Creative Wisdom: Baby Steps

Take a baby step - into your creative place.

Right now - 

switch over to your photo files and choose one image that inspires you.

by Lainey's Repertoire

I found this vintage letter at Flickr Creative Commons, a great place for copyright free images. I think I'll punch it up a bit and make a new thermofax screen for my shop. I have a tutorial for working with photos to prepare them for thermofax images here.

If your files are anything like mine they are a mess. I can never find the photo I want because I end up just dumping the whole card to make space on my camera. I don't often take the time to sort. So if you gain a little momentum once you've taken that first step, go ahead and organize a file or two.

For Your Inspiration: Seagrove Pottery

Turn and Burn Pottery

Seagrove is a beautiful rural town, right in the middle of North Carolina. It's half way between Charlotte and Raleigh, out of everybody's way but well worth a trip. Because of it's abundant and diverse clay deposits it has been a center of pottery since before europeans arrived on the continent. 

Eck McCannles Pottery

My mother was a potter and I remember playing around on the kick-wheel in the basement. One of us would sit on the kick-wheel underneath while another would spin the wheel on top. She also made beautiful work and will be again as soon as her shed is finished. I love pottery.

When you visit Seagrove you can stop by the NC Pottery Center and see samples of potters' work and pick up a map and plan your studio visits. Or you can drive around and stop at whichever place captures your fancy. It feels like every other building is a pottery studio. After the first hour we could go in a place and know in a few seconds if we wanted to spend any more time there.

And then... we happened on Eck McCannles' gallery.

Eck McCanless Pottery

I think I fell in love. He layers four different colors of clay then throws the pot, lets it mostly harden, then carves to reveal the most amazing patterns. I only came home with a few little mugs. As much as I wanted the vases and plates I don't have anywhere kid-safe to keep them yet.

 Works by Eck McCanless

I couldn't help buying these tea mugs either. Even though the artist is not from NC they just sang to my heart.

John Bandurchin

John Bandurchin

Creative Wisdom: Baby Steps

And so we begin. Each weekday this month I'm going to post a little prompt - some tiny thing you and I can do to begin the creative process. 

Today: turn off the computer, go into your space and clear off a surface...

even part of a surface will do.

I started with this - which was the easiest pile to attack in my much neglected studio.

I sorted papers and put things away and found the little stack from the vintage style candy store we visited in Philly this summer. I intended to glue them into something for a collage.

 So instead of putting them into another pile, I did.

It might be different for you, but the beginning of any creative process for me requires clearing out space. I am by no means a neat-freak, in fact I'm something of a disaster when it comes to housekeeping. But I find it difficult to work in a cluttered environment and find myself getting frustrated when I have to step over things and can't find what I'm looking for. I'm well used to distractions from my kids while I'm working - I don't need any more from my creative environment. It's a good beginning.

Then I looked over and just kept going for a minute. I had to move the ironing board and Brunhilda, my dress form out of the way to even reach this foot high stack that I've been ignoring for months. 

This bit of wisdom comes from Susan Simonson (of Arusha, Tanzania)

"You are far too young to remember the movie “What about Bob?” which starred Richard Dreyfus as a psychiatrist and Bill Murray as an emotionally dependent patient.  “Bob” the patient, could not let go of his need to see his doctor, who, in a moment of exasperation, told him to just take ‘Baby Steps’.  Baby Steps are hard to initiate, very wobbly, often directionless, and one is prone to end up on one’s face in the dirt.  But each Baby Step, in and of itself, is a HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT, if only because one did it!

So whenever I am faced with something that seems too new, too overwhelming, too impossible to envision the end result, then I ‘give myself permission’ to just take a Baby Step.  The accomplishment comes from just lifting one foot off of the ground, one line drawn on paper, one seam sewn, one magic moment of thought; no more, no less; and I can say “I did it!”

The rest comes with practise, hard work and effort.  But at the moment of each Baby Step, that is inconsequential, which is the great thing about Baby Steps. "

Well. I was quite flattered that she thought I was so young. Hey, I'm old enough to remember that I saw it and to know I've forgotten all the details. 

Nautilus by Sue Price in Freeform Screen Printing

Susan has taken some of my on-line classes at QuiltUniversity.com. My class, Freeform Screen Printing is currently open for registration and begins September 14.

Creative Wisdom: Where to Begin - and How?

