An Artisan State of Mind

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Dear Readers,

During this past week, I have been feeling a creative surge within me that comes with fall.  Fall is one those special seasons where I see people enjoying their pools while family trips to apple picking farms are in full swing.  In my home the activities are ranging from baking apple crisp to creating a unique ornament pattern for Christmas gifts.  As the sweet aromas of cinnamon drift from the oven and jazz music oozes from the speaker, I find myself enriched in this world as these projects form before me.  In a recent conversation where I was mentioning these activities, I made a confident statement saying “I am an artisan not a crafter”.  It got me thinking of what that means to me. 

When I read the definition of an artisan, my reaction was I belong to this group.  “An artisan is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates objects entirely by hand.”  Although, I take it a step further in that I believe an artisan understands the balance of both creativity and structure.
When this balance is achieved, you have the best of both perspectives and the result is a unique creation that can be shared with others.
Often, I struggle with finding this sweet spot and allowing a creation to leave my hands.  When I started the line of Curiously Curated Creations my first step was to write patterns for each character to set up a continuity while adding my own nuances.  Last Christmas, I told a friend that I wanted to gift a character or two to his daughter as a showing of appreciate and thanks.  He told me her favorite was Ezra Elephant. 
In response, I announced that his child would be getting the first stuffed version of Ezra Elephant.  No pattern existed, however, I got the urge to create one. 

On a quiet Wednesday afternoon I put in a Christmas movie that I know by heart for gentle stimulation and got to work.  Going through my current patterns, I was able to increase stitches and adapt parts from other characters fairly seamlessly except for one piece…. The ears!!!  I kid you not- it took me three hours to develop the right ear pattern.  First they were too big and then they were too small.  A true Goldilocks situation.  Some would call it stubbornness but I have long accepted that I am an overachiever and cannot gift someone a creation without it being the best it can be.  The several trials did pay off as I found just the right size to fit Ezra Elephant’s soft cuddly head.  In addition, I was rewarded with a smile from a child and since then more characters have been created from this pattern.

 

The path of an artisan is not so different than a blank canvas.  At first, there is no outline and it can take several attempts for clear guidelines to appear.  What happened with Ezra Elephant’s ears is not uncommon and occurred again last month when I was making a custom blanket for my nephew.  As with Ezra Elephant’s ears, I redid the border of the blanket three times before I was satisfied with the result. 
When I approach a blank canvas of illustrating a new character or designing a new pattern for a crocheted character, I brew a cup of tea and either put in a movie I know by heart or play music that lifts my spirits.  What happens in next is out of my control.

The only thing to do is to relax and let the creativity flow.  Patience is key for with time the creation will form before my eyes and then be released to each of you.

Love Always,

Kristina Lucia xoxo