Creativity Corner Vive La Différence

Vive La Différence – Young and Free

August 19, 2013

Happy monday. We have take-off for year 2 of vive la différence and I’m very excited about the next 12 months. What challenges will I have to face? What little beauties and masterpieces will my guests submit? No pressure people. (Am only kidding:-)

My guest this month is Lena, author of Minamoka. Lena describes her blog as “making, finding, sharing + anything design with a story behind. For big and small. From Berlin and beyond.

For new readers:

The concept: each month I will invite one blogger. They will create and showcase one image/vignette. There are 20 themes and 20 objects for my guest to choose from. They choose 1 theme and up to 3 objects. I will then create an image/vignette based on their choice. Everyone has free reign on how to create the image. It can be simple photography, a drawing, a collage, a hand-painted image, a styled table top… the choice is yours! The fun part is that you, my readers, will see 2 versions inspired by the same subject matter. There is no right or wrong. There’s just ‘different’.

Lena chose the theme: young and free with the objects: food and art supplies – Here’s her take on this.

Hello dear colourliving readers, I’m happy to be a guest at this wonderful place today – thank you Tina for inviting me over!

Tina said she didn’t know what went through her head when she came up with the theme Young and Free – I don’t know what went through my head when I picked it, but there I was…

Young and Free is a term that has been abused so much by the advertising world: “Buy our clothes! Smoke our cigarettes! Drink our whatever, and you’ll be, feel and look young and free!”. It is covered by a huge crust of clichés that I had to get rid of in my head first to find out what it really meant to me. I’d like to think of it as a state of mind: Thinking without borders. “Thinking without a handrail” (Hannah Arendt came up with this term – and it kept popping up in my mind when I searched for my definition of “Young and Free”).

I think to achieve this state of mind you need to be A: a genius or B: not older than 3 years. I’m not a genius, so I got myself some help from a natural free mind and dived into a little experiment: Take the two objects I picked – food and art supplies – and a young and free mind and see what happens.

Et Voilá! Tina, I hope you like our little mixed media art piece/collage as a late birthday present!

Vive la Différence - Young and Free - Lena

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Lena is right! I have no idea what went through my head when I listed the theme of Young and Free. When sitting down to work on this I remembered: it was purely to describe a state of mind.

So, we know I’m not a genius and unfortunately I didn’t have an under 3 years old helper to hand:-) so what to do? Well, what I do know is that for me personally – emotional freedom, financial independence and spiritual awakening have always been high on the agenda. Reflecting on reaching half a century next year (eek) I based my vignette on the freedom and playfulness I experience in my daily life. The freedom to be the authentic me, to spend time with people I choose to and to do and go where my heart desires. What is age amongst friends? I certainly feel Young and Free and hope to still do so in the next half a century!

Vignette: recycling of some of my Birthday cards. (Paperchase, M&S, Anthony Frost, NYC Envelope & globe tag by Papermash), Vespa drawing by me. Foods used: Blueberry, Fig, Peach, Strawberry. Paints: Brilliant Water based Dyes by Koh-I-Noor.

All unused fruits were consumed by me afterwards:-) #nowastagehere

Vive la Différence - Young and Free - Tina Bernstein

Thank you Lena & Co. for my Birthday present! I love it! Thank you for your time, enlisting help:-) and for playing along. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Ha! Can’t remember the last time I played with food:-)

I hope you’re all having a good start to the week. Make the most of the weather. Hopefully it will stay nice for a while longer. See you Thursday.

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40 Comments

  • Reply Judith August 19, 2013 at 1:45 pm

    Haha it looks like you both (or well, Lena’s son and you Tina) had great fun… very young & free and fruity! Your son already has a great eye for color, Lena: choosing banana-yellow paint! Happy birthday Tina and hurray for another year of VLD!

    • Reply tina August 20, 2013 at 10:09 am

      Hahaha! I think Lena probably had a tiny bit intake to do with her piece:-)) Like it: “very young & free and fruity”
      I agree. Young talent already. Helps his mother is so damn creative:-)

      Ah, the yellow:-))
      Thank you J xx

    • Reply Lena August 20, 2013 at 12:37 pm

      You’re right, I’m sure he was inspired by the banana! He had lots of fun – you should have seen his face when I told him to to whatever he wants with the food and the paint, it took him a little to believe it 🙂

  • Reply Lena August 19, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    Thank you Tina, I had fun playing with food, too! I love your more grown up version 😉

    • Reply tina August 20, 2013 at 10:11 am

      Hehehe! A grown up version:-)) You know I cannot compete with a child but am glad I still have a big child inside:-)

      Really enjoyed playing with the food AND eating it afterwards.
      Thank you so much for participating and kicking off the 2nd year of VLD! It’s a pleasure to have you here… x

