Losing My Creative Powers

At this point I´m so out of blog post ideas and feeling like all my creative powers has gone. I think this is pretty common situation time to time to people who do a lot of creative works in their hands. I have lost my creative enthusiasm couple times before but luckily it always come back.

When I feel that I have used all my creative energy, I usually head my focus elsewhere for little while. I might scrolling Pinterest or just going walk in the nature and trying not to stress so much about lack of my creative powers.

I have always enjoyed to do something with my hand weather its baking, trying new food recipe, planting flowers, crocheting, knitting or making jewelry that I  have done past eight years now more or less as a full-time job. Sure, I have my work as a newspaper distribution but it only takes one or two days from my week.

What Do When You Don´t Feel Creative

Here´s few tips what to do if you feel you´re out of creative powers:

1. Don´t force yourself to make something if you feel opposite

It´s pointless to sit in front of your work table many hours just wait if something comes up. This usually lead frustration and leaving you more angry than you were at the beginning.

2. Do something else

Usually when you head your focus elsewhere, you might get sudden inspiration what to do or make. If you are professional writer, you might get writing inspiration when you least expect it. In my opinion, same goes pretty much other things that require creativity. Don´t be scared, if month or two passed when you get back in track. Our brain needs "vacation" or other things to think. I like to say that creative mind is usually busy mind. I mean that creative people often do multiple things at the same time and your focus might change hundred times during the day.

3. Learn something new

When you head your focus elsewhere and learn to do something unusual you, you often find yourself to having fun and not to worrying your creative power. Don´t stress about it. Most important is to have fun and enjoy what you are making even if it renovating your home. That´s creative too but you might feel much happier when you see your favorite color on the wall.

4. Take a course

I went couple years ago to jewelry making class although I make my own jewelry. It was wire wrapping class and it was so fun! I never get same peace and calmness to make my own jewelry in home because I have multiple cats that´s usually start to fight each other or dropping things that they shouldn´t and my work usually interrupted multiple times in day. Plus in course, I learned new and there were similar people who shares my interest to making jewelry. The course cheered my up and given me so much boost to make my own jewelry.

5. Scroll Pinterest

Pinterest is a good place to go when feel out of creative powers. Pinterest offers so many good tips for gardening, home interior, how to renovate your home etc. Usually just looking beautful pictures might get you inspired again.

6. Walking in the nature

Walking in the nature by yourself, with boyfriend, friends, husband or with your dog might get you inspired again. Nature has healing powers and our stress level decreased. I love to live in Finland since we have so much forest near us. I love to go for jogging by the river or small forest path. I usually plan my walking and running routes that I don´t get interrupted by cars or other traffic so much. I love to listen music too so that´s is good way to relax. Finnish singer artist have once said that she doesn´t know any state of mind which the music wouldn´t help and that´s so true. Music and nature has power to heal us and help us to deal with our emotions.

I hope these tips would help you and feel free to comment which has helped you.

~ Minna

Learning New

One of the reason why I love to make jewelry is endless possibilities to learn new techniques and there’s tons of different kind beads and jewelry supplies. 

When I started to make my own jewelry more consistently my skills were basic level. I’ve always love to make my own kind jewelry and first one I made in kindergarten. I had long hair and my mom didn’t buy from me hair ties so one day in kindergarten there were box of different kind wooden beads and elastic cord. I was so happy that I finally could make hair ties. I wished that my mom would braided my hair in the morning but every morning was so hustling that she hadn’t time to do that. When I grew little older, I learned to do French braided to myself. 

Many years went by before I ended up back into jewelry making. I have made jewelry for my friend and myself but never sold any until I got chance to make jewelry for the sale. I was so nervous and hadn’t any thoughts what kind jewelry I wanted to do so I started to browse Finnish jewelry online stores and ordered few supplies. I made mostly flower earrings and simple stretch bracelets. I got more self confidence when people said nice things about my jewelry and actually bought them.

I opened my first a Etsy shop 2012 and year after that I opened second shop, BlueBellJewelry where I continued to sell cute flower jewelry but the path has lead me more Bohemian style jewelry.

Although I have done many years now jewelry, I find it so exciting to learn new. Couple years back I learned to do tassel earrings and brick stitch was firstly tricky especially when I needed to go second row and do same thing opposite way. It took me two days to learn it and I even had dream of it. 

I’m eager to learn constantly more and try to challenge myself time to time so I can evolve as a jewelry maker. Jewelry making is so relaxing and creative. You can make things always little bit better and little bit different way. Most important thing is to enjoy to make jewelry and have some fun.

Beginning of twisted two row seed bead bracelet 

Couple days ago I learned new way to make seed bead jewelry so browse YouTube and saw tutorial about “Tubular stitch” that is two row of seed beads that twisted nicely as you proceed. I learned it quickly since the tutorial was so clearly and made to friend my first twisted bracelet.

This was so easy and neat technique that invoked me crave to search more and my next goal is to make seed bead rope. 

I hope that some day I can make this kind jewelry. Love to learn this kind technique 

~ Minna