Mom's Observations...

Here are some of the observations and subsequent musings I've made concerning Eli's artwork and his stamping process:

Eli is a "fearless" stamper  --

Unafraid of color...
Unafraid of white space...
Unafraid to put his "vision" on paper...
Unafraid of imperfection...
Unafraid to try anything or improvise --
     I have no idea how he did his masking effects because he never cut out any traditional ones... or how he got things positioned and pieced together so well without using a positioner...
Unintimidated by "learning in process" --
     i.e. "I shouldn't have used that color 'cause it's way too dark, but except for that, I like everything else... Next time I'll remember..."

Even during his first session of stamping sans help/supervision, a personal style seemingly emerged --

Bold collage-like artwork with a story to tell, or humor to share (makes me think of the things one sees in RubberStampMadness).

Eli was supremely happy to work with "just the basics" --

White paper, black ink, clear embossing powder, brush markers, and a Zig Millennium pen.  Even with "oodles" at his disposal, he never needed "more."

The satisfaction of his stamping experience was not in the finished cards themselves (the product), in fact, I don't think he's given his finished pieces another thought... The satisfaction came in making the cards (the process).

Of course, after taking these mental notes on Eli and his artwork, I couldn't help, but turn my thoughts inward, and wonder about my own work/stamping process...

• Have I gotten overly "technical" in my stamping?  Is it getting "cookie-cutter?"
• Does having so much stamping paraphernalia help, or actually hinder my stamping spontaneity and creativity?
• Over time, have I become more focused on the outcome of my efforts rather than the efforts themselves?

Hmmmm.... no conclusions quite yet... still musing (probably because I don't like some of the answers I'm suspecting).

In the meantime, I'm thankful for Eli deciding he wanted to stamp "all by himself" because being able to observe his experience and its outcome, certainly have given me a couple good reminders for stamping in the year ahead --

"It's not what you have, or acquiring more that counts, it's what you do with what you have...."

and

"The stamping journey is the reward." 

Happy Stamping 2008!

(And yes, all the images Eli used on his creations are by smARTworks.)

Comments

[Trish D]

Aw, man, how come you had to make ME ponder, too?! Seriously, though, I know my piles of gadgets has hindered my creativity. Yet another reason I'm paring down. Love Eli's fearless creations!