A weekend in Paris!

I've seen so many photos of Paris that made me want to go there and take some myself. So when my boyfriend asked where I wanted to go on holiday, i jumped at the chance of Paris. Unfortunately, with it being quite an expensive city, we could only afford a long weekend.

I took my digital SLR and my instax mini, with 20 shots ready. It was time for me to practice my travel photography! I usually just shoot portraits so this was a chance for me to try landscapes. 

Here is what we did:

Friday - Once we had arrived in Paris and found our apartment (which we got using airbnb! highly recommended!) we decided on taking a look around Montmartres, which was the area we were staying in. We had a noisy look around the Montmartres famous cemetery, which was home to some beautiful tombs.  

After the cemetery we headed down to check out the moulin Rouge which wasn't that far away. Being a huge fan of the film, I was excited to see the club in person!

Chris took a snap of me outside!

Saturday -  We planned to go see the Sacre coeur, Dali museum and an outside art exhibition.
We weren't staying too far from the Sacre Coeur or Dali museum so it didn't take us too long to get there, we also didn't have to walk up that epic flight of stairs to the Sacre coeur!

Sculpture from the Dali exhibition.

The view from Sacre coeur 

The famous Eiffel tower. 

We took a boat trip down the seine, where we were able to see some iconic sites. 

Sunday - It was a rainy sunday so we decided to do some museums. We went to the Arts et crafts museum and the Picasso Museum.

Statue of Liberty outside the museum of arts and craft, taken with my polaroid camera.

A collection of vintage camera at the arts and craft museum.

One of Picasso's photographs taken in his studio where he painted. 

A collection of Picasso's studies.

I couldn't visit paris without buying some of Macaroons. Now my favorite sweet treat!

Monday - Our plane was leaving at 9pm so we had some of the day to look around, although we didn't want to travel too far from our apartment. We decided to go see the Opera national de Paris and explore around that area.

Inside the department store, Galeries Lafayette

View from the top of Galeries Lafayette

View of Sacre Coeur. 

Whilst exploring the area, me and Chris came across this beautiful church just by chance. We sat and ate lunch nearby with a lovely view of it.  

I had such an amazing time over those 4 days, and would highly recommend to anyone who is artistic to go to Paris as there is so much to see and do. I'm planning on doing a blog post about free and cheap things do to as I'm a super scrimper! 

Update soon! 

Becky x

Steampunk watch necklaces.

I've probably mentioned in other blog posts that  my dad used to make watches and has tonnes of old watches and their parts. Well thanks to the beauty of Pinterest I came across some fab ideas to make use of the parts and watch movements. 

I'm planning on doing a stall down at the Brighton Open market this summer and as well as selling my photography, I may as well try to sell some of the things I make out of my dads watch parts. Here are my favorite ideas I found on Pinterest:

Super cute rabbit made completely of watch parts! (Made by Sue Beatrice)

Check out these great earrings made by Etsy Seller Noblestudios

I could use watch faces to make keyrings like this example.

This is so incredible! 

Luckily, being the magpie that I am, have kept charms from past earrings and necklaces which help me get a little creative with the watches. I have chosen to make a few necklaces with the charms and watch movements to start off with. 

Here is the progress so far: 

Cute bee and diamonds.

A summery feel with a fruity vibe.

Unicorn and stars!

Nautical theme with anchor, pearls and blue diamonds.  

All of these are a work in process and obviously need a chain or leather strap on them but I'm pretty excited about this project! 

In other news, i'm off to Paris tomorrow for a lovely weekend away with my boyfriend, so no doubt the next blog post will be about our adventures there! 

x

DIY: Photo necklace

You'll need:

• A watch case
• A small photo or somewhere you can get one printed. 
• Necklace thread/string or chain. 
• Scissors
• Optional necklace charms (from old necklaces or bracelets)

1. You can probably pick up an old watch from a charity shop, car boot sale or online. I was lucky enough to have access to tonnes of watch cases as my dad used to make watches. 

2. Once I knew what photo I wanted to put in the case I measured the diameter of the glass so that I could get the right size for the photo. On photoshop I was able to make the photo the correct size for the frame. If you're not sure how to do this, you could just guess, although it may take a few tries before you get the right size! 

3. Because the photo was printed square I drew around the case back to get the correct circular shape.

4. Once I cut a circle around the photo, I placed it in the case, right up against the glass. Then I closed the back of the case. (please excuse my chipped nails!)

5. I then attached the photo necklace to the thread and tied a knot at the top, leaving enough room for me to fit my head through.. You can pretty much use any thread or chain that goes with your picture. I got mine from the Bead Shop down the Lanes in Brighton, where they have a HUGE choice of colours and materials.

6. I added some beads that I saved from an old bracelet to add a little decoration. You could try this or leave it as it is!

FIN.

I've been making these to sell as I'm planning on doing a stool down at the Brighton Open Market this summer. I also have some work current up down at Sunshine arts cafe on Hove street near, where you can buy cards/prints and some of these necklaces! 

