SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE - FEEL CONNECTED - LIVE MINDFULLY - SPOIL YOURSELF
PLUS WRAPPING PAPER & NOTEBOOK
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
CREATIVITY IN BERLIN - WHY WE LOVE ETSY AND DAWANDA - WOMEN IN PARIS 1920 - PAPER ART IN JAPAN - HOW TO CLEAR YOUR HEAD - TRIED AND TESTED: JULIA CAMERON’S THE ARTIST’S WAY - LET’S KEEP WRITING: A PLEA FOR THE PEN
EUR €12,95 UK £10,50 USD $16,95 AUS $15,95 CAN $16,50 YEN ¥1295 NZ $20,50
Astrid Irene
A DREAM COME TRUE The best things in life happen when you follow your instincts. That’s what happened to us, four years ago, when up in the attic we started working on a new Dutch magazine. We’d both been working as editors for years, but we’d never found a magazine we really wanted to read ourselves. We dreamt of a magazine that would let us share our love of paper, and would focus on different ways of enjoying life. That was the beginning of Flow. Flow Magazine is for paper lovers. Flow is all about positive psychology, crafting, mindfulness, not being perfect and all kinds of illustrations. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by all the national and international responses to Flow. Even though many Flow fans across the
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EDITORIAL
world can’t actually read the magazine – because it’s in Dutch – they still mail us to say how much they love the different kinds of paper we use, and the sheer feel of the magazine crammed full of retro pictures and beautiful illustrations. So, slowly we began working on a plan to create a new, international edition. In English. And why not? So, here it is. Our first international issue is a dream come true. We are thrilled to bits with it, proud – and a bit nervous. We’re sending our new baby out into the big, wide world.
PORTRAITS JEANET WILLEMS, WWW.JEANETARTAPART.NL
Hopefully you’ll love it. Let us know!
You can contact us at Astrid@flowmagazine.nl or Irene@flowmagazine.nl. We blog at www.flowmagazine.com, and we’re on Facebook (FlowMagInternational), Twitter (@FlowMagazine), Pinterest (Flow Magazine) and YouTube (1FlowMagazine).
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Issue 1
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The best DIY products online
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Free gift: wrapping paper
Paper cutting course
Berlin’s arty vibe
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Old photo’s
Interview Karina Schaapman
You can become creative
In Nathalie Lété’s studio
Fiona Richards
CONTENTS Pages 19 to 52
Feel connected
Live mindfully
22 PRODUCTS & IDEAS
56 PRODUCTS & IDEAS
25 WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?
58 RESEARCH
We take a look at the lives of three of our favorite illustrators: Fiona Richards, Elisandra and Irena Sophia.
How can mindfulness help you in life? We asked Ernst Bohlmeijer, who has conducted a study on the effects of mindfulness.
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60 KEEP WRITING
MAKING LISTS Tips and tricks from our list guru, Sasha Cagen.
36 INTERVIEW WITH KARINA SCHAAPMAN For years she worked on an incredible dollhouse, the Mouse Mansion, wrote a book about it and is now world famous. Meanwhile her book has appeared in eleven countries. Karina Schaapman talks about her life.
No matter how fast you can type, there is a lot to be said for writing by hand. An ode to the pen.
64 COLORS FOR GROWN-UPS It does wonders for the left side of your brain. Four good reasons to go straight out and buy a set of colored pencils. With four beautiful color plates.
44 JOIN US
70 PSSST…..
Originally a Dutch-language magazine, we’re doing more and more in English. What are the plans? Keep up with the action and follow us on Pinterest, Facebook and our blog. You can find all the addresses on page 44.
Mark Williams, co-author of the book Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World talks about the Zeitgeist. ‘We have created a very hectic society.’
46 MEANWHILE IN BERLIN COVER ILLUSTRATION MELANIE MIKECZ, WWW.MM-ILLUSTRATION.COM
Pages 53 to 78
The city that atttracts masses of creative women from all over the world, hoping to make their dreams a reality. What is the magic of this German city?
74 YOU CAN BECOME CREATIVE Suddenly everyone was emailing us about the book and course The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. As both are supposed to stimulate your creativity, they would fit in well with Flow. We found someone who’d taken the course to write us a good story about it.
Pages 12 to 18
INSPIRING LIVES 12 WOMEN OF THE LEFT BANK Of the Seine, that is. Paris in the twenties was filled with artists, photographers, musicians – and many women writers. A brief history.
