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Why Are Winter Months are the BEST for Crafting in Tacoma?

New Year’s resolutions aside, January is an excellent time of year to get your arts and crafts on! Here are the reasons that come to mind for me (if you are not already using these as excuses for unlimited craft time, feel free to use them):

  1. Winter is cold, inside is better
  2. If you feel cooped up inside, you can use your imagination to escape
  3. Feeling productive in the slower times of the year still feels good
  4. If one of your crafts involves sewing, knitting or crocheting, you can make yourself cozy clothes…like socks and scarves and hats…maybe a tea cozy.
  5. If you don’t know how to knit, crochet or sew, you have all winter to learn and work on your project, and winter is long.

Now for those of you living in or visiting the Pacific Northwest, today I am going to take you on a tour of 5 artsy things to do in Tacoma Washington.

Artsy thing #1 – Tacoma Museum of Glass

I was impressed by this museum because aside from the beautiful exhibits they feature a hot shop! The hotshop is a viewing gallery where you can watch artists create blown glass pieces in real time. Watching them create is entertaining in itself, but they also offer workshops.

Learn More about the Tacoma Museum of Glass & Get Tickets!

Note: As of this writing (01/10/2024) they have a special Goblet Week coming up – find out more about the Tacoma Museum of Glass Goblet week.

Artsy thing #2 – Tacoma Book Center

Yes, a bookstore might not be your first thought for an artsy thing to do but, think about it; Where better to unleash your imagination, pick up a new hobby, learn something new…it’s checking all of the boxes for me!

I can spend hours browsing books and you can too at Washington state’s largest collection of used books. Think of the hidden gems that have been waiting on these shelves for you. A little trip here will be sure to light your sense of adventure and creativity.

Get directions to the Tacoma Book Center – Happy Browsing!

 

Crafty thing #3 – Corina Bakery

This was my absolute favorite place to grab coffee when I had an office in downtown Tacoma!

What really sets them apart though is their pastries and cakes. They craft all of their delicious offerings in-house and THIS is where I get my Birthday cake every year.

While talking about hand-crafted pastries doesn’t make a creative outing, grabbing a sketchbook and a cozy table at this neighborhood hotspot does! It’s the perfect place to post up and spend some time with yourself, drawing, reading, daydreaming….everything is better with cake and coffee.

Explore Corina Bakery’s menu & order online.

 

Crafty thing #4 – Tacoma Arts Live

This place has it all! If you need to quench your creative thirst you can do so here with live performances, plays, concerts, and more. TAL hosted the very successful Imagine Van Gogh experience and is returning in 2024 with an Imagine Monet experience, which I am definitely going to!

Immerse and surround yourself with art and creative culture at Tacoma Arts Live.

 

Artsy thing #5 – Take a class, get your hands dirty, and experience art firsthand

Tacoma offers many classes and experiences for you to step out of the role of the viewer and participate in a creative moment.

Of course here at Artväna we offer many Acrylic Painting classes during the month at different Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, and Sumner Artväna venues, but if painting is not quite what you are looking for this time around you may want to check out these other classes and workshops offered in the Tacoma area:

 

 

Alright so this post involved almost as much cake as it did crafts, but I’m not sorry!

I hope you find a few fun and wonderful creative things to do in the Tacoma area, who knows maybe I will even see you down at Corina Bakery!

 

Disclaimer – None of the links in this article have been sponsored in any way. Artväna is not affiliated with the organizations mentioned above.

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I have time for one more post before this holiday season slips away. Today, lets talk about traditions.

Does the word “tradition”…

A. Spark joy, comfort and happiness inside you when you hear it? Or,
B. feel like a knot in your stomach and a burden on your shoulders?

If your answer was A, GREAT, keep reading, if your answer was B, let’s see if we can work on that feeling.

I grew up without holidays so when I started celebrating when I was around 31 years old, I didn’t have any traditions to uphold or look forward to. So I set right to work creating a Christmas that I would love. There are a few simple rules to creating new traditions for your family.

Rule #1: Do You ENJOY It!?

Granted, it may be hard to find traditions that everyone enjoys equally but does you and your family at least enjoy some aspects of your traditions or a new tradition? Don’t do anything for Christmas that you don’t enjoy.

