Creative Momentum

 

“When the creative impulse sweeps over you, grab it. You grab it and honor it and use it, because momentum is a rare gift.” Justina Chen

 

My son's back at school this week (thankfully fully healed) and things are slowly returning to the normal way they were before his surgery. For the first time in several weeks I've had a few hours here and there to return to work.  

 

In the quiet mornings I find myself sitting at my desk. I feel a little lost with everyone back to work and school. The creative momentum I've used to sustain me for so long seems just out of reach.

 

But I've been here before. As most other things in life creativity seem to have a natural ebb and flow. But this time feels different.  

 

I lean back in my chair and place my cup of herbal tea in front of me. Steam curls from the rim of my mug. Sunlight pours in through the window. Clay rests near my fingertips. Sculpting tools fill a glass jar to the left, their metal tips glinting in the light. A nearly filled sketchbook sits at my right. But none of it tempts me to create.

 

Out of habit more than anything else, I pick the sketchbook up and rifle through the pages until I land on an empty one. I choose my favorite sketching tool, a sepia Prismacolor, and start to draw. The pencil feels comfortable and familiar in my hand. It whispers against the paper, the sound soothing, mellow and contemplative.

 

 

 

And slowly. . .  I start to feel the creative momentum returning.

 

I work on the realistic bust for hours. Smoothing facial planes, sculpting angles and gentle contours. The tea has grown cold but I lift it to my lips anyways, and glance at the colored clay I've mixed and kneaded but haven't used for several days.

 

I pick it up, and start to mold it into shape. A pony starts to emerge. Chubby little body, dishy face, and wide, dark eyes that seem to look right back at me. I sculpt a heart shape on her rump. And a name comes to mind. Aphrodite. The little love pony. That's her name. She's adorable, and I am so happy with her. I've suddenly forgotten how uninspired I felt just a few hours ago. :)

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Aphrodite #14/365

 

 

Through all the years I've been an artist it sometimes still takes me by surprise to realize that inspiration usually finds us while we're working. Not while we're sitting here not working and waiting for inspiration to hit us in the face.

 

Duh. ;)

 

Love,
Crystal, Aphrodite, and the rest of the Tumble family

Sale update: I will be having a small sale in my Etsy shop Tuesday at 4 PM MST (that's 6 PM EST)

Listening to: Lincoln Durham
Watching: Psych
Reading: The War of Art
Snacking on: chocolate covered fruit
drinking: peppermint hot chocolate

 

The place of creative incubation

To have a sacred place is an absolute necessity for anybody today. You must have a room or a certain hour of the day or so, where you do not know who your friends are, you don't know what you owe anybody or what they owe you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. - Joseph Campbell

This is it. My studio. Well one wall at least. I'll save the rest of the room for another day, once I've tidied it up. ;) From the time I was little I dreamed of what my art studio would be like. I'd have vaulted ceilings, north light pouring in from 6 foot tall windows that took up one entire wall. And couches. Plump, and cushy couches with shelves and shelves of art books. You know. . . for when you're feeling uninspired. Or feel like taking a nap.

In reality, I spent most of my art career working in a cramped corner of my bedroom. Or at the kitchen or dining room table. I can't tell you how many times I had to sterilize the kitchen counter of oil paints to get ready to make dinner. The truth is, a glamorous studio is an amazing thing to have, but it isn't essential. All you really need is a quiet place to work, where you can focus on the creativity that's waiting to flow through your fingers.

In my studio above I have my drafting table, where I'm sitting right at this moment writing this blog post to you, my pink hoodie which I almost always wear (you may notice that some Tumble Creatures have a faint pink glow to them in their photos. . . that's because I usually wear this pink hoodie on those chilly mornings when I take photos), my shelves full of paint (in alllll kinds of mediums) books, magazines, shipping supplies, palettes, glitter, still life props, DVDs, and lots of other essential things one needs to be an artist and make cute things like this:

And on the very top shelf you will see a portrait I painted of my youngest son when he was just a  baby, and my own personal collection of Tumble Creatures (at this typing it numbers 2) and other sculpts and figurines I've collected from artist friends.