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Feel connected Attention for the people and the world around you
Fun on your fridge Every time you open your fridge you will be smiled at by your best friends/amazed by the prettiest sunset ever/reminded of a fun drunken night. Anyone who enjoys taking these kinds of pictures with the Instagram app can turn them into little 5x5cms magnets on www. StickyGram.com for $ 14.99 incl. shipping for nine little magnets.
Wrapping inspiration
Australian artist Ebony Bizys spent years as the art director of Vogue in Sydney, until she followed her heart and moved to Tokyo where she’s working on a new craft book and works for MT, her favourite brand of masking tape. On her blog we found her book on the art of wrapping. The extra bit of luxury you get from something unexpected is what draws Ebony to wrapping delights. “I once received a gift of a bunch of small individually wrapped presents. I remember it so well!” You can download Ebony’s gift-wrapping zine from her site for $10. www. hellosandwich.blogspot.com
Found scrawls Often moving: a lost shopping list in a shopping cart. www.foundmagazine.com features tons of these lost scribbles. From love letters to poems written on napkins. And they publish magazines and books, all based on these found notes.
Happy feet For every pair of shoes you buy, somewhere in the world a child in need gets a pair as well: that’s the idea behind the American shoe label TOMS (Shoes for Tomorrow). By now over 100,000 kids have received shoes this way. Shoes that help protect them from diseases and in many cases let them go to school – something often not allowed barefooted. For more info and the collection: www.toms.com.
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Feel connected
Painting with Post-Its®
The art of cooking
A group of bored office workers in Paris created a window drawing made from coloured Post-It® notes. That was the start of the French Post-It® Revolution of 2011. Companies on opposite sides of the street began responding to each other’s artworks, and there was many a lunch meeting to think up newer and better designs. Colleagues who had never spoken to each other before were suddenly talking. You can find loads of inspiring examples on the French site www.postitwar.com.
Mother’s pride It’s probably part of the mystery. Even your mum was young and irresponsible once. What was on her mind back then? What was she like? Pictures of your mum from when she was young are fascinating to many, as the blog My Mom, the Style Icon shows. People post old pictures of their young and (still) fashionable mum on this blog, often with a proud ode to the mother concerned. It’s moving and makes you feel like digging out your own family albums. My Mom, the Style Icon, € 16.99 (Chronicle Books) and www.momstyleicons.blogspot.com.
Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell started up www.theydrawandcook.com as a “place for anyone with a passion for art and cooking to show their love of both by bringing their favorite recipes to life through illustration.” Since 2010 the brother-and-sister team have received hundreds of recipes from artists all over the world. They have collected the best in a new book called They Draw and Cook. Treat yourself to the book, a feast for the eye and the stomach, available on Amazon.com for $ 19.95.
A child’s fantasy world
German photographer Jan von Holleben grew up in a commune with a child therapist and a cinematographer for parents. In his award-winning work he often creates a child’s fantasy world, the perfect mix between his mum and dad’s jobs. In 2011 Jan spent two months talking to doctors, nurses and surgeons in a British children’s hospital, which inspired him to make the series on Lily & Jonathan, who are on an incredible journey over land, sea and through the universe. You can see more of Jan’s work on his website, where you can also order posters, www.janvonholleben.com.
TEXT DORINE VERHEUL
Pocket manfriend Tom Hanks proved it in Castaway when he found himself coping with his isolation because of his ‘manfriend’, a face drawn on a ball. A pebble turned into a ‘pocket manfriend’ by illustrator Nicola Rowlands can be just as soothing. According to Nicola it’s THE answer for people who feel lost without a man at their side. You can choose from different models, like Eugene or Craig for € 9.11 via www.etsy.com/shop/MsSpanner.
