jamie pate: Limiting Your Creativity

do you do that?

Do you limit your creativity?

Recently I was listening to Vicki Boutin do a chat. In that chat she was challenging the idea of limiting one's creativity.

"Why are there limits on your creativity?" she asked.

Why is it that people don't like to make all the things? was the spirit of the conversation.

Limiting Your Creativity | JamiePate.com

This talk ended up really challenging me. Because, raising my hand, I can have a tendency to limit my creativity. To say things like: oh...that's not really me. Or...I would never make with that product.

That is a limiting mind set. And frankly, I don't like that about myself. I don't like to think that I can't make something because it does not fit in my genre.

I mean, what is that attitude anyway? I'm asking myself. But maybe I am asking you too!

She was inquiring why friends don't make mini albums. Or if they are card makers why they would not make a scrapbook page. Or if they are scrappers why they only make single page layouts.

Limiting, right? Why do we do that?

Take this little dancing bear here. No, really, I would love for you to purchase him through my link. But I digress. Let's chat about him for a minute.

Have you ever seen a bear on my pages or cards or tags? Nope.

Do you know why you have never seen a bear on my projects?

Because 'I don't do bears'.

Yep. That's what I have said. Oh, 'that is too cutesy for me. I don't do cutesy'.

Limitations. that's what I have set for myself.

How do we know that if we limit ourselves in these small areas that this habit is not also encroaching on other areas of our life. Huh? Think about that for a minute.

So, that dancing bear stamp and die is a new set coming to ScrapbookCom called Christmas Friends. And yes. It is so darn cutesy. But hey...you know who would love cutesy? My granddaughter. That's who. So you know what this girl here who wants to be the most amazing grandmother ever does? She makes a dancing bear tag to put on one of her first Christmas presents from said awesome Grandmother!

You can see the components above:

A Tim Holtz Tag Die colored with Evergreen Bough Oxide Ink then stenciled with THIS fabulous stencil using the Snowflake Grit! There's an even better look below.

Then, having cut another tag in the same size, I then hand cut a frame by removing the inside of the tag. Layered acetate to that frame tag. Added the bear to the background. Then some fun shakety shake sequins!

So here's what I DID do that stayed true to what I think is my style:

Lots of layers. Inked papers. Crinkly ribbon. Snowflakes! Yep. I still kept these elements to the things that I absolutely love to make with. But then added in that adorable Christmas Friends bear. And everyone I have shown just smiles. Now, how's that for a super power!!!

So my hope for you today is that if you may be limiting yourself in the making to at least ask yourself why. Why do you do that? Truly. You have nothing to lose. Actually, you have everything to gain. A new creativity discovery. And the end to self limitations.

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