it all started with scrapbooking (1 of 2)

I know, I know. That statement is enough to make all the “real artists” out there shudder. But it’s true, and I can’t deny it! I had never considered myself “creative” IN ANY WAY. I grew up always being the smartie – good at stuff like math and science – guess that’s why I became a nurse! But anytime a project called for creativity, I was like “count me out!” Then I discovered scrapbooking. I mean, I had glued stuff in scrapbooks since I was like 15,

my first scrapbook ever

but never paid any attention to color or layout or anything, but when I was in college, some of my other nursing friends were scrapbookers and I saw a whole new world open up!

my first "cute" scrapbook

My skills kept developing in that area, but I still thought “I’m not creative – I just put together stuff that’s already there in my own way.” Then I had a conversation with a friend that helped me realize that that is exactly what creativity is! You don’t start from nowhere and create new worlds without a reference point in THIS world and the things and colors and textures you’ve experienced here! It really is just putting it all together in a new way that is “yours”. That opened up the doors of creativity to me – I suddenly had the freedom to do whatever I wanted with my supplies, and I loved it! I still stuck with paper pretty exclusively for a while, making cards and scrapbooking for myself and others.

People started calling me “their creative friend”! What a change! I hadn’t done anything creative like paint or draw or collage since I was a kid (part of the reason for the name “rusty artist” – the idea that everyone starts out as kids able to access their creative sides, but as many are encouraged in a different direction, they stop using those talents/that side of them, and it ends up “rusty”.) Now people were asking ME to create stuff for them and their families!

jason took pictures of a bunch of rusty stuff for me at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco (you can't really tell from this picture, but the letters "RUSTY" have actual rust on them - not sure if that's too archival, but i like it :)