Whatnot Wednesday: Creativity Challenge

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Daphne in lower hammock, grabbing Velma in upper hammock
Du-du, du-du. Du-du, du-du. Tiger shark!

Hello, all. I hope you’ve had an easy climb to this midweek “hump day.”   No, this is not a feline visit. I featured the Scoobies… just because.

Recently I’ve tried to take the advice to get back to creative pursuits.  Or maybe I should say to the kind things most people think of as creative, like arty crafty stuff, particularly drawing or painting.  (To be honest, my first thought was, “I write, I create images, isn’t that creative?” But few people say what they really mean.)

Now, I don’t have the artistic talent of many of you here.  So I’m not sure how I will follow up on this post. However, encouraging you will also encourage me.  So, I’m sharing this still life photo I made and offering it as a creativity challenge.

Junk Drawer Creativity Challenge

Maybe a “junk drawer” is not a thing that is shared across cultures.  However, during my life, I think everyone, wherever I’ve lived, has had a junk drawer, the catch all spot for small things that are either used frequently and need a handy storage place, or odds and ins that we can’t think of where else to place them.

You see that I’ve used a variety of relatively simple shapes, and contrast in light and dark.  I was trying to make the act of drawing or painting easy for myself.

Junk Drawer Still Life, Teagan R. Geneviene
Junk Drawer Still Life, © Teagan R. Geneviene

WHAT TO DO

Take the photo above and be inspired to create something — anything. Here are my suggestions:

Draw or paint something using my photo.  Or make your own junk drawer still life.

Draw, paint, photograph, or make a collage of the still life.

Or write a story or poem or song about the objects in my still life, or your own junk drawer objects.

If you post your response to this challenge, please link back to my blog.  www.teagansbooks.com

Finally, the only important rule: have fun.

♣ ♣ ♣

To kick things off, I wrote a song parody about the Junk Drawer Challenge, from YMCA by The Village People.  Get up and sing along — to either the parody or their song.

The Junk Drawer Challenge Song

Hey there, I know you got a junk drawer, I said

It’s where, you throw the random stuff, I said

From there, you can create some thing

Any thing can be cre-a-tive.

In there, you got all kinds of junk

That’s where, when you’re short on your dough you can

Look there and I’m sure you will find

Many ways to be cre-a-tive

[Chorus]

It’s fun to draw from the Junk Drawer

It’s fun to photo from the Junk Drawer

It has everything for a story to tell

You can make it a new joy

It’s fun to dig through the Junk Drawer

It’s fun to draw things from the Junk Drawer

You can paint it yourself, you can write it yourself

You can do whatever you feel.  [Fade out]

♣ ♣ ♣

I hope that was silly enough to make you smile. Have fun creating something. 

This is probably a good time to remind everyone that this blog is my sanctuary.  We don’t talk about anything political or religious.  This is a safe place to lift up one another and be lighthearted.  Friendly comments are encouraged.  Hugs!

♣ ♣ ♣

Oh, I can’t forget to include the obligatory shameless self-promotion.

Real Steampunkery Tech:
True Contraptions of the Steam and Diesel Eras

Revised cover "Real Steampunkery Tech: True Contraptions of the Steam and Victorian Eras

Universal Purchase Links

This is a link to everything in my Author Tool Chest series.

E-book:  relinks.me/B0DHC6JFVT

Paperback:  relinks.me/B0DHD9BSJB

♣ ♣ ♣

 

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author, or used with permission, or from free sources.

Copyright © 2024 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved.

80 thoughts on “Whatnot Wednesday: Creativity Challenge”

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  6. HI Teagan, I must be honest I have many junk drawers. They are full of all the bits and pieces of different art stuff I don’t know what to do with. I like your poem, in fact, it is very amusing. Thanks for giving me a smile. Today has been a hardship.

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    1. Thanks very much. And I’m sorry for the loss or your friend, Robbie. I realize that it must seem like a big unnecessary tragedy, a waste. If you need to vent about that or anything else, you’re welcome to email. I’m happy that this post gave you a smile. Big hugs.

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        1. I know you’re busy, but if you get around to the prompt, I’ll look forward to seeing your results. I still haven’t gotten around to trying to sketch it. But I was intimidated about showing a sketch, that’s why I wrote the parody. Take good care of you, Robbie.

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  7. My junk drawers are living breathing monsters I have to feed regularly.

    I’ll give some thought… it’s a fun challenge idea, Teagan.

    Okay, I must go sew, or draw! Sending 3 big oval shaped hugs!

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  8. That’s a great still life Teagan. More people ought to take up still life photography.
    All my drawers are junk drawers. I always have to open up multiple ones because I can never remember what’s in them…

    I may not get to something right away, but this prompt is on my list.

    and you did make me smile…(K)

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    1. Woo-hoo! Objective achieved! 😀 I’m happy you plan to take the challenge, any time you get around to it. Yes, that’s how the drawers are here. And I never can find anything in them. Actually the whole house is one giant junk drawer… and I never know where I put anything. LOL. Hugs.

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    1. Thanks Diana. I wanted to set up a varied still life and start sketching (still haven’t done the drawing…) but I don’t have much in the way of knickknacks. It occurred to me that there were some basic shapes in the junk drawer. I’m glad it made you smile. Hugs.

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  11. I loved your junk drawer, Teagan! Your post was serendipitous. I LOVE journals – all kinds, with lines, without lines, colourful or plain, lined or unlined. At last count my “junk” journal drawer had about 10 journals, all without a single lined penned by me. Last night (on Wednesday before I read your post) I lined them all up and took photos. My goal this year is to be creative, to write, to draw, to dream, to use those journals. Thank you for inspiring me to open the journals and use colourful, or plain pens to look at creativity in different ways. Sending many hugs on the wing to you with lots of gratitude for our friendship.

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    1. Dear Rebecca, it sounds like you were already inspired. Photographing the waiting journals must have had fun results. Maybe one of them will hold collages — bits & bobs representing things that were in a week or a day. Many thanks for reading, commenting, and inspiring. Hugs winging back to you.

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    1. Thanks very much, Deborah. LOL, I never said I have *only one* junk drawer. The darned things seem to be a necessity, not an option. For me, a lot of cabinet drawers would be better used as actual cabinets rather than drawers. So most of mine have become secondary catch-alls for various things. Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs.

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  13. A junk drawer is something fun to ponder on, Teagan. I’m sure a poem could bubble up from that. Thanks, for the video, of course I had to act out the letters 😉

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  14. I love this prompt! It’s weird, I just realized I don’t have a junk drawer! I’ve always had one, but this house has very few drawers, I do have my studio though, filled with baskets and bins full of junk that I create with, I will try to put together a collage, when I can find the time!😉

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    1. No junk drawer? Oh the horror! LOL, just kidding. I hope you get a chance to play with this. Your collages are wonderful. Maybe I’ll try some kind of composite myself, because I’m too intimidated to show any sketch I might make. I’ve done lots of gathering stuff, but I’ve only picked up the pencil a couple of times since I started trying to take the advice. Anyhow, Dave Williams commented giving the tools personalities, so maybe I can try to make some Diva Scissors. LOL. Big hugs.

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  15. What a fun idea and post! We have a junk drawer – it holds pens, erasers, measuring tapes, and old keys that we have no idea what they open. Also bits and pieces of oddly shaped plastic that we’re sure belong to something but what?

    My creative endeavors have once again ground to a halt while I get a handle on the holidays – updating my address list for cards is like living in a retirement home – everyone seems to be dying or moving. Depressing….

    So it’s good to have friends with ideas that make me smile!

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    1. Dear Noelle, I understand how heartbreaking that is… I’m sorry. I’m even more glad that I could make you smile.
      When I bought this place 5 years ago, I inherited a big, fully loaded keyring. It looked like an overfilled charm bracelet (with keys rather than charms) — and absolutely nothing to let me know which key was for what. That included a lot of padlock keys for which I never did find a match. I’ve only taken a few of them (I mean the ones I figured out). Every time I see it in the junk drawer, I stare at it in befuddlement. They kept keys, but not manuals for any of the appliances… Oh, anyhow, “It’s fun to dig through the Junk Drawer”. 😉 Big hugs.

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  16. I love your parody!

    I, too, have been remiss about other creative endeavors, but my daughter visited about a month ago, and that changed. We took a trip to Hobby Lobby, bought a bunch of florals and ribbons, and when we got home, I made her two Christmas wreaths—one for her and one for her to give to her mother-in-law. It was a lot of fun getting back into crafts. She’s coming back for Thanksgiving. I’m hoping we can do something else. Maybe this time from the junk drawer and with my little granddaughter.

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  17. “I’m looking in my junk drawer, oh ya. Looking in my junk drawer, oh ya.” That Tiger Shark is fearsome. Everything you need is in the Junk drawer. My junk drawer in the kitchen is a second toolbox, plus other junk. I use junk from that drawer daily. Great parody lyrics.

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    1. Mine is like a very messy toolbox, with leftover bits & bobs I’ve had to “hide” quickly and then couldn’t remember to find a proper place for them.
      I’m very happy you liked the parody. 😀 That Tiger Shark had big teeth! LOL. Thanks for commenting and making me smile, Tim. Hugs.

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  18. Your song made me smile! As does your offering the photo of junk drawer stuff for a creative challenge. I like the photo! You posed the items quite artistically. I can almost feel the diva-ness of the lounging scissors, the bitter jealousy of the pliers, and the shyness of the closed container.

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    1. Haha! As I told Dan, I never said I had *only one* junk drawer. 😀
      Luisa, please do bring your novel out into the daylight. I kept back “Dead of Winter” for over a decade, for several reasons — one of which was its length. One day I was inspired to divide it into novellas, releasing them approximately monthly. Editing it for that purpose was a lot of work, but it was a great exercise. I’m just sharing, not advising anything. Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs.

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  20. I got a big smile from your junk drawer song. What fun. Yes we have a junk drawer that has everything one needs at least once. Your scissors are just like mine. I love those. I can’t imagine who advise getting back to creative pursuits. You are exceptionally creative. Thanks for the smiles. Hugs

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    1. Objective achieved! I’m so glad I made you smile, John. Being a former seamstress, I still seem to think I need all sorts of scissors. That pair has several “cousins” in various drawers around the house. LOL. Ah, that advice… A well-meaning friend, with a genuinely good heart, but an unfortunately says anything that pops into their head, combined with even more unfortunate self-defining of words and terms… It’s a giant challenge to my C-PTSD, but like I said, a good heart. In this case, creative meant arts and crafts. Yeah, I hear you. And heartfelt thanks for your compliment, because I actually did need it. 🙂 Hugs winging back to you.

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  21. You got me thinking (and smiling, as well). I moved back into my parents’ apartment after my Dad died, so now I have inherited “his” junk… everywhere pretty much. I have been trying to tidy up things, but my mother is reluctant to get rid of my father’s stuff. So, perhaps putting a creative and/or an artistic spin on it will help. Thanks for the inspiration, Teagan!

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  26. I love this. What a novel idea. Everyone I know has a junk drawer! Oh the secrets hidden in there. When hubby needs something, I always look in the junk drawer first and usually have what he needs. (He’s afraid to look in there, very afraid!!) 😘

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  28. We call it a Dad drawer – it’s where old keys from locks long gone, pens that don’t work, nails and screws are in tiny plastic bags, elastic bands, and old foreign coins reside. Every now and then I ‘do’ a discrete clear out.

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