Tag: creativity

Uncategorized

Curious Collect Create Curate

carolyncordon

The Redbanks RUST & FOUND Art Installation began as something far more simple than an extensive Art piece with over 700 individual pieces on display, as it is now.

But as they say, from little things big things grow, and yes, they sure have! It all started a couple of years ago, when I began picking up small bits and pieces of metal, usually beer bottle caps, and putting them on the front fence of ‘our place’, which is the home of my husband and I, in Redbanks South Australia.

Redbanks is a small township, in rural SA, in the Adelaide Plains Council area. There is a commnity Hall fallen into disrepair, and there are houses on small blocks, and there are farming land all around. We’ve lived here since 1988, and love our move from suburbia!

And while we love it out in the country, there is not a lot of community feeling in Redbanks, for that you need to go to Mallala, the closest town to our place, or Gawler, which is a good bit bigger than Mallala.

We moved out to the Adelaide Plains to breed pure bred show dogs, but now have moved away from that world, and simply have a pet dog, a Greyhound, Lenny. Lenny is an important part of this story, because many of the found objects found/collected when taking Lenny for a walk, are now on display in this Art Installation!

The creation aspect has come more recently, when someone I’ve been talking with someone about what I was doing, and it became clear to me this was much more than just a fence, with bits and pieces stuck on it, or leant against it! And as the Creation aspect moved along, the ideas regarding what I was doing grew conceptually, and before I knew it, I was an Art Installation Curator, presenting a literature-based viewing and then writing workshop.

And now, to take that aspect further, there is an anthology planned to be published and launched in the new year! The more I think about this project, the more I can see could happen with it, and at the moment, I’m in the process of readying various items from this Art Installation for a viewing at another site during SALA (SA Living Artist) Festival in August this year!

How Exciting is this? Very exciting, is what I say, and I’m loving being the Curator of an Art Installation!

Uncategorized

Writers Need Inspiration!

carolyncordon

This is something I know so well – without inspiration, the well of creativity is dry, and nothing gets written. And what is a writer without words being written? A sad creature, that’s what.

But when the inspiration comes, the words come too, and wonderful things can come of it. Inspiration can be a mysterious thing – where does it come from? Is it ‘out there’ floating around in the winds, until it crash lands in your brain, ideas come, and yes, words are written!

I’m being inspired at the moment by my current obsession. This is a thing I’ve named, The Redbanks RUST & FOUND Art Installation. It’s a big thing, with many different aspects to what it will become, but the basis of it is the finding of rusty things which I put up on our rusty gate and frond fence at our place.

There are over 500 different rusty and/or found items there on display now, and the front fence, all 60 os so metres of it, has lots of different things there. And there are a few larger objects there as well, just our side of the front fence, where people taking a look can easily see them!

Some of the things in this Art Installation were found while going for walks, others were found when looking around my place outside. The piece below is one such ‘find’ our old front tap, which was replaced with piping that will never rust, because it’s made of PVC, a form of plastic.

So I ‘found’ that object the other day, and immediately decided it must become a part of this Art Installation! And so it is, right next to the rusty old gate that began this whole project! There are a few other metal objects there as well, found ones, and all along that big gate are many more.

I was inspired by that tap earlier today, and I wrote a poem, a brand new poem, which may be in the non fiction book I plan to write, and have launched perhaps in July next year. I’ve never written a non fiction piece as big as this one will be, but with the given time period, I reckon I can manage it!

Anyway, here is that poem, I hope you like it!

CREATIVE FLOW
The flow when it’s there is a wondrous thing
Thoughts to written down words and more –
Ideas mount up, fuse together, split apart
Merge, diverge, become greater than anything
Ever before, until l have enough, my cup full
and it stops – real world thoughts return, dreary
and mundane … but that creative flow
Captured in writing, shaped and shining,
That will remain, reminding me of my other self –
The one who’s spirit is healed and strengthened 
By the creative flow that washes over me
Every now and then, that makes me whole!
The flow when it’s there is a wonderful thing
Thoughts to written down words and more –
Ideas mount up, fuse together, split apart
Merge, diverge, become greater than anything
Ever before, until l have enough, my cup full
And real world thoughts take over again
Dreary and mundane, but that creative flow
Captured in writing, shaped and shining,
That will remain, reminding me of my other self –
The one who’s spirit is healed and strengthened 
By the creative flow that washes over me
Every now and then, and makes me whole!

Uncategorized

Finding Your Way

carolyncordon

If you feel there is a Creative something bubbling away inside of you, but you don’t know how or what that creative form may be, don’t stress or strain about it. Calm down, settle down, give yourself some room!

Relaxing your way to personal knowledge, resting, relaxing, Playing even, these can help you see what you truly enjoy, what lights your fires of creativity. For some it may be music, others painting, some sculpture, others still creating wonderful food, or decors.

For me it’s playing with words, poetry, short stories, this novel I’m writing, and yes, blogging. Writing blog posts are a way to explore ideas, and knowing there are some people ‘out there’ who see what I’ve done is great feedback!

Trees reach high to find more sunshine, moving with the wind, providing perches for birds, they find thier best way by going with, not against that wind, and they allow those birds to roost on their branches, and benefit from the bird poop/fertiliser. Reaching high happens coincidently, they don’t stress or strain over it, it’s just what they do.

So don’t you stress or strain over it either, do things, try things, rest and relax, try things, and you’ll find the thing that best works for you! Not a painter, why not try sculpture. Not a poet, how about writing prose instead, Try things out, and if they don’t go well, hey, just try something else, don’t strain over it, calm down and have fun.

Life is for living and enjoying yourself. Work is just to pay the way to have a good and creative time!