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Creative Surprises

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you’ll leave comments!As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.

Last weeks winner is Peacock Fairy! Congratulations! You have won a a cast pewter piece from Lynn Davis of Expedition D! Send us an e-mail with your address and we will get it right out to you.

Welcome to the studio of Cindy Gimbrone and Studio Saturday!

I’m in-between trips to Corning this week. Last week, I made a day trip to the Glass Art Society‘s annual conference. Held all around the world, this year’s conference was held in Corning, New York. If you love all things glass, Corning is a place you have to visit.

Although I suspect my trip was the spark, today’s post is not about Corning or inspiration – it’s about creative surprises. Sometimes when I go to the workbench with a particular thing in mind whether it’s to fill an order or to make more of a series of beads like the Bling Links, I can be completely caught off guard. I’ll pick up a mandrel and something tells me today is the day to go completely off the beaten path.

I’ve always loved elephants. As a child, I never had a teddy bear, I had a elephant with a teddy bear’s body named Pinky. When I felt scared at night, I held onto Pinky, he made me feel safe.

Pinky was the start of my love of elephants. I love elephants depicted in art and am drawn particularly to the artwork that represents the Hindu god, Ganesha.

I’ve tried but never been able to create a Ganesha in glass. Ganesha is known as “the remover of obstacles.”So I was surprised yesterday when he sprang from my flame.

I was suprised and delighted! I had no intention of making elephants nor did I think I could after many failed attempts. Did the inspirational trip to Corning free up my block? Or was it Ganesha who removed my obstacle and left me with my creative surprise? Who knows but it certainly was unexpected.

Have you had a creative surprise? Tell me about it by leaving a comment. You’ll be entered in a drawing to win the Ganesha focal bead above.

I look forward to reading your comments!

(written from the studio of Cindy Gimbrone where creative surprises spring forth from the flame regularly!)

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17 Comment

  1. Gaela
    June 13, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    I too am a dedicated Ganeshee. I've collected elephant my whole life and when I got older, I found Ganesha. What an awesome creative suprise for you, Cindy. I love, love love this bead! It seems that a lot of my best beads happen as "suprises" I make my beads with many various mediums. Polymer clay, paper, seed bead beads, hemp seed beads, dried flowers and other items from the woods that I live in. My best beads are usually when I combine these mediums~When I get lucky, I end up with a truly unique and organic center piece!

  2. Cindy Gimbrone
    June 13, 2009 at 3:13 pm

    Hi Gaela,

    Thank you! I'm glad you like the bead. He's very special to me – being the first successful elephant I've made in glass. We're fellow elephant-admirers huh? YAY!

    Sounds like you've had some wonderful surprises spring forth from your studio too!

    Thanks for commenting!
    Cindy

  3. Hannah
    June 13, 2009 at 3:28 pm

    Hi Cindy,

    I absolutley love your Ganesha bead. My husband and I love elephants, and have even chosen an elephant orphanage in Kenya as one the charities we donate to.

    One of my best creative surprises was the hexagonal beaded beads I made a few years ago. I wanted to make beaded triangle drop beads. When I tried, I noticed that the triangle looked sort of small on its own, but then I added another triangle and had a hexagon. It was completely unplanned, but I loved the results.

  4. peacockfairy
    June 13, 2009 at 3:55 pm

    So excited I won last week – thank you so much!

  5. Joann Loos
    June 13, 2009 at 5:26 pm

    Hi Cindy!

    He is absolutely wonderful! With the color and the decoration, he's got the right Hindi feel.

    Almost everything I do with beads is a creative suprise LOL. I don't map out what I'm doing carefully. I pick one constraint…stitch, color, shape, and then work from there.

    I'm currently working on the Use the Muse competition piece. I'll finish the main focal piece before I decide what else to do.

  6. Jeannie
    June 13, 2009 at 6:22 pm

    Like Gaela, I'm also a dedicated Ganeshee. I'm not surprised this bead came through your flame. Elephants are symbolic of courage and inner strength. I have a sculpture of five elephants in my yoga studio. They are walking, single file holding the tale of the one in front of them with their trunk. My husband had a gold ring made for me with an elephant that I wear everyday.
    My creative surprise is not one single event. It happens every time I have the courage to try something new. Namaste, jeannie

  7. gail whitehead
    June 13, 2009 at 6:41 pm

    Cindy,I love your elephant bead.Around my house we call them Ellies,so that even the 2 year olds know about my Ellies!And I get new ones all the time,like the great elephant walk,they walk and fly,hold plants and doors,even lampshades.But I've never had a bead like yours'.He is a wonderful surprise!Congrats!

  8. Cindy Gimbrone
    June 13, 2009 at 7:21 pm

    Hi Hannah,

    What a great charity!

    Hexagonal beads – awesome! What a wonderful surprise and taking that one step further from triangle to hexagon. Good on you!

    Creatively yours 🙂
    Cindy

  9. Cindy Gimbrone
    June 13, 2009 at 7:22 pm

    You're welcome, Peacockfairy! You've won a lovely prize 🙂

    Cindy

  10. Cindy Gimbrone
    June 13, 2009 at 7:24 pm

    Hi Joann,

    LOL! I know that feeling and I think it's wonderful – setting up a few restrictions and then taking it from there. You can end up with some amazing pieces.

    Keep creating!
    Cindy

  11. Cindy Gimbrone
    June 13, 2009 at 7:28 pm

    Hi Jeannie!

    Thanks for sharing about your yoga studio and the symbolism of elephants. I've taken yogi for the past 11 years and you know what they say, you don't come to yoga because you're curious, you come because you've done it before. 😉

    Here's hoping all of us have a creative surprise spring forth from our studios! I can't think of any wish better!

    Namaste,
    Cindy

  12. Cindy Gimbrone
    June 13, 2009 at 7:30 pm

    Hi Gail!

    Ellies – what a cute name for your elephants! I don't see any elephants beads like what came out my flame the other day. He's been waiting for the right time and the right color glass.

    Thanks for commenting and sharing:-)
    Cindy

  13. The Joy of Nesting
    June 15, 2009 at 9:49 pm

    How very peculiar,
    Of course I have never really understood the magic called internet 🙂 I'm either losing gray cells faster then I thought or my comment must have fallen into a black hole :(. The last serendipitous creation was when I sat down to create a muslin pillow sashay for a challenge and walked away from the sewing machine with an adorable tiny tote I made by printing the front and back of a vintage Paris post card on the muslin then attaching the strap with wire wrapped beads 🙂 Much more cute then any sashay that's for sure!!

    Pattie 😉
    Mazatlan Mx

  14. RupaB
    June 17, 2009 at 6:38 pm

    What a cute Ganesha….love his eyes!

    Everynow and then I sit with a pile of beads and hope some magic will happen…sometimes it does and sometimes not 🙁 but it is always fun as I discoveer something about a color combination I've not attempted or the beauty of a bead that has been sitting around unnoticed.

  15. Cindy Gimbrone
    June 17, 2009 at 11:50 pm

    Hi Patti,

    Sounds like your creative surprise was so much better than the sashay! Thanks for sharing it with us!

    Glad you came back to make sure your comment was heard and not lost to the internet! Love to hear from readers 🙂

    Creatively yours,
    Cindy

  16. Cindy Gimbrone
    June 17, 2009 at 11:52 pm

    Hi Rupa,

    Thank you! 🙂

    Yes, sometimes our creative surprises aren't as pretty as we'd like but we do always learn something!

    Appreciate your thoughts!

    Bead on!
    Cindy

  17. Vicki Schroeder
    June 19, 2009 at 6:57 pm

    Cindy,
    I love your Ganesha bead! You are so generous to share him by giving him away!

    Your trip to Corning makes me think of the practice that Julia Cameron of The Artist's Way recommends, filling the well. When I have gifted myself with a visit to an art exhibit or museum, I come home with a sparkly energy that always gives me a creative surprise! One of my favorites has been making cloth dolls stuffed with special rocks, which came to me after seeing / being moved by the "Venus of Willendorf" and similar prehistoric sculptures.

    When new creations come out of this "flow" you just know it's the energy of the universe moving in you. And even though it may not make sense, it always feels perfect!

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