Creative dryness is exhausting physically and emotionally. While spurts of creativity have happened like sudden rain storms that water everything but don’t soak in; this is much more like a gentle, steady rain that the earth has time to absorb. Slowly, gently filling the well, allowing me to drink deeply. There is freedom and joy in the process of making this quilt.
The other night as I drifted off to sleep the quilt showed me the direction she wants to go, and it’s stayed with me. This is a clue that the rain is gentle, and steady and absorbable. (I just made that word up so go with me here.) The next clue that this is a real shift came when I was chatting with Tracy Mooney, the significant shift from being quite freaked out about something and getting all excited and creative brain started thinking, and processing at light speed. Holy mother of all things quilting this is sooooo good.
Spending time deliberately pairing five inch squares to create the square in a square blocks, measuring carefully, stitching slowly all add to the gentle rain filling the well of creativity. This choosing to work deliberately has lived in my quilting world for a long time, though there is a sense where I just grab something and go. As I’ve made the Quilted Block of the Month and the Impractical Color Wheels I’m noticing deliberate choices regarding color, fiber, and weight. This is exciting! So very exciting.
Please take a moment and enjoy my creative mess. So much color, and a good reminder, “don’t quit your DAYDREAM”.
As this gentle rain falls, allowing the earth to soak up all it’s creative goodness there are plans to interview an industry pro on her creative dryness and how that was resolved. Just working out all of the questions to ask her.
Have you experienced creative dryness? How has this effected you? Have you ever considered giving up quilting while in the middle of this? Are you there?
Rather than cutting everything at once I’m working pair by pair, stitching the two blocks at the same time. Cutting everything at once is much more efficient however I’m actually better organized, keeping the colors how I want them. As the words flow from Brain to Fingertips I’m seeing other fabrics in the stash that want to play with this quilt. It’s kind of exciting, and a wee bit overwhelming, to have all the chatter going on.
With all that said, I’m going stitching.
Happy Valentines Day,
Teri
Love these yummy colors. I went through a creative block a couple of years back. When the block went away it was almost overwhelming. I had to work on my fabrics a while and then try to capture the ideas that ran by with drawings and notes. It has since moved to a steady flow and with much better more professional techniques. I love where I am now…fully accepting that my work may not win anything or make any money, but must continue happily in my studio. I do of course hope sell some of it eventually. I think such blocks are actually helping artists solidify what they have learned and step up to the next level, or shift to the next segment of their creativity. Just keep going Teri. God works through you.