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Fiona Richards Nelson, British Columbia, Canada ❤ Lives with husband Douglas Jones, also an illustrator Designer-illustrator and owner of Cartolina Cards Inc. What are you up to? “I’m looking for rare, vintage pictures for the new Cartolina collection. Before I get started, I already have a theme in mind. Last time it was the sea, before that the circus. Once I find my theme, I start searching like mad. No, can’t tell you the theme yet, it’s a secret.” How do you find these rare pictures? “I have several sources. Sometimes I buy original ephemera on eBay, sometimes I buy a license from dealers, but the best pictures are the result of rummaging through second-hand shops and flea markets.” Can you tell straight away whether a shop or a market will suit you? “Yes, I can tell the type of dealer I like. Usually he will have stacks and
stacks of shoeboxes filled with torn old paper. I always find the best bits of paper in the darkest corners of the shop, precisely those spots where no one else dares to look. I also find wonderful things by chatting with dealers and establishing a connection that way, which may lead me to finding even better pictures. Whenever I go to San Francisco or New York on business, I always make sure that I have enough time to scour the thrift shops and markets. Some owners know what I like by now and they’ll send me photos or pictures and ask me whether I want it – obviously that’s great!” So then you set to work with these pictures, how do you do that? “The prettiest pictures often need the most restoration. Sometimes I spend up to three days on a picture for a collage. But it’s definitely worth it. I love Photoshop and really enjoy restoring damaged, vintage images and bringing them back to life.”
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I always find the best bits of paper in the darkest corner of a shop
1. This is where I live, in between mountains, lakes and forests with bears in Nelson, Canada. I think you really need to go out from time to time. Away from the computer into the real world to find some ideas. Only then you can make something original. 2. An original Victorian engraving with old Indian matchbox images.
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JOIN US!
MAGA Z FOR P INE APER LOVER S
Would you like to know when the next issue of Flow is due to come out? Please leave your name and email address on www.flowmagazine.com/mail so we can send you a regular newsletter with all the details on Flow pre-sales, where to buy Flow in an outlet near you and any other new Flow developments.
Follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ FlowMagInternational) and Pinterest (Flow Magazine), or check out our blog: www.flowmagazine.com.
ABOUT FLOW Flow is a Dutch magazine for paper lovers. It’s also about positive psychology. Flow wants to help you reflect in different ways on your busy yet happy life. We do so by presenting beautiful stories, and often add extra inserts such as coloring in pictures (that help you clear your head), special notebooks, and handy calendars. Five years ago, a small editorial team started this magazine in an attic somewhere in the vicinity of Amsterdam. Since then we have found our way to a huge number of fans at home and abroad. We’ve become a platform for international illustrators. And as we received so much international fanmail,
we’ve decided to produce our first international edition in English. In the Netherlands, we also publish Flow diaries and stationery, special issues of Flow magazine on topics such as mindfulness, and a highly successful Flow Holiday book. DISTRIBUTION We always try to get Flow displayed in spots that attract magazine and paper lovers. That’s why the distribution of Flow will be on a modest scale at first. Would you like to sell our magazine? Order more issues? We would be happy to help you out. Please send an email to flowmag@sanomamedia.nl.
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The Milanese Ludovica in her Berlin shop
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Feel connected
Meanwhile in Berlin
A studio on every corner What is it about Berlin that makes it teem with creative
women? German illustrator Elisandra, who lives in Berlin, tells us about her city and its arty vibe.
Berlin isn’t one of those pretty cities like Paris, with graceful buildings and fairytale squares. Nor does it have a lovely soft climate and a great location on the sea, like Barcelona. Berlin is often ugly, gray, and angular. Still it has something magical that I can’t find anywhere else in the world. This special something is exactly why creative people and freethinkers from all over the world flock to Berlin. To try to achieve their dreams here. Obviously, because of its history, Berlin isn’t just any city. After Die Wende, the fall of the Berlin Wall, many buildings stood empty. People moved away from the gray housing blocks that were put up during communism. For a long time it was extremely cheap to live in Eastern Berlin, which made that part of the city very interesting for artists. Slowly but surely, Berlin turned into a
breeding ground for creative people. In the nineties and early noughties that meant a black-clad, anarchistic, and chaotic scene, mostly happening in squats often without electricity, and underground. Now the creative scene in Berlin is motley, innovative, and cheery. There is a studio on every corner, and buzzing little boutiques where crafters, fashion designers, and artists sell their own stuff. It has also grown more international: people come here from all over and in the street, I hear a whole slew of languages. Native Berliners, rather a crusty bunch, are completely bewildered by these developments. The great thing is that in recent years it seems that women especially come to Berlin to achieve their dreams. Every day I run into nice foreign women who are being creative in one way or another. So what draws these women to ‘my’ city?
