In my previous life I was an art director.
I went to college where I got a degree in advertising and design. Yup, while my friends were busy spending hours in a lab mixing chemicals together in the hopes of blowing something up, I got to draw, watch movies, go to parties, take photos, play on the computer and basically have a grand time with some awesome people. And it was all in the name of creativity. See, being a "creative" in the advertising world can be stressful - you must always be ahead of the curve and ready to spot the next trend.
But I loved every second of it (okay maybe not the second that my entire portfolio got erased an hour before it was due...)
I loved going to work at odd hours of the day.
I loved that going to concerts, movies, art galleries, and watching television were all part of my job description.
I loved traveling to various places in the name of work.
I loved that the tools of my trade included Primsacolors, a MacBook, a Nikon Camera, sketchbooks and lots of books.
Basically I loved being creative.
When I started quilting, many of my close friends were not surprised and saw it as another outlet for me to "express myself." I love taking my inspirations from my travels, nature, architecture, and pop culture and translating them into quilts. I think this is why I design all my own patterns.
So I have a question for you - what inspires you? How do you plan on staying creative this year?
For some ideas check out this video:
29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.