What insights have you gained while doing something creative?

While playing Solitare on Windows I learned that if you lose a lot of games that around -$65,256 it switches to positive $.

I was a cake decorator. I learned something about every special design people ordered.
I did a cake at a kosher bakery for a primary school class. It was in celebration of a learning milestone. I was to do a Torah, with specific wording of congratulations. Some words were to be in black, some in red. I studied up on this to understand the significance. I learned that due to the religious belief of how Hebrew language was created, the very lettering was significant as how it pertained to all of Creation. Because the very lettering carried such weight, I decided instead of having Rabbi write the translation of wording for me, I bought a beginning reader for Hebrew, and learned to write the words myself.
Another cake I did was a farewell celebration for someone taking journey to Israel. I iced the cake in blue, then asked one of the Jewish girls who worked there if she could draw a basic shape of a map of Israel for me. I would then pipe an airplane on the blue part, for ocean, with an offset gray ashape to be a shadow.
The girl not only drew Israel for me, she depicted mountains and bodies of water. She asked me as I watched her drawing, if I wanted her to write in the names of the mountains! Working at that bakery taught me that the Jewish community takes learning their history, ancient and recent, quite seriously. That Torah cake I had done was to mark that the third grade class had read all the five books of Moses! Not only is that a lot of reading, there’s a lot of begats to snooze through!

I had a birthday cake for a state trooper once. They wanted his car on it. I drove out to headquarters when he was off duty to sketch the car. By this point in my career I had learned that small personal details are appreciated by consumers. It had his car number and correct plate number.
During my decorating career I got one standing ovation, lots of exclamations of joy, and a few near tears moments.
I learned many things most people would not associate with the profession.

My writing has involved a lot of research. I got quite a bit of experience for that from my decorating work. The internet has boosted research aspects unbelievably. Though I write fiction, I try to keep facts correct as much as I can without dismantling my story.
I have learned that working several projects at a time works best for me, so if I get stuck for a while on one, I have another I can add some pages to.
I also have learned I can’t do squat with my writing if I am someplace I’m not allowed to smoke.
I work best with a movie or documentary going in the background, especially adventure or topic similar to my work.There continuity issues help to drive me forward. Go figure. Journey to the center of the Earth is a great one.
Can anyone tell me how many backpacks were lost or abandoned, only to be back again later?

I have always been good, at drawing. I started learning anatomy, in high school. Bone structure, and muscle. In advanced art, we drew skeletons, and such. It gave me the first curiosity, of anatomy.

In college, I took Anatomy, and Physiology. It taught me a great deal about not just the structure of soft tissue, and bone. But. What it was all made of. Proteins, and minerals, that made bones and fibers.

I was majoring, in physical therapy.

Later in life, I became a LEO. I had been a life long student, of MMA.

Combining the two, I became a formidable person. I didn’t just know how to fight. I knew about joints, and where organs were, and how the body worked.

It allowed me to know where, and how, to strike, or restrain people. It saved my ass, and protected others. The combination of hand to hand fighting, and knowledge of where and how things worked, allowed me to fight in a way that many cannot.

It gave me a huge advantage. I could fight multiple people, and protect myself better, than most.

I could target specific places, on another. I could protect certain places, on my own body.

I won 1st place, in a drawing competition, in my State Fair.
And, I became a training officer, and Head of Security, in my security business.

I didn’t think about the crossover, when I was studying either…

I also, took psychology. Another bonus.

But. I still draw, and enjoy it.

I got into trouble, drawing on desks. One of my teachers, in high school, said “you can draw.”

I had drawn on a table, in his classroom. He easily deduced, it was me. And made me clean it up. He was a good teacher. He could have reported me. But, he just made me clean up the graffiti…

I learned a lot, in art schooling.
And it led to other learning.

