Blog: Creativity
What will your art look like in 2016?
How did we get to the end of the year so fast? Oh... right, I am preoccupied with moving my life across state. And moving across state is filled with an insane number of unknowns. Where we will live? Will I be able to have my studio in my home or will I need to find...
I give you permission to have a lot of yarn
I don't think I have ever met a crafter that did not have some form of guilt around the size of their stash. I get it. Have a ton of yarn waiting for just the right project. I even have a stash of yarn I may never knit I refer to as my petting stash (Hey, I know I am...
UrbanGypZ’s Unconventional Guide for Breaking Through Creative Blocks
Hey, I get it. We all go through some form of creative slump from time to time. For the most part it is no big deal to lose the creative mojo occasionally. I mean other than that nagging guilt and abject fear that you have amassed an impressive fiber/yarn stash...
3 Confucius Quotes that will make you a better knitter
Who knew a fiberista could find wise knitting advise while googling Confucius quotes? Yep, I found my knitting Zen the other day, in the simple yet wise words of Confucius. For the most part, I think knitting is a metaphor for life in general. But here are my 3 fave...
How to find new art ideas
I have a confession. I have been holding out on you guys big time. I have been brewing the final installment of the 4 part weaving series for a couple of months now. And for what ever reason the inertia has been heavy. What I owe you is a post on what to create using...
My Top 5 Tips for Painting with Yarn
I know it sounds crazy, but It seems like every project I have worked on in the last 2 years has been some sort of stash buster. Maybe it is because I have a crazy amount of stash filled with odd skeins and test runs of dyes and hand spun. But honestly, I have been...
How to Combine Yarns Like a Fiber Artist
I have a lot of yarn. If you are reading this, I am sure you have a lot of yarn too. But for me, I sometimes wonder if my "yarn business" is just a front for my large personal stash. While I have quite a few sizable lots of yarn meant for some traditional sweaters,...
How to Survive Harsh Criticism of Your Artwork
One of the worst things about art school was the grueling weekly critiques of our work. There were tears, gnashing of teeth, anger, and a boatload of humility, dished out by not only your classmates but the teacher as well. I am not gonna lie it was hard. And you...
Make Magic. Make Art Everyday.
The other day I decided to watch the documentary Muscle Shoals on Netflix. For the most part the only reason this movie was even on my radar, was I grew up about two hours East of Muscle Shoals, Alabama and my Girl Scout troop took a tour of the infamous...
How to Build an Art Community
When I moved to Asheville I wanted an art community to become a part of. But once I got here, I was blown away by how disconnected that community was. In fact, there seemed to be a more cohesive art community in Birmingham. I became an artist not because I was part of...
Finding My Art Yarn Spinning MoJo
I have not done any art yarn spinning in months. Seriously...months. And it is not that I do not love making yarn, I just got distracted with more profitable areas of my business. But ironically it is my handspan that I felt truly expressed my art the most. I am...
Art Weaving Part 3: Creating Fabric
If you have been following my Instagram, you will see I have been obsessed with all things weaving since I came back from On Higher Ground Fiber Workshops in Taos last October. Debra Lambert of Picasso Moon taught an awesome class on weaving, sent me home with a loom,...