I discovered Andrea on Instagram and was first inspired by her Project Life spreads (still am!). Since then, I’ve enjoyed her creativity that goes beyond paper, and continues into crafts and sewing. I love seeing her incredible creativity in her projects and following along her creative journey. Welcome to the blog, Andrea!

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Tell me about yourself. Hello, hello. My name is Andrea. I‘m 27 and live with my boyfriend in Switzerland. During the days, I work in an office and ;ive my creative side on the evenings and weekends. I love reading a good book (my current favorite is: The Time Traveller‘s wife by Audrey Niffenegger), watching some TV-series (Criminal Minds, NCIS, Homeland) and taking naps whenever I can.

What is one weird or interesting fact about you? I love when everything is organized by color. My clothes are organized this way, my books, my project life cards, my cardstock, just everything that could be color coordinated.

What do you do to express your creativity? There is not only one thing that I‘m doing. I always have a lot of things going on and I can‘t stop trying new things. Currently I‘m working on an art journal, knitting my second clothing (a cardigan), making mini-books about special events and ordinary days, painting some abstract art with acrylics and sewing a lot. The one thing that stays the same every week is my Project LIfe album. I work on this constantly and document our everyday life on a weekly basis.

How did you get started doing this? When I was in school, I was very creative. I took some painting classes. My favorite subject was art. I loved to sew. I had an art journal… But with the first job, my free time was very limited. When I was 20, I decided to start further education. I was working 90%of the time and went to school for 10%. It was tough and I was so glad when I had my diploma in my hands. After these 3 years, I felt the urge to start creating again. Painting was the first thing I tried, then I bought a sewing machine. In 2012, I made my first mini-book and fell in love working with paper.

What do you love most about what you do to be creative? I love that I totally forget the time and everything around me when I‘m creating something.

Who or what inspires you? Nature is my biggest inspiration. When I take a walk and see all the beauty around me, I‘m always amazed.

How do you stay inspired? What do you do when you feel stuck or uninspired? I have  several notebooks where I jot down all my creative ideas. One notebook lies on my bedside table, one on my desk and one I take with me wherever I go. When I feel stuck I can always use my notebooks as a reference.

But sometimes it‘s totally okay to be uninspired. I accept these moments and don‘t force it to have to create something always and everyday. And when everything doesn’t work, a nap always a good idea.

Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to be creative? Because I love the fact that I can make something with my own hands.

Describe your creative style. I‘m someone who always tries new things and with a new thing comes a new style. So my style is constantly changing.

Name your top five favorite tools or products.

1. Journaling cards – they are perfect for Project Life spreads but also to jot down a quote or used as a gift tag.
2. Date stamp – I’ve used this one for years and it works very well.
3. Glue runner.
4. StazOn ink pad (and stamps) – StazOn works best for stamping on everything whether it‘s paper, wood, fabric or your hands.
5. Zig Millennium Pens – they come in various sizes and I can write with them  directly onto photos without smearing.

Are you an early bird or a night owl? When are you most productive? Night owl. I just get more awake in the evenings. If I didn‘t have to work I would mostly stay up until the wee hours.

What project(s) are you currently working on? At the beginning of May I shared my newest project. It’s called “create.share.love – 27 handmade items“. I turned 27 on May 2nd and decided to create 27 items while I’m 27. My goal is to only make things I’ve never done before. The first project was an abstract acrylic painting which I shared on Instagram.

If you had to be a color in a crayon box, which color would you be? Yellow like the sun.

If you could possess a super power, which one would you choose? I would love to have that time-turner which Hermione had in The Prisoner of Azkaban. This way I would have a lot more time to be creative.

What is your favorite quote? In the end only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived and how gracefully yout let go of things not meant for you. – Buddha

I share snippets of my life on Instagram (@andreacollects) and collect inspiration on Pinterest.

Be sure to follow Andrea on her links and continue being inspired by her!

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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.

Like others I’ve interviewed for this series, I “met” Olya on Instagram and totally enjoy all that she does. Olya is an amazing artist and I love seeing all the creativity that she exudes in her work. I’m so grateful for her friendship and support as I’ve gotten to know her through Instagram, and today’s post. Welcome to the blog, Olya!

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Tell me about yourself. I’m Olya, (pronounced O-li-a, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard every possible attempt at pronouncing it 🙂 ) I’m 28 and I live in Vancouver, BC with my husband Karl and our bunny Daisy. I’m a watercolor artist by day, project life scrapbooker by night.

What is one weird or interesting fact about you? When I first signed up on Instagram three years ago, I refused to use its social features and only used it for the photo filters. I re-signed up this past July and I’m so ever grateful for all the social connections I’ve made through it.

What do you do to express your creativity? l paint, I go around Vancouver and sketch on the go (@vancouversketcher), I do art journaling and, of course, project life albums.

How did you get started doing this? Back in Europe (where I’m from) I went to a school that specialized in art. We had 2-4 hours of art lessons per day, 6 days a week. Grade 5 onwards art history was added, they didn’t mess around 🙂 After my mom and I moved to Canada in 2001, I learned English and after high school, went to college. I thought it was too unrealistic to pursue art career, so I went into business instead. After I graduated I was longing for creativity and I started doing scrapbooks for friends and family, even some clients, and I loved it. On our first year anniversary my husband surprised me with easel, paints and brushes and I started getting back into art again. In 2012 I took a leap of faith and signed up for my first art show and I haven’t put a brush down since. Now it’s my day job and I’m forever thankful that I took a chance when I did.

What do you love most about what you do to be creative? I love seeing my ideas turn into reality in sketches, Project Life layouts, art journal pages. To envision something I want to paint or make and then be able to do it, that’s my favorite part I think.

Who or what inspires you? Colors, music, ocean, pretty stationery, people’s kindness, my little Daisy bun, return of Spring with its blooms and sunshine, seeing what others create,  Disney & Pixar movies

How do you stay inspired? What do you do when you feel stuck or uninspired? I listen to the music, go through my project life embellishments stash and just keep on creating. When I feel stuck I turn to Instagram and Pinterest, go for a run, read art books, take a break, even look at my own layouts/art journals from last years. I find that cleaning and organizing my supplies and creative space helps a lot too.

Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to be creative? If I don’t create for awhile, my soul aches. Sounds a bit epic, I know but it’s true. When we were in the middle of moving to a new apartment last fall, I couldn’t paint or do project life for nearly a month and I literally cried (several times perhaps). Being creative is such a big part of my life that if I don’t honor it, I go into deep sadness and depression.

Describe your creative style. Happy, colorful & bright.

Name your top five favorite tools or products.

1. Dear Lizzy Project Life kits (all of them)
2. Vellum
3. Wood veneers
4. Washi tape
5. Tiny attacher

Are you an early bird or a night owl? When are you most productive? Night owl and at times early bird too.  I’m most productive at any time but the middle of the day, that’s where afternoon naps come in.

What project(s) are you currently working on? Project Life album, sketch-a-day challenge, art journals

If you had to be a color in a crayon box, which color would you be? Yellow 🙂

If you could possess a super power, which one would you choose? Being able to talk to animals

What is your favorite quote? “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”

Thank you for sharing with us today, Olya! Be sure to follow her blog, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more of Olya’s amazingly inspiring work!

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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.