I like to listen to music when I sculpt or draw, or watch movies (favorites ranging from Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn, to past seasons of the Walking Dead and Vampire Diaries). or listen to podcasts or audio books. I like to have something playing in the background that helps me feel less alone in this quiet space, but also gives me freedom to just create and not talk.

But two rather large, black. . . things are not present in this photo. And that's these two lovelies:

My girl Heart.

And. . .

My boy Chauncy.

They are what really makes this room of creation a most pleasant place to be. :) And make lovely foot warmers too.

Thanks for taking a peek behind the scenes with me. Let me know what other blog posts you'd like to see from me!

<3, Crystal and the Tumble Creatures

The night watch

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"I know this much: that there is objective time, but also subjective time, the kind you wear on the inside of your wrist, next to where the pulse lies. And this personal time, which is the true time, is measured in your relationship to memory.”
― Julian Barnes

It's nearly the end of another week in my year long daily sculpting project. And probably one of the hardest for keeping up with. I mentioned on Facebook that this week my son had surgery, and that has forced me to slow down, to look on moments spent with my kids in a different, more appreciative light, and to set aside the clay in favor of a small hand to hold.

There's been a lot of introspection happening for me this week, and not a whole lot of sculpting. Many nights spent in solitude, watching the rise and fall of my son's chest as he breathes, deeply asleep, with the entire house quiet. The gentle, intermittent snore of the dog who has finally fallen asleep and left me to keep watch of his precious boy alone, is the only sound. The flickering light of the Christmas tree, which I haven't had the heart to take down, the only light.

And lots of time for me to think. And be grateful for this life and this family, for these children, for this art. The things I care most deeply about. My son is doing well, recovering every day.

One of the reasons I wanted to do a daily sculpting project was so I could fit in little spots of joy every single day. To be more aware of life, and the little things that bring me joy, to think of things that might bring joy to others. To live in appreciation every day for what I have.  

In the quiet hours of the night I planned out sculptures I want to make for this next week, and the week after that. . . and the week after that. I thought up blog posts I want to write, sketch projects I want to start. Creatures and ponies waiting to be born from clay, pencil, and paper.

I can't wait to share them with you. I hope you'll stick around for the journey. And let me know what it is you'd most like to see me sculpt or draw. You guys are a great source of inspiration for me.

There will be no Mystery sale this week, I have custom orders to finish, and daily sculpting to fit in as I can (all of which will be available). I'll keep you updated when I have new creatures ready to find new homes. You'll probably hear from me very soon. :)

Love, hugs, and pony kisses,

Crystal

Watching: Chopped
Listening to: The Civil Wars
Reading: The Dream Thieves
Snacking on: soft pretzels
Drinking: Ice water
Mood: Contemplative

Milestone Tumble Creatures sculpt #10!

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Phew! Already I've made it to number 10 in the 365 Tumble Creatures project! That seemed like a milestone worthy of an idea I've had for a while. A motherly little dragon holding her baby unicorn. I've done a few dragon and unicorn couples, but nothing quite like this. Now I'm all afire with new ideas for unicorn/ dragon sculpts! Hope you guys like these two. 

This week has been a bit of a whirlwind with my son in the hospital and home now recuperating (he's doing well so far). But I do have a legit blog post planned that is a bit more. . . in depth than the last few posts have been. Thanks for stopping by! 

Myster Ponies 3 and 4 revealed!

Meet Mystery Pony #3! This is Isadore. She likes cloud chasing, ice cream sundaes with strawberry sauce, and Fred Astaire. She dislikes umbrellas, mountain lions, and chewable vitamins.

 

Meet Mystery Pony #4! This is Chianti, she likes morning glory, crisp and fruity beverages, and parties that serve bite size snacks. She dislikes having a cold, tangles in her hair, and prickly brushes.

Pre-orders for this week's 365 Tumble Creatures today!

