*Cutesy* art for Easter

This little card is for a weekly mingle on one of my yahoo groups. This week is an egg theme. I received a trade from Linda and she'd included some paper goodies. So I used one of the papers as the background, which just happened to be my mental constipation point on this card. So many choices, but when I saw the large mosaics, they reminded me of colored sidewalk tile or concrete blocks and I liked the look. The egg is a die cut I bought a long time ago thinking I could use it as a stencil or template. But it's too flimsy because the cut is too delicate. The girl is a vellum sticker that is semi-see-thru, so I stuck it down on white card stock and cut it out. Three very old Doodlebug posies sit atop the die cut's flower cut outs. The card's edge is inked in 3 different chalk ink colors: pink, green and wisteria.

Okay, go ahead, say it. The atc is...cute. Cutesy. Many of my peers consider that art-yuck. On many of the yahoo group database lists, where they ask your dislikes, it seems the 3 top answers (in no particular order) are usually dark (goth), nudes and cutesy, with religion a close fourth.

I used to agree with them. That was before I figured out the Rules Of Me, though. Realizing my ROM made me aware of an art world within my parameters. Namely, I wasn't ever going to be some famous artist with a big artist bank account. My goal was not to create art for posterity. My goal was to create art using up my ridiculously huge supplies inventory, and to create art as a therapy and a hobby.

And in that art world, Cutesy lives on a well-known street in a good neighborhood. Nobody laughs or disses her when she walks by. Besides, everything that goes around, comes around. So when you see me create something artsy and relatively in-fashion; then, you see me create something cutesy, I'm just using up my supplies and trying to make it look good. :-)

While it was initially a let-down in a way to realize my own ROM and to surrender to it, it was also empowering. There are actually times now when I don't worry about my art fitting in or if it's good enough or what my peers think of it. I've often thought why I let my supplies dictate what I make when I could easily shed them all and envision the art first, then buy stuff that fits it. The answer is that I'm still a student. I'm still learning, and using my supplies is one way to do that. I'm not saying that students can't go out and do it the other way. I'm just saying I can do that too if I want. And this way I have both options. ;-)

ROM's usually don't deal in lofty, far-off goals and dreams. They are usually lists of reality. Most artists and creatists (*nodding to Ann* winkwink) have the wish lists, the dream lists, but do we have reality lists to guide us in the everyday? My ROM has taught me to be honest about my love of paper piece collage, of coloring, of cutesy, of vintage, of dry adhesive even though I have tons of wet. The natural way we create if left to indiscriminately use what we want to reach for. And while I've come to terms with liking unpopular art techniques, a strange thing has already happened. I've seen one of them (paper piecings) come back into vogue. That goes around, comes around thang.

I'm still pretty sure, though, that the wings and zetti styles that I'm finally getting interested in still have a way to go before coming back around. They are just now fading out of style...

Win some, lose some.... winkwink

I hope you have a Blessed Easter and great weekend!

Until next time,