It started with a book

Well, actually it started with a radio interview. I heard Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love) talking about her book Big Magic on NPR, then came home and found the whole interview online. I liked the challenge to think about creativity in a new/different way. THEN I read the book and wondered what I might do to try out some of the thinking myself. About the same time, MECCA announced this year's Object After Life - http://www.materials-exchange.org/object-afterlife.html I started THINKING about entering. First I had to get over the word "artist". Not really feeling like an artist, but I like to make things, so my first challenge was to NOT think about the word artist and just sign up. Maybe I could make something that would at least benefit MECCA. With the challenge, MECCA friends pay $20 to enter and then receive a mystery bag of materials, the summer (2 months) to do something with it, $15 in MECCA bucks to add other materials and then turn it in. The results are displayed and shared and sold to benefit MECCA. Artists can choose to split the sale. OK... I'm in. What's the worst thing that can happen? I challenged my sister to join me and she signed up, too. It was nice to have someone in it with me so we could exchange ideas, encouragement and progress. Then I started imagining all the amazing things that were going to be in my mystery bag and what I might do with them...