Creative Conversations no. 001 | chatting with Vanessa Perry

I’m so excited to welcome Vanessa to kick start the Creative Conversations series today! I first “met” Vanessa through Instagram and I was so blown away by her amazing calligraphy and creativity. Seriously, her handwriting is amazing, and it looks even better in real life. I’m so grateful that she agreed to be a part of this series and for the friendship that we’ve formed through Instagram. It’s so inspiring seeing her creative work and I’m sure you’ll be just as inspired!

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Tell me about yourself. I’m Vanessa. And my last name is Perry, not “documented,” haha. I’m 25, and I live in sunny southern California. I am a Project Life enthusiast and I like to dabble in handlettering (calligraphy and brush script).

What is one weird or interesting fact about you? When I drive alone in my car, I belch* out my best version of Adele. My best performances include steering wheel drums. 🙂

* yeah, I’m tone deaf.

What do you do to express your creativity? I work on my Project Life album, calligraphy, and brushscript.

How did you get started doing this? What a great question! I can probably trace the beginnings of my creativity all the way to elementary school when I fell in love with painting, so much so that I spilled paint all over my overalls. (Sure sign of an artist in the making – paint on overalls.) Haha!

But to really answer the question:
Throughout my life, I have always loved paper crafts and mixed media. My boyfriend alone has three scrapbooks, a Moleskine of doodles, and a Smashbook. I started creating for myself while I was going through a personal difficult time last year. It first began when I started taking pictures of things that made me happy and I discovered Project Life as way of documenting/scrapbooking, which taught me to really pay attention to the details in my every day moments. Around the same time, I also picked up a paintbrush and started painting words. This peaked my interest in handlettering, which led to calligraphy and brush script. All these things were my own form of therapy. Ever since then, I’ve just become really passionate about being creative.

 What do you love most about what you do to be creative? I enjoy the process – having to rummage through all my materials to find the right embellishments, making a mess, changing my mind a million times on a layout, thinking of the right way to honor a memory, practicing calligraphy. The hard work adds to the satisfaction of completing a project.

Who or what inspires you? Easy. Happiness inspires me. If something or someone makes me happy, I have to remember it. A quote, a photograph, a souvenir, something that takes me back to that moment and how I felt.

How do you stay inspired? What do you do when you feel stuck or uninspired? Go outside, do something, make plans, have a conversation. I have to keep my senses heightened to feed myself inspiration.

When I feel like I haven’t been creative lately, I get out all my supplies and play around with them until I can put something together. I know when I’m stuck when a layout or a spread just isn’t cutting it out for me. I have to walk away, take a nap, or go on a run. Refuel myself; think about my vision and how I want to execute it.

Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to be creative? I want to inspire, the same way being creative inspired me.

Describe your creative style. Simple with a few surprises. There is nothing too complex about my work, but I do like adding one detail that adds a special touch, something to be remembered.

Name your top five favorite tools or products. In no particular order:

1. Studio Calico wood veneers. – They’re on every single one of my spreads.
2. The Project Life Midnight Edition core kit. – The neutrals make it easy to pick and choose cards to match my photos, I don’t have to worry too much about coordinating because neutrals match everything.
3. Vellum. – I love printing on vellum to add a layer of journaling.
4. Manuscript Leonardt nibs – I know the best nibs can be ordered online, but I haven’t ordered any off of my wishlist yet. These ones can be found at Michaels and I’ve been enjoying them for practicing.
5. Studio Calico February Sugar Rush kit – I’m not a subscriber (yet), but I ordered February’s kit out of curiosity. It blew my mind and I might just be getting April’s kit. Studio Calico puts out some good stuff and I love that the kits come with coordinating embellishments; it makes it easier to put together a spread. I’m definitely a fan of SC.

Are you an early bird or a night owl? When are you most productive? Night owl, definitely.

What project(s) are you currently working on? I’m currently working on Project Life for 2014 and a hybrid scrapbook/ art journal.

If you had to be a color in a crayon box, which color would you be? Mint green.

If you could possess a super power, which one would you choose? Teleportation, makes for easy traveling.

What is your favorite quote? I don’t have a favorite of all time, but this one by Oscar Wilde has been speaking to me lately: “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”

Be sure to follow Vanessa on her blog, Instagram and Pinterest to keep being inspired by her creative work.

Thank you for joining us today, Vanessa! It’s been such a pleasure having you.

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Creative Conversations is a blog series getting to know fellow creatives and friends that I’ve made through the internet. Read more about Creative Conversations here.