Creative10 No.3 // What's the main thing?

Creative10 is a 10-week long personal challenge to enhance my creativity through a different medium. I chose painting because it's something I haven't tried before and it challenges me to open up creatively, and find new ways to express myself. It's also a form of creative therapy to help me get more in contact with my emotions and thoughts.

Already week 3 of this challenge, and I'm thinking it's my last watercolor painting. I actually did two painting today, but I thought I'd share the one that actually had a story behind it. The other one was just me playing around with colors. Which is also part of this challenge, but maybe not so interesting for you to see.

A friend reminded me of this quote yesterday, and I can't seem to get it out of my head. It's been spinning in my mind all day. The main thing really is to keep the main thing the main thing, because the main thing is the MAIN THING, right? I absolutely love this quote. I don't even remember how I stumbled on it, nor do I know who the author of it is (if anyone knows, tell me in the comments so I can give credit). 

Do you know what my main thing is right now? It's making this space work for me. And by this space I mean the blog, and shop. I love doing this! I can't even tell you how much I love waking up in the morning and doing creative work. Coming up with projects, figuring out how to make them, picking the materials, creating it, and sharing it here with you. I love it when you love a project, when you get inspired to make it yourself. When you get inspired to MAKE something, it doesn't even have to be the exact project. Let me tell you a secret. I've only ever done about 2 projects I saw on other blogs, but I still love reading them, because they inspire me to make my own stuff. And that's so valuable.  

I have about a million ideas that I'd like to turn into real things. I want to develop e-books and e-courses, give live workshops, make up-cycled clothing and continue blogging. I love it so much, but if I can't turn this into a profitable business, I need to find something that brings home the bacon, you know?

So, to honor my one little word for the year, I found some courage in me over the weekend, and enrolled to win a scholarship to Marie Forleo's B-School. So, I know this is a long shot, but it's the only way I'll be able to afford it. It would mean the world to me, if you could take a look at my entry, and tell me what you think.  

Let's chat more in the comments!

xo. Hanna

Creative10 No.2 // Customized Watercolor Wall Art (for sale!)

Creative10 is a 10-week long personal challenge to enhance my creativity through a different medium. I chose painting because it's something I haven't tried before and it challenges me to open up creatively, and find new ways to express myself. It's also a form of creative therapy to help me get more in contact with my emotions and thoughts. 

As I wrote yesterday, last week was such a good one for me both creatively and personally, so I was really in the mood for pretty colors and creating something that would express this happiness, gratitude and love I was feeling. As you probably noticed, today's art has no quote. Well, I thought about it, and decided that I will paint/create whatever I feel like in that moment, and not a preplanned project. Otherwise, it beats the purpose of this challenge.

This weeks art was inspired by something I've thought a lot about lately. Ant that is how grateful I am for my marriage. My husband is truly one of the best people I know, and I know I can always count on him. He listens, he supports, he hugs me when I need it, and pushes me when I won't do it myself. I really wanted to make this project about us. And, after making the Valentine's round-up and seeing all the pretty Valentine's themed project around the web, this image got stuck in my mind.

It came out even better than I anticipated. I mean, I'm no artist, and I can't really rely on my artistic talents to turn a vision into reality. But, I truly love this project. Somehow, it's very me. I'm especially happy about it, since it's the first project I've even painted in my life that I can't wait to hang on our wall.

Since I loved this art project so much, I thought that maybe you would, too. So, I made 10 blank ones for sale. These are all original watercolor paintings, so they vary slightly - some of them have more blurred color and others have more distinct splatter. They're painted on watercolor paper measuring 21x30cm (standard A4). I will add custom initials to each painting, and sign and number them.

The pricing for these was really hard for me since I'm not an artist and I've never sold art before, so I came up with this solution. The price is 6€/7$ +shipping (1.45€ within Germany, 3.45€ internationally). They will be sent out in carton mailers to prevent pending.

To order, please send me an e-mail to hanna@pearlsandscissors.com with the initials you'd like painted inside the heart and your Paypal e-mail address. I will send you a Paypal invoice with the shipping added shortly. If you don't have a Paypal account, we can make other arrangements.

There are only 10 of these for sale, so I'll post an update here once they're gone.

Update: Only a few left!

Thanks for reading!
xo. Hanna

Creative10 // No.1 // Time to look up

Today's post is a bit different and marks the beginning of a new challenge - the Creative10. After 25 weekly quotes, I'm ready to try something new.

After reading your thoughts in the survey and a lot of reflection I realized one very important thing. More than anything, these weekly quote posts are a way to share my inner thoughts and feeling with you and connect through the good and sometimes rough times. Words mean only that which is behind them. Without the story, these words would mean just as little to me as they would to you - or rather, they would mean completely different things to us. But, through writing my personal story behind the words I've chosen, I'm bridging the gap between your world and my own, and we get to connect through our different, yet similar experiences.

I also realized another thing. Although I loved writing the posts themselves, I didn't love making the quote photos to go with them. I tried every Photoshop trick I could think of to share those words with you, but in the end, nothing felt right. I felt I was too confined in this medium and I didn't find creative joy in it.

Then, on my walk to the grocery store last week, I had an idea. If I graved change and more creativity, why not join those two into a new challenge for myself? Why not go out of my comfort zone and try something completely new? And in that moment, it clicked for me.

Over the next 10 weeks I'm going to make one piece of quote art each week. Each piece will be inspired by my reflections during that week and has a unique story behind it. The idea behind the Creative10 project is to exercise creativity through a new medium and get more in contact with myself in the process. And, hopefully, share my journey here on the blog.

Now, I would by no means call myself an artist, but I am a creative, and a maker. I've never been any good at drawing or painting, so this is more about the feelings I but into the piece than the aesthetics of it. In other words, this is art therapy.

Since 10 pieces of quote art is more than our walls can handle, I might sell a few of them here on the blog. I'm not yet sure about this, so we'll see how that pans out.

The story behind Creative10 #1

This week's quote art was inspired by an especially rough Friday last week. The kind of day that getting out of bed seemed mission impossible, and there was hardly any positive thoughts being generated by my brain. To be honest, I was feeling defeated and worthless. It seemed like I was going nowhere, being no-one, doing nothing - at least nothing of importance.

There was a breaking moment. I remember sobbing in my husband's arms and thinking "why am I doing this to myself?". Why is it that the only one not believing in me is ME. I realized that I was looking down on myself. I was making myself feel like I wasn't good enough, or worthy enough.

I think we all have this image in our heads. An image of a better me. Somewhere inside I know I can do more, be more... But that's the thing. I already AM more. I already do ENOUGH. I just have to start looking UP to myself and stop putting myself down. The only thing I need to change right now is my attitude towards myself.

This might seem like a really gloomy story, and that moment was truly hard. But, that moment was also valuable, because it gave me perspective. And I desperately needed perspective.

I looked back on my week and saw everything I had accomplished. I made things. I took care of my husband. I took care of our home. I worked hard on my little business. And that is plenty.

Thank you for letting me share!

xo. Hanna