February creative prompts from Daisy Yellow

I really love Tammy's prompts to help stay fresh, and I actually kept a list of them on my iTouch and the notebook I carry with me to remember what to do. Like January, February was a little hit and miss. But I really liked having a list to help me re-focus when I needed a prompt for something to try next.

The real list is actually longer than this, but these are the ones I wanted to work on:

♣ Practice drawing letters or numbers (ideas at Line Practice)
♣ Watch an art tutorial on YouTube
♣ Create an art journal page using a prompt at Kick-Start Your Art Journal #6
♣ Send a handwritten note to someone to thank them for doing something
♣ Create art or write about a circle, the concept of a circle, or something circular
♣ Go for a leisurely walk with your camera, photographing whatever interests you
♣ Develop a creative/ingenious way to solve a problem  (maybe, see below)
♣ Do art|craft together with a child
♣ Experiment with a new material for your favorite art (i.e. if you knit - try a new type of yarn, if you draw - try square paper, if you paint - try transparent watercolors, if you draw - try charcoal or india ink)
♣ Write a poem or haiku

Wow, not so good. Can I use the Winter Olympics and madly knitting on my Canadian Komi mittens as my defense?

A couple were harder than I expected, or at least I wasn't quite sure how to approach them. The problem solving one, for instance. I feel like I spend most of my work day problem solving and trouble shooting, along with my supervisor. It's an inherent part of the research process, and I've argued before that I believe that the process of science demands creativity and sideways thinking as much as it demands linearity and logic.  So I'm not sure I can make a distinction between creative problem solving and....well, any other type.

As far as the leisurely walk with my camera - well, I did walk with my camera. But I didn't do the two walks I specifically planned on: I have two locations I really want to photograph and I never did make it to either of those places. And I still want to do it, so I'm going to carry this item over.

For a new material, I dug out a set of colored chalk pencils that I tried once and put away because I just couldn't get the hang of them. I still can't get the hang of them. They're Stabilo Carbothello pencils, and the they can be blended dry or painted wet. But they're just.....weird, and I have to admit I still don't get how to use them. Still, it was fun to pull them out and play with something different.

I also realized that the time for doing arts and crafts with my children is really over. Not because they don't do it anymore, rather, they are now entirely self-directed and have developed their very own clear preferences, and other than "can I borrow these paints, mom?" I can't honestly say I do art with them any longer. They have their own path now, and I'm fine with that.

Now, on to the March challenges! (although, if I keep carrying items forward, I can see this list getting longer and longer....)
And a big thank you as always to Tammy at Daisy Yellow for the ongoing inspiration!