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Live mindfully Pay attention to what’s going on inside and out
Kinda human We humans manage to paste a wide variety of human traits onto inanimate objects, like our computer that just doesn’t want to understand us, or the car we name, and the copier that’s having an off day. Or how about this:
Birds’ paradise
Want more birds in your garden? Lure them in by not tidying up. Birds like a bit of variety. A few pointers: Keep dead wood and dead leaves Keep loads of flowering plants Plant (thorny) bushes and trees Plant berry bushes Dig a pond Put in nesting boxes Make gradual transitions from lawn to plants, bushes and trees Replace fences with hedgerows
The smiling light switch. Set of Light Up Your Mood light switch stickers, € 9.95 on www.gutenappetit.nl.
(source: www.vogelbescherming.nl, the Dutch Bird Association)
Now that’s what I call lunch! The Japanese bento is intriguing. Why? Because at first sight you could say, it’s just a takeout meal in a box. But when you take a closer look, you notice the love and care the Japanese put into this little box and its contents – that’s what makes it so special! The Internet is riddled with little bento gems: New York lawyer Megan Noh, for instance, has been keeping a blog of her best bento lunches. She sees preparing her bento as ‘a moment of harmony in an otherwise chaotic and busy workday’. Megan’s lunches are at bentozen. wordpress.com. More on bentos at justbento.com and if you want to start doing your own: there are gorgeous bento boxes for sale at www.jlist.com.
The orange with googly eyes that yells ‘Save me’. Stick-on googly eyes for € 4 at eyebombing.com.
The mess on your desk suddenly eyeing you questioningly. FACES book by Zoe Miller & David Goodman, also available for € 12.99 at www.shhhop.com.
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The ideal gift
The new tile Her childhood in the American countryside still has a great influence on artist Katie Daisy. She frames inspirational quotes by great writers and spiritual leaders in soft aquarelles of flowers and plants. Find words of wisdom in a very pretty package on www.katiedaisy.net.
Poems for Life, selected by Laura Barber, is an ideal gift book. It contains the loveliest poems for the big moments in life: your first grey hair, saying goodbye and, of course, love. If you’re smart, you’ll get yourself a whole stack since this book is the perfect gift for the holidays, dinner parties at your in-laws and birthdays. Available on Amazon.com, € 7 (pocket edition).
American pilot Amelia Earhart
Help yourself
Looking for a good self-help book? Four American scientists took a close look at the fifty most popular self-help manuals and found that certain elements just keep coming back. If you want to pick the best of the bunch here are a few rules of thumb: 1. Does the book follow the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy? 2. Was it written by a mental health professional? 3. What qualifications does this professional have in the field? Are they a PhD rather than an MA? 4. Does the book focus on a specific problem or is it too general?
TEXT DORINE VERHEUL
Source: Professional psychology: research and practice (popular self-help books for anxiety, depression, and trauma: how scientifically grounded and useful are they?)
Wise Women on Twitter There’s no such thing as too many inspirational quotes, now is there? If you follow @WomenOfHistory on Twitter, you’ll be served a few great quotes from wise women every day, such as this one from Oprah: “Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”
This is flow Sometimes at work you somehow forget everyone around you, you feel like you can fly, and you come up with ideas that astound even you. Well, you are in the ‘flow’. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, an American/Hungarian psychologist spent twenty years doing groundbreaking research into this state of being. He concluded that people who experience flow at work on a regular basis are happier and more productive. You can’t force it, but you can increase your chances of getting in the flow by focusing on your goal. Get good feedback, not necessarily from other people, it can also flow from your own work. For instance, when you see that things are going well (the puzzle is nearly solved). Sometimes you just know from experience when something is good. Uncertainty, by the way, is a downer. A good balance between challenge and abilities helps. Put simply: you should feel like you can do it, but it shouldn’t be too easy.
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Keep writing Of course we can't do without a keyboard today. Still, there’s a lot to be said for writing with a pen. It’s more personal and scientists say that it makes you more creative. A plea for the pen.
