The Spark Behind Every Handmade Creation
Every piece I make begins with a moment—sometimes small, sometimes insistent. It might be the texture of a wool blend I run my fingers across in a local shop, or the way late-afternoon light falls across my desk. Inspiration rarely arrives fully formed. Instead, it shows up as a whisper: What if you tried this? What if you followed that thread?
I’ve learned not to question those whispers. They’re the beginning of everything.
Often, the spark comes during downtime. I might be sipping coffee, waiting for bread to rise, or taking a quiet walk through the neighborhood. My mind wanders, and suddenly I’m sketching an idea in the margins of a notebook or pulling out materials to test a color combination. Creativity doesn’t ask for permission—it simply arrives, and I’ve learned to welcome it.
Working With Fiber: Texture, Warmth, and Rhythm
Fiber art is one of my favorite ways to slow down. There’s something grounding about the repetitive motion of weaving or stitching, the way each loop or knot becomes part of a larger pattern. I love the tactile nature of it—the softness of wool, the crispness of cotton, the subtle sheen of silk blends.
When I’m working on a fiber piece, I’m not just thinking about color and composition. I’m thinking about how it feels in the hand, how it drapes, how it will live in someone’s space. Handmade creations carry a kind of warmth that machine-made objects can’t replicate. They hold time, intention, and the quiet presence of the maker.
Sometimes I dye my own fibers, experimenting with natural pigments or layering colors to create subtle gradients. Other times, I let the material lead, choosing yarns with interesting textures or unexpected hues. Fiber art teaches patience. It reminds me that progress is often slow, but always meaningful.
Painting: Color as Emotion, Movement as Memory
Painting is where I go when I need freedom—when I want to move quickly, to let intuition take over. I love the way paint behaves differently depending on the surface, the brush, the pressure of my hand. Acrylics give me boldness. Watercolors give me softness. Mixed media lets me break the rules entirely.
When I paint I’m able to shut out the world. All the noise and chaos disappear and my music in the background soothes my thought process. I’m not trying to capture a perfect scene. I’m trying to capture a feeling. The landscapes of Wisconsin often find their way into my work: the muted blues of winter mornings, the golden haze of late summer fields, the deep greens that settle in after a storm. Even when I’m not painting a literal place, those colors and moods shape the palette.
Painting art allows me to explore movement—how a brushstroke can echo wind, water, or memory. It’s a conversation between control and spontaneity, and I love the way each piece surprises me. I dabble with realistic custom pieces, to totally random small abstract art canvasses. I tend to work small, but am starting to experiment with larger pieces. I especially like working on things with a specific recipient in mind, and I try to personalize if I can.
Digital Art: A Playground of Possibilities
Digital art is where my curiosity runs wild. It’s the space where I can experiment without limits, layering textures, blending colors, and trying ideas that might be too risky or time-consuming in traditional media. My tablet has become a portable studio, letting me create wherever I happen to be—on the couch, in a café, or outside on a warm day.
What I love most about digital work is the flexibility. I can sketch, paint, collage, or design, all within the same piece. I can test variations, explore new styles, and push my creative boundaries without worrying about wasting materials. It’s a different kind of handmade creation—one that still carries my voice, my choices, my hand, even if the tools are digital.
Procreate is the program of choice on my tablet. I am able to create layers, trace, blend, use different brushes, and so much more. I have only touched the tip of the iceberg.
I love that my tablet is so portable, I can take it anywhere and sit down to sketch whenever the muse is awake.
Digital art also influences my physical work. A color palette I discover on-screen might inspire a woven wall hanging. A digital sketch might become the blueprint for a painting. The mediums feed each other, creating a loop of inspiration.
The Creative Process: From Idea to Finished Piece
My process is rarely linear. It’s more like a spiral—circling around an idea, gathering materials, testing techniques, stepping back, and returning with fresh eyes. Here’s how it usually unfolds:
1. The Idea
Generally my brain says what if. I love repurposing things and mostly shop at the local resale places. What if that lamp became a piece of garden jewelry? I look at a child’s toy and think windchimes. A pretty sweater can be cut up into a purse, a hat, a wine bottle cozy… A shape, a spark, a color, a texture, a mood. Browsing those stores and letting my imagination roam is my favorite thing to do
2. The Collecting
Sometimes things call out to me, I love a certain part of it, but I don’t have a specific project in mind for it. I collect certain things always when I see them – small things like game boards and game pieces, keys, dice, googly eyes, wine corks. I keep them in glass canisters and jars like a mad scientist keeps his gory specimens, mwahaha.
3. The Marinating
Unfortunately I have so many interests and ideas that I have “stations” where I can do certain type of projects. The collecting is a huge part, but then sometimes I’m just not ready to start it yet. Hence the crate of bowling pins in the garage, and the front grill of the old car, the hinged louvered closet doors…. I know it’s going to be something really awesome, but I just don’t know when. It bothers the hubs. I try to keep things sort of tidy, but my feeling is having things like that around fosters creativity. I don’t always have the pieces or parts I want, but if I substitute some rusty wire, or chandelier parts it could become something great. I generally keep an inventory in my mind of all the things, and I usually know right where to find them, but if you stepped into my studio you’d probably think differently of me. Sorry. It’s my process…. The good news is that the hubs now asks before he gets rid of stuff, and last summer he brought home a truckload of glass block for me. 😍
Just another small collection waiting for inspiration to strike.
Why I Make: The Heart of My Practice
Creating is how I understand the world. It’s how I process emotion, how I stay grounded, how I connect with others. Handmade art carries a kind of honesty that I find comforting. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be real.
As someone who loves to make things whenever I have downtime, I’ve learned that creativity isn’t a hobby—it’s a way of living. It’s woven into my days, my routines, my sense of self. Whether I’m working with fiber, paint, or pixels, I’m always exploring, always learning, always reaching for that spark of inspiration.
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Thank You
Art has always been my way of moving through the world—one handmade creation at a time. Whether I’m weaving fibers into texture, brushing color across canvas, or sketching digitally in the quiet hours of the day, I’m guided by the same instinct: to make something meaningful, something honest, something that reflects the moment I’m in.
Thank you for stepping into my creative world. There’s always something new on my table, always another idea waiting to take shape, and I’m grateful to share the journey.