DIY
Composting, Painted Flowers, Carnivorous Plants, and More
Week three of The DIY Diaries
I like to make paper collages on index cards, but when I post them online, I often crop the photos such that it might not be clear that the background is an index card. In thinking of our DIY theme, I thought I’d crop the above photo differently so that it’s clearer how I made my collage.
Not that I’m an expert in collage, but that’s also the point of the do-it-yourself aesthetic. Sometimes we can become so burdened by the idea that we need to be an expert to do something, that we keep trying to learn more and more about what we want to do, and then we never try it!
In her story on learning to compost, Sara Burdick talks about this idea of letting go of research and trying a hands-on project to see how composting could work in her garden. The results are pretty cool, and she has a video about her compost experience, too.
This week we also received a story from Helen Miao Yu about how she moved into a new apartment and decided to create a painting to bring a custom-made image of flowers into her living space. She shares a series of pictures that show her step-by-step process in finding, adapting, outlining, and painting her design.
Co-editor Mandy Zeller wrote two articles this past week. Her article about her artwork inspired by the 1980s television show ALF resonates with me not only because I remember watching the show but also because I likewise try to set myself projects that bring me personal enjoyment. I think you’ll love her idea of creating a series of paintings and prints inspired by the show, and her story about the questions that arise when creating work that pays tribute to the art of other people.
Mandy also shared part two in her series of articles about learning to grow carnivorous plants. She published part one just before we started The DIY Diaries, and I’ll link both below. By the way, her articles on this topic have been getting a lot of views, which goes to show that readers want to learn about a variety of different topics. You might think your topic is niche, but other readers want to know about it — maybe because they also have this hobby, or maybe because they (like me) love to hear about people pursuing creative projects of all kinds.
I published one story in The DIY Diaries this week, and it expands the scope of the publication a little bit to include stories about people who have helped expand our perspectives as independent thinkers and creators. My article is about my grandma and her ideas on making fashion choices that work for you rather than following the crowd.
I look forward to receiving more submissions from writers who want to share stories about their own projects and/or the people in their lives who have inspired them through their own DIY efforts. If you’re reading this, you’re invited to join this publication.
Drop a comment below if you’d like to be added as a writer, and please consider following this publication — it helps to boost the exposure for everyone who publishes here.
Thanks for reading!
