Fantastic Mr. Fox in Stop Motion

I already got super excited about this once, but I'm excited all over again after checking out the website for The Fantastic Mr. Fox in stop motion film-form. It's based on Roald Dahl's book (all of which I adored as a kid). I wish I could sit in a theater!! Maybe by next week when it comes out, I'll have some graceful lucky hand make it possible. In the meantime, I don't mind geeking out over the website and watching the little "Featurettes" that show glimpses of the process-- including hand painting, sewing, and sculpting all of the lovely lovely puppets! Their teeny tiny little clothes sure tickle my fancy.

Do You Feel "The Bubble?"

Anyone who has ever created something or felt like creating something, I think, will know what I mean here. I often feel that there is something bubbling in me when I have an idea or want to make something very badly. I'm curious though about how others experience "the bubble."


Right now, I am unable to sew for physical reasons (sorry if I keep mentioning that all the time), and I keep thinking of things I want to make. It feels very bubbly/boiling-y not being able to do it and not being able to get these ideas out of my head and into a concrete form. I find that keeping notes in an idea journal helps a ton. But, not being able to sew also helps me to get more deeply involved in the things I can do-- like knit.


On a related note, feeling the initial spark toward creating an idea also involves the executing of that idea. In his book, Trust the Process, Shaun McNiff writes,

"While he played the piano, Duke Ellington said 'I'm not playing, I'm dreaming.' It is like the Islamic Mystics who quote the Koranic saying, 'It is not you who throws the dart when you throw it.' Creativity is a force moving through us, and only through practice do we learn how to cooperate with it. The "process" is like a muscle. It needs to be exercised in order to function properly."

What does it feel like to you to have an idea or want to create something? Or, what do you feel when you are creating? Is this something you think about on a regular basis? I think artists-- no matter what their medium may be-- are driven to create by this feeling of serenity (or however you'd describe it) and motivated by the challenges "the process" brings.

Stop Motion Rocks, and I want to learn it!!

Yes, it comes with an exclamation point. I just saw today that Coraline is available on DVD with 4 pairs of 3-D glasses with it. How awesome is that?!

I was also browsing around trying to find out how to learn how to make stop motion armatures, entire puppets, etc. when I found this:
Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox is going to be a stop motion movie with awesome puppets and the voices of George Clooney, Bill Murray, Meryl Streep, and Owen Wilson.

So, these things got me thinking more about stop motion. I love it-- it brings together film, sewing, knitting, clay, and swirls many of my interests into one.
First step-- get back on my feet (literally-- I'm still bed-ridden with back issues).
Second step-- stay positive (cheesy, but true).
Third step-- get a camera...this may be a long way off, but I want it to happen none-the-less.
Fourth step-- fiddle around with stop motion and keep making things! Make make make!

Also, to stay on the right track:
I have two new books on the way that I can't wait to read:
1.) Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye (by Rudolf Arnheim






2.) Trust the Process: An Artist's Guide to Letting Go
(by Shaun McNiff)

Inspiring and Encouraging Reads for Creative People (aka Everyone)

These are some books I've read recently and have found to be very helpful in guiding me through my creative endeavors. I get scared about "well, what if I'm not good at any of these things," and "what do I do when I get stuck and can't think of anything?"

If you've ever made anything, you can probably relate. Here are a few very inspiring, (some somewhat dense), but totally worth it reads:

The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World (by Lewis Hyde)
(maybe sounds cheesy, but trust me if you can)



Art As Experience (by John Dewey)
(known for his philosophy on education and teaching, this book is quite insightful and encouraging for creative people)




Living Without a Goal: Finding the Freedom to Live a Creative and Innovative Life (by James Ogilvy)
(maybe this one sounds cheesy too, and you're thinking I'm a huge cheeseball by now. I promise I am, but not when it comes to books. These have genuinely helped inspire me. I'll follow up with some favorite quotes from them to help convince perhaps...)

How to Be An Explorer of the World: Portable Life Museum (by Keri Smith)
(you can find the link to her blog under the blogs I like to the left; her website is awesome too)



The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives (by Leonard Mlodinow)





Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life (by Amy Krouse Rosenthal)
(this one's just fun--her optimism and quirkiness is inspiring. Watch her cool YouTube video too.)



Unrelated to creativity, but well worth the information and awareness:
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (by Michael Pollan)




(Images all taken from amazon.com-- I hope that's ok ??)