Sunday, September 29, 2024

Thoughts on Creativity

Leaves seem reluctant to change their colors in my part of the world, that is, save for a group of maples in a park I frequent.

They are a rich red which draws me over for a closer look.

The cottonwood trees, though, can't seem to muster their usual bright golden yellow I love, if they are turning at all. Their hearts don't seem in it, any more than my heart has been into what waits in my studio this year. Oh, there have been splashes of interest, bursts like those maples, but the interest and drive I once had waxes and wanes. Age? Health? Shift of priorities? I don't even take as many inspiration photos as I used to. And yet, I still study clouds on my walks and couldn't help but try to capture some stunning ones yesterday, having no idea how I might work them into a textile piece - clouds are really hard to capture in fabric and thread! Not even easy with paint!


I went on a bit of a rant in my last post, and confessed I'd managed to confuse myself looking at all the videos previewed during a taster offering.Why am I looking at all these painting sessions? Why am I not working with textiles? And then found this quotation in a recent e-mail from Laly Mille, one of the teachers and someone I've been following and taking free lessons from for awhile:

“You will enrich your life immeasurably if you approach it with a sense of wonder and discovery, and always challenge yourself to try new things.”

– Nate Berkus –


Well, I did allude during my rant that I do like a challenge of mastering something new and this quotation reminded me of that. Some of my earliest memories involve needle and thread, fabric and yarn, constantly challenging myself to learn a new stitch or make something slightly beyond my abilities. And this need to learn has never been limited to any one thing. That's why now I joke that I have too many interests, I can't keep up!


Ah well, I suppose there are worse problems to have. I can't disagree with the above statement. Back to work . . .

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was just coming to comment on the last post & here you are with a new one! I've been working on smaller art quilts & looking through my project boxes finding things that were started but never finished. I like Nate Berkus' design work & his quote about challenging yourself to try new things sounds exactly like what he does. As the Life Is Good labels say...do what you love; love what you do! Jan in WY

The Idaho Beauty said...

Well, Jan, I'd missed a week of posting while making my way through all those videos, I had these new pics and some thoughts coming into my head so figured I'd might as well get it posted. Regarding your boxes of ufo's, as you can imagine I have them too, although mine are mostly in one very large bin or stacked on the floor still. I'm almost afraid to get into that big bin again and thought I'd be farther along in finishing up some things by now than I am. As much as I say, work on nothing new until you do, I'm always called away by intriguing fresh ideas. :-)