Do you need a low stress way to include seven minutes of creative contemplation into your week? Consider this your helpful nudge towards a slightly more creative life. If it helps, come back every week for a quick hit of creative contemplation. Each week I’ll share a new nudge. It will include a Thing (T), a Place (P), and a Sense(S) for your focus, a TPS creative nudge.
Welcome back from last week’s luminous light bulb play date. Did you light up your night with creative delight? Whether you wrote a warm and reflective poem, created complicated bulb art, or composed a catchy song while stealing intellectual property like a GPT, I hope you made something to glow about using everyday objects.
Just as light bulbs have illuminated our creative paths, this week, we’re turning our attention to another versatile and indispensable item: a roll of tape. Tape, in all its forms—from Scotch tape to duct tape to packing tape—is a staple in our homes and offices. It’s useful for mending, sticking, bundling, and crafting.
There’s a tape for every occasion, from fixing a torn photograph to cordoning off a crime scene! Its ubiquity makes it a perfect object for our creative exploration. Let’s see how we can use tape to stick our imaginations together and craft something unique.
Tape Cape: Use different types of tape to create clothing and accessories. You can roll, fold, and stick the tape to itself and other objects to build your creations. Consider using a combination of clear tape and colored duct tape to add visual interest. Strike poses at various angles to capture its form and detail.
Kinetic Tape: Find a smooth surface and roll different types of tape rolls across it. Observe how each type moves differently due to its size, weight, and material. Set up a series of obstacles or ramps and see how the rolls navigate through them. Capture the movement in a slow-motion video to highlight the kinetic art of rolling tape.
Tape Abs: Select a body part, such as an arm or a leg, and cover it entirely with strips of tape. Use colored tape to create patterns or designs. Take photos of the process and the final result. Reflect on the tactile experience of being taped and how it feels to move with the tape in place. This activity combines body art with the sensory exploration of texture and restriction.
Tape on Tape: Create a collage using different types of tape as your primary medium. Layer pieces of tape on a canvas or a sheet of paper to form shapes, patterns, and images. Use the tape’s varying transparency and colors to add depth and dimension to your artwork. This activity encourages you to see tape not just as a utility item but as a versatile art material.
Sticky Phrase: Use tape to spell out words or phrases on a wall or a large surface. Experiment with different fonts and sizes. You could create an inspirational message, a favorite quote, or even a poem. Document the process and the final piece, reflecting on how the physical act of taping words can add a new dimension to your writing.
Embrace the playful, the practical, and the imaginative, and let these activities carry you through the week with a fresh perspective. Tape is a simple yet powerful tool that helps us mend, build, and express ourselves in countless ways. Its flexibility and strength make it a perfect medium for artistic and functional projects alike.
Did you know that enough Scotch tape is produced each year to wrap around the world hundreds of times? This remarkable fact highlights the ubiquity and utility of tape in our daily lives. Imagine the endless creative possibilities if we tapped into just a fraction of that potential.
