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#CreativeSprint featured me on their page.

My 30-day creativity challenge done with #CreativeSprint was featured on their website. I am very appreciative. Thank you #Creativesprint.co

October #CreativeSprint 2015

In October I joined #CreativeSprint 30-day challenge.

Each day in October, I received an email with a creative prompt/assignment. My job was to interpret the prompt however I liked and share a photo of what I did.

In this community of online sharing, I not only felt obligated to keep up with my daily post, but also I felt motivated but all of the other creative spirits going through the same experience as me. It was a lot of fun seeing what others came up with given the same assignment - almost like being back in school but way more fun and relaxed.

I combined this challenge with my Afros365 challenge of creating Afros for a year. This in some ways limited some of my ideas and I ended up, on some of the assignments, doing two creatives for those days. In some ways, limiting myself hindered my efforts because I was trying so hard to "make it work" for both challenges. I had to just let it go and do two.

I learned a lot about challenging myself and completing tasks.  I learned that life is short. You start off thinking a month is a long time, but how quickly it goes by, especially when you are having fun. I also learned, and am still learning, that I was able to keep my motivation for this project and Afros365 because I love crafting more than I love art. I don't know what this means for the future of my art but I am enjoying the ride.

DAY 1 DREAM SMALL. People who aspire to do great things can change the world. Having big goals is a wonderful way to find purpose in your work. However, Big Ideas and Big Goals can be daunting or worse, completely paralyzing. That's why it is important to begin with something small.
Make something that fits in the palm of your hand using only the materials in your immediate environment.

DAY 2 Make something inspired by or using the letters of your first name (or your initials if you prefer).

DAY 3 Give a face to something that normally doesn't have one.

DAY 4 Make something with the contents of your pockets or bag.

DAY 5 Make a container, something that can hold something else.

DAY 6 PERFECTION IS OVERRATED. Probably one of the biggest creative stumbling blocks is our need for getting things right. The reality is that treating your creations as precious little things to protect keeps you from the world of possibilities that comes from trying new things out, making mistakes, and getting things wrong. Make something with your eyes closed.

DAY 7 Make something inspired by a guilty pleasure.

DAY 8 Recreate or interpret a work of art you admire.

DAY 9 Break something and make something new with the parts

DAY 10 Make something inspired by your favorite childhood game.

DAY 11 Work with the unexpected. When you are trying to make something and it doesn’t come out the way you want we are inclined to label it a mistake or a failure, or junk. But what if we change the semantics of that and say its unexpected results. There’s opportunity in unexpected results, you can learn from that and at the end of the day that is where you will find innovative new solutions. Spill something and make something with or inspired by the mess.

DAY 12 Choose any activity you normally do today and do it backwards.

DAY 13 Use the front page of a newspaper or cover of a magazine as materials or source of inspiration, today.

DAY 14 Walk for 5 minutes without any specific destination in mind, make something with or inspired by whatever is available where you end up.

DAY 15 Learn about something that happened today in history and make something inspired by it.

DAY 16 Make something that combines two things that are not usually found together.

DAY 17 Give It Away. It may sound counter-intuitive, but you get a lot from giving things away. And this relates not only to things but ideas and even simply opening a door and inviting people into your working process, sharing your practice and methodology. Doing this is essential to building an engaged and invested community around your work. Teach us how to do something.

DAY 18 Make something and trade it for something you want.

DAY 19 Make something for another #CreativeSprint-er.

DAY 20 Find a creative way to give someone a compliment.

DAY 21 Make something and send it snail mail to someone.

DAY 22 Make a Fool of Yourself. At some point in our lives we’ve probably been told not to make a fool of ourselves, but the fact is that’s one of the most effective ways to get inspiration! Fear of rejection and fear of embarrassment—these are the ephemeral enemies of our creativity. Make a mustache and get a photo of yourself wearing it in public.

DAY 23 Go outside and make a shrine to nature - leave it for someone to find.

DAY 24 Break a rule.

DAY 25 Make whatever you want but do it in a public place - park, library, coffee shop - get someone to take a photo of you doing it!

DAY 26 Create a frame, using any materials. Take it with you wherever you go and use it to capture anything you view as beautiful.

DAY 27 Collaborate. There’s no substitute for the benefits you get when working creatively with other people. Developing new relationships and deepening existing ones is essential to personal and professional growth. You get results that are exponentially greater when you don’t just work alone. Make something with another #Creativesprint-er.

DAY 28 Ask someone to teach you something new.

DAY 29 Ask someone to start something for you to finish.

DAY 30 Make a trophy and award it to yourself!

Special Notes from Fans

"Field of Afros" by Unicia R. Buster

"During the art show, I walked to your quilt every single day and spent time in meditation. Does it have a public home now? If so, I can visit it again. In a moment of insanity, I thought of springing for the $6K, but then that would have been a down payment on a new car or something. Unfortunately (or fortunately), prudence preempted my passion for your art. If I'm not your greatest fan, I'd love to meet who is." Russel D.

"I have been meaning to e-mail you and tell you how beautiful your quilt is!!! Every time I go by it, I stop and look at it and see something new. I have really enjoyed it and all of the art that is on display. Thanks for what you do for the arts here. It is very special!" Karen S.

It really means a lot when I know people enjoy what I enjoy doing for the hospital as well as for myself. Both comments were in reference to a quilt I displayed at the hospital for an employee art show (pictured).

Came Across Some Drawings from College Days c. 1996

by Unicia R. Buster

These are some gesture drawings in charcoal that I did in a drawing class in college - what's left of them. I threw a lot of them away. I haven't photographed all of them yet. But I remember thinking these drawings were awful. I must have had some serious low self-esteem. Because I love these drawings now and I want to get a few nicely matted and framed.

by Unicia R. Buster

by Unicia R. Buster

by Unicia R. Buster

by Unicia R. Buster

by Unicia R. Buster

A NEW Project - Afros 365 - I'm creating an Afro everyday for a year.

Check out either of these blogs for updates:

AFROS 365

afros365.wordpress.com

Carnival Outfit Complete Look

 My first handmade carnival costume. I'm very proud of it. It took a lot of work but I can see why they charge so much for these things ($250 and up in the thousands). As I said in my previous post, I spent about $45 on fabric and embellishments for the entire thing. I used an old bra for the top and a swimsuit bottom. For the base of the headdress, I used a plastic 3-ring binder that I cut up. For the base of the arm and leg bands and the belt, I used canvas. It was put together with needle and thread and hot glue. My sandals were $17 from Ross and the belly chain and beads were things I already owned.

I took some photographs while making the body of the costume:

The headdress.

A part of the headdress and the belt.

Beginning stages of the bra.

Here I've added a few more things to the bra.

Beginning stages of the leg bands.

The finished belt.

The finished bra and belt.

The finished arm band.

The finished leg band.

Detail of the bra. You can see the tons of seed beads I used.

Detail of the sequins I sewed on and some seed beads that I sewed on.

Another detail of some strands of beads hanging from a ring that was stitched onto the bra.

The completed look.