NEW CHRISTMAS GREETING CARD DESIGN IS COMING AROUND THE CORNER

'HEY, ROCKIN' AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE, HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY'   2011
(c) Loren Fidalgo 2011

Hey guys...Well it is that time of year again and you might know what that means?  If you follow my other blog MIND GIGGLES, you will have the scoop on the Annual Friends and Family Christmas Card Design?  If you do not know, click here and  here and here to get the skinny on how I create these cards and how I come up with the ideas.  In previous years, I have made pop-ups, Christmas tree ornaments out of aluminum, mobiles, swinging trees, snowflakes and rubberstamped designs just to name a few. 

'POP-OUT" FRIENDLY SNOWMAN      Blank inside    2005
(c) Loren Fidalgo 2005

Every year, I try to create this handmade 'gem' of a Christmas card that goes out to my all my friends and family.  I have been doing this since around 1987-88.  I have to check on that to be sure.  The design is always a challenge to create because I have to create something better than I did the previous years.  I put a lot of pressure on the concept and idea of the card design.  The bar is always set high by everyone and myself, so they will be thrilled and excited when they open the envelope. They have to experience the 'MIND GIGGLE".  Receivers of these cards say that they know that it is indeed 'The Holiday Season' and Christmas is on it's way when they get the card in the mail.  As my brother Ken puts it." It is like the very well known window designs at Macy's in New York City, at Christmas time.  When they go up, you know Christmas is near."

'SNOWMEN ARE REAL COOL DUDES'               (inside) 'so you be a cool dude, too!'       2006
(c) Loren Fidalgo 2006

As I have mentioned, each year the designs have been such a stressor a lot of pressure and they wear me out!  I 'hunker down' for 3-5 days and just go to town, cutting, gluing, folding, scoring, paper punching and coloring,  There are usually little papers all over the floor that I track around the house, but I don't care at the moment. I am in the 'zone' and a woman on a mission.  As I say each year, "I am not going to do one this year, I ultimately feel compelled like something greater than me, has to get them done and sent out on time no matter how I feel.  Some times I don't feel in the Christmas spirit. I'm feeling tired, low energy and just have some seasonal 'mood problems'.  But each year as the date for completion comes closer, I ramp up my creative drive , and I put it in 'high gear' because it has become such a family tradition.  I ask myself, "Would snoopy not decorate his dog house, if he was in a 'low mood'?"  No way!  " Would Santa not deliver the presents on Christmas Eve because he is 'too tired?  Absolutely, not. They journey and carry on." So I have to say, "Let the game begin!"

THIS SEASON LET'S CELEBRATE...   ( inside) World Peace!  1998
(c) Loren Fidalgo 1998

So, you might be wondering, "do I have an idea for this year yet?"  Well, I am happy to report, that "I am almost there."  I am so excited about it and I hope the final design looks as good as I have created in my mind. You can read here to see how I came up with an idea for past card design. I will be posting glimpses of sketches, mock-ups and prototypes that I use to help generate the final design, however I don't want to give away the idea, until the card is in the mail.  Timing is everything.  This year's design will be something inspired from my much missed Gram who passed away last year.  In this card design, her memory will live on especially, at Christmas time.

DEAR SANTA,  WE HAVE BEEN REALLY GOOD THIS YEAR SO, PLEASE SEND SOME HOPE, LOVE AND JOY!  IF NOT...         (inside)  JUST SEND CASH!  MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!  2012
(c) Loren Fidalgo 2012                    

Keep following along on this blog and my MING GIGGLES blog to see the evolution of the Annual Friends and Family Christmas Card Design take shape.
Cheers,
Loren

MEMORIES AND HOW TO GET IDEAS FOR PAINTINGS

(c) MAKING A MEMORY   OIL ON CANVAS  24x30 2009

I've been struggling a lot writing this post about memories, creativity and how they work together. This is such an important subject to me, since I've always had an interest in the brain and science as a whole and I am fascinated by the way our brains work. To a large degree,  I am interested in how we generate ideas for our artistic endeavors.

First let me say that memories are so important in our lives and loosing them would seriously disrupt our functioning and mostly our sense of self. We need memories to know where we've been, where we are and where we are going.  Essentially, our memories and storage and recall of them, are what we call our identity. Although I have some ideas about how our memories and creativity, work together to create art ,  I am however in no way and expert on this matter. I'm just an artist on the journey to discover and enrich my creative spirit.  I would however, like to share what I believe is the way that our memories are so intertwined in our brains and when we create art.

If you are an artist or a creator of things, you may have had the experience of creating something and when finished, you do not know where you have gotten the idea or subject matter from.  This has happened to me when I am painting. My theory is that I think that we store all of our memories from our entire life in different areas in our brain, and we then access them at different times for a variety of purposes in our life.  When creating art, however, I think that we search our minds unconsciously when we begin our creation, and we make connections between a lot of different memories that come in the form of images. These rapid fire images link together so fast and it causes the "light bulb"or "Ah, ha" experience in our mind.  I believe that it happens at such a deep level that it escapes our conscious awareness.  This may explain my way of coming up with ideas by using words to trigger images in my mind.

I will share how I work to come up with my ideas.  This is in no way the only way.  It's just a way that has worked for me.  If you are struggling or looking for ideas, one way to generate them is to think in terms of pictures in your mind. Imagine them, bring them close to the fore front in your mind. Then think of words and play around with them, repeat them and try putting one word with another. Keep saying the words over and over. When you do this, it is important to close your eyes, relax and go inward as far as you can go.  Don't force it.  Let it flow into your awareness. Let yourself daydream...This is a way helps block out external noise such as sound and sight.  Although there are many ways to come up with ideas, these suggestions can be one way of controlling the ideas you generate in your consciousness.

I hope this helps you to become more aware of how to generate ideas.  Leave a comment if you find this to be helpful in your art?