Creativity, Inspiration and Castle Walls

So, a little time away from blogging and away from the computer has had me thinking – about creativity, inspiration and about the fear of missing out.

I am way too prone to obsessively reading blogs, subscribing to feeds, checking websites – all in the name of “looking for inspiration”. Is it inspiration I am looking for, though, really? Or is it fear that I am missing something? Missing an amazing new technique, the perfect quilt pattern, a review of a book that will revolutionise my art, my outlook, my life?

In reality, even if I lived for a hundred years and quilted 10 hours a day, I could never make all those quilts I have looked at and thought “I’d like to make that”.

If I lived for a hundred years and read for 10 hours a day, I could never hope to get through all the books I would like to read “one day”.

If I spent 10 hours a day surfing the net for the rest of my life, I might still miss out on hearing about some inspirational project or technique that I would doubtless love to try. And I would never have time to try any of them.

I was reading Andria’s blog and she wrote about some instructions for an online course that advised her to turn off the computer, close the magazines and look to her own life for drawing inspiration. Isn’t that just the best advice? Sometimes because we are frantically looking to find those inspirational pictures, posts and tutorials, we miss the beauty of what’s right under our noses. Like, oh I don’t know, the patterns of bricks on some castle walls:

I am not saying that we can’t find inspiration for art or indeed for life from reading others’ blogs, looking at pictures of other people’s work, or perusing magazines. But it needn’t be the only way to get inspired. Sometimes we find the inspiration we need by just taking a break, stopping to notice the beauty in the everyday things that surround us.

So, although like many, I struggle with the Fear of Missing Out (check out Zen Habits great post on this) I am going to make an effort to rein in my impulse to click, click, click around the internet and instead devote my time online to keeping up with those bloggers with whom I have made a genuine connection; and limiting my inspiration-trawling to a few trusted sites that I know and love. No doubt, I will miss out on the occasional amazing quilt, technique or insight, but I will have freed up headspace for nurturing my own creativity and inspiration. It’s got to be worth the risk.

Quilts, Quilts, Glorious Quilts!

As expected, it’s been another busy week, culminating in a trip with my mum to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham. And what a Festival it was! There were so many wonderful quilts to see – traditional, modern, big, small…and I am going to share a few of my favourites with you, dear reader.

First up, my absolute favourite in the show. It was an entry in the Contemporary Quilts category, by Tracy Aplin from Deal and it is called “Colourful Kaleidoscope“. I love the colours, the design, the rickrack, the hand stitching. Well, everything about it really. What’s not to love?! Here it is:

And some close ups:

On the way back on the coach, I mentioned to one of other ladies how much I liked this quilt and the way the circles had been appliqued with rickrack around, and she said something rather dismissive, along the lines of “she only did it that way because she didn’t know how to attach them properly”. Gah. Quilt Police. Yuck. I love this quilt, whether it is technically amazing or not. It sings with joy and makes me want to do the same.

Another quilt I loved in this category was Jenny Rolfe‘s quilt “Branching Out“. I love the different shapes of trees and leaves and the contrast between the subtle hand dyed fabrics and the bold black and white of the borders:

And some detail:

A third quilt I particularly enjoyed was in the Quilters Guild Challenge. The challenge was to produce a quilt on the theme of “Britain – What it Means to You”. It seemed that, to a lot of people, Britain means cups of tea . But I was particularly taken with this interpretation by Julie Mary Humphreys, which she describes as “The colour and richness which comes from welcoming immigrants to our culture – it is Britain’s hidden strength” Amen to that, and love this quilt:

The faces dangling from the bottom of the quilt are just super. So quirky and expressive! I particularly love the policeman

This year I was particularly wowed by the Miniature Quilts. These quilts would all be awesome if they were full sized, but to see this level of detail on something just a few inches in size is totally amazing. I have no idea how they do it, but it makes my jaw drop!!

Another highlight (as in previous years) is the exhibition from the European Quilt Association. This year they produced quilts 20 x 50 cm in size on the theme of “Crossroads”. I love seeing the different interpretations of artists from all around Europe.

Of the prize winning quilts this year, my favourite by far was winner in the Pictorial Quilts category, “Graceful Dance” bu Janneke de Vries-Bodzinga. It is beautiful, don’t you think?

As far as buying stuff this year, I was remarkably restrained, coming away with a small amount of fabric and just a couple of new books…but I have certainly filled my head with inspiration and a renewed enthusiasm for taking up needle and thread, and that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day

If you went to the Festival, I would love to hear about your highlights…

So!

Whenever you feel annoyed, whenever your mind goes bad, just say, “So!” When you feel better, just say, “So!” If you love someone just say, “So!” When you feel you’re getting angy, just say, “So!” Do you understand? You don’t have to go looking into the scriptures. Just “So!” Whatever arises, just tell it, “So!” It saves a lot of time.

