Paper Punk

It’s Inspire Your Heart with Art Day and we’re featuring a collection of Paper Punk creations that made our hearts flutter this month.

“There’s a variety of things you can build with Paper Punk. I love the retro punk look. He [Bot] looks like he’s a little rockstar.” - @origamitree

This month we were crazy about the Graffiti stickers, take a look!

Even though there were a lot of reasons to, we didn’t cry over spilled milk.

And despite our best intentions, not all of our resolutions have been kept.

Nonetheless, we’re looking forward to rocking February and yes, love is in the air! Can’t you tell? #PunkStruck

We would love to feature you in our next artist/fan appreciation blog in February. Don’t be a punk and make sure to tag us in your work. Use #MakeSomething #PaperPunk said so for your chance to be included. 

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, etc., are our communication channels that bring out positive and negative commentary and experiences. They are a way for people to connect to each other and with the world around us, and also serve as a medium to express our thoughts.

Two blogs ago, we discussed how art can be used as (and is for some)  a form of therapy for those who are feeling stressed or for the many people who want to discover more about themselves. We wanted to dive in a little further and not only talk about how art is used as a way to express oneself, but how art can be used as a tool for social activism. Craftivism, if you will.

Coined by poet Allen Ginsberg, the “Flower Power” movement became a popular form of nonviolent protesting in the late 60s and early 70s. This was a movement where demonstrators would insert a flower into a soldier’s gun as an act of peaceful protest against the Vietnamese war. The gesture would later be embraced by hippies and become the embodiment and staple of their movement.

What do you think of when you see the below image?

The gym? Most people associate the “We Can Do It” picture to the women’s rights movement even though it first surfaced in the 40s to promote female war production workers. However, the photo is best known for feminism as it became popular in the 80s to promote the movement and other political issues surrounding this period.

Art is a constant reminder of events and allows us to discuss social and political issues, even when we sometimes don’t know what to say. Take for example the work of James deCaires Taylor that features sculptures submerged 14 feet underwater off the coast of the Canary Islands. They depict the “Raft of Lampedusa” which references the current immigration crisis:  

For those unfortunate enough to live in a climate that has snow for majority of the year, we salute you! Blizzards, being snowed in, brown and/or yellow snow, shovelling?! …

Most people will say the only good thing about winter is how pretty the snow is. 

We are a little inclined to agree, but we want to be sure so we decided to go on a snow adventure and try all of the typical winter activities and bring our Paper Punk pals with us.

Tobogganing

First up on our winter adventure is tobogganing. 

Tobogganing, for those who may not know, consists of either a plastic or wooden long, flat bottomed sled where you sit on and plunge yourself down a hill.

It’s great with a large group of people. Trust us, time flies when you’re having fun.

Skating

Ice skating has proven to be the nemesis of many people: 

via GIPHY

But, winter isn’t so bad when you’re out and about so we’ve decided to give it a chance and we loved it!

But after a long day out in the snow, we decided to warm up with some hot chocolate.

In conclusion, not only is snow pretty, but tobogganing wouldn’t exist without it and for that we’re eternally grateful. #MakeSomething but also go out and do something cause Paper Punk says so!

What do you do when you’re stressed or anxious? Eat? Exercise? Listen to music? Doodle?

Art therapy offers individuals who struggle with communicating an avenue to express themselves using non-verbal communication. Typically, through painting, drawing, or modeling.

Art therapy can be helpful amongst those who are experiencing a lot of stress or pressure, learning disabilities or difficulties, PTSD, depression, etc. or anyone who is simply looking for a way to explore themselves more deeply.

What are the benefits of art therapy? Besides getting to create cool art and finding a safe place to be yourself, the biggest benefit of art therapy are the insights you get from self-exploration. Art therapists are able of provide insight into your creations and help you understand and/or find meaning in your work.

Art therapy can also be a group effort. Finding people who share the same desire to find ways to relieve stress and discover themselves can be a beautiful thing.

We, at Paper Punk, believe in art therapy or any way to positively and creatively express yourself as an outlet. Crafting is a form of art therapy. It’s a way to relieve stress and have fun. Paper Punk can be a form of art therapy by making your own art using our pieces and creating your own characters. Tell your story using Paper Punk.

The Paper Possibilities blog is all about you and we love to show you some of our favorite highlights from December.

