CREATIVITY is ...

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. ART is knowing which ones to keep." Scott Adams

When I came across this quote about a year ago it felt like I had been hit by a meteorite and the impact knocked my inner artist right on her Butt.  Allowing yourself to make mistakes? Totally opposite to what I had been allowing myself to do up to that point.  But here I am one year later absolutely allowing myself to make mistakes and finally listening to that inner voice - obeying without hesitation - and allowing my inner artist to have free reign.  
And what is this all about?  Well I made a binder for my large stencils (the one I referred to maybe making in my April 13th post) to which I pay homage to both this quote and to the Czeck artist Mucha whose art and life have provided me with both inspiration and encouragement... Enjoy!

I started with two 12x12 pieces of cardboard onto which I mod podged book pages and scraps of music paper and then sprayed with my dylusions sprays.  Then I added the images by Mucha,

Here is the front cover before I added the quote...

which I fussy cut from a calendar that I have been saving for about six years waiting for the right project to use them on, and this was it.  

And just like the small binder I created, I allowed this binder to evolve as it would, adding and layering and splattering and doodling with only a wee bit of hesitation when I outlined those gold hearts in black marker (grin)

I painted my Prima butterflies cut from bark with gesso and then sprayed them with my dylusions and I love how they kept the texture but added little pops of bright color on my covers.  

The quote was the very last thing I added, and then I punched holes into the covers, added my binder rings and my plastic scrapbook page sleeves and had fun inserting and organizing my large stencils.

I had to add an extra two-inch strip of cardboard to each outside edge to extend the covers so they enclosed my page sleeves, but I used Beaton's 3 in1 glue and is did the job beautifully.

The end result is heavier than I thought it would be, but quite sturdy, and I think I will add a cloth strap with a velcro closure to make it just a little bit more solid.

Well that's it for now!  Thanks for stopping by today to see what I am up to, and please do leave me a comment if you like what you see, (smile).

Cheers

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera