'Crafting creativity' - mini book review

Crafting Creativity - 52 brilliant ideas for awakening the artistic genius within, by Colin Salter

I picked up this book hesitantly from the library, not really sure what to expect, and even now I don’t think I would rush out to buy it, but it does make you think outside the square, without being too outlandish.  It’s not so much a ‘show you how’ book, but it does provide inspiration for people who would consider themselves to be an artisan, or hobbyist, and everything in between.  Contemplating how things can be done differently and seen through different artistic eyes, there are exercises at the end of each chapter if you want to explore further.

It’s very much a dip in and out of book, flipping through pages, taking ideas, and applying them to your own art form.

We all have those artist blocks, where it’s hard to keep going, and the chapter like ‘Same bird, Different feathers’, where it says, ’sometime’s everything’s in place, and you have chocolate biscuits too, but nothings happening. The inspiration has left you and settled into a thick sludge at the bottom of life’s coffee cup. You need shaking up!’.

It talks about the craft snobbery that exists within our mini handmade worlds, and encourages us to look at objects, in an impartial way, and work through the process in our minds as to how they are actually made, and acknowledge that even mass produced goods, can have design excellence, giving credence to designers like Alessi.

Many other ideas include;

Setting up ‘displays’ in your home for your own craft, or items from nature, and just absorbing what you see by osmosis.

How to be ready when an idea strikes, we can all relate to the ‘I had a brilliant idea, but I lost it’ scenario.

The rhythm of pattern.

Changing your thinking from ‘oh..I’m not a real craftsperson, it’s just a hobby,’ to ‘I can!’

‘Inspiration can come from anywhere. You can see it in the humble daisy and the finest stained glass window, in a magnificent piece of furniture and in a single stitch.’

I think there is something in this book for every craftsperson to benefit from.