WEEK 25 - finding inspiration in an empty jam jar
My grandma has this adorable thing where she keeps M&Ms in an old Smuckers jar.
A lot of times when I go to visit her, she’s sitting on the couch, watching Jeopardy, and happily nomming on some M&Ms. She says she portions out her candies by pouring them into the lid of the jar.
When I think of making something for my grandma, I think of that snack jar (even though I honestly don’t think she’d ever stop using her old Smuckers jar).
But just the possibility of delighting one of my favorite humans is enough to keep my brain coming up with new ideas (and actually motivate me to follow through on them).
This is actually one of my tried and true tricks for when I’m creatively stuck: think of what I can make for someone else.
In fact, some of my most successful passion projects started out as something I could create for (or with) my friends. The process of focusing my creative thoughts away from my desires and towards someone else’s *never fails* to help me stop overthinking and start creating.
Speaking of which, do you ever get overwhelmed with all of the things you want to do / make / create and don’t know where to start?
It happens to me ALL the time , so much so that I've had to develop a system for deciding what creative ideas to focus on that make me happy and make sense for my business.
For the first time ever, I'm sharing it in a FREE online class I’ll be teaching on July 14th - 16th!
Interested? Reply to this email with a YES and I'll send you more details :)
Your assignment: Create art for someone you care about.
Thought starter: Your art could be inspired by someone else or made for them. (Or both.)
The point of this assignment is to get out of your own head and be thinking of someone else as you create. Instead of having to rely solely on your own artistic compass (likes, dislikes, favorite color combos, etc) you’ll be “borrowing” one.
Here are just a few examples of art you could create for, or inspired by, someone else:
Over the top congrats card for a recent grad
Super colorful mural mock up inspired by your friend with the tropical vibes
Custom chalkboard to celebrate a friend’s new business
Art Nouveau lettering piece for that cousin who’s obsessed with the early 1900s
Goofy t-shirt design for a hilarious dad
Caption ideas: Tell us about the person for whom the art was created. What kind of person are they and how did they inspire your piece?
Try to highlight the things that are unique, special, and delightful about your inspirational person. Connect those traits to your creative process, explaining how the best bits of the art represent the person.
Engagement tip: Invite your audience to share a story of someone who inspires or delights them. We all have those people in our lives, right?
Don’t forget to tag me @homsweethom and use the #HOMwork & #HOMwork2021 hashtag when you post on Instagram. I love looking through your excellent creations and sharing a few of my favs every week in my IG Stories before the next assignment is posted.
x Lauren
P.S. In 2020, I spent A LOT of time on the internet… which left me with hundreds of saved design / craft tutorials to try “someday” and a brain full of half-baked ideas but no real sense of where to dive in first lol.
Luckily, I was able to sift through those half-baked ideas, thanks in part to the system I'll be sharing in my FREE online workshop on July 14th - 16th!
Interested in learning how to do the same? Reply to this email with a YES and I'll send you more details.
I cannot wait to share it with you so you can apply it to your own creative practice!