This week I thought it would be fun if I opened up the sculpts I'll be making Monday through Friday available in my Etsy shop as pre-orders, and mystery sculptures. If you buy a listing today you won't get to see what sculpture you will get until the day it is made when I send out the email for that day (I'll post it to facebook a few hours later). There will be 4 mystery ponies and one mystery dragon up for grabs today. All will be stamped as part of the 365 project with their number of creation. I'll have the pre-order listings for the mystery ponies (and one dragon) up in my Etsy shop at 2 PM EST (that's 4 PM EST). To 'Save the Date' for your own Mystery 365 Tumble simply buy the listing with the date you'd like to adopt it on. All sculptures from this week will ship out on Monday January 12. Who do you think you'll get? :)

 

For several months I've been brainstorming the creation of a Tumble Creatures Association that will give the Tumbles registration papers and a recorded date of birth, parentage, breed, etc. in an official Registry book! Due to the complex nature of this project and in an effort to keep organized I decided to launch this at the beginning of 2015 instead of halfway through last year, so that all of the 365 sculptures will come with their own Registration papers and an official listing in my Tumble Creatures Registry book! I will still be doing certificates of authenticity as well. I am so excited about this guys! I hope you are too.

 

FAQ's

 

Are you making one sculpt every single day? Sometimes I am. Sometimes I make several in one day then take a few days off to run the business and spend time with my family. The goal for me for the 365 project is to make 365 sculptures in this year that are of my own design idea (so no customs for these guys) not necessarily one each day.
Can I 'Save the Date' for a sculpture a few months from now for a sentimental date I have? At this time I can't accept pre-orders for special dates too far ahead of time. I'm trying out this week with one week of pre-orders to see how it goes. I hope to be able to do this, but right now I need to try it out first to see how it goes. I'll keep you updated if this changes at all.
When will custom orders be open? Can I custom order a 365 Tumble? I am really close to opening up custom orders, I'm sorry I don't have a specific date as of yet but as soon as I do I will send it out in an email and post it to facebook. As of right now 365 Tumble's will not be able to be custom ordered to match your pet or idea, but they are available today (2 PM MST in my etsy shop) as a pre-order for a mystery sculpture!

Love,
Crystal

Appaloosa Tumble Creatures Pony 2/365



Sophia

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It's only 2 days into the 365 project and I'm still super excited about it, but it's also a bit daunting. I am aiming to keep up with customs as well as keep up with the 365 project, so that makes me push it a little bit harder to be able to accomplish so much in one day. Of course my perspective may be a bit skewed now since it is Christmas break and my kids are all home now. Which is a ton of fun, I love having them home more than anything, but it does make it harder to get a lot of work done. So I really appreciate your patience with me.

Next week my house will be quiet (mixed feels about that) and it will just be me, Chauncy and Heart (our two dogs), the new Guinea Pig (Nightie), and the Tumbles. I'll try not to send out a ton of emails to you guys if I start to get lonely! haha.

In the true new year spirit I plan to write down my resolutions for this year. I'll share it with you guys in my next email. Most will be art related, but maybe I'll throw in a new, tough piano song to learn. Hope you all have a wonderful day and a great weekend!

Love,
Crystal

1/365 Little Pinto Pony now up for auction!

 

Artemis

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This is Artemis, she is the first sculpture of the new year I have available and the very first in a new project I'm working on this year. A pretty little grey and white pinto filly with purple flowers in her tail.

 

Five years ago this month I started an art blog that was all about my paintings and drawings. I made a lot of new friends, clients, and got to tell my stories of why and how I like to paint. It also was my introduction to the world of daily painting. I was a daily painter for 3 years before I started Tumble Creatures and I have been wanting to launch a daily sculpting project ever since.

With the coming of the new year, and a clean slate ahead of me I thought now was probably the perfect time to do it. So I have started another blog, this time with an emphasis on daily sculpting, and the goal to sculpt 365 sculptures this year, as often as I can. Most will be available through auction, or through my Etsy shop. All will be numbered in the order they are made (for example 1/365) Artemis, the little grey pinto is the first of this project. Since this is such a big project I'm trying not to make too many rules I'll have to follow, so I can focus on creating what resonates most with me. I haven't been this excited about a new project since I started Tumble Creatures, and I hope you enjoy it too!