W
riting by hand seems to have gone out of fashion. As a child, you were constantly trying out colored and scented pens, you traced letters, and when you had done a good job, the teacher would paste a sticker in your workbook. You wrote poems in albums and friendship booklets and you recognized your friends’ handwriting from miles away. Nowadays everything has gone digital. The wishing card has been replaced by the e-card, the diary by the blog, the letter by email, and you meet your pen pals online in a chat room. Congratulating someone is simply a matter of pressing a key, really easy, but not very personal. The world looks so much better in handwritten letters. Communication is far warmer that way. And studies have shown that there are even more upsides to writing by hand. The pen sTimulaTes The brain
For instance, writing by hand is good for the development of the brain. Researchers from the University of Indiana asked a couple of kids to practice writing capitals. Other kids were only allowed to look at the letters. Then the writers were put into a brain scanner. And what did that show? The kids who had been busy practicing writing
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Color your life In the good old days, kids would get bulky coloring books put in front of them to practice their patience and powers of concentration. It worked like a dream. Coloring happens to be one of those things you really can’t rush. Lucky for us, the calming effect of coloring also works when you’re a little older. We see more and more coloring books coming out, especially for adults. A coloring book is a great excuse to slink off somewhere with a dazzling rainbow of colored pencils.
TECHNIQUES TO BLEND PENCIL COLORS: SHADE: draw lines a pencil-width apart then, in between, add lines in another color. CROSS SHADING: draw lines (not quite touching) in one color going in one direction, then draw lines across them in a different color. STRIPES: draw lots of short stripes in the same
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direction, but in different colors, and let them overlap (like, say, a brick wall). DOTS: add loads of small dots in the colors you want to mix and they will seem to merge into a new color. GLAZE: apply thin layers of color on top of each other so the underlying layers show through. Try to apply the different layers in different directions.
illustraton csa images
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Zeitgeist
In each issue of Flow, we like to let an innovative thinker share his views on the zeitgeist. This time around, it’s Mark Williams, British professor of clinical psychology, and an international authority on scientific research into mindfulness. According to Mark, we need silence to fi nd ourselves. WHY DO WE NEED MINDFULNESS SO BADLY THESE DAYS?
“There are two possible answers to that. On the one hand, these techniques have been around for thousands of years. You fi nd them in the East, in Buddhism, and in the West, in Stoicism. Even back then people noticed that we can contribute to our own suffering, by the way we deal with it, and interpret it. I think that has everything to do with the fact that as human beings we have language. Animals are very sensitive to things that are actually happening. Their stress system is activated when necessary, and switched off afterwards. When you have language at your disposal you can imagine something in the future as vividly as if it were happening right now, and you can keep rehashing stuff that’s in the past. The trouble is that the old emotional system thinks it is all happening now. And that’s the way it responds. People probably realized the way that works years ago.” BUT TIMES HAVE CHANGED…
“That brings us to the second part of my answer. We have created a society
which is very hectic and where everything rushes by. We live in a culture of achievement and targets. The trouble with targets is that you can’t really be happy when you have achieved them, you can only be relieved. If you’re a carpenter and you make beautiful furniture, you will enjoy your job. But it’s different when someone shows up and says, ‘I want you to make twenty of these and if you don’t finish on time, you won’t get paid.’ Once you have completed your twentieth, you are no longer happy, you’re just relieved.” WHY?
“I think things stop being fun once there is external pressure. So the more pressure is put upon you, the less fun you’ll be having. Pressure in schools, in the workplace, and in society can create a situation where there is no more fun. We’re just trying to reach the next target. Which is why we need something that will allow us to take things more slowly, to take breaks, take it down a notch, and be able to make choices about what we want to do and what we want to let go of.” DO EXTERNAL PRESSURES CAUSE THE DEPRESSION AND FEAR WE SEE TODAY?
“It’s hard to say exactly. But we do know from American research that children and young people have more fear. The average level of fear in young people in 1990 would have been seen as extremely fearful back in the 1950s. We also know that the fi rst period of
depression occurs much earlier these days, around the age of thirteen or fourteen. Fifty years ago that was around age forty. It’s really hard to fi gure out why this is happening. Genes don’t change that quickly. Most genes operate this way because they are dormant at fi rst and then they’re switched on by circumstances. People with fragile genes are fi ne as long as they don’t have stress. But if they are exposed to stress, that fragility becomes an issue. With all the changes in society, more bustle, more working parents, changes in the family structure, vulnerable people seem to be more prone to depressions. That’s also because there is less time to be calm and quiet.” HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO BE QUIET AND CALM?