Ajahn Chah in Food for the Heart

A Fake or a Work-in-Progress?

A couple of things have brought me to writing this post today.

First up, Ben Naga’s mind-boggling poem “Identity Crisis“. Go and read it, then come right back

Second, a comment from someone close to me, made in the heat of an argument, along the lines of “you make out you’re this wise person, but really you’re not”

I feel like a fake.

In some blog posts, I point the reader in the direction of words of wisdom I have read from others (for example here, here and here) Words of wisdom that are inspirational to me and that I think may be inspirational to others. I recognise the wisdom of others, and aspire to follow them. I may fail. I do fail. But I try again.

I produce pages in my journal where I try to take on this wisdom and present it in such a way as it makes sense to me (and may, again, inspire others). For example here, here and here.  I do not always succeed in following my own advice.  But I try again.

I aspire to be kind and compassionate.  But often I am unkind and impatient.

I aspire to live in the moment.  But often I am plagued by regrets about the past and doubts about the future.

I aspire to be free from attachment and ego.  But often I feel insecure and in need of reassurance.

I aspire to radiate peace and happiness.  But often I radiate negativity and pessimism.

So, if I share inspirational words with you here, know that I am aspiring to follow them.  But often I fail. I am not wise. I do not have all the answers.

Maybe I am a fake.  It’s easy to present a wise persona online, where the nitty-gritty of daily life and interaction drops away.

But maybe I am just a work-in-progress, trying my best to tread this path – sometimes I stumble, sometimes I fall, hopefully I get up and try again.

Sewing has Taken Place!

Yes, I have actually done some sewing! Two more disappearing nine patch blocks for my friend’s daughter’s quilt:

I really must get this finished so I can start making a fun, liberated quilt

It’s been ages since I bought a quilting book, but when I heard Gwen Marston had a new one out – “Liberated Medallion Quilts” – I couldn’t resist.

It’s chock-full of inspiration, including quilts both from Gwen herself and her students:

I think medallion quilts are my preferred type. The fact that you don’t have to decide how it’s going to look from the start, you just make decisions border by border. It feels like a very organic process. Here’s the medallion quilt I made for Gman last year:

It started off as a regular log cabin quilt but I got bored with that, so turned it into a log cabin star, then made up borders as I went along. Instructions from Gman were for red and black only but luckily he didn’t mind the maverick splash of lime green

So, that’s what I want to be doing in my quilting life. But first to finish this blooming disappearing nine patch quilt. 16 blocks made, 4 more to go…

A Different Kind of Balance Sheet

This journal page was prompted by something in a book I am reading at the moment. The book is Ayya Khema’s “Being Nobody Going Nowhere“. When talking about lovingkindness, the author suggests making a balance sheet at the end of the day. On one side of the sheet is: “How often have I felt lovingness towards another person today?” and on the other side: “How often have I felt anger, hurt, resentment, rejection, fear, anxiety, today when confronting other people?” This can be written or can be just in the mind.

Just undertaking this exercise for a few days has made me realise just how tipped my balance is and sadly, not on the side of lovingness. It has made me very aware of all the times in a day I respond, not with lovingness, but with irritation, indfifference, or resentment. It has made me realise that I have a lot to learn and a long way to go.

I am inspired by Ayya Khema’s writing though, and her assurance that lovingkindness is a skill that can be learned. She emphasises that acting in a loving way is never a weakness. For example, if you treat someone in a loving way and they respond by “taking advantage” of you (a real fear that a lot of people have, I think) then she says that it is their bad karma and asks  “How you can you lose the love that you carry round in your own heart? If somebody takes advantage of you, it is another instance of learning whether your heart has already been trained”. She goes on to say that “The weakness that one may be afraid of showing is a fallacy because love gives strength not weakness. A person who has nothing but loving feelings feels safe and secure, totally at ease because nothing can sway them.” Ayya Khema inspires me to keep trying to perfect the skill of lovingness.

How do you keep your heart open and loving?  Who inspires you?  How does your balance sheet look at the end of the day?  I would love to hear from you

Be Amazed

Mary Oliver is one of my favourite poets.  She writes eloquently and beautifully and with a reverence for nature and spirit.  The verses included in this  journal spread are taken from her poem “The Sun“.  The scan isn’t great – the paint is actually much, much brighter – but I think it conveys the spirit in which it was created.  “Be amazed!”   Take time to pay close attention to the world and you can’t help but be amazed.  But how often do we take the time to be amazed?

In the words of the Buddha: “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”

Which brings me neatly on to our sketches for this week’s Sketch Tuesday assignment, which is to sketch your very best blossom. Here’s my rather plain bloom:

Waif’s Morning Glory flowers:

Gman’s flower border:

After stating that drawing flowers wasn’t really “his cup of tea”, Gman then went on to do another flower drawing, and rather lovely it is too!: