Blog Hop | Getting to know me

So Sharada from Quilts & Quills invited me to this 'Getting to know me' blog hop. She has shared her answers on her blog here, so you can get to know her.

I met Sharada only on Facebook and we have yet to meet each other in person, but I know her as an extremely enthusiastic, bubbly and active crafter and I recently discovered that we are somewhat related. Distantly, but we are. So yay!! :D :D So do visit her 'Getting to know me' post and check out her other creations too. Once you're done, come back here because I have some things to share about myself too. 

Are you ready then? :)

The questions for this blog hop seem to have been drafted for creative people in general and that's why they relate to writing and creating, and luckily for me, I can answer both. This was one of the reasons, Sharada said she tagged me and I am so so glad. I never miss an opportunity to talk about myself, and that's why the answers are quite long; longer than a normal person would write, but I am going to do this anyway. ;)

1. What am I working on?

WRITING
After about six years after deciding that writing was what I wanted to do, I can say that I have finally taken that statement seriously. I have been working on various pieces of fiction over the years as a part of NaNoWriMo. I have attempted FOUR different stories (one every November, from 2010 - 2013) and as of this moment, I have completed the first draft of the novel I started in November 2012 and am working on revisions. :) The other three are still incomplete and I hope to work on completing them soon too.

I am having fun with this phase as it is all new for me. The process of creating a novel, reading it, editing and revising and now waiting to send it to a selected group of people who will act as Beta Readers, be the critique group and give honest feedback and suggest changes, is exciting. :)

CRAFTING
As of now, crafting is slightly on hold as I am focussing more on writing. I am working on a few select custom orders but I try to ensure that it is not as hectic as it was till a few months ago - maybe one or two requests a month. Other than that, on a personal level, I am working on some experiments with Micro-Quilling and at this stage, they aren't in a condition where I can even share pictures, mostly because the ideas are all in my head :P But as soon as I am done with the projects - when I want to take a break from writing and want a change - I will complete them and share them here.

2. How does my craft work differ from others of the same genre?

I am going to restrict my answer here to crafting. In my opinion my work is different because it does not belong to any genre in particular; at least I cannot classify it into any specific category. If you can, please let me know so that I can be clearer about what I do.

 I have a feeling that my work is a little bit CAS but not totally because I use loads of papers and embellishments, at the same time it is not full of layers or shabby chic or vintage or any other style. I think the reason behind this is mostly because I work either on requests from clients or (until recently) design team projects that had a specific theme in mind. My own style usually involves at least a little bit of Quilling and that is because Quilling is and will always be my first love as that was my first step in paper crafting.

I decide to exclude Quilling only when I am pressed for time - which is most of the time. I guess that's what is unique about my work. I combine regular card making techniques and styles with Quilling.

Here are a few examples...

Blog Post

Blog Post

You can see more projects here.

3. Why do I write/create?

I have been writing since sixth standard. It started as an extension of my hobby to read. Those days, my favourites were the Famous Five, The Five Find Outers and the Hardy Boys. So during my vacation, I wrote a novel about three sisters - Linda, Katy and Mandy - who were sent to boarding school as their father got a job abroad (my father went to Ghana for two years, that year. No, I was not sent to boarding school) and they solve mysteries there. Sadly, that almost complete story was thrown out during Diwali cleaning as my mother did open the forty odd ruled A4 sheets with scribbled words on them and thought it was old junk :'(

But that got me started. Writing has always been a release for me, an outlet for my emotions when they are extreme - happiness, sadness, anger or whatever else there might be, because there are so many.

When I started my writing blog in 2009, I named my blog Infinite Emotions (also the name for my craft work) for just that reason. While I was doing my article-ship (intern-ship for CA students) the stress and hectic work schedule inspired me to write poems and while I was on leave to study for my CA Final exams, I used to be holed up in my study room blogging, instead of studying. I wrote about Random things (especially how boring it was studying for my CA Exams - relevant posts here) and I had a lot of fun.

I used to write a lot about my personal life, even post pictures. But I seemed to have gained a stalker. So I had unpublished all my personal posts and started a new blog under a new name, something I cannot disclose here (sadly) as this blog is under my real name and can be Googled - that's how the stalker found me on all online platforms. :( But because of this post, I have published all of those posts again, so that you guys have fun things to read. I re-read a few of them, and they are pretty funny. :P

Back then, I used to write about everything going on in my life. I called it my online diary and it really was. Through blogging and reading other blogs, I discovered NaNoWriMo - the annual 30 day challenge with a 50,000 word count goal - and that's when I attempted my first real novel. And since then, there has been no looking back.

