Original illustration and hand cut paper cut
The creative one’s are always the fun one’s…even if you just don’t know it at the time.
I’m one part of the endearingly named ‘mad family’ as our friends used to call us, or the Safron from Absolutely Fabulous to a lesser extreme. I grew up in a creative family, it was far from the conventional families that mainly surrounded us and at the time and all I craved was to be that ‘normal’ kind of family. But now, many years on and with kids of my own to creatively inspire that couldn’t be further from the truth. The creative one’s are always the fun ones, even if you just don’t know it at the time.
According to my Mum, I knew how to sew a button on before I could talk properly, my childhood was spent creating and crafting. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t buy a piece of clothing with the idea of turning it into something else or adding something to it. I remember sewing myself into something ‘I just whipped up’ one afternoon, to only have to cut myself out of it hours later when I couldn’t get it my arms out of it or over my head. I remember my friends finding it funny, to me this was just normal.
I had a very conservative schooling and I tried my hardest to conform, to be interested in science, sport and maths but it wasn’t really for me. Don’t get me wrong, I use maths all the time, the simple basic or ‘veggie’ maths as we used to call it. I get it, it’s not hard but also, it’s not that interesting. To me anyway. Sorry to all you mathematicians out there reading an artists blog! I tried to conform in my younger days, even in the start of my working career and now I don’t know why I tried so hard. It is in your blood. You are either creative or not, there is no need to hide from it. Just embrace it.
Today I run towards the creative world and dive in headfirst. I’ve got some catching up to do. But I’ve also got some amazing experience being a practical person, I’m aware that it is good to have a practical side. I fought it for a while, but now it’s natural, so just call me a ‘practical creative’.
Paper Chap 