How one unexpected creative detour reminded me why Clarity is the bridge to art.

Hi there.

Thanks for popping in.

On Friday afternoon, during our live Clarity Social TV show, I found myself heading off in a completely unexpected direction.

We were launching this month’s Product of the Month: A set of Butterfly stamps, hand drawn by myself, and a new pack of very summery Cloud cards to add to our Elements range.

I was demonstrating a pair of cards using those Integrated BOW-WOB papers that we launched recently (with the Hopi Indian Dancer stamps).

The plan was simple enough. I had my prepped sample cards sitting beside me, and I was working my way through the various stages on the Gel Press printing plate, explaining the process as I went. This was the end goal…

Then, halfway through, an idea popped into my head.

What if I tried something different?

Now, the sensible thing would have been to ignore it. After all, I was live on air! The samples were right there. The plan was working perfectly well. But the idea wouldn’t leave me alone, so I followed it.

One little change led to another. Then another. Before I knew it, I had wandered completely away from the original project and was exploring a completely different creative path. The funny thing was that the card started to come alive in a way I hadn’t anticipated. Not because it was technically better, but because it had become an experiment rather than a reproduction.

At one point, as I was heading off-piste, I heard myself say something quite poignant. It went something like this:

“At precisely that moment, when we decide to try something that wasn’t on the project script, we stop being a crafter – the person crafting a card – and we become an artist. An explorer of possibilities”

I’ve thought about that statement quite a lot since Friday.

For years, we’ve described Clarity as the bridge to art. It’s a phrase I’ve used countless times, but perhaps Friday gave me a clearer understanding of what it actually means.

We are, without question, a crafting company. We make stamps, stencils, Groovi plates and papers. We teach techniques. We show people how things work. Making cards is our game.

But I don’t think art and crafting are separated by some huge gulf. In fact, I think they’re much closer neighbours than many people realise.

When we’re learning, we need structure. We need guidance. We need examples. We need somebody to show us where to begin. That’s how confidence is built. It’s how skills develop.

But eventually there comes a point where something shifts.

Instead of asking, “How should I do this?”, we start asking, “What if? What if I stamp it there instead? What if I use a different colour? What if I combine two ideas that weren’t meant to go together? What if I simply follow my curiosity and see where it leads?”

It seems to me that this is where creativity really begins. Not when we’ve mastered every technique, but when we’re prepared to trust ourselves enough to step away from the instructions.

I see it all the time in SHAC, in workshops, on Facebook, Instagram. Somebody starts by copying a project exactly, which is absolutely the right thing to do. Then, a few weeks later, they change a colour. Then, a few weeks later, they change a colour. They add something of their own. They adapt the design completely. Before long, they’re no longer recreating somebody else’s idea. They’re creating their own.

That’s the bridge.

It’s not a bridge from crafting to fine art. It’s a bridge from certainty to possibility.

It’s the moment we stop worrying about whether we’re doing it correctly and start wondering what might happen if we tried something else.

The older I get, the more I realise that this applies to far more than cardmaking. It applies to pottery, writing, gardening, business and life in general. Some of the best things that have happened to me have come from stepping away from the original plan and following an unexpected path instead.

So perhaps that’s my thought for this week.

The next time a little voice whispers, “What if?”, don’t dismiss it too quickly. Follow it. Trust the process.

You never know where it might take you.

If you’d like to explore this yourself, the Butterfly Stamp Set, Elements Skies Cards and Integrated BOW-WOB papers are all available on the website. But whatever materials you use, perhaps give yourself permission to wander off-script now and again. You might surprise yourself.

Love always,

Barb x