Wednesday, October 08, 2008

There is no intimidation like a blank canvas.


I'm frustrated.

I'm trying to be a smart saleswoman and make some holiday cards for my shop but my creative brain is not cooperating with my business brain. I went ahead and spent a significant amount of money on pretty silvery-blue cards and envelopes as well as some fine green postcards to print on but now I stare at their blank surfaces and cannot come up with a decent design! It's really torture for me to force ideas. I always have tons of ideas but my mind protests anytime I pressure it with a theme or deadline. Everything I come up with has been done a million times or is completely absurd or overly complicated. Gahhh!

I'm afraid I'll come up with my big idea two days before Christmas. That is exactly what happened with my "wii belong together" design that was meant for Valentine's Day. I do subscribe to the "better late than never" philosophy so I'll try to let my idea come naturally.

Ok. I'm lying. The rest of the night will undoubtedly be spent furrowing my brows trying to draw a narwhal stringing a popcorn chain or a guinea pig in an igloo. I have already rejected my sketches of a jackalope-led sleigh, a polar bear couple's holiday portrait, a snowfall of white rabbits and a toad drunk off egg nog. It is going to be a long night!

3 comments:

Sarah Golden/craftyFOLK said...

oh my, i so hear what you are saying. deadlines seem to freeze my creative brain! don't be too hard on yourself by trying to be ultra original in the content, you'll drive yourself crazy. just make something that makes you smile when you look at it.

i think your comments have been hijacked by strange comment people:)

Elise of Argyle Whale said...

Very good advice Sarah!

Angela said...

feel you, Elise!

I was so excited to get started on my Christmas designs, and while I reworked two designs from last year, I want to come up with something really amazing and new . . . and I'm just stuck.

Hang in there. Inspiration comes when we least expect it!