WEEK 17 - creative s-t-r-e-t-c-h
Thanks for joining us for Week 17 of HOMwork 2021!
When I was in grade school a bunch of kids could do splits. No idea why that was a thing at my school, but it was.
I used to go home after school and stretch as much as I could to try to get into full splits. It wasn’t super exciting or fun and there wasn’t really a compelling reason to actually be able to do splits, so I gave up stretching pretty quickly.
I never did manage to do the splits.
But there are two little nuggets of wisdom I hold on to from that random childhood memory:
I did get more flexible, and pretty quickly too.
If I had stayed committed to a bit of a stretch every day I probably could have done splits.
And now the fun part - tying this analogy to creative work! (This is where the magic really happens, when the analogy transforms into a HOMwork prompt haha.)
Creative stretching can be a form of creative self-care. The way this works is you try something *slightly* different (or more challenging) than what’s in your current creative comfort zone so that you become a bit more creatively flexible.
Maybe it feels great; maybe not. Either way, you tried something new and learned a little more about your creative abilities!
Creative stretching can also be a way to build towards a goal. My favorite example for this is my upcoming pivot to the culinary world (yup, this gal is heading back to school in 2023).. Someone who is just meeting me will probably think that’s a HUGE change from what I do now.
And, actually, objectively, they’d be right. It’s a big transition.
But those of you who have been following along for a bit know that I’ve actually been *creatively stretching* into culinary stuff for some time, with projects like Flour Crowns and Peen Cuisine (NSFW!).
Culinary school is my grown-up version of doing a split.
Unlike young Lauren’s attempts at the splits, this time I’m (creatively) stretching with purpose and I’m sticking with it.
Which means that by the time I get to culinary school (I still have two years to go!) I will have done hundreds of small stretches that make this flex feel easy and natural.
And that brings me to this week’s assignment!
Your assignment: Design or letter an art piece that incorporates your own creative stretch.
Thought starters: The best stretching is done when you go a little further than you’ve gone before. In creative-speak, this usually means going with something tangential to what you already do.
You can try a new technique, new media, even dabble in a brand new creative field. For example, I "stretched" my lettering towards food by creating type out of flour, butter and dough (yes, it's real!).
Some examples:
Try converting your page-sized art to large-scale.
Lettering artist? Try lettering with physical objects.
If you work in 3D, incorporate some new media into your process.
Caption idea: Explain how your art is a creative stretch.
What did you do that challenged you?
How did it feel?
How might you stretch in other directions?
If you want to dive a little deeper, you can talk about whether your stretch is creative self-care or related to a goal. (Of course, if you do this, provide details or tell a story!)
Can’t wait to see what *your* creative stretch looks like!
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Don’t forget to tag me @homsweethom and use the #HOMwork & #HOMwork2021 hashtag when you post on Instagram. I love looking through your brilliant creations and sharing a few of my favs every week in my IG Stories before the next assignment is posted.
