Soldering On

 

My Mushroom Lamp

The title for this post is not a typo. Last month my husband and I took a class that was designed to teach people how to solder. We aren’t beginners but I wanted a fun activity we could do together, and the class project to make a mushroom lamp really caught my eye.

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My soldering experience goes back, way back, to my earliest computing job where I assembled specialized computers from very basic components. I’ve soldered tiny little resistors and thin wires, and also have soldering experience from stained glass work. The mushroom light project was a good soldering refresher.

 

The instructor had 3D printed mushroom stems and caps for us to choose from. Our soldered circuits went inside the mushroom caps. We then strung the wiring through the mushroom's stem.

 

After soldering and securing the circuit board in the mushroom's cap, we had to unwrap and glue in a couple dozen mushroom gills that the instructor had made with a laser cutter. That took quite a while as the blue protective film didn't come off easily. An additional benefit of the class was learning about a super glue accelerant. That will come in handy on our future projects!

 

 

The soldering portion of the class didn’t take long. However, the WLED software we used to program the lights on our completed mushroom lights fascinated me. It seemed there were endless possibilities and I’ll continue to change the lights occasionally.

Ta da! My finished lamp lit up

Foiled Again

 

 

My favorite foil

 No, my attempt at something wasn't thwarted. Rather, while making Christmas cards I rediscovered the joy of foiling. I did also relearn the difference between the two primary ways I make foiled cards, so I guess you could say there were some foiled attempts through this process.

The first way I can foil cards is with a device called the Go Press and Foil as seen at right.This device uses plates that are heated and a special foil that is heat activated to adhere to the paper.

 

This is the birthday card I created for my sister using the hot plate shown above. The pink outline of the flowers is foiled and I colored in the rest.

The March kit

Now that I’ve been buying quality products, I am delighted with this process and even signed up for a monthly hot foil kit-of-the-month subscription. Each month I get a new plate and die set along with a roll of foil.

The second method of foiling cards is with the Glaminator. This machine needs a product called transfer gel or embossing powder to make foil adhere to the paper. It can be trickier to get clean results, but with the Glaminator I can use stencils with transfer gel, or stamps with embossing powder that melts to allow the foil to adhere.

Glaminator success

Foils for each machine come in a variety of colors and patterns.  Having done a lot of practice this month, I now have everything well documented so there are no more foiled attempts at foiling cards. 😀

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day Readers!

 

Direction ~ by Lexa Fisher

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Direction. Where am I headed?

I learned a lot about myself this past quarter. Work was really busy—longer days, weekend hours—and I let it consume my life. It was so easy to look at my day calendar and know what I would be doing the next 10 hours. I’d planned out everything I had to get done, I knew what those tasks were, what the finished goal looked like. My direction was forward.

Image from Unsplash

Problems developed, however, during my non-work hours. I had no path forward, no goal. When I had free time I wasn't able to be creative. Like unused muscles, in those non-work hours my brain couldn’t come up with a single creative thing I wanted to do.

Making Christmas cards finally gave me a goal in December, but I'd failed to do any of the other crafting that I usually enjoy. So this year I'm setting hobby goals--a road map for where I want my creativity to take me.

Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash

To reach my goal of regaining creativity, I've had to take baby steps to stop work and switch to crafting. In planning this journey, I've set out small tasks. It's a lot like looking at a map and plotting a route to your destination. 

Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first destination in my quest for creativity is the felt ornaments I've wanted to make for years. I have a Pinterest board with dozens of examples to get me started.

The first step was to search out patterns, then collect my felt and bits and pieces for decorations. Like packing for a vacation, I've sorted out what I need and what I'm missing--such as having only a single, bent embroidery needle. 🙄

I'm on my way!

Now at the end of the day I have more than just those pretty examples to look at, and knowing how to get started, it's a lot easier to stop work. The journey to greater creativity in 2021 begins!

 

Exploring Creativity ~ by Guest Richard Bist

I’ve always been someone who has been interested in creativity. Part of that comes from being a writer and having a curiosity for the world. I admire other forms of art: painting, music, sculpture, cooking, or anything that involves self-expression and imagination. I love to learn how things are created, how the paint it mixed, how the pieces of a song come together, how chefs can mix and match ingredients to create a beautiful and tasty dish. 

