that my work became a lot like that as well.  I stopped sewing, I stopped drawing.   I mostly worked on my colourful little pendants that had their own little silver barrier, the fabric was protected under resin and it was all done in a very exacting and clinically clean manner and environment.  Just like our home, the pendants are happy little places, but very safe and secure.

Now that The Man is well again, I want my work to reflect our re-gained freedom.  I want designs that loop and turn, that have their own sense of space.  I want to get in there to carve, to colour, to manipulate, I want pieces that are bold, that have a feeling of growth...

...which brings me to more tangible plans...

I plan to learn new skills.  This really relates to the first plan.  I have designs, I have things I want to try, but I'm getting to a point where I need more technical skills.  I really want to take a silversmithing class.  I was recently having fantasies of going back to art college and doing a Masters in Jewellery (my under-grad is in photography), but in reality the time commitment is much more than I'm willing to give right now.  Instead, I'd love to enrol in a semester long course.

The Reincarnated Kimono Project - Three Kimonos, Many Artists.  I've whispered these plans to only a few... I've had a couple of good chats to Vicki from In.cube8r about renting the upstairs gallery space for a month... The Man and I have had long discussions (with more to come) about logistics and timing... And I'm now very excited to announce a big planned project for next year!  I want to do a collaborative exhibition next year.  It will involve fabric from three vintage kimonos and many different crafters/artists, to challenge to see the range of work that can be produced from the old gowns.  In the month, I want to exhibit the artworks and run workshops.  I'm really excited about it and will be calling for applications for artists early in the new year.

I plan to start drawing again.  I haven't picked up a pencil for a long, long time.  Even much longer since I've picked up some charcoal, my preferred medium.  You know, I've always planned on drawing The Man, and after being together for about seven years, I still haven't done it.  He and I have started having board game nights, maybe we should have a few drawing session nights as well.

I plan to also create for myself and my family.  This year has been an exciting one for Kimono Reincarnate as I've watched the business build into something that will hopefully soon support my family.  The hard work needed to get it to that point however has required all of my creative energy, with very little left for personal projects.  In 2011 I want to sew again, especially some dresses for the little one.  I also have some furniture that I want to do up for her.  I will finally do up her room.  We've decided that with her room so far away from our own (on a different level of our townhouse) that she'll continue to sleep with us, but her room will be made up as a lovely place to play.  I'd love to also learn some more seamstress skills to sew clothes for myself.  I've had this pattern for quite a while that I want to sew up for the little one, I think she'd look so cute in it.

I plan to write more.  I actually have 2 unfinished manuscripts.  One, that some readers remind me about every now and then is almost done, A Fabric and Craft Lovers' Guide to Tokyo.  The other one, My Life As a Gaijin, I'd like to finish, even if it's just for myself.  I also want to write more for, or at least clean up my writing style for the blog.  There are so many planned posts sitting waiting for me to do, post that will go back to my original intent of sharing inspiration.

As I said, I plan for 2011 to be a huge year!  I'm hoping yours will be filled with creative inspirations and an abundance of time to dive into creative plans.