Art Around the World -- BLOG HOP

Art Around the World Blog Hop is an online tour of several artists talking about their work and their creative process.

I was invited to participate by visual artist, Jen Blair-Cockrum (based in Golden, Colorado USA). Here are the questions she asked and my off-the-cuff answers!

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Q: Why do I do what I do?
A: I'm a mixed media book artist, art journaler, and doodler. I do what I do because each creative practices brings me closer to my natural self, empowers me in other areas of my life, and inspires me to be a better human. I create handmade books because I love the fact that I can create something that at one point never existed. I can create books that I can use to fill with my ideas and images in order to document my life and the world around me. I art journal because it was a natural progression from my middle and high school diaries. I love journaling and when I can combine my art and my writing -- I'm pretty much in a state of bliss. I doodle because it adds an element of fun to my creative practice. It's a low-stakes, non-threatening way to create and be creative.

Q: How does my work differ from others in it's genre?
A: I think every artist is unique. Even if you gave 100 artists the same supplies, tools, and materials, they would each create something different. So I think just by the shear nature of art my work differs from others in the mixed media book art world. I also think the description of "mixed media book artist" is unique. I don't know others who call themselves that. I also think my work is different because I don't strive for perfection in my work. I rarely measure things and I love mixing media when creating a journal. I'm not afraid to throw paint and ink at a book just to see what happens. In the book art world that is almost unheard of because many traditional book binders or book artists want pristine work that mimics that of a machine made item. I want just the opposite. I want the person holding my books to know (without a doubt) that it was made with love, attention, and fun by human hands -- my hands -- my "giving hands"! :-)

Q: How does my creative process work?
A: I don't have a set process when I create. Because I like to experiment, sometimes my process starts with an attempt at something I've never done before. Other times, I'm very pointed in a particular direction -- like make a blank book  -- then I just set out to make a blank book and see what I end up with. Most of my work starts with a piece of paper. The paper can sometimes dictate the start of my process because every kind of paper is distinct and unique. What I can do with printer paper may not work with rice paper or handmade paper. My creative process is just that -- a process. I allow it to take me where it takes me -- there is so much freedom in that.

Q: What am I working on now?
A: I am a lover of many things and my life and work reflect that, but here's a list of what I have on the horizon in my artistic life:

• I'm diving deep into my art journal more and more and building community around art journaling with others at HowToArtJournal.com.
  

• I'm in two other blog hops this month:

An blog hop to celebrate the release of Marney Makridakis' new book -- Hop, Skip, Jump: 75 Ways to Playfully Manifest a Meaningful Life <---Hop on over and take the quiz to see if you are a hopper, a skipper, or a jumper, then stay tuned to find out which one I am :-).

• I'm participating in Art Everyday Month where I will be drawing a girl each day in my sketch book and sharing it on Instagram.

• On November 10th I'll be on the support team for Jennifer Lee's newest e-course -- Product Development Playground -- where she guides creative entrepreneurs through the process of creating tangible and digital products to help them share their gifts with more people. I'll be facilitating the 3 Q&A Calls and the 3 Live Catalyst Chats during the course. Join us if you are a creative entrepreneur looking to add products to your list of offerings.

*The links to this course are affiliate links.

Q: Now who will be next on the Art Around the World Blog Hop?
A: The next featured artist is Diana Elizabeth Jordan from The Rainbow Butterfly Cafe in Los Angeles, CA. Diana's artistic expression is through the work she does with actors of film, theater, and television. She helps people "produce" artistic treats to nourish the mind, heart, and soul. Please check out Diana's page on November 10th.

Be sure to check out the other Art Around the World Blog Hopper Artisans:

• Sanna Vaatanen of Shooting Star Art, Sept 8th 2014
• Christine Witte of Christine Witte Designs, Sugarland, TX, Sept 29th 2014
• Nicole Piar of Ghostkitten, LA, CA, Oct 6th 2014
• Jennifer Blair-Cockrum of JBC Studios, Golden, CO, Monday Oct 13th 2014
• Karen Friedland of Broken Artist Blog, NYC, NY, Monday Oct 20th 2014
• Lezette Markham of Simply Art, Charlotte, NC, Monday Oct 27th 2014
• Kiala Givehand of Giving Hands Creative, Oakland, CA, Nov 3rd 2014 <<--- YOU ARE HERE
  
• Diana Elizabeth Jordan The Rainbow Butterfly Cafe, Los Angeles, CA, Nov10th 2014
• MRuth McCants, Piano Fun Player, Los Angeles, CA, Nov 17th 2014
• Tiffany Miller Russell, Wildlife in Paper , Denver, CO, Nov Nov 24th 2014
• Antrese Wood, Savvy Painter, Argentina