When I was young, sorry I meant younger, I used to try hard to be different. I had a strong belief that normal was bad (and deep inside I knew I was one of them...). Trying to be different applied to clothing and creativity as well. I wished to be creative, but since I had some difficulties with getting in touch with the deep suffering me, I could not make ART. Though I had read The Idiot by Dostojevski and a range of other Russian classics. The advantage of getting old, sorry I meant older, is that you start to understand the meaning of community and interaction. That people don't live in a vacuum, even not the very creative individuals. I started to think about this when I excused myself for jumping on the owl trend making this cushion a while back. I got another reminder of this yesterday when I received the etsy finds newsletter and found my house scarf featured in it. Hurray! In the newsletter Anda says: I'm an applique maniac (you can see my whole Etsy shop here, I used to sell full time back in 2006) and thought I was being original when I made some house appliques a few months ago...turns out I was tapping into another Etsy meme.
This made the deep teen devil on my shoulder crazy:
"-And you have been making pouches with house appliqué on today!"
"-You are just like everybody else!"
"- So what!" I replied. I love appliquéd houses and my appliqués look just as original as I am. And a lot of other people share my joy. Which makes me happy :)
21 comments:
I think your work is beautiful AND original...
i think truly original people do what they want to do - because they like it.
http://kirstencan.typepad.com
Your work is cheerful and original and is unique in that it is created by you. I think it is nearly impossible to not be influenced by all the lovely creativity out there. And your interpretations of houses, birds, bicycles, and scarves, quilts and pouches are very original. (and likely to influence many others!)
it is very original... just exactly like you.
and... i think there are very few original ideas, but it is how they are interpreted that make it your own. it is a struggle for me every time but it is good to be reminded that personality does indeed show through.
I love your work and think everything you make is so unique and individual. There are some common themes going on out there in etsy land but only you can make things the way you do - and I love that little house applique!!
xxx
Too cute! You've got a style that many want to copy, but I don't think anyone really can. Keep up the good work!
it is a struggle to be truly original in a world with so many other creative people out there! i recently found a few other artists whose work i love, and then i realized that i love them because i have done similar things in my pieces (but they did it better). great minds think alike?
the most important thing is to do what you love.
This is a good post, I can be like this as well--I remember as a teen and young adult absolutely refusing to follow certain fashions simply because it was fashionable and everyone else was wearing it. Now there are some fabrics I can't seem to bring myself to buy, even though I love it, because I see how many other people are using it. Although I had no problem following others with my obsession for Japanese craft books and fabric.
I really do think you have such an original approach to wonderful art! Never think you are not an individual - I love what you make! Lucy x
I got "accused" for stealing my idea from a childrens collection. Since I never HEARD of those clothes, how can I possibly steal it??
First I got angry, on the other hand; when you choose to put a cupcake appliqué on a childrens sweater, the odds of making something unique is pretty low...
//Kaja
I think there is only so much stuff out there to be original over. The trick isn't being the first to do something, the trick is having such a style that everyone knows who made it - and you do have your very own distinctive style. No one makes houses like Syko!
Oi Kajsa kuinka ihana postaus!
I think your little pouches are adorable.
I love the way that you are not afraid to use bright colors.
I'm getting better I think in being a little bolder with my color selections. You are very original in your creativity.
I totally agree with you sewq! But that opens a new question. If the trick is to do it in your own style, how do you know when you got your own style?
And also, how do you know if you got any good taste in styles at all? You might think that the red pink, orange and red you put together looks really hot, but everyone elses eyes are hurting from the combo.
Kaja- I'd say just go for it!
Thank you everyone for the love! You make my day(s)! Most of the time I have no problems at all, I just do what I love and try to make something of half of all the ideas that pop into my mind. However it took me many years to be brave enough to realize how childish my mind is and to dare making cheerful, happy things. It sounds stupid, I know, but as I said in the post I thought that art had to come from some kind of suffering (and now I am not talking about my bank account:)
Thanks again and happy creating!
I agree whole heartedly with kirsten + aaron! Do what you love... love what you do:)
You are amazing. The pouch is mine as soon as I sell some more goodies!!!
Your work is beautiful and inspiring - which is what we are ALL looking for. We take that inspiration and go with it - started out where you/they left off and adding our OWN flair and finesse...
Such a sweet pouch!
Just original people dear to make their own copies ;)
I have often been guilty of reactionary non-wearing/buying/making. "Well, I'm not going to do it if everyone else is doing it now . . ". Lately, though, I'm becoming more and more convinced that not only are there etsy memes, but these seem to be certain things that just hit the collective unconcious and all at once all the people who are really in tune with it (creative minds especially) say owls! or houses! all at once. Weird, but it seems to be true.
Your work is very fantastic, btw. Very lovely and whimsical and somehow distinctively Finn (I'm Irish canadian, but grew up in Thunder Bay, in the Finnish part of town where everyone has a sauna in their basement, so i found your work strangely familliar when I first saw it . . collective unconcious again, I'm sure).
it's funny that I came across this post today. I was just reading some blogs and feeling very insecure about my own work. your work is so original and so you...and it's interesting to hear that you have some self doubts at times, too. I guess we all do, don't you think? keep creating your joyful pieces. they are simply wonderful!!!
Hi there, I'm sorry for posting MONTHS too late, but I wanted to say that your work was the inspiration for that house Etsy Find, and it is very original. I think I made that comment more because I was worried people would look at my shop and think I was featuring houses just because I was making them then. I should choose my words more carefully, I think. Anyway, keep making what you make, you work is really great. Best,
Anda
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