As a maker, I spend a fair amount of time searching for and collecting (purchasing) materials. In the last few years I have developed a love for thrifting; buying someone’s cast off’s for a bargain price (hopefully.) I have collected enough stuff that I am probably all set for a few months of making – if I didn’t change my mind all the time and follow a new creative whim.

But recently I have been interested in a creative process that involves hunting and gathering rather than purchasing. My own existing stash of materials certainly now qualifies as hunting and gathering. Many times I am going through a bin looking for a particular thing when I come across a long forgotten material. “Oh yea! I wanted to make something with this!”

My own resources aside, I like the idea of seek and find, hunt and gather, in a way that does not COST anything. And by “cost” I mean not only monetary exchange, but any cost to the the safety and well-being of life on this planet.

The image above depicts a nature drawing; just some arranged twigs, juniper berries, bark, and dirt that lay around me as I sat in the shade on a local ranch. Once I leave, the drawing will be erased by wind, rain, and the movements of all the creatures living there. It was a simple exercise in hunting, gathering, and creating with a pure, artistic vision.

As I head out at the end of this week to camp with family in the Sierra Nevada mountains, I will be exploring these creative ideas further. I will make things with my hands in, on, and of the earth. Pure. Simple.