Creative Every Day Theme for February: Home

January 26th, 2010

At the end of each month I will announce the totally optional theme for the following month. February 2010's theme will be: Home.

As always, the themes for the Creative Every Day Challenge are totally optional. Use it if it sparks you, continue being creative every day in your own way if it doesn't, or do something in between.

I think this theme may be less emotionally charged than the theme of body, but I also think it's an excellent transition from January's theme, as the body is our home too. I'm also thinking of this theme in terms of clearing clutter, creating in a space that inspires you, making art about the home, making art to decorate your home, and exploring what the concept of home means to you. There are endless ways you can play with the theme and I'm open to any interpretation.

I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month on the blog to help keep you inspired. You can use the posts here for jumping off points or interpret the theme in your own creative way. If you need some suggestions, here are a few ideas to get you started. You could:

  • *Write freely about what the idea of home means to you.
  • *Make a vision board of your ideal home.
  • *Focus on clearing a little bit of clutter each day.
  • *Shift things in your space and see how it impacts your creativity.
  • *Make art about the homes you've lived in.
  • *Find your favorite nook in your home and draw it.
  • *Sculpt houses out of clay, play-dough, or paper pulp.
  • *Create a sacred space in your home.

How to use the CED themes:

If you're feeling creatively stuck or blocked at any point during the month, use the theme as a source of inspiration to get you moving. Feel free to focus on the theme in your creative activities for the entire month or as much as you'd like.

Using the theme is entirely optional for CED participants. Use it if it inspires you, ignore it if it doesn't. I'll be sharing posts throughout the month around the theme (among other things) to get you thinking about how to incorporate it into your life. I'd love to hear how you use the theme in your creative world.

And have fun with it!

p.s. The art I adapted for this post is from my mixed-media piece titled, A Crowd of Sorrows, which is available as a print here.

Home is the nicest word there is. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

35 Responses

Home. Cool. I love it.

What a fabulous topic and it’s something that makes me warm and fuzzy inside. Actually, just saw a post about home too on Pikaland http://pikaland.com/2010/01/26/home-is-where-the-art-is

Oh, I adore this theme! Can’t wait to start. And, I agree, it likely will be less charged that the body theme, which was also a great one to explore.

I have to admit that I like this topic better than the body topic. Hopefully I’ll get my groove back for February! lol!

You’re doing a great job picking those themes, Leah. That’s a theme I use in my work, so I feel right “at home” with it and am eager to see what you have to say and how it inspires participants.

When I saw that the theme for February is ‘Home’, the first image that arrives is coming home to my art.
I’m in a space right now where I’m not doing enough of my art, and I’m doing too much nursing work, which does not feed my soul or inspire my life. I came down sick this week too, and I take that as a sign that my body is trying to tell me something: go back home and find what makes you happy.
What makes me happy is creating–singing, writing, performing, recording an album. There has been way too little of this over the past several years, and I’m afraid of continuing on this path. I am afraid that I will become bitter, small, and stunted.
So, I’m going to search out and find the home that I lost–my
creativity.

This is PERFECT! One of my gifts to myself (ostensibly for my birthday) is to paint my living room, which is also my primary work space. This theme arrives at JUST the perfect time. (Why am I not surprised?)

I love this theme. It’s much closer to my heart than “body” actually. Being kind of caught up in a semi-gypsy lifestyle lately, I am focused on finding home, in the future and where I am. But also, I’ve always loved the idea of home, buildings, houses, cross sections of homes, floor plans, architecture, etc.
Fun

great theme leah – love it love it love it love it!

Leah, I was inspired by your January “body” theme and loved that work that came from other wonderful creative individuals. However, I was more than a little resistant to making it my own focus for a whole month:)

February’s theme of “home” I am ready to engage with – wholeheartedly. I’ve promised to do a full page on our eco-friendly strawbale timberframe home for my blog. This is the perfect theme to give it some creative juice.

Thank you Terrill

i love this theme !!!!!!!

ah this is lovely…

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What a perfect theme! Home is my favorite thing:) I look forward to spending some time reflecting on that.

I have to agree will all that I like this theme for February!

Really enjoyed the Body theme in January. The themes are great to help get your (or at least MY) creativity started!

