Dishfunctional Designs: perspective

Monday, August 29, 2016

The Magic Behind The Tools: Everything You Need Is Already Inside Of You

A friend was recently visiting me while I was making some jewelry. She noticed my inexpensive hand tools and asked me why I wasn't using more expensive/professional grade hand tools instead of the thrifty "economy" versions that I was using. Some of my favorite and most used hand tools – and even some of those I use in my books – are inexpensive chain nose pliers, round nose pliers, and end cutters.

I guess I never really thought too much about it. I've always just been busy creating. It's true that you can buy expensive tools such as pricey pliers that are a bit more comfortable to use because they're more ergonomically correct, which I'm sure would be beneficial if you're doing a lot of repetitive work - but I don't do that type of work so I guess I just never really had the need. I've always been pretty happy with what I have, and never saw the need for buying anything else. I've actually always thought of my hands as my tools, and any pliers or anything else that I used - as just extensions of me.

But my friend's question reminded me of a remark that a fan posted on my Dishfunctional Designs Facebook page a few years ago who commented when I put up a photo of an intricately made artwork that I created out of an old plate. The person said something to the point of, "Wow, what amazing tool did you use to create this beautiful artwork?" to which I immediately (half-jokingly and half seriously) replied, "It was the amazing woman behind the tool that created the artwork!" The person responded with an enlightened "Yes!" And we traded Emoji smiles. :)

It's not the tool that creates the artwork. It's the magic of the person behind the tool. It's their mind and their hands, it's their creativity, imagination, and innovation. It's their personal magic that creates art.

I recently received an email from a fan in Italy who sent me a photo of herself working making jewelry from broken china plates using techniques that she learned from my book, Boho Chic Jewelry. She thanked me for writing my books and for sharing my secrets so that she (and other people) could make jewelry like mine. She said that she didn't have the money to buy some of the tools that I recommended in my book but that she was improvising and using what she had (cruder hand tools) until she could afford to buy some of the tools that I recommended that would make her work easier.

With her email she included photos of some of the jewelry that she made, which was beautiful. In reading her letter and seeing the photos of what she had created, it was clear to me that she had the understanding and the magic because of her motivation and innovation, which was apparent in her jewelry.

Understand that everything you need is already inside of you. The secret is to tap into that magic and use it.

In my books Boho Chic Jewelry and Soldered Alchemy, I suggest what tools are optimal to help you create jewelry. But please understand that YOU are the one ultimately making the jewelry, not the tools!

Some synonyms for tools are: utensil, instrument, apparatus, gadget, device... but please realize that you, your hands, and your imagination are the biggest, most important tools that you have!

Understand this: There are many tools available that can help you work faster and maybe more efficiently, but there is no tool in the universe that will help you work with a higher level of creativity or motivation.

Make creativity your daily practice and make this practice a way of life, instead of thinking about what particular tool, apparatus, instrument, utensil or gadget you need to buy, because all of that is secondary. Tools are merely the instruments of you. Are they helpful? Are they essential? Of course they are. They help you do certain tasks that are impossible to do with bare hands. But my point is this: Focus on innovation, on having a different perspective, and on being creative, because that is the secret to creating beauty.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your voice so please leave me a comment below.

Have a great week!

Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

Friday, July 22, 2016

10 Ways To Be A Creative Thinker: Perspective Is Everything

Some see trash, I see treasure

What is creative thinking?

How do creative people come up with their clever, innovative ideas?

How can I be a creative thinker?

Is creativity a gift? Do some folks have it and others not? Why does it seem that some people seem to have a constant flow of innovative ideas while others seem to struggle to come up with one original idea? If you've ever wondered about any of the above questions, read on for my 10 tips and suggestions to help boost your own creative thinking.

10 Ways To Boost Your Creativity

1. Perspective is Everything.
Creative people are open-minded. They give themselves permission to stray from a straight and narrow line of human thought and branch out into uncharted territories. They train their minds to look at things (whether it be materials or situations) from a variety of different perspectives. Be open minded. Practice seeing things from different points of view.

2. Develop Patience.
Creative thinkers don't quickly rush to find a solution or an answer to a problem. They patiently consider different options and give equal weight to different possibilities. They give themselves the gift of time to weigh out different options (they give themselves time to consider different perspectives, as in #1 above!)

3. Be Optimistic.
An optimistic mind is an open mind. It's also a positive mind. Besides helping to boost creativity, being optimistic is good for your health. If you tend to be a negative thinker, banishing negative thoughts from your mind can take some time and practice, but you can do it!
When you feel a negative thought coming into your mind, recognize it for what it is, label it as a negative thought, and then replace that negative thought with a positive one. Make yourself get into the habit of doing this and after a while it will become second nature. A well-balanced, optimistic, open mind is more welcoming to new and different ideas than a negative, closed mind. Make sense?

4. Be Grateful.
Gratitude is directly related to optimism. When you slow down and relax your body and mind and open yourself up to feelings of gratitude, anxieties disappear and the mind becomes a clean slate. What are you grateful for? Make a list. Better yet, start a gratitude journal. Every day write down something that you are grateful for. Review your list constantly.

5. Read.
Read! Explore other worlds through reading books. Reading not only helps boost your creativity by opening your mind to new worlds, but it also helps expand your vocabulary, stimulates your brain, and makes you smart. Reading also helps develop concentration and focus, not to mention it's just plain awesome.

6. Teach yourself to relax.
When life gets busy we tend to get stressed out. Do you know how to relax? Always know that you have the power to comfort yourself. Everything you need is already inside of you. Be confident in your abilities to comfort and relax yourself. Once you realize that you have this amazing power, use it frequently! Even the simplest exercise - such as deep breathing - is a powerful tool that YOU own. Use it! I find that my own creativity blossoms when I am relaxed.

7. Believe in your personal magic.
Every single person in the world has their own special magic. I think that lots of people get so caught up in day to day life that they either ignore their magic or they never take the time to foster it and allow it to grow and blossom. Or maybe they have allowed pessimism and negativity to bury their magic so deep down inside of themselves that it remains hidden. What talents do you posses? How can you use your talents to help other people? Find those talents and use them for good. Help other people live better lives.

8. Play.
Play games, listen to music, play with your children, play with hobbies and things that are fun and bring you joy. Imaginative play and games that require you to think and use your imagination are great ways to get the gears in your brain moving and spark your creativity. Know how to have fun! I love to play games!

9. Know who you are.
Spend as much time as you can surrounded by nature and without distractions. Leave the phone at home. Listen to the sound of your footsteps on a woodsy trail. Look around at all of the colors and shapes of life. Use all of your senses to take it all inside of you. Just as there are rocks beneath your feet and trees around you, realize that you are a part of all of that life. Just as you look at a tree and take in an impression of that tree, realize that all that you say and do to other people is your own legacy. Make it a good one.

10. Give.
This is one of my personal favorites. Give. Share your ideas. Give them away. I firmly believe that it is in the process of giving away what we know that allows us to be open to receive more, brand new ideas. Some people think of ideas or creative ideas as being sacred secrets - what I mean by this is that they think they have some sort of secret formula that they need to keep hidden to themselves and that that is their power, when in actuality the opposite is true. It is in giving away that you increase your power. It is in giving away that you make room for brand new ideas. By helping other people you are releasing goodness into the world that will come back to you twofold. Give!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, so be sure to leave a comment below!