  • Reply Anya Jensen August 19, 2013 at 4:47 pm

    Hi ladies – loving the young and free theme too. As always 2 great takes on it – I adore the collage Lena made and Tina’s cool take on VLD. The vespa is great – is that the next colour you’ll get. Happy Monday ladies and Tina hope you had a good week celebrating. Much love,
    Ax

    • Reply tina August 20, 2013 at 10:13 am

      Hello you!! Thank you, you veteran VLD contributor:-))

      The Vespa’s colour has been enhanced in Photoshop. Mine is Black and unfortunately it gets vandalised all the time so can only dream of a beautifully bespoke Vespa. Still celebrating and just ordered another present. Happy Tuesday xx

    • Reply Lena August 20, 2013 at 12:29 pm

      Thank you Anya, I’m happy you liked it!

  • Reply Ilaria August 19, 2013 at 9:06 pm

    I discover this VLD project right now ad I wonder where I’ve been until now 😉 love the two versions of Y&F (and yes the Vespa is just beautiful!) While reading your path to get to what we now see “on screen” I was wondering what I would do if I were you … Still haven’t found the answer but pretty impressed from what you did! Bravo xx

    • Reply tina August 20, 2013 at 10:15 am

      Hello Ilaria.

      Welcome to Colourliving and welcome to VLD… thank you so much!
      Ha. You know I’ve had practice. It’s the 13th version of VLD and in the beginning I struggled:-)
      Keep thinking. Maybe you will join here one day?
      Thank you xx

    • Reply Lena August 20, 2013 at 12:24 pm

      Thank you Ilaria for stopping by! Come back for more, it’s always fun to see the two different takes on it.

  • Reply Gudy Herder August 20, 2013 at 6:38 am

    That’s a great series and a really interesting first topic to start with.
    Lena, you are quite brave to pick up just this one!
    Happy belated b’day, Tina, I hope you had a memorable day!

    • Reply tina August 20, 2013 at 10:17 am

      Hello Gudy and congratulations on your #BlogTourLA gig! I’m sure you guys will have a lot of fun!

      Thank you. It’s actually not new. VLD has been running for 12 months and this here marks the start of Year2.
      Careful, you might find an email in your inbox to join the fun!!!!

      Thank you Gudy. My Birthday runs the whole month of August – I sure had a memorable day.
      x

    • Reply Lena August 20, 2013 at 12:19 pm

      Thank you, Gudy! You should have seen the other options, they’re all pretty tough – a real challenge, but in a good way!

  • Reply Parisbreakfast August 20, 2013 at 8:44 am

    Fabulous work. Love her site
    Thanks Tina

    • Reply tina August 20, 2013 at 10:18 am

      Merci Carol.
      Lena is extremely talented!

      x

      • Reply Lena August 20, 2013 at 12:27 pm

        Thank you so much, girls! I’m blushing…

  • Reply Jocelyn Casey August 21, 2013 at 11:25 am

    Tina and Lena,

    Wow! This is such a brilliant idea and I am glad I know about it now! The colors are amazing, bright, and cheerful and the vespa is just adorable!

    Thank you for sharing your inspirations. Jocelyn xx

    • Reply tina August 21, 2013 at 2:02 pm

      Thank you Jocelyn and welcome here!
      Yes, the colours are bright and we all had a lot of fun, thank you!
      BTW, I ride a Vespa:-)

      Have a nice day xx

  • Reply Catherine August 21, 2013 at 1:37 pm

    Hi Tina & Lena, another great VLD post. Both versions are fabulous and I love that Lena engaged her son, so colourful. Keep enjoying your birthday Tina, it’s wonderful you celebrate it all month (we all should!) xx

    • Reply tina August 21, 2013 at 2:04 pm

      Hello you!

      Haha! Thank you for your constant support of my blog AND of the VLD feature. I always appreciate when VLD veterans have a look how it’s progressing:-)
      Glad you like them.

      I never know what to do with B’day cards and tend to throw them out. I’m glad I recycled some here… and they were of special people too!
      The weather has been glorious so extra grateful on my B’day month xx

  • Reply Gerard @WalnutGrey August 21, 2013 at 3:52 pm

    Young & free, food & art supplies. What a curious & wonderful combination. Of course the two art works above have reflected them with exuberance. I love the madness & quirkiness of them both.

    Lena “thinking without a handrail” is such a cool quote. It says so much in just four words.

    Here’s hoping to always being young – even if only at heart – and ever free xx

    • Reply tina August 21, 2013 at 7:22 pm

      When Lena chose the theme and objects I really had no idea what to do with it:-) I was intrigued and was just glad that I’m the art supplies queen and food is my middle name:-) The rest I trusted would unfold as and when!