“I think that being busy isn’t much of a problem in itself. It only becomes a problem when the bustle becomes permanent. All types of technological advances have made life constantly busy. It’s getting harder and harder to take a break, we just jump from one thing to the next. The danger is that we don’t ‘feed’ ourselves enough. When you are stressed, you have a tendency to give up stuff so you can focus on the task at hand. But that doesn’t reduce stress. So you give up other stuff as well. And then some more. But the things you are likely to give up fi rst are exactly the things that feed you, that give you energy. So you stop singing, you stop playing your
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Following The Artist's Way A practical course in creativity From America to Japan, suddenly everyone was talking about The Artist’s Way, a book that will stimulate you to make your dream come true. What is the artist’s way exactly and how does it work? Dutch journalist Caroline Buijs was skeptical at first, but has since become a convert.
“W
rite a children’s book about China. For years, that was always my answer whenever the conversation got onto ‘So, what do you really want to do?’ Oddly enough, questions like that only pop up when the night is no longer young, when we’ve all had our fair share of booze and our friends or partners are in a ‘I want to hear the truth’ mood. After years of answering in the same vein, I’d still done nothing about my dream. Work, husband, kids, friends, and family, they all wanted a piece of me. Which I was glad to give. But I also had this loyal, niggling voice in my head that was always taunting me with claims like ‘You don’t really think you’d be able to pull off a book on China, now do you?’ So, how did I make room for my dream? It was time to spring into action, and follow Julia Cameron’s course book, The Artist’s Way. As the course blurb says: ‘We can all do with a bit more inspiration to brighten up our lives. It will make you aware all over again of the things you really want and desire and it will make room for the things that energize you.’ Cameron’s practical course book has sold over two million copies worldwide. At the end of each chapter is a set of fun writing assignments, such as ‘If you had five extra lives, what would you do in each of them?’, ‘Describe your childhood bedroom’, and ‘Write yourself a letter as if you were eighty
years old. Which dreams would you encourage?’ I know myself well enough to know that normally with this kind of book, I would get stuck round about Chapter Two. However, doing the course with others should fix that, especially as we are doing our assignments in class. Frederike Dekkers, owner of the Morgenster (Morning star) coaching agency, is giving the course in a cozy canal house in Amsterdam. For twelve weeks, I will be spending every Wednesday night there, with three other women who are also looking to create ‘more space’. The voice in my head
The first thing we learn, the basis of the book, is that we have to write three pages every morning. Three whole pages! The topic doesn’t matter, just write three full pages about anything. Don’t know what to say? Just write ‘I don’t know what to say’. For me any excuse to buy a nice new notepad will do, but writing three pages a day? Why? Frederike explains that the stuff you write down in the morning – usually all those whiny things, such as fretting about grocery shopping or work – would otherwise be getting between you and your creativity. Cameron wants me to get up half an hour earlier each morning, but that’s taking things a bit too far, especially in winter. So I write my morning pages on the train, on my way to work or – on weekends – lying in
After working as a journalist and script writer, Julia Cameron taught courses to blocked artists in Hollywood. The courses were such a hit that she wrote about them and the result was The Artist's Way
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WWW.ETSY.COM/SHOP/MIKODESIGN O la la – French dolls € 33
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D.I.Y.
WWW.CHARMEL.CO.UK € 15
WWW.ANTHROPOLOGIE.EU Make your own kaleidoscope € 45
WWW.OTHERIST.COM Build your own ukulele € 38
WWW.HUMANEMPIRESHOP.COM DIY magazine CUT € 9.50
WWW.DOTCOMGIFTSHOP.COM Essential sewing kit €5
WWW.ETSY.COM/SHOP/KITTYDUNECUTS Make a moustache € 10
WWW.ETSY.COM/SHOP/ HANDMADEKITTY Chinese cat pattern € 4
WWW.SUBLIMESTITCHING.COM Cross stitch book € 20
WWW.BELLAKOOLA.COM Letter stamps € 25
WWW.ETSY.COM/SHOP/BETTYOCTOPUS DIY broche € 8
WWW.NEEDLECRAFTANDBEADS.CO.UK Felted doll kit from € 18
WWW.FREDFLARE.COM Cake pops € 18
Crocheted necklace
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Inspiration
PAPER ART IN JAPAN If there is one country in the world where they really get what’s great about paper,
it must be Japan. Dutch journalist Caroline Buijs travelled to Tokyo to delve into the happy world of traditional paper and contemporary crafters.
