It’s finally here! Knitting Contrissmas 2011 and I absolutely couldn’t be more excited! The parade of extraordinary creative people begins today and continues through December 25th when I’ll collapse in a puddle and sip a stiff bourbon eggnog! I send you my very biggest wishes for a beautiful holiday season no matter how or where you celebrate.
ENJOY!
Knitting Contrissmas kicks off with
Elizabeth Maxson from “The Adventures of Elizabeth”.
Blogger, Photographer, designer, creator of cool things, and much more—
Elizabeth joins us for a chat about all things creative and then some.
KC: Elizabeth, quite honestly you are one of the most creative people I know—and BUSY! Your schedule has been crazy and yet, you continue to deliver great things to your clients, your blog readers and your friends and family. How in the world do you make time to do creative things?
EM: How do I stretch my time to more creative things done? Well that is a good one. If you asked my barber husband, he would tell you that I am THE WORST when it comes to judging how much time I THINK it will take to complete something. I am one of those who tries to cram six hours of work into one hour. Or, I will go hours and hours without eating because I am so caught up in the moment and “forget to eat” which my husband just does not get. He wonders, “How does one forget to eat?” And I am the person who will sit cross-legged as long as possible because I am so “in the moment” that I don’t want to even stop and go pee! So I guess you can say that my way of stretching time is all in my head….I get caught up in the moment of pure joy. I am so in tuned with my work and with my passion, that soon, time passes; eating is not a concern, and wearing Depends would probably come in handy on some days! The only tip I can offer is to really enjoy what you spend your time on in the first place….then you will feel little need to search and hunt for more time for those creative moments. Make sense?
KC: You are the essence of a ‘Creative Cross Training’ gal, you do a lot in a lot of different areas of creativity. Do you consider anything to be a strong favorite?
EM: Creative Cross Training Gal…I like that! Wish I thought of that…may have to steal that one. Do I have a strong favorite creative passion? I know you probably think I have one that I lean towards, but actually, I don’t. The one strong passion that I have leaned towards for years is….vision. I see something in my head and then I must create it. And what I “see” may be a feeling, a thought, or an idea about something. And what I have found over the years is that I love expressing my vision through writing, photography, and styling. All three combined elements help me express my ideas in the hopes of evoking thoughts or ideas from others that will inspire them to discover and create their own visions.
KC: What does your inspiration process look like?
EM: What does my inspiration process look like? Hmmm…that is a good question. I am not sure what it looks like, but I can tell you what it feels like. Recently I had a huge photo assignment. I discovered a great location and was in charge of the styling, props, everything. I was very charged up, my mind was alive, racing with ideas. I was filled with lots of ideas. I couldn’t wait to get my camera out! I shot a lot of pics and the editors loved them….but then they had some very precise ideas of their own once they got inspired by my pics. They came back with some very directive styling ideas. Their directions were too precise. It took the air out of my balloon. I tried for three days to do it as they described but it didn’t feel right. I hated all the photos. It wasn’t how I envisioned it at all. I moved slowly. My mind went to mush. On the third day, I scrapped all their notes and went back to my original ideas. Suddenly….my mind was alive again! I was happy, my heart was singing, and I snapped, snapped, snapped pics all day long. I couldn’t wait to take my pics! It wasn’t that their ideas were “wrong,” they just didn’t inspire me. I took a huge chance by doing this….but in the end….the editors absolutely loved the end results and thanked me for going my way. But it wasn’t really “my way,” but rather, I was led by inspiration. And if you have read my blog for more than a day, you will know by that, I mean, God always leads me in my work and gives every single idea and all inspiration is from Him.
KC: Who inspires YOU?
EM: Well, I think I just answered that above. 
God leads me and I try to listen and follow. He also is generous and puts people, places and things on my path to help me. Wonderful friends, beautiful travels, and unexpected found objects have been in my life that at the very right moment, inspiring me to create. Lately, my inspiration has been coming in the form of emails from cyber friends who don’t even realize they are inspiring me at all. “Little Messages” is what I call them. They haven’t a clue that what they just wrote to me was the perfect message, at the perfect moment, and the perfect validation of something I was searching for…it has been happening a lot lately.
KC: Are you making handmade gifts this year? I know you must be!!! Can we peek into your list???
EM: Yes…of course! You are so funny…I am just now posting a post on my blog about some gifts I made last year!! Something I make every year is homemade caramels. Maybe I will post the recipe. It is very time consuming, but every year, about this time, I get hints from friends about “those caramels” as a reminder not to forget them. I just went shopping with my two girlfriends, Debbie and Gretchen, and we were antiquing and we found a hug box full of little bisque, electrical tube holders (have no clue of the real name). Little tubes that wires went through in the olden days….well, I bought the whole box, have no idea what I am going to do with them, and I joked with Debbie and Gretchen, and said, “Well, you can expect some little white tubes in your gifts this year…!” I also have about six Hobby Lobby bags on my living room floor for some projects that I am dying to make…but have not made this particular project since the third grade! I will say it includes glue, jars, and many tiny objects…..I will keep you posted.
KC: Do you read a lot of blogs in the creative community?
EM: Well…… yes and no. By that I mean…I read a lot of DIFFERENT blogs…but I don’t read often. I can go months without reading, because I get so busy. Then I go on a reading binge and read and read to catch up. I find myself missing my blog friends so much when I do finally catch up. I really love reading about them, what they are doing, and where they have been. I find it so inspiring. I love looking at Swedish blogs, European blogs, my Texan gal blogs, my Aussie gal blogs, German blogs, foodie blogs, photography blogs, and blogs that have nothing to do with anything creative such as bass fishing blogs!