It’s like seeing a magician perform an amazing bit of slight-of-hand and then having the trick explained. Knowing how it’s done doesn’t diminish the trick, but instead the knowing makes it more interesting. What I enjoy is learning how an artist can envision something in their head and the process they follow to make it become real.

The other reason I wanted to explore creativity is because I didn’t have much opportunity to do so when I was growing up. While I had support from some members of my family, there was a vocal group who discouraged my creativity because - in their words - it wasn’t masculine. So my love of writing fiction and poetry was something I expressed quietly and with a degree of reservation. I continued to write, but most of it I kept to myself and only showed to a few close friends. Other forms of art were more difficult to hide.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I finally broke free from that toxic mindset. I realized that I have a need to express myself, not just in words, but in ways I hadn’t yet explored. One of the things I’ve had on my ‘want to try’ list is podcasting. I think it’s an interesting format to express and exchange ideas, sort of like terrestrial radio used to be back in the day. The big difference is that with a podcast, I could do what I wanted. There’s no restrictions on format, length, or subject matter. Complete freedom of expression. I like that.

As I began planning the show, thinking about topics I’d like to explore, I had an epiphany. You see, I originally wanted to do the show for purely selfish reasons. I wanted to explore creativity, figure out how artists performed their magic tricks, and maybe expand my own creative boundaries. While I felt empowered, I realized that my thinking was too narrow. That was due to a conversation I had with an acquaintance.

The young woman I spoke to told me about how she was struggling with her fiction writing. She was the creative one in her family, and they didn’t quite understand her need to be creative. They didn’t want to read the stories she wrote or provide any encouragement. I found it sad and it hit close to home because it was similar to what I had gone through.

That’s when I decided that my podcast needed to be broader. Instead of focusing on how things are created, I thought I’d still discuss creativity and the creative process, but I also wanted to include motivation, inspiration, keeping focused, and nurturing ideas. Basically, I wanted to help people - artists and creators - who were going through the same things that I had. I understood what it felt like to be teased for being creative, for being different. While I couldn’t go back in time to fix things for myself, my hope is that I could instead help others.

The only thing left to do at this point was come up with a show name. That was actually the hardest part. If you’re at all familiar with podcasting, you’re aware there are hundreds of thousands of podcasts out there covering almost every conceivable topic. That meant finding an appropriate name was

important. I spent the better part of two weeks researching names before I stumbled upon the perfect one: The Prometheus Project.

Why Prometheus? A very good question, and one I’ve been asked a few times. If you aren’t familiar with Greek mythology, Prometheus was a Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity, thus bestowing knowledge and civilization to the world. Additionally, he was also seen as the creator of the arts and sciences. In my mind, that was perfect. Not that I think I’m a Greek god. Narcissism isn’t one of my strong suits. No, I felt that the purpose of the show - to inspire, motivate, and explore - fell in line with the acts of Prometheus. I’m trying to share my creative fire with others.

To me, what it comes down to is a need to express myself and my ideas. I’m not the best writer, best musician, or best artist. However, being best isn’t what I’m striving towards. I simply want to explore ideas and imagination. I want to try new things, broaden my horizons, and maybe along the way, inspire others to do the same.

I think art is often underappreciated by the general population. What I mean is, while many people listen to music and watch movies, for example, they usually don’t consider where it came from and the process it took to become real. I think that the more people who get to see behind the scenes, who get to see how the trick is done, will end up with more appreciation for art.

But it doesn’t end there. I also think that self-expression is necessary for good mental health. I know that when I take the time to do something creative every day - writing, playing guitar, cooking, whatever - I feel better than on the days I don’t express myself and my ideas. Maybe it’s a release of endorphins, or maybe it’s simply cleaning out the junk drawer in my brain. All I know is that it helps me.

When it’s all said and done, I know that I’ll look back fondly on the stories I’ve written and the music I’ve made, but what’s really going to make me proud is knowing that I helped other people to explore their creativity and hopefully built up their self-confidence and self-esteem.

Writing will always be my first love, but I feel that inspiring others to be creative gives me more satisfaction.

Richard Bist has been writing professionally for over twenty-five years, but he’s been writing stories

since he could pick up a pencil. His work has been published in a wide variety of both online and print publications, and he’s recently self-published two short story collections.

When he’s not writing, he works on his creativity podcast and cooking videos, plays guitar and keyboards, and finds time to procrastinate with his two mutts. You can contact Richard by clicking on the links below.