Rule #2: Ask Yourself WHY

Why do you do this tradition? What does it mean to you? For example, I LOVE cutting a fresh Christmas tree every year. I can be found at the tree farm as soon as they open! I love getting dressed up all cozy, jumping in the car with my partner, we drive far away on purpose so we get some good drive time in. I sip hot cocoa or apple cider as we walk and walk through the tree farm, I inspect almost every tree! For me picking out the tree is special, I know they are all virutally the same but I really feel like the tree we bring into the home brings in its own energy, it’s like a little part of my family through the holidays. We hand cut the tree (well, my partner does this, but I am very supportive) We take the tree to the front where they shake it and wrap it up for us, then its back home! The whole car smells so good on the drive home. We set the tree up right away and it fills the home with the smell of evergreens and I can almost FEEL Christmas right then! Of course decorating the tree is part of this tradition, going through ornaments, remembering the stories, the longer you do a tradition like this the better! Imagine pulling out a 50 year old ornament that your Grandma hand painted! My tradition is now only 4 years old but in time it will be rich with history. Why do I do this tradition? Because I look forward to the tree cutting, the day spent with my partner picking and decorating the tree, and going through our small collection of ornaments that grows every year. It’s a special day and it brings me nothing but joy.

Rule #3: Is It Sharable?

So this is a flexible “rule” as you may have some very personal, private Christmas or religious traditions that you partake in. But for the most part, traditions are better when shared! For example, I host a party every christmas, usually the week before as most people are busy with family on Christmas. The party is a collaborative effort with those invited, my close friends and family. We do something creative and bakey, we will do a cookie baking party or a gingerbread house party, everyone brings what they can! No pressure remember, it doesn’t count if you stress out about it, just let it be and let it happen how it will. It’s so fun to get creative in new ways with this small group of friends, I love seeing their gingerbread houses come together or finding new cookie recipes and sharing baking secrets with one another. Then we all leave with cookies to share with our other friends and family! Joy-Cheer-Fun

I hope your Christmas or winter is filled with light and closeness! I hope these tips help you to shed any stress that is building up around the Holiday. I truly hope you have the best season ever and many more to come! Merry Christmas from my home to yours

– Sincerely,

Rikki

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How to focus on the process of painting with 3 easy tips

Hey there painter! Have you ever wondered how you can enjoy the act of creating more?  How to enjoy the process of painting and dip into your creativity without worrying about making a mistake?

Imagine, letting color and creativity flow freely, being able to instinctively make choices of what your next color will be and what to do with it…this is called intuitive painting, and it’s REALLY FUN! But it’s HARD to let go!!
Even professional artists struggle to get into this zone sometimes. I want to give you my tips and tricks on this because it is so worth it once you experience it and at the heart of this, lies the process vs product problem.

I hear new painters become so concerned with doing a ‘good’ job on their artwork, of placing every little mark exactly where it is in the example painting. Pretty soon they stressed out, a little cross-eyed from staring at their painting so hard and not having a good time, not in a flow state, and certainly not intuitive painting. Don’t worry almost all of us start here. The secret to creative freedom is to switch your focus, from the product (end result) to the process of painting (the making of). Here are some ways you can start doing this when you create: Try to look at your example if you are using one, only once or twice. That’s right let your creativity take over, you have the ‘idea’ see what you can do without being glued to your inspiration

Follow your joy, imagine pulling a long thick swipe of yellow ochre down your canvas, if that color brings you joy follow it…see what that color looks like contrasted next to another….if an idea sparks, follow it…see what happens!

Lastly, if you feel yourself getting frustrated, take a break, and step away. Set your half-finished painting somewhere you can look at it and let it ‘talk’ to you. You may be surprised when one day you look at it and know what you want to do next, that is your intuition getting stronger. That is the process guiding you, rather than the result.

Below I am including a great article about process art VS product art.  Once you get into the article you will see itis directed towards children but this is for everyone!  Process art has benefits for adults just like it does for children so as you read, apply it to yourself.  These excercises can really open up your mind creatively to new ideas and possibilities!  Try these out and let me know how it went in the comments!

Find process art activities and read the article here.

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