Remember "Big Magic"?

Some of you may remember the blog post I wrote after reading the book "Big Magic". If you missed that post, you can find it here. At the time I was struggling with being known as the piggy bank potter. I vowed to take some time this year to work on more creative things, while continuing to think of piggy bank making as my day job. Here we are in June, at the half way point of 2017. I thought I would check in and write about how things have been going.

The piggy banks are still selling well, and I really do enjoy making them. Etsy, in general, has been very good to both Jeff and I this year. As for my creative pursuits... I am feeling like I am not following through 100% of my goal.

But I am not giving up!

A few weeks back I read a blog post by ceramic artist Whitney Smith. She mentioned rediscovering gel pens, more specifically using white gel pens on dark card stock. The line quality with this pen reminded me immediately of sgraffito. I thought, what a great way to work out designs for clay on paper! I was able to find the pens in a nearby craft store. I cut card stock into smaller pieces, some in varying sizes, and went to work. My goal has been to do a few of these each week. I have found the perfect time to work on these "small works of art", is when dinner is simmering on the stove or roasting in the oven. Time I might otherwise be wasting on facebook.

My goals for this project are threefold. The first is to discover some new patterns for carving in clay. Second, I will have some "small art" to send off with letters to my Dad. Getting mail is the highlight of his day. Third, I am going to start a new art journal. I have gotten out of this practice and it's something I need to return to.

I will revisit my plan via a blog post in a few months, and honestly report if I have been following through on my plans and ideas.