Mrs. Ricefield Gets Creative

photo Mrs. Ricefield

I'm so happy to introduce you to Mrs. Ricefield! She's a dear blogging friend whose incredibly creative ideas are always inspiring . She has a knack for teaching crafts that are easy to make.

photo Mrs. Ricefield

When did you first know you loved to create?

My curiosity and need to experiment/create have always been there, for as long as I remember. I would make doll clothes out of fabric scraps and ribbons, I had lots of sketchbooks and journals from very young, I would get into the kitchen and make a mess coming up with my own "recipes." To be honest, my parents didn't see any talent in me and they never encouraged "art" but they did encourage creativity in other forms - imaginative play, writing, etc. My mom never took her embroidery, crochet, or sewing very far. I don't remember her doing anything, even though she knew how. Her focus was her academic career. My dad was also very focused on his business career, but he was an incredible musician. He played four instruments, all by ear, and he would sit on the piano or grab his guitar and just play whatever he heard in his mind. It was amazing to watch.

But my grandmas were both incredibly creative, using different media. My father's mom created incredible crochet and sewing, but her biggest talent was cooking. My mother's mom painted beautifully, embroidered, crocheted, knitted, composed music, and made flowers like I've never seen - paper, fabric, beads, a mix of all of them. She had her own business for a long time, making flowers for weddings especially. I loved going to visit and watching her make the delicate little petals for minute flowers, then add them together for yards and yards of bouquets, garlands.

So, creativity is just something that has been a part of my life in one way or another since very early on, of my own interest and by exposure to the people around me.

What's your favorite crafty tool(s)?

My sewing machine. It's hard to choose because it always depends on what I'm doing. But I would say the sewing machine because it's so prolific - I can use it in card making, sewing all kinds of fun and/or practical things, even mixed media collages. But I couldn't live without my markers, pens, paint brushes, pretty papers, ribbons, glue (that's a big one too)!!!!

photo Mrs. Ricefield

What advice would you give someone who doesn't think they're creative, but wants to be?

I thoroughly believe that everyone has creativity inside them, it's a basic skill for humans. If you think about it, you have to be creative to go through life. Here's an example, you're running late in the morning, you open your fridge and realize you have to go grocery shopping and there's nothing easily picked for breakfast. What do you do? You exercise a whole lot of creativity in a few minutes to make some kind of breakfast for yourself (and your family). And this happens all the time, everywhere, but we don't see it as creativity - dealing with people at work, keeping our kids entertained. 

If you want to make something that people traditionally think of as creative, it's a matter of training this inner ability to adapt, to create solutions. Try to put aside, even for a little while, self defeating thoughts about a lack of creativity or talent. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, they are so important for growth.

If you're not sure where to start, grab a hobby magazine for your chosen medium and use one of their tutorials. It's ok to copy at first, when you learn the basics and some fun techniques, you'll grow into your own and experiment.

photo Mrs. Ricefield

If you were a famous actor/actress, who would you be?

Ha! You got me... I'm not even sure who the famous actors and actresses are now. I haven't owned a tv in 6 years, and since my daughter was born cartoons are close to the only type of movies I watch. But let's see... Maybe Naomi Watts? I always thought she was very talented. I'd rather do what I do very well than have the most fame. 

And a few either/or questions just for fun:

Grand Canyon or the Taj Mahal? Can I have both? Sure! I couldn't choose between the two types of beauty. 

Grapes or coconuts? Grapes, yum.

High heels or flats? Flats. Comfort and cuteness don't have to be mutually exclusive. 

photo Mrs. Ricefield

Thank you so much, Mrs. Ricefield. Be sure to stop by her blog and say hello!