Let me take you on a journey of Creative Power Habit #7 Vision. Part of Creative Power Habit #7 Vision is having goals. You can make your own or take on someone else’s invitation. Recently, I took the True South Puzzle Co and They Draw & Travel’s joint challenge. It was a call to pitch a puzzle. The concept was to create a puzzle that had a site-specific destination with a unique theme that also has commercial appeal. The uncommon thing was that the artwork didn’t have to be finished. It could still be in the concept stage. I’ve entered challenges that required fully completed art only to be rejected, numerous times, and then be stuck with a very specific piece of art. So I appreciate having the chance to share in concept form. With that much flexibility, I was able to submit three pieces for True South. FIRST PUZZLE PITCH ENTRY The Journey a Piece of Art MakesLooking at the “unique” aspect they were looking for I decided to push the destination’s conceptual boundaries. My first design, The Journey a Piece of Art Makes, The Creative Process, is to show how an idea travels to its completion. From idea to destination. (I don’t know if this artwork will make it to its final destination of a puzzle but wish me luck or leave a heart here.) Plus I just finished writing the Jumpstart Your Creative Engine with The 8 Creative Power Habits book so I was all in on sharing about the creative process. I’ve always loved hydrangeas and painting them. I chose to take images from the process of creating the hydrangea painting. Then I added words from the creative process and spread them around in the composition. When I was creating this I thought about how I’d enjoy actually putting together a puzzle like this. I could also see some of my daughters wanting to do it with me. Sometimes our CPH #7 Vision can be too much of a conceptual stretch for a commercial market so that led me to my next entry. SECOND PUZZLE PITCH ENTRY Sweets of SwedenI went for something a little more predictable with the Sweets of Sweden. I lived in Sweden for two years and tried so. Many. Treats! They were all delicious. I loved my sketchbook painting days in their cafes, which seemed to be two to a block. I felt like a real European artist. Wanting to share that feeling, I went to my sketchbook for inspiration and the pastry paintings that I did while in the cafes. The Swedes also love their flowers on tables (or lit candles in the Winter) and I remembered how all the cafes had fresh flowers. It was so lovely that I had to add those. Then there was the bird that flew into the cafe and shared my carrot cake with me. It was such a serendipitous moment that I had to paint her and it gave the puzzle an authentic feel. Wouldn’t taking this puzzle to a cafe and putting it together be so much fun? Here's my next entry. THIRD PUZZLE PITCH ENTRY Famous Statues of EuropeWe went to Paris and Denmark and saw some of their remarkable marble statues. I mean, who can make rock look real like that! So amazing. In my last puzzle pitch entry, Famous Statues of Europe, I wanted to see if I could do an “adult” puzzle. (If there’s such a thing.) I added a bit of sophistication by making it black and white. I thought the pencil lines would make it intriguing to put together. I don’t know how many people would want to put together a puzzle that looks like this but the CPH #7 Vision says to try it anyway. The puzzle could easily be placed in numerous museum gift shops all over Europe, wherever a statue is represented in the puzzle. And let’s be honest, I think I bought something at every single museum gift shop I entered. PROFESSIONAL ARTIST FRIENDSAs a side note for my professional artist friends, this next news should appeal to you. I didn’t make any new art for this puzzle pitch. It was all work that was done previously. Having finished art at-the-ready makes for an agile professional. In the Build Your Body of Work Membership, every month we’ll do prompts that will give you artwork - a mini collection - to add to your portfolio. It will put you in the driver’s seat so that when challenges like True South and They Draw come up you only have to hit the gas.
Will any of these submissions make it? Will any of them win? It feels risky to share before I know but part of the creative journey is putting yourself out there (CPH #8 Show & Share). So, rejection or win, I’m in the creative game. So my Creative Friends, what would your puzzle pitch look like?
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