There was no school today, so I planned to spend the day running errands, grabbing lunch with my sister, and doing something creative (I know, ‘something creative’ sounds really vague). The first item on my agenda was to have my last name officially changed. Our marriage certificate came in the mail last week, and I planned to bring it with me to the Social Security Office. My birth certificate was among the other documents needed. Unfortunately, I locked it away in a safe, and Andy has the only key. Scratch that off my to-do list.
My next errand was to get a few items at Target. While I was at the store, the fire alarm went off. Normally, that would be a signal to leave the building. However, no one seemed to be worried about the noise, and everyone carried on with their shopping. After a few minutes, some of the employees started making their way to the front entrance. I was informed that we all had to evacuate the building, and that we could just leave our shopping carts where they were. The whole situation was bizarre… When everyone was finally out of the store, we were told to walk to a neighboring store several yards away. It seemed as though the employees were unaware of what to do in a fire drill situation. One of the managers started shouting out employee names, many of whom were scattered and too far away to hear. A fire truck arrived a few minutes later, and two men in gear entered the building. We were eventually let back in to go about our business. It was interesting to compare that fire drill (if it was even a drill?) to the ones conducted at school. We have a very specific, organized procedure for exiting the building and being accountable for students. Our administrators usually keep track of the time to see how long it takes for everyone to exit. The procedure today seemed rather disorganized.
Speaking of disorganized… this is my train of thought seeing a connection to the next topic of interest: Order & Chaos. I’m referring to a coffee shop that just opened in downtown Baltimore. My friend Sarah works at an agency called Planit, whose office recently moved onto Key Highway. The company developed the concept for a coffee shop called Order & Chaos. It’s attached to the some of the company offices, with a big glass window for people watching from both sides. The logo represents order (on the left), and chaos (on the right), combined in one face. I love the notion of dualities and balance. I think life is all about finding the right combination of opposites, for one thing cannot exist without the other.
So bravo, Order & Chaos. Your creativity in concept and branding design does not go unnoticed. Not to mention, you make a great cup of coffee!
Maria and Sage came to meet us before we went to lunch. We hung out at the coffee shop for a little while longer, and before we left, I went to see the rest of the space. It definitely promoted collaboration and brainstorming with its large whiteboards and round tables for group seating.
I originally went to college to study Graphic Design. It still holds a special place in my heart. My brief experience in the graphic design industry was working as an intern at a very small company with only two full-time designers. There are times when I wonder if I will ever return to the design world… Today definitely made me think about it.
After lunch I went home to do something creative. I had built time in the day to create something, whether it was a drawing, a piece of jewelry, or something else. Earlier in the day I hadn’t specified in my mind what I planned to make, but I knew it would probably just present itself. Sure enough, it did… later, and somewhat unexpectedly.
I have a journal that I bought at the beginning of the year, and unfortunately I haven’t been as proactive as when I had my One Sketch a Day Sketchbook. The journal has been sitting on the floor in my bedroom for a while. This afternoon I decided to write a quick entry, for it had been months since I last wrote anything. I really like the cover design.
For some reason I just haven’t felt compelled to write in… or I just haven’t made it a priority. Similarly to this blog: I took a hiatus for a while, but now I am back and it’s as though the spark has been reignited. I look forward to keeping up with this blog, even if it’s only every week or so. I hope to rekindle the journal writing, too. After all, the cover says Be Inspired. However, the journal entry wasn’t exactly the creative outlet I had been seeking for the day. I was more in the mood to draw.
Andy got home and we went to a local nursery to pick out some pumpkins. Our next-door neighbors have a very elaborate Halloween display at their house. I need to get a photo of it when it’s all lit up! We decided that we need at least some decorations to make our house a little more festive.
I had an ah-ha! moment at the nursery. I spotted some small white pumpkins, which I decided to paint. I also found a gourd that looked just like an octopus. I was drawn to it (no pun intended). I envisioned a face on it. I got to work as soon as we got back to the house, using craft paint and puffy paint to add details to each piece. I love how puffy paint is the best of both worlds: painting and drawing. My inspiration had presented itself for the day!
Pumpkin and Gourd Family
I’ll end with this quote by Graham Nash that really resonates with me:
I like to create every day. I feel bad if I don’t. I don’t think I’ll ever get writer’s block because if I’m not writing music, I’m taking pictures. If I’m not taking pictures, I’m sculpting. If I’m not sculpting, I’m collecting. If I’m not collecting, I’m painting… So I don’t think that I’ll ever get blocked, because I have various creative outlets.
What are some of your creative outlets? Where do you find inspiration?