I had to laugh when I saw February’s thme as every year I buy Mary Engelbreit’s weekly calender/agenda. Her theme for 2010 is “Your HOME is your Canvas – Make something of it!” So I’ll have lots of ideas to use if none of my own show up. (Though based on my experience with BODY, they seem to keep coming.)

Thanks!

This is a lovely, lovely theme! Hope to come up with a creation soon!

i love this painting, leah. i’ve been spending a lot of time creating at home. most of my creating these days has been on the computer. i just a quick video that i created on my new iMovie program. SO fun. love creating in this way. today, though, i am taking a break from the computer and returning to simple paper and watercolors. have a great day!

3 crows…love the symbol…the black against the red. This gets me thinking about metaphors in my life…and metaphors for “home”.

Looking forward to another month of creating with all of you!

Leah, your painting is gorgeous! I love the colors and the sense of movement.

Ooooooh, Leah, this is perfect! I just started a blog and this challenge a few weeks ago and love how energized I feel about creating being a part of my everyday, rather than just a hobby. I set my own personal theme for February before I learned what yours would be and named,”Hubby” as that theme. I thought a month known for Valentine’s day and my Sweetheart’s birthday could benefit from me focusing on the man who makes my imagination take flight and my dreams come true. So, finding out that “Home” is the theme is so fitting for me, since home is, indeed, wherever my husband is!
Thank you for making a place that allows us all to reconnect with our creative selves!

I just joined in and had to smile at the theme for february–I have been working on my own CED challenge since the beginning of the year, and with us looking for a house, much of my art has been home/house related! Looking forward to continuing this theme!

Hi Leah! I think I’m coming out of the fog and getting the hang of this. I love the theme for Feb and so looking forward to continuing my process with Creative Every Day. I love the idea of finding creativity in just about everything I do, and there’s so much of that, I can never say I’m bored and have nothing to do! Yeah!

I like this theme,I tend to be a home body so will enjoy this one.I love the colors in your painting,and the crows.

i will be home only in a few days and for a few days.. travelling for a few months

When I saw February’s theme it brought tears to my eyes. The topic of home is something I need to face and deal with. And now is the time. Thank you Leah.

Home is a perfect theme for me this month! I emptied out my kitchen this past week and my ceiling is finally getting repaired after the plumbing emergency a year ago (niagara falls from the kitchen ceiling). And I decided to go for painting the walls and cupboards too. It is going to look so nice and will be home sweet home :-)

I like this theme as I have been considering embarking on an uncluttering project as we gradually thaw out into spring. This is the perfect motivation.

Hi Leah,

I love your theme, and it’s because I love my home. It is the one place where I can be truly myself. This is especially important to me because I reach out to so many different people and are let into many lives during my work hours.

This is the perfect theme for me. I’ve been snowed in for three days and have spent every minute (well, not every…) making a plan for how to create a more comfortable and appealing home. I haven’t checked in since early January but I should report I crochet two scarfs and tried lots of new recipes which is what I hoped to do. So I hope through the month of February to tackle my dining room.I’ll keep you posted.

thought provoking theme. I have been privileged to have always been securely sheltered in a good home, it is not something I take for granted. How can I help create that feeling of security for people I encounter? at the very least, as a yoga teacher, can I help them feel at home in their own bodies? Something to think about this month.

[...] as I told you, it’ll be a busy month, this February. Luckily, February’s CED2010 theme is home, so I should be very creative and [...]

Oh Leah,
Home is such an apt theme for me this month as we are hopefully finalising the sale of a house we have never been able to do up – and we may be able to finally buy one where we actually live. And – it’s a spiritual time for me so … that’s homey ;-) France is a country that needs to let others IN (they have free borders but the rest can be very closed up). Think I may be a bit more productive with you in mind. I use pieces of house for my artwork too – doors in particular. As I think we should definitely open more doors.
Blessings to you

I really need this theme right now. I have been ignoring my “new” condo for months, since moving in August! I have begun creating the first of 3 projects for the living room, and I already feel better! Thank you for making Home a priority for us this month.

[...] home theme feels ironic. I’m preparing our townhouse for sale, so I’ve been packing and storing some [...]

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