KC: Bass fishing blogs. Wow. Now I’m going to have to start reading those just in case somehow it uber charges the creative flow!
KC: Your photography is absolutely gorgeous, what kind of camera do you use? Do you have a favorite lens? Are you a photographer than runs her images through a processing program (such as PhotoShop) or are you a see it in the camera and that is what pops out kind of photographer?
EM: Thank you for liking my photos so much. I see these beautiful photos on other people’s blogs and think how great they are and I just wonder how in the world do they do it?? I mean, there are so many wonderful photographers out there, and many are my friends in blogland. I use a Canon 7D. I started out with a Canon Rebel XT. I had the Rebel for years and years. I love my Canon 7D though. And believe it or not, the 15 -135 mm lens that comes with it, is still my favorite lens. It takes beautiful photos and works in a lot of situations. I just bought a Canon 15-85mm f/ 3.5 IS USM stabilizing lens which I really love. I and wanting a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II and I am saving up for a Canon EF100mm f/2.8L lens and my birthday is December 11, in case you are wondering what to get me…..
KC: Well, Happy Birthday a couple of weeks early Elizabeth! And I’ll tell Santa that you’re looking for those prime lenses— they’re good ones for sure! I do recommend the EF 50mm/1.4 though, it is a sweet piece of glass!
EM: And no, I do not run my images through Photo Shop…in fact, I wish I knew how! I have never been so frustrated with a program in my life…I give up. I use Aperture program to categorize my images and to crop and adjust some small issues, but basically, I shoot my images and download. I have to learn to shoot much larger…meaning, not crop through the lens and leave room for the editors. I really edit with my eye and the controls on the camera right off the bat, not any computer program. I am self-taught, so I know no other way.
KC: Your food always inspires me. What kind of cook do you consider yourself to be?
EM: My food inspires you? That’s neat. Never really thought about what kind of cook I am. Randy says I am a great cook…but he is easy to please. I guess I consider myself to be a variety cook. I cook all sorts of things, not just one type of dish.
KC: Do you cook all the time? I think maybe I just want to know that you love Imo’s Pizza and crave the occasional Toasted Rav!
EM: No. I wish I did though. I love to cook. I go through spurts. When I am super busy, I go through the fast-food spurt, which I just hate. I feel gross. But when I get to cook, I cook “for real.” I may use help with a can of soup, or such, but basically, I cook pretty quickly, but using fresh meat, vegetables and so on. I try to ride my scooter over to the Farmer’s Market for fresh items and put it in my basket. It holds only enough for a day or two, which forces me to go back again for more fresh items. I love to make soups! My barber husband said he loves my Spanish rice, Cream of Mushroom Soup, my Tuscan Soup, Caramels, homemade tortillas, my pancakes, crepes, sour cream pound cake, and he really LOVES my French Steak and sauce. The only “rule” I really live by when it comes to cooking….I never, ever eat off of paper plates, not even when we camp and fish. Life is just too short. 
KC: Your blog is totally amazing and really tells the story of who you are personally and professionally. What do you embrace to keep your blog fresh and to keep yourself motivated to share on it?
EM: Thank you about my blog. What keeps me motivated? Well….hmmm…I do wish I could blog more because I love to share. I just get so dang busy. And like I said, I am always so sure I can cram six hours of work into one. And that never works. I guess I stay motivated because I stay so busy and just feel like sharing. I never worry about what anyone will think about what I share because in the long run, I guess, I share it because at the end of the day, I don’t want to forget my feelings, thoughts, or ideas. Someday, when I am old and feeble, I will be able to look back and think….wow….that really was a good idea….I hoped I enjoyed it because I am not sure if I remember how it all turned out! Hahahaha.
KC: 2011 has been a VERY busy year for you—- what has been the highlight?
EM: The highlight for 2011? Now that is a good question because there has been a lot going on! On a professional level…I think being hired to shoot an entire book was my highlight. I hope to be able to share that soon – I don’t have permission yet. On a personal level? Well, this might sound corny, but my highlight was when my barber husband bought me my scooter and he took me out on our first ride together. I sat behind him as he drove. I never rode tandem before. It was a very cold night in February. We rode in the park where we first met. It was so nice to just sit back and relax as he weaved in and out of the parking lots and then rounded corners and I leaned on him (and he kept the wind off me). I almost fell asleep with the swaying of the scooter, the little sound of the putt-putt of the engine and my leaning on him…and it was late at night, all quiet on the streets. I got drowsy as I had total trust in his driving and it was the first of many rides we have had since. I bought him his own scooter since, but I do say to him to this day, “I need a ride…” And he knows that I just want to sit and relax and be close to him. And off we go on one scooter and we leave one behind in the garage. We haven’t done that in a while…I just may have to tell him soon before it gets rainy, “I need a ride…”
KC: No doubt 2012 will be even more exciting! Can you share anything that is coming up for you in the future?
EM: Oh my gosh…I just got off the phone with my friend, Renee, and we were laughing because I told her I had 2012 already planned and done…yes, lots of big things for the new year. Lots of travels. I will be announcing on my blog…that I am going half way around the world to visit a cyber friend to give her a real hug…that much I will say right now. I will also be working on a book that is near and dear to my heart. That is all I can say.
KC: Thanks so much for the visit Elizabeth, have a wonderful holiday season! We’ll be watching your latest activities on your blog!
EM: Thank you so much for having me. You gave me some wonderful things to chat about. Feel free to cut down my answers, as I know they are long. I am a chatty one. I hope your holiday season is a very blessed one with happiness, peace, joy and hope for the future. May all your passions be filled, and your heart fulfilled by The One who gives us all a wonderful purpose.
A big hug to you all,
from my house to your house
Elizabeth
