Creatively, are you artistic or crafty

posiepurrs

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I feel like there is a major difference between the two. Artistic people create from nothing, using imagination as the guide. Crafty people follow others guidelines (a pattern, written directions etc). I want to be artistic but feel that I am crafty - not that that is bad. One of the most crafty things I have ever done was years ago I created a pattern to make my daughters Halloween costume, (Laura Ingalls from the Little House on the Prairie books.) complete with sunbonnet.
What is your definition of artistic and crafty and which are you?
 

susanm9006

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I think I would consider myself crafty. I like to refinish, repair or repurpose existing things to be more useful or beautiful.
 

Elphaba09

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I think your definition is pretty spot-on.
I would have to say that I am both, although, when doing crafts, I often change the directions or patterns. (Same thing with cooking. I rarely follow a recipe exactly.) I paint, draw, write (fiction and non-fiction), do a bit of simple woodwork, crochet, sew by hand, knit, make floral arrangements and wreaths, design fabic, redo furniture, and a few other things that are not coming to mind at the moment.

I like to draw people's faces, but prefer abstract and abstract-expressionism when I paint. I need a new picture of my dressers. They are the only two pieces I have redone that I have kept. The rest have been for friends and family.
 

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Margret

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Actually, I think I'm both. I draw, though I do need to be looking at something to draw it; I can't just do it out of my head. When my women's group was working on developing our personal credos many years ago I did mine as a colorful mind map, using colored markers. I also draw Celtic knots, and I generally come up with them on my own.

I have a friend who found a knot made of snakes, biting their own tails, in the Book of Kells and wanted to get a tattoo based on it, but the original only had five snakes and he wanted seven, so I "adjusted" it to add two more snakes. He's very pleased with his tattoo.

On the other hand, I crochet and tat, and do beadwork, and embroider temari balls, from patterns. Except when I decide to make my own pattern. So I think I fall somewhere in the middle.

Fun fact: You know the long scarf worn by Tom Baker in Doctor Who? They never planned on that scarf. They wanted a scarf, but it was supposed to be the normal length. They hired a woman to knit it, and got her a lot of yarn in different colors so she could choose, and she thought they meant her to use all the yarn, so she did. Sometimes blind luck masquerades as creativity. The art comes in when we recognize the serendipity and grab it.

Margret
 

Elphaba09

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On the other hand, I crochet and tat, and do beadwork, and embroider temari balls, from patterns. Except when I decide to make my own pattern. So I think I fall somewhere in the middl
My daughter-in-law loves temari balls! I purchased one for her a few Yules back.
 

betsygee

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I feel like there is a major difference between the two. Artistic people create from nothing, using imagination as the guide. Crafty people follow others guidelines (a pattern, written directions etc). I want to be artistic but feel that I am crafty - not that that is bad. One of the most crafty things I have ever done was years ago I created a pattern to make my daughters Halloween costume, (Laura Ingalls from the Little House on the Prairie books.) complete with sunbonnet.
What is your definition of artistic and crafty and which are you?
Good description. I'm the same--would like to be artistic but am more crafty. I generally get kits or follow instructions online to do embroidery or holiday ornament projects and things like that.
 

Columbine

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I always thought I was crafty because I can't do traditional art (draw/paint/sculpt etc). But I hate trying to follow patterns and mostly do my own thing. So, going by the definition you give, I guess I'm artistic.

I mostly make jewellery, malas or other bead related things. I have used needle felting kits on occasion, and followed cross stitch patterns, but even with those crafts I like to do my own thing mostly. I guess I don't like using other people's ideas.
 

rubysmama

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Not artistic, at all, unfortunately. Not even sure if I'm crafty, though I have knitted, sewed, cross-stitched and hooked rugs in the past, but always had to completely follow the directions.
 
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posiepurrs

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In my lifetime I have tried cake decorating ( designed most of them too), flower arranging (for work), landscaping my own totally blank yard, acrylic and oil painting, hooking rugs, sewing, baking, photography, writing- mostly magazine articles, playing at playing the keyboard. I was okay at cake decorating( sold a few cakes), flower arranging paid the bills for a few years, landscaping the yard is ever changing, painting was not very good, bored with rug hooking quickly, sewing made me lose my religion🙂, baking I am very good at, photography so-so, writing not sure if it is good, but I have been asked for more, and music is NOT my area! I guess I am still looking for my muse! 🧐 At 67 I am fast reaching the conclusion I don’t have the ability to be artistic.
 

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I don't know if it would fall under artistic or crafty, but I can picture something in my mind, then build it out of wood or metal- no plans or blueprints, just creating something that serves the intended purpose, and sometimes even looks good too..
 

Jem

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I'm both. I can paint, draw, sketch, sculpt etc..but I'm also very crafty too. I can come up with my own stuff as well as follow directions and re-purpose random stuff into cool things. I even had a few of my art pieces that I did in high school showcased in our local art gallery. There is one painting I did, that my Mom has hanging in her home that she said several people have commented on (in a good way :) ) and they are always so impressed that it was painted by her (then) 15 year old daughter and not purchased.
I really need to get back into my art and crafting....I miss it.
 

MoochNNoodles

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Both. I do crafty projects; but rarely based on someone elses idea. I never considered myself an artist because I never drew faces or people well. But then in college we started studying art and I got to know its so much more than starting with a sketching pencil.
 

neely

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Artistic, I took after my father and my oldest daughter takes after me - her drawings and sketches are amazing but unfortunately her work keeps her so busy she rarely has the time to draw anymore. I saved all my sketchbooks from high school through college. However, the only artistic endeavor I have kept up with is calligraphy.
 
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posiepurrs

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I don't know if it would fall under artistic or crafty, but I can picture something in my mind, then build it out of wood or metal- no plans or blueprints, just creating something that serves the intended purpose, and sometimes even looks good too..
Yes, I think that is both artistic and crafty.
 

Lari

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I used to write a lot - come up with stories and write them down, especially in high school, so that would be more artistic, I think, but for the most part I'm more crafty. Give me a pattern/recipe/instructions/whatever and I'll follow it. I might not be very good at it, but I like having the guide.
 
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