Experiments and Adventures!

Recently I've been delving back into my creative side for the SCA and working on scribal arts. During these creative endeavors I love to experiment. As a matter of fact I call every project I do an experiment because I'm always trying new things.

One of the things that I love about doing nothing but experimentation is it gives me freedom to fail. I don't feel pressured to produce perfect and it allows me to try things I may not otherwise try. My goal is always to produce a usable piece, but if it doesn't work it isn't a heart-crushing loss.

What else draws me to experimentation is that I love to puzzle things out. I'm sure there are plenty of sites out there I could Google to find the "right" way to accomplish what I want, but for me there's no fun in that. I love the feeling of analyzing what I want to do and coming up with different plans to approach it, trying different techniques, evaluating the results and seeing if I can recreate it again. For me that produces an amazing feeling of accomplishment. And on occasion I sometimes come up with something different than is the accepted way of doing it "right".

So this blog isn't about "tried and true" techniques. It isn't about doing it "right" by someone else's standards. It is about creativity. It is about artistic exploration and growth. Sometimes it may be about fumbling or funny failures, but always it is about trying one's best and enjoying the art. I've never been very good at being bound by others' rules.

I decided to share my journey here just in case there are others out there that might find something useful in my adventures; maybe it sparks an idea they never thought of trying before. I don't even mind those folks that are just curious lookie-loos that want to see what I'm doing next.

Positive feedback is welcome. Comments, questions, ideas or even shared stories. I welcome them. I would love to see others who like to art off the beaten path share those stories and perhaps inspire others to break out of the box.

But trolls and those who are just here to be mean will be dealt with mercilessly. This is your only warning.

So with that out of the way, on with the game!