When I finally reach my hotel room in Tokyo after a long flight, I have my first taste of the type of Japanese paper called washi. Set in front of my windows are traditional sliding panels made of wood and covered with washi. They are beautiful and stylish, intended to soften the light and keep the outside world out – which is pretty enticing when you’ve just arrived in a huge, unknown city and are still feeling a bit reluctant to go out. As soon as you enter Tokyo, you inevitably enter a different culture. That isn’t so strange, especially in Japan where they look after their cultural heritage very well. When you’re strolling through the Japanese capital you experience the typical culture all day long: tasty sushi, the occasional lady in a kimono, neon signs in (to me) incomprehensible characters, but
also, little shops bursting at the seams with traditional paper, and bookshops chock-a-block full of modern Japanese craft books. LOOKING, TOUCHING, SMELLING Pretty soon I come across a couple of small family shops that have been selling paper for generations. The walls are lined with wooden cabinets crammed full of Japanese paper. Open one of the drawers and you automatically end up feeling the paper: is it thick or thin, coarse or fine? Does it slide smoothly between your fingers, does it make a pretty sound? Some sheets are handmade and hand printed – quite a time-consuming job if you’re working with several colors because the sheets are printed per color. The old woman behind the counter teaches me the word for the
Chiyogami prints (left) are often still printed using cherry wood blocks
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Flo, Maria, & Dolores in 1979 & 2010
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Flo, Maria, & Dolores in 1979 & 2010
Try This aT home‌ Fun idea: take an old picture of yourself and try to copy it as best as
you can. Photographer Irina Werning takes this seriously. For her Back to the Future project she recreates childhood pictures right down to the smallest detail. It’s touching to see how people grow up, yet still stay the same.
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We â?¤ Etsy & DaWanda
HANDMADE RULES! Some things are just so much fun that the whole world needs to know about them. The American web mall Etsy and its European counterpart DaWanda are right up there. Hip, handmade stuff, directly from the producer to your letter box.
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A collection a day by Lisa Congdon
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Simplify your life
Creativity
A LITTLE EVERY DAY More and more 365 Days projects are starting up every day. More and more people are writing or drawing or taking photos or making something and documenting that every day. Is this something you would like to do? Why do it and, more importantly, how to keep it up? Confucius once said, “Even the longest journey starts with a single step.” Judging by the popularity of 365 Days projects – spreading like wildfire all around us – it looks like creative folks all over the world have embraced his words of wisdom. Every day people are posting an image or a few words on what they’ve done and what it means to them so that after 365 days – a year – they have a whole collection of very personal, authentic material. What you document is entirely up to you – anything goes. For example, an American chap takes a fun picture of himself every day, holding a napkin under his nose, like a moustache. You can make your project as personal as you like – take a daily picture of your sleeping child, or draw some detail from your home. JUST DO IT It’s no wonder that 365 Days projects are so contagious because making or doing something every day is a great way to stimulate your creativity. Who has never been hit by the feeling of I’d-like-toget-started-but-I-can’t-get-going-so-never-mind? You can change that by thinking: what if I make a little something today? Put all those little things together and they can grow into something great. American Dana Beach did exactly that: she always wanted to crochet a blanket out of granny squares, but hey, a double bed blanket is kinda big.… Until one day Dana figured, “I’ll turn it into a 365 Days project, crochet one square a day and post about it on my blog. At first I was afraid it would start to feel like homework, but now, a hundred granny squares down the road, I realize it has become part of my daily routine. It’s more of a habit than a chore and I’ve finished my first blanket!” According to American psychologist Leonard Martin people function best when they get regular feedback that shows they are nearing their goal. This goes totally for 365 Days projects, as you see your stack
The 365 Days projects from this article
Anja Brunt, 365facesproject.blogspot.com Gertie Jaquet, astampaday.blogspot.com Noah Scalin, makesomething365.blogspot.com Dana Beach, craftyminx.typepad.com/a _granny_a _day Henri Jacobs, w w w.henri jacobs.be/journaalmap.htm/ journaal.htm Peggy Turchette, peggyturchette. blogspot.com Kirsty Hall, 365jars.com Julie Powell, juliepowell.blogspot.com
of achievements growing every day. Professional artists use this method, making something every day, to keep their creative juices flowing. Artist Henri Jacobs does a drawing a day and advises his art students to do the same. In the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad Henri says, “It helps you get started. Lots of artists sit around
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