make time for creative play

Creative play is important play to a creative.

I posted this image a bit back on Instagram. The sentiment is more than perfect:
Make time for your art.

As a creative creating content for other brands, I way too often forget to do just that. Make time for art. For the opportunity to just play and explore. I can get too rigid in my assignments and my focus becomes work work and more work. And all work and no play makes Jamie a dull girl.

Today I am going to share with you some recent play time.
And the exploring that took place.

I gathered the Jane Davenport Butterfly Book, Collage Papers, her acrylics, plus Heidi Swapp Minc Reactive Paint and a Stencil.

Time to commence play.

First I adhered a piece of the Collage Paper to a piece of cardstock that will fit inside the Butterfly Effect book.
Then I washed that over with Gess-Oh and then several swipes of the Matte Acrylic Paints.

As I explored those colors I needed the hues to be softer. The Gess-Oh base paint was lightly swiped over the brighter pink and blue. Hmm...I'm liking that. The Heidi Swapp Heat Tool helped dry that layer and not have to wait for the white to dry.

Next, I wanted to play with the Minc Reactive Paint over the acrylic and gesso wash. I added just a few circles from the Minc Mixed Media Stencil along the edges.

This is when the surprise came into view. After the Reactive Paint dried, I ran it through the Minc Machine layered under Champagne Reactive Foil. The result? A bit of an all over reaction to the foil. The circle stencil showed up nicely. But it seems the Gess-Oh has a bit of a reactive element that allowed the Champagne foil to play nicely with the background. This is the part where you are pleasantly pleased with your creative play and exploring different elements and watching them come together...and you get that little pleased giddy feeling in your heart. Yeah. That.

After that discovery, I added Jane Davenport Washi Tape in that floral print as well as the Journal Tape. More Collage Papers were laid over the top of some of the tape. And I called it good.



Having made this addition to my art journal only causes me to want to play again and again. It inspires creative thought, and it allows me to rest a little and just simply enjoy.

So tell me, are you good at creative play? Do you take time to take time? Let me know your thoughts on the topic. I would love to hear from you.

Until next time...

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of jamiepate.com I do receive financial compensation and material product from American Crafts to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own. 

supplies | Jane Davenport at Michaels Stores. Heidi Swapp Minc Mixed Media