Creative Arts Process Cards

Having spent quite a bit of time thinking about instructions, particularly for books about bookmaking, I've been wondering how to continue that work, but in a different way. During all the time I've been teaching, the most frequent complaint is that students don't know what to do for content. This blog has partly been an exploration of that content. My daily walks always are and provide inspiration for my photographs. I wondered if there might be a way to share my practice, and the way I approach my subjects.

First, I thought maybe I'd design a print-on-demand booklet. Working with standard publishers in the standard model has gotten harder as publishers appear to take fewer risks and tighten up terms for authors. So being one's own publisher has a sense of freedom to it. But a book that listed exercises didn't seem dynamic enough to me. I wanted it to be interactive.

I found an online playing card company that is essentially print-on-demand for people who want to customize their own cards. It doesn't limit the designer to just the backs: I could print different things on different cards. I began sorting through these blog posts for activities and methods, scrolling through thousands of my daily photos for images, and was able to pair ideas and images to create a set of 52 Creative Arts Process Cards.

They are now available at nevermindtheart!



The deck includes 52 cards: Title card (1); Play cards with instructions (4); Reading card with book suggestions (1); #1 Notice cards (14); #2 Practice cards (14); #3 Realize cards (14); Exchange cards (4), all housed in an accessible clear acrylic two-piece box.


Draw three cards at random from each of the three numbered sets: Notice, Practice, and Realize, and follow the suggested process. Notice cards give you a starting point, an action to undertake in the physical world where you gather notes and sketches. The Practice cards guide you to experiment with the content you collected and are a bridge between your notes and the Realize cards, which suggest a final shape or form.



Additionally, you may opt to choose an Exchange card that gives you permission to exchange zero, one, two, or three cards or use it to decide which one of the numbered cards to exchange. Try using the deck in a class or group and see how one draw can inspire a variety of projects to emerge. The deck provides endless combinations and possibilities for work and play.

The creative process can be difficult, but sometimes the best way to access content is by focusing on just one thing at a time. The creative process is never easy, but I hope that using the Creative Arts Process Cards will ease you onto an exciting new path.



Order a set of Creative Arts Process Cards here.


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