It has been at least four years since the seed was planted in my mind, maybe I would say in my soul, to create a creative space for myself and others to Refind Creative Spirit. My daughter and I have had many long conversations about what our “store” would be like if we could dream it up. We collected business cards from people, made lists, wrote down ideas, and made up names. She was finishing college at the time and my creative juices were just starting to flow after so many years of being dedicated to family, work, kids, life in general.
It came as a surprise to find this urge to create. Sometimes it’s like an insatiable appetite, this need to take a found object and turn it into something new. This brilliant idea to take flowers and scan them on my flatbed scanner for months before finding out it was an actual thing others did as well. This compulsion to dry flowers, collect things from nature, to spend hours in “junk” stores, which really should be called treasure troves, and use those to create my own style of art. Finally the absolute obsession with taking those dried petals and using them in place of paint strokes to create the most unique and beautiful designs that just capture the imagination.
Today, after all those months and really years of planning, I was allowed to say, “It’s my grand opening” and Refind Creations went from an idea to reality in a whole new way. For the past two years there has been the fantastic opportunities to be part of the Whatcom Art Guild and sell my designs in their Art Market as well as online in an Etsy shop and now in my own online store. It gave me the confidence and focus to branch out to creating a lovely space where I can continue to come up with ideas and make a mess, study a pattern, or find a whole new thing like metal stamping.
I am especially excited to have a space where the community can come to spark a creative idea themselves. Art Walk is a monthly event where everyone is welcome to see what is going on artistically in our community. It opens doors to collaboration with other artists and brings people in to see what we have all been up to in our studios. The turnout last night was amazing. Hundreds of people flowed through our space and heard about the opportunities coming up for drop in creative projects. I have so much planned and always I come up with something new.
I am looking forward to showing people the tools of the metal stamping art. There will be times where we will pour soy candles, learn about essential oils and their benefits, and make scrubs, lotions, salves, and ointments from nature. We may collage, paint, craft, cut, paste, and even scan things… I am so excited about the possibilities and hope that word gets out that this opportunity to create, collaborate, and bless the community is right here in Bellingham, WA.
