Venturing into the professional art quilt arena

On Thu, 3 Sep 2009 12:30:31 -0500, Karen, Queen of Squishies wrote (in article ):

I agree with Karen. But that's good. It's like music. You can teach someone the notes and the technique, but you can't teach them to be musical. Students have to find that on their own.

Yah, what she said is where I was coming from. : )

Karen, Queen of Squishies

You've expressed it very well Doc.

IMHO, I think being creative is at least a little bit like any other skill - you have to work at it to get better. Those who are 'naturally' creative LIKE doing creative things, so they try more of them, so they get better, so they enjoy the process more, etc etc. Positive feedback all the way! Other folk would rather be doing something else and focus their energies there.

Allison

Hi Allison,

The disagreement that some folks may have with that opinion is the assertion that creativity is, in fact, a skill. Some believe that a skill is something that is learned while a talent (creativity) is something innate. The (my Windows) dictionary is somewhat ambiguous in its definitions of "skill":

1. ability to do something well the ability to do something well, usually gained through training or experience
2. something requiring training to do well something that requires training and experience to do well, e.g. an art or trade

(I'll leave it to the reader to interpret these definitions to support their respective beliefs/positions in this discussion ;-)

I think it was Edison who is attributed to have said, "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."

Pasteur is attributed with, "Chance favors the prepared mind" which I've seen paraphrased various ways to fit various arguments ("argument" in the point of view context - not the disagreement context :-) In this case I would say, "Creativity favors the prepared mind."

This is not to say that hard work will make *anyone* a Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Einstein, or Edison; OTOH, Nobel Prizes aren't awarded to dabblers.

If one agrees with Cindy's premise (stated in her blog) that, "... we are created in the image of God, and HE's VERY creative!!" then one must agree that we all have the basis/potential for some creativity within us; it is up to us to nurture & develop that potential.

Doc

From my personal experience, I've been a science geek for many years - education and then career. Very left brain. Then a while back I started quilting. First very simple stuff (trip around the world) and then triangles (gasp!) and applique (OMG!) and other new techniques. I even took a drawing course just to try something really arty (anyone who thinks they can't draw should check out "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"). Now I can do art quilts that I never would've believed possible when I first started quilting. Nothing earth shattering but impressive to me.

My point being that I have slowly developed my creative side .... and I enjoy working with my right brain so have kept on going. No, I'm never going to be a major artist but then again I haven't put in my "10,000 hours" (see Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers").

So, yes, I definitely agree with your last statement that we all have potential for creativity and it's up to us to develop it. And encourage others to develop their own creativity.

Allison

OK I have been thinking ("a dangerous pastime, I know")

There are people who are not creative. Sometimes that can be fixed, sometimes it cannot. Where it cannot be fixed it is almost always a matter of lack of desire. There are some few people though, where it would never occur to them to pick up the rock and bash up the grain to make it easier to eat. These few poor souls are usually very happy at a job putting widgets into boxes for fifty years. Be kind to them and try not to mock. Mostly though IMO lack of creativity is a matter of lack of desire, lack of confidence, or training.

A skill is indeed IMHO something that anyone can learn with work and practice. Some people become amazingly technically adept because they work at it. But that does not make them creative in the least, in fact sometimes it stifles what creativity they had in the first place. Technical skills are important, I am constantly reminding my artist DD that technical skills are important. When you make something it should be what you want to make, not what you can make. At least that should be the goal. Technical skill without creativity is less valuble that creativity without technical skill. (again IMHO) If you have creativity without skill that can be remedied easily enough through work. I think most of the creative process workshops and such, are a great help to people that are creative but lack confidence, or who have had their creativity stifled in any number of ways. Creativity is directly linked to imagination, it is the bridge between the nifty stuff in your head and your hands. You think it, you say to yourself I can do that and sort out how to make it, and your hands do the rest. It is the voice in your head that says "I can do that" before you go on to design a circular log cabin block, or swap pattern parts around to make a new whole, or break all the construction rules and come up with something new. Where the books and workshops come in is in convincing people that it is OK to do something different.