I learned how to be patient and finish what I started. I was actually notorious for having really grand ideas and bailing out when it got too hard. When I worked on this current comic, I had to constantly reminded myself that I couldn’t quit like all the other things I had done before. And now it’s been two years and I have finished 130 pencil outline pages, something that my younger self never even dreamed of! This experience has taught me discipline, which I can apply to many other things in life.

I also learned to do research. Over the year I have switched from just getting quick information on the Internet to devouring an entire book. My English also improves because of that too :D

I also learned to focus on the most important things to me at each given moment. Because my comic requires a lot of time and dedication, I have to have a good understanding of what I truly need in order not to be distracted. As a result I learned to only take up things that will truly grand me long-lasting result, not just “flashy” things. I don’t learn this new way to sketch just because it’s trendy, I learn it because it helps me to draw my comic better.

Imperfection, decay, and chaos are the keys to realism.

Mindfulness, before I knew the word for that state of being.That feeling is a huge attraction for me.
When people buy my work , painting or ceramics, it’s flattering. I don’t always know their reason but it’s nice just the same and the money’s nice
As for commission work, I’ve learned over the years that I do not love doing that.
Collaborations with other artists in the past have been interesting but not something I seek out.I like to be in my own head.
I did take a class from a friend who carves decoys and songbirds with the intention of doing them in clay at some point.
That experience, from the way he laid out his drawings, to carving (with a dremel) and painting the finished bird was interesting but the biggest surprise was his reaction to the news that I was going to do them in clay. His face dropped.
That is the funny thing about artwork.
Some think a person has to have an innate talent for it.It helps but is not a requirement.
Anyone can learn to do it well. :)

^I’ve worked with clay, carved things out of wood. I’ve used a pottery wheel. I liked, all of it.

I took every type of art course, in high school and college. Art History, kind of sucked. There was nothing, hands on. It was was just learning about stuff, that had already been done. But. I learned a lot, about how many works of art, where created.
Many, weren’t done by one person. I found that interesting…

@MrGrimm888 -Yep, that was a bit of a surprise to me too.
I used to go to the art museum every Wednesday while in school. It was a short walk down the street from the art school.
I knew it very well and found it very inspiring. I know what you mean about nothing hands on though and I usually got fired up to do something myself once I got back.
Do you have a favorite work of art?
This has been my favorite work of art since I first saw it as a little girl.
<3

I love that I lose all my anxieties and other going-ons that inhabit my mind, when I am photographing.
I wish I could do it 24/7.
Or, be in that state 24/7.

^It’s hard for me to pick favorites, from anything.
It may depend on the day…

I enjoy most art.

I am especially fond, of music. But. I couldn’t give you a genuine answer to, my favorite song.

Art, seems to coincide with emotion. To me. Therefore, I have different tastes, depending on my emotions.

I guess I could say, that nature is my favorite art form.

A clear night sky. A beautiful sunset. An animal (like a Dragon Fly,) are all amazing works of art. To me…

I enjoy architecture, as well. Although I am an atheist, I really like the design of some churches/religious buildings…

I perceive, even a plant as a work of art.

Nature made people. People make art. So. I see no difference. For example. Your favorite work of art, is simply a reproduction of nature.

@MrGrimm888 -Nature. I get that :)
I cannot pick a favorite piece of music but art, definitely.
There is a lot that I love but my favorite will always be that one.

When doing something creative with the grandkids I learn a LOT of new ways of thinking. I love kids.

^It’s been said that a good teacher, learns as much from their students, as they teach…

I would hope so. So many don’t, though. Some of them are on a power trip. Some are burned out and don’t care any more. Some are old and don’t care anymore. Some are good, though.
I once subbed in a long term 5th grade class. This kid taught me a knew way of long division that he’d figured out in his own mind.
It was genius.
It was amazing.
I wrote it down step by step.
I brought it up to the teacher when she returned. She said, Yeah that kid was teaching her new ways of doing things all the time. Really, REALLY smart and creative.
Most of us ♥♥♥ kids like that.

** “new” way. ** “New way of doing long division. I’m embarrassed.