There is no such thing as starting where Cezanne left off. You have to start where he started... at the beginning. ~Kimon Nicolaides

Now is the best time to start: My children go back to school this week. This has been a wonderful summer full of family, travel, and even a lazy day or two at the pool. But now I think we're all ready to get back into the routine of things. I find myself re-energized at this time of the year. I'm ready to make a new start and accomplish big things!

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. ~Zig Ziglar

Often, a very small action sets the stage for large results: This is a philosophy that I believe applies to many facets of our lives. Getting out of bed begins with the simple act of opening your eyes. You pick up a pencil to sketch. Your next work of art might begin by sewing two scraps of fabric together. Think for a minute about what it is that you want to accomplish and write it down. Do you want to "finish a quilt and enter it in a show" or "learn to sketch" or "go back to school?" No holds barred - dream big!

If your goal seems overwhelming and unreachable try finding the smallest possible beginning step. What if you walk in to your studio or creative space, pull out a piece of paper, or google one college and write down it's name? These are minute steps but they are, in fact, a beginning. Sometimes kicking a pebble can start an avalanche thundering down a hill. More often, it just moves the pebble a little further down the path. So tomorrow, wake up and kick the pebble again. You'll get there eventually!

Where to begin? Try this:
1 - Turn off the computer and walk to where you create.
2 - Clear off one square foot of table next to your machine.
3 - Pick up two pieces of fabric and sew them together.

This month I think I'm going to put my philosphy to the test. Each day on my blog (and probably on FaceBook) I'll post a small "starter" and show you the results. I'd love it very much if you played along with me! What is it you want to accomplish? What will happen after you take the first tiny step - and the next - and the next? And..... what shall we name this endeavor? Anyone have a pithy little word that signifies the act of beginning? Send me an email and let me know!

Some ideas are 

Baby Steps

the Kindness Chronicles

A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.
Saint Basil

It's back to school time here. The kids pack up and head off for the day, sometimes with more enthusiasm than others. And I welcome them home each afternoon, sometimes with more enthusiasm than others. I need to work on that. I need to be the mom that gives each kid a great big smile and hug. The plate of cookies might never happen but I can certainly slow down for a minute and listen do their litany of the day.

Here is a website that will bring a little fun and kindness into the day of your child, spouse, friend, or maybe even a stranger. (I'm going to try that I think.)

Try printing up some cute labels to stick to a soda can. (Except I'm horrifically mean and don't let my kids drink soda unless it's a special occasion.)

http://darlingdoodles.blogspot.com/2012/01/drink-up.html

At Darling Doodles

http://darlingdoodles.blogspot.com/p/just-because.html

http://darlingdoodles.blogspot.com/2011/08/lunch-box-printables.html

What other ideas do you have for adding a little kindness to someone's day?

The Creative Process: hunting and gathering ideas

The kids are back in school. My mom flew home after an absolutely wonderful week. I'm on my own again for the first time in months. Miracle of miracles - I have only one deadline coming up and it's not until mid-October. I think. I'd probably better double check on that.

So for the first time in years I've been thinking about sewing clothes. Just for fun. I have a collection of vintage sari's that I ordered from India off of Ebay. I kind of really love Ebay.  These came smelling like woodsmoke. It brought me up short for a minute - bringing home the fact that in many parts of the world life isn't nearly as convenient as it is for us with our easy electricity. Take a second to think how easy our lives are because of everything that happens around one of those little electrical outlets. Whew.

The Sari's are fine after a little trip through the wash. I always wash all my cloth before sewing with it - even wool and silk.  Then after the thing is made I might hand wash and lay it to dry but if it can handle a regular wash before it is made then it will be fine afterwards. 

There are a couple of spots where a little bit of the stitching came out of the hand embroidered piece (isn't it gorgeous) but I can repair or work around those as I wish.

As is my usual mode of operation, I think for a long time before I begin. It's my favorite part of the creative process. This time I've pulled out a bunch of patterns - they are all just a beginning. I almost never sew clothes without messing around with the design and the pattern.

I also went up to the attic and rummaged through all of my bins, pulling out all the neutrals. Cooking up some fun ideas for these as well. I keep thinking it would be wonderful to play around this year and actually USE UP some of the stuff that's been sitting up there forever.

For Your Inspiration: NC Beaches

joie de vivre