Day 355: Finding inspiration in a busy day

Today I am working from 1:30 until 10:30 and the same tomorrow, so how could I possibly fit creativity into that day?

What do you do when there is no room for creativity in your day?

Is there such a day?

Inspiration can come from anywhere or anyone and if we are creative by nature then surely any situation can bring about an idea which will inspire creativity.

Today's challenge is to inspire creativity. Find something in your day that will spark creativity, even if the creative activity does not actually occur today. That's the challenge.

Find inspiration...Go.

Day 354: Vegan with a Vengeance

In order to get all my big assessments completed for final Degree hand-ins, I have found it best to treat myself to a spot of creativity AFTER I've done some work. That way, I have something to look forward to as I slog away.

So yesterday, for example I decided to make some 'Big Crunchy Peanut Butter - Oatmeal Cookies' from my new Vegan cookbook. I am not actually a vegan, but my boyfriends is, so if I can make something that will please his tummy, I'm up for it!

The thing with baking is, well, it's a bit of a trail and error game really. The cookies tasted great, but the first tray spread into each other and they came out looking more like slices of granary bread than cookies! The second batch I made smaller and left them in for longer, but then I couldn't get them off the tray which resulted in some bloody fingers come the end!

But, I had fun (apart from the cut fingers) and now have some pretty tasty cookies to eat for the next essay writing session. All the things I've learnt NOT to do, I've written on a sticky note and put on the page.

Next time I might add chocolate chips too. If you can't fit chocolate into it, it's often not worth eating as far as I'm concerned! But first I MUST do some more essay writing...

How will you treat your creative side on the final slog?

Day 353: Olympics 2012 Designer!

12 year old Hannah Clegg from Wiltshire has had her design chosen for the Olympic Park 'Landmark Garden' which will be created especially for the 2012 Games. 88 designs were submitted, but Hannah's beat them all and will be combined with the winning adult design submitted by Rachel Read.

What an exciting competition to win! Can you imagine walking around the Olympic garden knowing you designed it! Just think how many millions of people from all over the world will walk through it!

Because of Hannah's creative talents, the world will see her designs in action.

How could you get invovled in London 2012? Hosting the Olympics is an amazing opportunity that may never happen again in our life time, so we gotta jump on it and get involved, just like Hannah. Let's take inspiration from her amazing achievement and step up for 2012. See what you could do. The Olympics needs your creative talent!

Day 352: My Guerilla Knitting Experience

For those of you who don't know what guerilla knitting is, it's basically anonymous knitting left in public spaces. So, people will do a bunch of knitted patches and then cover a tree or a lamp post in it.

Being into knitting I thought it was about time I got involved in a bit of knitting graffiti, so when the opportunity came up on campus, obviously I jumped at the chance.

This particular guerilla knitting is in aid of the 'Red Thread' exhibition going on at Bath Spa campus this Saturday, 28th May 2011.

Here's me preparing next to the lake on campus. Oh, the concentration...

Then I headed over to the site where guerilla knitting would commence and off we went. Now I have to tell you that it was guerilla knitting, but we weaved them into the installation with bits of fabric and wool and pom-poms...

The red knitted bit in the middle is my handy work!

Check out some more guerilla knitting on Google. It's amazing! How could you use your skills to have some fun and help a good cause...?

Day 351: Miniature Knitting

Check out these tiny knitted items. They're so cute! Makes my 'little' mice I knitted look massive in comparison. The detail is incredible. The dolly that owns this better wear it with pride. Isn't it amazing what you can do with a little bit of creativity (and a magnifying glass!)

Day 350: What if...

Today's challenge is to think of a 'what if' scenario and then create a story from it. Like,

'What if all the planes stopped working tomorrow and everyone had to turn their gardens into vegetable patches?'

'What if Elvis Presley walked into your school/collage and announced his death was a hoax?'

'What if an elephant started talking to you when you went to the zoo?'

'What if you won a life time supply of chocolate from Cadbury's?'

Use one of these or come up with your own 'what if' to play with...see what you can create.

Day 349: Holburne Museum, Bath

Bath has loads of museums and galleries but for the whole time I've been here, the Holburne Museum has been shut. They've been refurbishing it for three years to make it double the size of it's former self.

Bath buildings are unique from any other place in the country and a lot of them are protected from any changes people want to make. When the sun hits them just right they look beautiful. There's no where quite like Bath in the sunshine. So, when the Holburne Museum said they were going to add a modern structure to the back of the museum to make it double its size, loads of people were mortified.

But, I think it looks amazing, don't you? It can hold way more exhibits now and more people will visit to see what all the fuss is about! The pillars running down the building are all mottled and change in the light as you move around them.

Change is refreshing. I think us creative thinkers follow in the Holburne's footsteps. Sometimes we need to take the leap to get that reaction, that encouragement, that inspiration we've been searching for.

What will you do?