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Creativity, Creates Creativity ~ by Nicholas C. Johnson

Several years ago, I was sitting at my kitchen table, racking my brain about what I should be artistically working on. At the time, I really wanted to write short stories, novellas, or better yet, a novel. I just didn’t even know where to start. Not exactly knowing how to start, I just began creating art. Slowly, but surely, I began to chip away at creating things I was really proud of. Stories. Paintings. Comics. I think everyone has the innate ability to create something. Most people just don’t take advantage of that side of their brain.

When I first started out writing, I found people to write with. Having a writing partner or two helped me at the start of my journey. Another person can often help you fill in the blanks in your stories that you may not be able to see. I was writing all the time during those years. In notebooks. On my laptop. In the notes section of my phone. Some of these stories weren’t as good as I would have hoped and like many, I wondered when, and if I would get better at writing. Would I ever be able to come up with something I was proud of? Would I ever create something that would be published?

At first, coming up with things to write about was difficult. I desperately wanted my own Tolkien universe with a fully developed map and world. I never for a second realized how difficult creating something that intricate would be. I kept working on art nearly every day. Even when I couldn’t get anyone to read my work. The few people who did read what I had written often told me I needed to go back to the drawing board.

Eventually, something started happening. Every time I created a

new story or a new painting, I typically found I had another idea. Or I would think there was another story in the same universe. Or another painting that was similar to the last maybe with a few changes in colors. 

Ideas and creativity always seem to snowball. Now, years later, I have so many ideas I want to put into motion. There’s always something else I want to try, and another story to write. Another page to draw. Another canvas to splatter.

Not many artists become successful overnight (Not to say I’m a wild success.) Only after years of practicing, and hitting the pavement, have artists become successful enough to give up their day jobs (which I assume is what most artists secretly wish for.)

When I read the biographies of artists I admire, they very rarely achieved overnight success. No, most of these people worked for years. Created numerous projects of their own, or worked doing small pieces for another person’s project. Until finally those artists get noticed for their talent.

I think everyone can create something great. They just need to start working on what they are passionate about. Work at what you want to create every day. Sometimes you won’t get what you want out of the process. Sometimes you will get what you want out of the process. Other times you’ll create something really special because your plans will work out better than you hoped they would. Either way, during this time you will have created something unique and original to you.

In my oh so humble opinion, the more art you create the more art you will want to create. This all came to a head a few years ago for me. I was talking to one of my old high-school teachers and mentor (he is now a colleague) about what I had been up to artistically. I told him I enjoyed painting and writing and he asked me why I never worked on comic books. I had worked on comics in the past, but I never made this a priority. I took the advice seriously and began working on what I originally thought would be a graphic novel.

A graphic novel is categorized as a comic book that is one-hundred and twenty pages. When I had hit that magic number I knew that I had more blank spots to fill in. I knew I would need more time to finish what I started. I decided to make my graphic novel a continuing series called Callow Corvus. 

Callow Corvus is far from perfect, but I love it! I’m particularly

proud of the writing and the art that I’ve created in that series. The main character of the series, Carl The Crow (yes his middle name is The, no he does not like to talk about it.) Carl is always talking to me, and typically, whenever I put pen on paper, I can’t help but draw this character on the page.

I’ve currently been working on the Callow Corvus series for two years. In that time, Carl has taken on a life of his own. I have a group of people who are interested in the mildly-entertaining continuing adventures of my cynical crow. I’ve had both a doll and puppet created to bring Carl into more mediums. He’s been in advertisements and marketing campaigns for me. Recently I’ve been creating short comics in virtual reality, thanks to the help of Tilt Brush by Google. None of this would have been possible if I never tried to be creative, and bring my imagination to life many years ago at my kitchen table.

I want to say one last thing, there will be people who don’t believe in you. Plenty of them. They will not see your vision. They will not believe in your abilities. They will have the attitude of why don’t you just go home and watch TV like the rest of us. Forget these people. I believe in you.

My Best,
Nicholas C. Johnson

Nicholas C. Johnson, who creates art under the alias Bob Van Starr,

is an author of several comic books and an artist with paintings all over the world. Over the past two years he has published over ten comic books, and a Generation-Z Vocabulary work book. 

Before he began working as an artist and author, he was busy earning a law degree from Charlotte School of Law. Now, Mr. Van Starr lives in Beautiful Down east Maine where he enjoys spending time with his family and friends and working on his various art projects. 

For more information or to view this author's work please visit: 

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