When you were a child, how did you express your creativity?

Kids are naturally creative, I think, whether it’s drawing, acting out playing make-believe, musically… I don’t remember being any different. I took piano lessons starting at age 5, and sometimes pretended I was a composer trying to write my own music. I played for hours with the real Fisher Price little people and Weebles family. But, I loved my crayons and markers (aside from coveting my cousin’s Star Wars figures collection). The big box of 64 Crayolas was the end-all-be-all for me and I asked Santa for them every year. Clearly, I made use of my art supplies. My parents kept this drawing.

1984: Creative Writing Assignment drawing

Mom was a nurse working the night shift, so when she took her naps (I was older and more self-sufficient…not like I was a toddler), I remember drawing for lengths at a time just to have fun and keep busy.  I even made my own sticker book and pictures for my friends as gifts. This was one… love the shades on the sun.

Sept 1984: My intro into graphic deisgn as a kid

April 1985: Combining fashion and art

We moved Spring 1985, and that summer was rough. Didn’t know many kids around the neighborhood yet, so my brother and I spent time… riding our bikes, drawing and playing at home. Remember Fashion Plates?

Ed Emberley-inspired

Watching our home being built definitely influenced me… probably why I went into Construction Engineering in college. But back in 1985, I really thought I’d grow up to be an architect.

Then I went back to graphic design… I’m such a product of the 80s.

Later, I got into Altered Books, but I didn’t know they were altered art.  To me, they were my assignment notebooks (Chandler’s, anyone?) and every year, I decked them out with handwritten quotes, sketches, magazine cutouts and a collage cover. I really wish I had taken pictures of those. I would do the same thing to gift boxes – instead of wrapping them, I would cut out pictures and letters from junk mail and magazines. Spelling out birthday greetings with individual letters like it was a ransom note looked pretty wild to us tweens and teenagers.

I’d love to hear how others expressed their creativity… feel free to leave a note.