Creativity & VHS Tape

As I'm finishing up the last touches on my Emmy wristlet clutches, I began to ponder whether one is born creative or can it be learned. I felt oh-so-creative after reading some of the comments when Kathryn of Crochet Concupiscence followed up her first blog post on TDD with one about the Emmy wristlets (see it here). Then it got me to thinking. Am I really creative, or did it come with practice?

Part of my brand of creativity comes from a lot of practice, and I dream about designs and stuff. I actually was awakened this morning with the idea for this blog post.

Ok, back to the wristlets. My journey with upcycling VHS tape took a few months. Almost like trying to create a new recipe, it was about trying things, discarding them, then trying again to get that perfect melding of ingredients in the right amount for the right finished product. I looked around the internet to see what others might be doing. I really didn't see anything I was loving, so I designed my own purse. There are no pictures of that purse... on purpose. It's not that the design was horrible, it squeaked like you would not believe! I also didn't think it was as strong as I would have liked.

So, I experimented. First, I decided that the next big fashion thing would be a VHS tape/yarn belt. HA!

The belt

Then I decided to do an evening clutch that was lined - better response to that.

Evening Clutch with Yarn and VHS tape

And so it goes. It's all about trial and error. When I was thinking of what I could do for the press bags at the Emmys, I received great input from my colleagues in The Artisan Group, and decided to do wristlet clutches. These wristlets are a smaller version of the evening clutch and crocheted vinyl cord for the wrist loop. With smaller purse magnets and reclaimed fabric remnants, everything came together quite nicely. I also learned that it's much better to use VHS tape that's shiny on both sides (keeps your fingers cleaner and lends a better sparkle).

The Emmy Wristlet Clutch

So, am I naturally creative, or do I just practice a lot? Now that I've written this, I'm thinking it's a combination of both.