Creative Thinking

I thought it was a load of pish that no one looked at unless they were into cakes or ‘pretty’ things.
How I was wrong! What am I talking about? Pinterest.

I’d been looking at pedalboard cases and trying to work out if I should buy one or build one, as it’s tedious constantly setting up guitar FX pedals if I want to use my guitar. Pinterest was where I found some of the more novel ideas, which also stretched into DIY and I thought… I like that. I could do that. I’m not bad at DIY, I built my own fence and gate from planks and posts, no pre-built panels or gate for me. I’ve been having a bit of a creative buzz recently. I feel compelled to make things.

It started back in the heart of my KLF binge last year, I wasn’t just listening to the music. I was looking at the structure, reading articles and books about the history and methods used. I looked into what Bill and Jimmy are doing now. They continue to create, Bill his paintings, writings and artworks. Jimmy his various artworks and his Aftermath Displacement Principle, which you may know better as the model village from Dismaland.

Doing this sparked a renewed interest in making things, whether it’s music, mixtapes, being arty, doing crafty DIY activities, writing blogs or making something silly for my website, I want to be creating something. Some say that the journey in life is more important that the destination, I suppose I could apply that to this. If something doesn’t work, go back try changing it, or scrap it and do something different. It’s nice to have an end result that I’m pleased with, but if it’s not it doesn’t matter I’ve learned something, move onto the next thing.

I’ve spent too much time not doing things I want to be, whether it’s been playing guitar or bass, sitting randomly making some nonsensical collage or sitting down and writing out thoughts, even if only for myself. In the past I’ve dismissed doing this “What if I’m not very good at this?” or “What if someone was to read these private thoughts?” Now, particularly the past month I feel I’m moving past this. Also issues relating to time are now more a case of What can I do in the available time? rather than Oh I only have x amount of time I’ll do something else.

This weekend for example, the pedal board stopped being an idea and solidified in the real world. Made from a single plank of wood with no instructions just a memory of a design I liked. This for me is change, this is me making things happen instead of letting ideas drift away.