The creative person's 'quit list'.

I came across a blog today called 'Cordelia calls it quits' written by a lady who gave up her day job to pursue her passion. Shes got tonnes of great articles to check out when you're lacking in motivation, Click here for her site. Anyway on her blog she makes a list of things that shes going to quit, for example things that don't benefit her life or help her to pursue her goals. This gave me the idea to write a list of things that we should probably quit as creative people to help us develop our practice. 

Lets get started...

We need to STOP..

1. Judging ourselves. Although seemly impossible to do, we have to practice being non judgemental of our work and just enjoying the process of making. After all thats why we started right?
2. Comparing work. Again we're all guilty of this and sometimes it can motivate us, but most of the time it just causes unnecessary worries about ourselves and our work. There is probably someone out there comparing their own work to yours and wondering why they can't be like you! 
3.  Being impatient. The best things in life take time, like great art work or a steady freelance business. I often get impatient, wondering why I'm not a full time photographer yet, hoping that it'll suddenly happen over time. But of course I know it doesn't work that way, and although its been a slow process, I've definitely come along way from when I started out, I just need to remember this. 
4. Feeling guilty. Just because you're not doing a 9-to-5 job and some days may be slow doesn't mean you need to feel guilty about doing something you love. If you enjoy it but work hard then what is there to be sorry about? 
5. Second-guessing pursuing your dream
6. Worrying about the future. Enjoy the now! (Learn some mindfulness techniques for this!)
7. Perfectionism. Sometimes I'm a super perfectionist with my work, and if I show it and I'm not 100% happy with it, I will always judge that photo. I need to get rid of this idea and just enjoy the process of creating it. 
8. Letting people take advantage. When you're starting out in a creative career path, you usually do things for cheap or even free! (God knows I did my fair share of freebies) This can become a little bit of habit, but you have to learn your worth! You need to remember that you are doing them a service, and you deserve the right pay for that. 
9. Saying YES to every job, even though its not worth it. Saying yes to a job even though, for whatever reason you are doubting it, don't do it, its often more trouble than its worth. 
10. Being fearful of showing our work.

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this. I'd love to hear any ideas you have for your creative quit list!

Many thanks to Cordelia's great blog for inspiration and motivation! 

http://www.cordeliacallsitquits.com/

11 ideas to supercharge your creativity

We all get days when we lack ideas and inspiration and creativity seems like a distant memory. Well never fear, here are some ways to supercharge your creativity and get productive! 

                                                                         Pinterest

This is one of my favorite sites for inspiration. The site lets you save ideas onto different boards (like mood boards) which is handy if you have a number of projects. You can search ideas, follow other pinners boards, and even have secret boards for things you don't want other to know about! 

Its also a great way to network, as it allows you to upload your own work, either from your computer, or your website.

If you have pinterest already, check my boards out here

Experiment. 

Try out new techniques, materials or styles. Explore different ways to get creative! Join a new group, research artists and their techniques, give it a go yourself. Even if you don't think you'll be any good, we all have to start from somewhere.

Keri Smith Books

These books are great fun, whether you're artistic or not. Last year I started 'Wreck my journal' and had such fun that when I finished it, I made my own journal, following the lines of Keri Smiths idea. Each page gives instruction on what to do to that page, for example, 'fill this page with circles'. The books urge you to get creative and use your imagination.

Example page from 'Wreck this journal' 

My decorated cover.

Allow randomness. 

Ever had a crazy random dream? Bet it was probably the most creative one you've ever had! Keep note of any random ideas or thoughts. Doesn't make it if doesn't make much sense, it could lead to some amazing work in the future. I carry a little note book with me whenever I travel just incase a great idea forms!

Give yourself a starting point or a set of guidelines. 

If someone said 'just draw anything', that could be a little overwhelming! So getting a starting point narrows your ideas down so that you can really focus on what to do. Starting points can include simple words, colours, sayings, objects or a theme. Another way of narrowing down your ideas is to give yourself some guidelines, for example not being able to use a paintbrush, or must use another body part other than hands.

Try not to think to much about a concept. 

Concepts are great but this is about getting those creative juices flowing! Sometimes we can just create something and then realise that it reflects how we're feeling, and we notice the concept after. But don't stress if you cant figure one out, art doesn't always need it, if you enjoy making it, then thats the main thing!

Go to an exhibition

As simple as it sounds, its not something we often remember to do. Even going to sit in a cafe and check out the art on their walls can bring inspiration. Don't forget the Brighton Fringe Festival this year for some great exhibitions, many of which are free!

Other ideas include:

• Watching a film that inspires you. (One of mine is 'the nightmare before christmas') 
• Going for a walk 
• Starting a blog! Start writing about something that you really enjoy or find interesting. My blog has really helped me research things that I wanted to share with my readers. 
• Do something you enjoyed as a kid. Eg Finger Painting, paper mache, Fimo!

PS I've hit 1000 views on my blog! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this, I hope you get something good out of it.

Becky x