“These are fabulous for on the go creativity, so if you have travel plans this holiday season, these are a great project if you are trying to limit screen time, or keep your kids busy in the car while traveling.” - @NatalMe

“This is the sweetest little paper craft I’ve seen in a while and its perfect for boys! PAPER PUNK My littlest boy is going to be an engineer because he can put my Ikea drawers together in 10 min flat!!! and he made this little puppy from in about a half and hour.  PAPER PUNK is a great quiet time activity and looks darling on his shelf.” - @glitzypear

And last but not least, we love this video/film of our kit by Lucky Penny Shop. 

While this season may have been stressful, we hope that you had a chance to relax, spend some time with the people who matter most and had some fun!

We're not big into new years resolutions, but we did cave and decide to make a couple. This year we will:

1. Spend more time doing the things we love. 
2. Spend more time being creative. 
3. Swim against the current. 

We would love to feature you in our next artist/fan appreciation blog on January 31^st. Don’t be a punk and make sure to tag us in your work. Use #MakeSomething #PaperPunk said so for your chance to be included. 

While the holiday season is in full swing – festive music on the radio, houses lit up on every street, finding it nearly impossible to find a parking spot at the mall, etc. we couldn’t help but find ourselves overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with the task of finding the perfect new ornament for the tree this year with the hopes of hearing awe-inducing ahhhhs from the family.

This year we wanted to do something different and decided to take it up notch by “punking” our Christmas tree, gifts, and space.

Christmas Tree

We took some of the extra pieces we had laying around and created our own ornaments for our tree. You can use a kit that suits the color of your tree or you can light it up with something that attracts the eye. Either way, there is an ornament waiting to be hung.

Gifts

Traditional wrapping paper can be so yawn.  This year, we took some time to punk our gifts by adding the stickers from our classic kits and graffiti sticker sets. Choose the stickers that say (y)our message for an added personal touch “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” – Mother Teresa.

Décor

We’ve all been to houses that have overdone their decorations, but there is no such thing with Paper Punk. We love this table top tree for the center of a dining table, or this Paper Punk wreath to welcome friends into your home. 

We have a lot of fun creating with the classic kits, and even more fun giving them a little holiday twist. It’s no surprise that Paper Punking our decorations is a match made in heaven.

If you’re tired of your typical decorations, punk it! #MakeSomething

Art Basel happened last weekend and it was epic. For those of you who were thinking, “what the punk is Art Basel?”, it’s basically a massive art fair that hosts the world's premier galleries and their artists. For most artists and art fanatics, Art Basel is the pinnacle of year-round art exhibitions. While the Miami event is the star-studded, fan favorite, the event is also hosted in two other cities: Basel, Switzerland and Hong Kong, China.

Besides the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the key art connoisseurs from all around the world, many artists attend to find inspiration and check out some cool artwork.

Here are some of our favorite (geometric shaped) art pieces or installations from this year’s show that give us inspiration:

Acquavella Galleries hailing from New York City, specializing in Impressionist, Modern & Contemporary art.

#KennethNoland's 1964 painting 'Mach II' via@acquavellagalleries | Galleries 2016

lucianabritogaleria originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil specializing in contemporary art. See some of their most interesting work:

Esther Schipper / Johnen Galerie

This gallery showcased the work of Angela Bulloch, who specializes in sculptures and installations based on architecture and industrial design, with her “pixel boxes” feature. Liam Gillick with his Suspended Collapse plexigals on the right and Matti Braun’s Untitled work on the left.

On the far end of the booth, Ryan Gander’s lightbox The Connectivity Suite (2016) explores the nature of creativity and Martin Honert’s illuminated dormitory room is in the middle of the frame.

 These artists and their work are what inspire us to get up, get out and #MakeSomething. If you’re feeling the same and not exactly sure where to begin, unwind with some Paper Punk and get creative. The #PaperPossibilities are endless!

Every month we’ll be featuring some of our favorite posts by YOU! The #PaperPossibilities are endless and we love hearing what you think about the kits and highlighting your creations that inspire us to think out of the box.

“My daughters and I worked together to create the Horn001 aka a toy unicorn as we punched out the shapes and folded them following the directions. While working on the project with them, I really loved how simple the instructions as well as how detailed and special each Paper Punk figure was. From a collection of colors to different shapes and forms, our special unicorn was made in less than an hour that we proudly placed on our mantel.” - @SerenaNorr @weekendjaunts

We also can’t get enough of the paper puns! Here are some of our favorite punny posts from this past month

 And finally, because we’re still experiencing our Thanksgiving food hangover: 

We would love to feature you in our next artist/fan appreciation blog on December 27^th. Don’t be a punk and make sure to tag us in your work. Use #MakeSomething #PaperPunk said so for your chance to be included.