      Ha! Madness and Quirkiness in my books is GREAT!

      Isn’t it? I’ve never heard that quote before… genius!

      Awww, darling, as I’m approaching a big number I am convinced we can all be young and free if we choose to xx

    • Reply Lena August 22, 2013 at 7:57 pm

      Thank you – curious and wonderful is such a nice description for the combination! I’m happy to hear that you like the quote, too. I’m normally not a “quotes person” but this one is really strong and simple at the same time, I think.

  • Reply geraldine August 21, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    Two of my favourite bloggers, so lovely to see. Love how this topic has brought out such amazing creativity. Both images are so beautiful with their own unique quality. Lena, your little one has your artistic talent and I love how you interpreted the topic. Both would look amazing as a print. Tina, hope you are having a brilliant birthday month xx

    • Reply tina August 21, 2013 at 7:25 pm

      Awww, thank you lovely. Are you back from CPH. No doubt you’re intoxicated with design and Nordic bliss:-)

      Yes, for me, each month is a real challenge and I love that! I want to never know what I’m going to do until the very end!
      Isn’t Lena’s son already an artist??? So impressive!

      Thanks G. The sun is shining and life is good! Another 10 days to go but who’s counting xx

    • Reply Lena August 22, 2013 at 8:03 pm

      Ha! Geraldine, the rising design blogger star who’s going to the LA blogtour calls me one of her favourite bloggers! I will frame this!
      Seriously – thank you for your kind words, Geraldine!

  • Reply Doris August 21, 2013 at 7:01 pm

    Thank you ladies, I loved both versions of the Young & Free topic this month! Lena, I loved that you used your son to help with the collage, it looks wonderful! Tina, you will always be young and free spirit in my eyes. xD

    • Reply tina August 21, 2013 at 7:28 pm

      Hahaha! Actually, I wonder whether Lena was cheating by using her son? I need to consult the rules of VLD, hahaha, only kidding!!

      Aww, thanks love. I hope to maintain my young and free spirit into eternity:-)) xx

      • Reply Lena August 22, 2013 at 8:08 pm

        Sorry, too late! Believe me, letting someone else take over control was probably the biggest challenge for me, here 😉

  • Reply Igor August 22, 2013 at 8:36 am

    It is a safe assumption to say ‘I love it’ even before I have seen the actual outcome. Love the creativity packed in this series and it’s great to see Lena on your blog Tina! Love both of your works!

    • Reply tina August 22, 2013 at 10:52 am

      Hahaha! Welcome Mr Veteran VLD participant! Haha! So pleased Lena has helped me kick off the 2nd year.
      Thank you Igor!

    • Reply Lena August 22, 2013 at 8:05 pm

      Thank you so much Igor! Happy to be part of the VLD gang now, too!

  • Reply Michaela August 22, 2013 at 10:17 am

    Hello Tina – firstly a happy belated birthday! Sorry but I’ve just started a new part time job and not been online much – it has been a real whirlwind of activity to get up to speed in the new role!

    Secondly, I LOVE your montage – I think you have a real gift for these vignettes – it’s the sort of thing I aways say I’m going to do with my birthday cards and then never do!

    Michaela xx

    • Reply tina August 22, 2013 at 10:56 am

      Hi M… I wondered where you had disappeared to but then remembered you telling me about the forthcoming position. You’ve been missed so hopefully you can now get back online…

      Thank you, still celebrating…

      Thanks M – in the spirit of my month long B’day celebrations I thought it was a good idea to incorporate some lovely cards that otherwise would be discarded…anyway, I was up against a mini-genius so had to work extra hard xx

  • Reply leah of sang the bird August 23, 2013 at 7:03 am

    This was so fun to see. I think food and art supplies is a great mix! I am loving twigs and art supplies at the moment 🙂 xx

    • Reply tina August 23, 2013 at 3:36 pm

      Twigs and art supplies. Interesting combo xx

  • Reply mel August 25, 2013 at 11:09 am

    Hi Tina and Lena! This series is so much fun. I really enjoyed both of your interpretations and the stories attached and I must say I’m impressed with all three of your artist talents! Hope you had a fab birthday Tina. Mel x

    • Reply tina August 25, 2013 at 11:58 am

      Thank you so much Mel. Haha! There were indeed 3 artists in this post (sneaky Lena:-))))

      Yes, had a fab Birthday. Happy Sunday to you x

  • Reply Holly September 3, 2013 at 4:43 pm

    Very delightful!! Great topics and great expression of them. And thank you for intro to Mina Moka, a Berliner! Will be hopping to her blog soon 🙂

    xoxoxo

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