Creativity and Art

Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.” ~James Russell Lowell, poet

You are all such amazing artists.  Take one look at the Shutter Sister’s flickr pool and you will see the awe inspiring visual poetry that is created and captured through the cameras lens. Through your blogs and photos I’ve also discovered how so many of you are talented and creative in more than just photography. As a busy wife, mother to four and painter I have learned through the years that art is not just a photograph or painting, meant to be hung on a gallery wall. It is anything and everything we put a piece of our soul into. Isn’t that so wonderfully freeing?

Creativity and art, like the quote above states, is taking what is ordinary and making it extraordinary and personal.  It is seeing a gorgeous photo from my friend Claire and making it into a painting.  It is seeing the light hit your property fence and clicking.  It is making breakfast and choosing what to set your focus on.  This is art. 

By choosing to be mindful in our daily life and in ordinary routines, we can spark tremendous creativity within us.  Art is found in how we love, how we live, how we teach our children, and how we laugh. 

Today, show us all of your creativity and art.  Let’s see your photographs, your paintings, your scrapbook pages, the way you home school, your jewelry designs, your home, your poetry and especially…your heart.

Image and words courtesy of the lovely artist/photographer Andie Edwards.

Comments

[Marcie]

What a gorgeous photo..and as I'm reading your words I'm nodding - YES..YES...YES!! So much truth and beauty within. Here's one of mine for today:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2011/6/28/some-days.html

[Malene]

What a beautiful picture. I really love dropping by this magic place so thank you for the joy and inspiration you bring me.

Malene from Denmark

[melissa]

i adore all things andie edwards. her visual poetry, storytelling, and gorgeous spirit. abrazos, bella. xo

[Puna]

I'm starting to really like HDR processing. Playing with it here in Chinatown.

http://lifesignatures.org/wordpress/2011/06/chinatown-in-hdr-at-vision-and-verb/

[Jen]

I love your post today - it really speaks to me and really rings true! Here is my image today, a photo from a recent family shoot:

http://www.jenniferkrafchik.com/2011/06/sneak-peek-the-f-u-n-family-maryland-family-photographer.html

[pthurmond1]

I am learning to take my camera everywhere I go. I continue to be amazed at the everyday things I photograph and how they turn out to be ART!!! This was my view out of a Nashville hotel. Pretty simple, but I was pleased.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50901045@N02/5463852250/in/photostream

[ELK]

hello friend .. lovely post ..

i captured it on a windy day . a sad day . art every day ....

http://www.redorgray.com/2011/06/i-recall-day.html

[Eileen]

I absolutely love today's photo!! So delicate, yet colorful, and very pretty!
I am not the most creative person in the world. About the only way I express myself creatively these days is through photography. I am trying to embrace the artistic/crafty side of myself for the sake of my daughter though; she paints or draws or does some other crafty thing almost every day. Here she is finger painting:http://www.flickr.com/photos/2peasandablueberry/5853630012/in/photostream

[Ninotchka]

Gorgeous post, my friend with so many lovely links to lovely images. Makes me want to participate here more. Kudos!

[Jessica Peña]

What a wonderful topic! All you sisters are so inspirational. I have two photos to share today, from a recent trip to the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco.

This is my favorite black and white shot I've done so far.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28338862@N03/5884640044/

A shot of the stunning green of the trees... with a little crazy thrown in.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28338862@N03/5884640310/

[fromskilledhands]

We have a pottery studio and art gallery. Many people come in and say, "I wish I were creative." When we ask, "What do you do?" we hear, "I am a mom" or a nurse or a librarian or a barista or whatever. Creativity manifests in many many different ways. What is more creative than being a parent? We are all creative. We sometimes don't know it. Or we forget. :-)

[Meghan @ Life Refocused]

I am really having fun being creative with lomography and I'm really loving double exposures. Here's a recent favorite I shot in NYC: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meghandavidson/5884700940/in/photostream

[Libertad Leal]

What a delightful post. It's absolutely true, I am constantly amazed by the incredible talent and creativity of my flickr contacts. Their images lift me up and inspire me to pick up my camera everyday and make my ordinary life, extraordinary. And I try, so very hard:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5679104854
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5575531645
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5554493079

[Kath]

art journalling - am still struggling but I'm trying!

http://www.soeursdujour.com/2010/06/creativity-boot-camp.html

[Valerie]

As a stay-at-home mom, it is the creativity in every day that keeps my soul alive and thriving.

http://journeyleaf.typepad.com/journeyleaf/2011/06/rain.html

[carmen]

To me, creative writing and photography has gone hand in hand. I'm still exploring, still creating, still trying to capture a moment . . . http://decentxposure.ca/exblog/?p=135

[autumn sun]

oh Andie I love this post. The talent here amazes me daily. i believe everyone is creative in some form - although some don't recognize it in themselves as such - it is there.
my newest creative outlet has been in metalsmithing. here is one of my recent pieces - inspiration drawn from watching my dad in his woodworking shop.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/5807748793/

sometimes i see art simply in the way my dishes are set to dry
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/5352184632/
or a plate on the table
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/4843055327/
i love that i can capture these things instantly with my camera

[missing moments]

Love the photo ... and meeting others here!

http://www.missingthemomgene.com/2011/06/humming-right-along.html

[Stacy]

My creativity helps keep me sane! Whether with photography, clothing design and sewing, words, drawing, etc...it all helps to be an outlet. Creating beautiful things makes me happy.

I think everyone is capable of creating art in their own way. :)

This is a photo manipulation I did of my daughter. I also designed/drafted/made her dress that she is wearing in it.
http://stacyck.com/?p=492

[Pat]

This photo somehow parallels my daily struggles…

in focus vs. not
secrets vs. sharing
regardless
always lovely…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7992043@N06/5885492150/in/set-72157626240342190

[Anna]

Great post and love your photo! As for me, I like to be creative in a couple different mediums - art quilts, beadwork, and photography. My blog mainly contains my photography, but here's one of my painted fabric, quilted wallhangings:

http://www.vandemarkdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/05/blessed-are-mothers.html

[Esther Emma]

it is so lovely that we can share our creative art with each other by internet.
like this blog and flickr and facebook and so on :-)
last weeks i 'framed' all kind of nice views on my road home (the netherlands)
i used a mixture of several tools and techniques to create these little photo-paint-prints :-)
here are three of them:
http://flic.kr/p/9W4WVt
http://flic.kr/p/9W4Ypc
http://flic.kr/p/9Y7Krq
N-joy :-)

[Emma]

Such pretty light and colours in that image :)

I always feel it's so important to be creative - everyone has different perspectives and ways of looking at the world, I really hope we all don't lose that ability in this highly technological world.

painting old hatboxes recently:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53759195@N05/5685140569/in/photostream

some raindrops on our balcony yesterday:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53759195@N05/5882598899/in/photostream

[Vanessa]

Thank you so very much for linking to me!
This is a great reminder that I need to shoot more. It's such a struggle in the stress of every day life to stay creative.

[Chantal]

the DOF in the photo works very well

[kathryn]

one thing i love more than photography is drawing!!

http://artblogbykat.blogspot.com/2011/03/out-on-limb.html

[Lizzie Staley]

I love drawing and illustration. I did my degree in drawing I love it that much! I haven't done much recently though, really need to do it more regularly.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizzie-staley/sets/72157623824823135/

I also love sewing and creating fashiony things.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizzie-staley/sets/72157623949268970/

What do you like to do as well as photography?

:)

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