Crafting IS Art

Art is art in any form. Art is anything you create out of your own mind. It could be a complex oil painting with depth and movement, or it could be a paint by number kit you picked up at a craft store. Art might also show up in the form of a chain of paper dolls that you meticulously took your time cutting out, paying close attention to every detail. Art has no boundaries. Art is all around us. It might be simple and hardly noticeable, or you might seek to find it in a museum where it is worshiped and revered. Nevertheless, art is everywhere you are. Art is design. Everything you use, wear, touch, taste and feel required the mind of a creative thinker to make whatever object you're using become a reality.

I am an artist. Everything I do in life draws from my creativity in some way. To be an artist is to be innovative. An artist imagines a design, and instead of letting it rot in their heads, they set about trying to make their idea a reality . This can come in innumerable forms. For me, creativity comes in several different ways. I am a dancer. I need movement to express myself. I am a writer. I need to write my own thoughts out so I cam later examine them and connect the wild dots. I am a painter. This is probably my least successful artistic practice, but I need it to express my emotions through color.

Last but certainly not least is my love for fashion design, and I have had a tumultuous relationship with it since I started making costumes in my late twenties. Aside from writing, costume design is how I express my true self. I have had many trial and error experiences, but I taught myself how to sew throughout the process of each project. And although I may get frustrated at times, it is my favorite art form.

During the pandemic, I also took up scrapbooking. I used to make snarky jokes behind my aunt's and grandmother for spending so much time on their own scrapbooks, until I finally found the numbing joy of measuring bits and pieces of paper so precisely. When I started to get serious about making scrapbooks, and applied my fine art mentality to these projects, my entire mentality about the craft world changed. Measuring and cutting paper and photos became my new moving mediation. This is when I realized fine art and crafting were one and the same.

One thing I can say from nearly 20 years of experience in all the art forms I have explored is the need for the proper pair of scissors for your project. It makes a HUGE difference in the quality of your lines, designs and minute details. I am also a huge fan of craft knives, and I have learned the hard way that your blades need to be in top condition to produce a top quality project.

There are scissors and craft knives designed specifically for just about anything you need to create, and if you take your art or craft seriously, you need the correct scissors or other tools for each project. For instance, never use fabric scissors to cut anything besides fabric. Yes. They are expensive. However, your end product will have that professional finished look if you use the tools which are designed for your specific project. The same goes for paper crafting. If you want clean lines, expert looking cutouts, and a finished product that looks like fine art, you need to invest in the proper tools. Yes, a trained eye can see when you cut corners.

I have an entire drawer dedicated to specific scissors and crafting knives dedicated to every type of project I embark on. I learned the hard way that using cheap scissors and dull blades leaves you with a less than polished looking end product. When I finally began to use the proper tools for my projects, the finished product looked so much more polished and professional. No more frayed edges, jagged lines, or work that looked like a 10 year old tried their best last minute to turn in their project that was due the next day.

I will also say the same about paints. Don't buy the cheap stuff, if you want professional looking results. The texture is not great. The color quality isn't as vibrant. Cheap paint looks cheap. If you're just painting for fun, don't worry about it. If painting is something you take seriously, get the good stuff. You can get different mediums and textures to mix in to help a little high quality paint to stretch farther. Trust me, the end result is well worth the extra cost.

The right tools and materials do not separate art from craft. High quality tools are what separate average projects from great ones. Arts and crafts are not different from one another, but the tools and materials you use are the difference from a silly project from one that commands attention and shows off the attention to detail.

Whether or not you choose to invest in the tools to give your projects a level up, never lose your creative spirit. At the end of the day, scissors are still scissors, paint is paint, and paper is paper..... but quality tools and materials make the difference to turn any creative project into a masterpiece.