2010 was when I started and I started that very late, because I was giving my CA exams that year and by the time the exams were over, it was November 10th or 12th I think and just 18 days for a first timer were not enough to do 50,000 words. I did 50k in 2011 and 2012 but last year, I was still getting a hang of handling my marital home along with crafting, so writing took a back seat and I could not do 50k.

Somewhere in 2010, I also discovered Quilling and it turned out to be another stress buster and since then, I have only moved forward. Both these things - writing and crafting - were kind of an outlet for me, a way of expressing what I was feeling and a way of making me feel good when I wasn't. From a way to relieve my stress a few years ago, both these crafts have become so much of a part of my life now that these are the things I identify myself with, these are the things I stand for and these are the things that define me. I could go without sleep - okay maybe not, but if I really had to, I could give it up for a day - but I cannot imagine a life where I couldn't write or create something. At this point, I just cannot.

P.S. If you want to read my rants at my new blog, please let me know in the comments. If you could give your e-mail address, I will email the link to you. If we are Facebook friends, send me a private message and I will share the blog link. Only if you are interested, no pressure. :P

4. How does my writing/creating process work?

WRITING
I don't plan this. My fiction work starts with an idea, sometimes just a phrase that's good enough to be a book title and I work a story around that. This spark happens when my mind is not thinking about something in specific but just random thoughts, one leading up to another when I'm driving, or cooking, or cleaning - generally, doing mundane things when I am alone or when I am having a conversation with someone about what if scenarios. It starts with one thought and then that has to be expanded to fit a few hundred pages. As you can see, I have given answers in paragraphs, when a few sentences could have been enough. Clearly, I am meant to write novels. :P

CRAFTING
My non-commissioned Quilling work also follows a similar pattern. I may have seen a few colours and loved the combination, or a pattern that I would love to turn into Quilling and then I can't rest till I have started something on those lines. That doesn't mean I finish it, but it at least gets me started so that I know that there was an idea and this is what the final outcome was supposed to look like. For commissioned work, I work with whatever inputs have been provided to me and try to keep my additional inputs in line with what has been asked of me.Sometimes, a sketch on another card inspires me, or a new type of card that I see will make me want to try it out. It could be anything.

Phew!! That was a lot to read, wasn't it? But it does not end here. 

I have to tag two more people, and here they are....

1. Karuna Chauhan

Karuna was the first crafter I met online. For years she has been my go-to person for most of my craft supplies and how to use them. She was the one to give me my first opportunity to be a part of a Design Team and over the years, we have become very good friends. Our phone conversations last for hours even though we have never met each other in person. We can talk about what we are currently working on, ask each other for advice on tips for a project, tips on dealing with difficult clients, what's going on in the craft world and no, it's not gossip all the time and just life in general. 

Karuna's signature works are her scrapbooks and albums and she's made sooo many that I've lost count! She blogs as the Crafting Queen where you can check out her work and read more about her on her blog, next week.

UPDATE
Here's the link

2. Pooja Khupse

Pooja, another one of my closest people at this stage, someone I have been lucky to meet in person. I don't remember how we connected on Facebook (but that happened first) and then when I was a part of the Design Team on her challenge blog, I got to know her better. When we met, it wasn't like that was our first time. I loved how we were both so comfortable and had a blast of a conversation over coffee!!

I can tell a project is made by Pooja because it'll have her all time favourites - Tilda, of the Magnolia fame, beautifully coloured and some amazing handmade flowers. These are on her projects most of the time and they look sooo amazing!! She blogs at Lightbox Creative Ideas where you can check out her work and read more about her on her blog, next week.

UPDATE
Here's the link

It's hard even for me to believe that two people had become close to me when I had met neither of them in reality. It's amazing how the internet and a common interest to craft has brought us together and I am glad that because of this blog-hop, you can get to know these girls better too!!

That's all for now!! I am hoping to post something new this week!! Something I created months ago, but will be sharing only now, so it is new! :)

Thank you Sharada, for tagging me and I can't wait to read what Karuna and Pooja have to say!!

Have a great week people!

Love,

Nikita.. :)