How I create...

Describing the way I create is both incredibly simple & hopelessly complex. I'm terrible at documenting any process, mainly because it's all in my head & changes over time, whether I am creating 'art,' writing a story or an 'article' or creating a photo. Each type of work is kind of an evolution of thought & is created in layers, like my favorite childhood collages. The thought process is different for each item & while each piece generally remains true to the original idea, each takes me on an adventure all it's own.
With my jewelry, for example, I start with a piece, something that I've found (literally on the ground, at times) or an antique/vintage item that belonged to someone close & start adding to it's story, the story it dictates & the story that comes to mind in the process of creating. Many of these items have been passed down to me, over the years & are missing pieces. I give them a new story & hopefully a new life. It's the same with the other 'crafts,' like embroidery. I start with something, generally pre-existing & a story, then build until I have something new; told a new story, built on the original.
Photography & writing work in much the same way. I have an original, an idea & I, with the tools & materials at my disposal, layer & add to create something new, with it's own story to tell.I have never tried creating with music or film, but I would love to, someday. I would imagine that once I learned the language of these mediums, that the process, for me, would be the same.
Anyway, in general that is how it works for me. I love hearing & reading how others create, in whatever medium they might use. I have many biographies & books on the creative process, on individual artists, groups & movements. I find these endlessly fascinating. In what ways do you create? I'd love to hear.