There is something we keep saying here, and if everyone took it truly to heart I think we would see a creative boom on this group the likes of which would make the rennaisance appear insignificant.

There Are No Quilt Police

Believe me, I totally get that it is really really hard for some people to just let go and create. I grew up in an enviroment where imagination was nearly criminally actionable, creativity was limited to inventing a new jello salad for potlucks (and highly suspect even there), and just thinking outside the box in general was something you would go straight to hell for. It damn near killed me, and I ran away very fast as soon as I was legally able. Took me years to overcome that as much as I have, and still I have to give myself a sharp slap every now and again to remind myself that not everything has to have a practical purpose, nobody is going to lock me away for "wasting" materials, and there are no Rules graven into stone tablets saying what you can and cannot make and how.

NightMist spent much of her teen years in prayer and meditation, whether she wanted to or not

On Fri, 4 Sep 2009 09:17:45 -0700 (PDT), "Dr. Zachary Smith" wrote:

Howdy!

Another quotation: It's just quilting. ...S.E.

and: Sometimes a quilt is just a quilt ...R/S

and: Too much thinking about it can really take the fun out it (R.Scholes, master carpenter & artist)

Cheers!

Ragm> >

Hi Nightmist,

Parochial upbringing?

I hear you. DW came from a parochial background and used to feel very much, if not exactly, the same way. Then she met me, and went away to college (to make a long story short. ;-)

I, OTOH, grew up, and have always marched, to the beat of a different drummer. Now, decades later, many people who have known me since childhood have independently confided to me about recognizing it throughout my life. It hasn't been an easy path to follow, but it has had its rewards as well.

"Whether you believe you can, or you can't, you're right." - attributed to Henry Ford

Doc

rpenter & artist)

Aw, Sandy...

We're just exchanging some opinions. It's all good. Opinions can't be "wrong." And if it seems some of us are taking it seriously, well that can be fun too... ;-)

Doc

Fundie, in an established denomination sort of way.

I have never understood why so many churches seem to imagine that God wants people to be miserable. It took me a longish time to find out that they all weren't like that.

As soon as I was free I started on beats that would make Buddy Rich envious. (G) You really don't want to know much of what people from my childhood have to say. One of the kindest examples is "Well he is a long haired freak, but at least you married him."

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." -- the Dilbert guy

NightMist

This is a Very Good Post, Nightmist. Creativity has many forms. I did advertising design for a newspaper for many years. I had a good boss who gave me total, free, creative license to do whatever I wanted to do. Sometimes the client hated it. That didn't bother me. Because most times, the client loved it. That process is way different from quilting, but some ways the same. I learned how to just spend time making the block in my head. I always start with a pattern then stray away from it. I still have difficulty with matching colors. I kept trying to match colors like I was gonna wear them! I am learning. Surely there's a book out there somewhere on this topic.

Sherry

This is a very interesting discussion, and I have little to add that hasn't been said. But regarding colors, Sherry, BTDT! I urge you to plunge into scrap quilts. Preferably with other people's scraps. It's a great way to force yourself outside the box of what you would wear. Also it's cheap :-) Start with a simple repetitive design, something that only needs you to separate darks and lights, maybe a little pinwheel if you have triangle scraps. Or a 9-patch if you have squares. Then put darks and lights into separate grab bags and start stitching. Use whatever comes out of the bag, unless it is the same as an adjacent piece, and just let it happen. You don't have to make it big. But if you can force yourself to complete a quilt like this, it is VERY liberating! Roberta in D, Queen of the Scrap Heap

(clipped)

Howdy!

I've been quilting for 30+ yrs, Doc. I've heard these discussions before. Didn't say anything about "opinions" being "wrong".

Have also been on this ng for 12+ yrs, and take many opportunities to poke fun at many posts, and to express my own opinion... & to repeat what others say. ;-D

³I base most of my fashion taste on what doesn't itch.²   Gilda Radner

R/Sandy- from the It's Just club - It's just quilting, It's just paint...

Thanks for the tip! The bag idea sounds fun. It sounds like a good method also for Log Cabin. I did a Log Cabin once and it would have been a lot faster if I hadn't agonized over which strips to put next to what. It still amazes me that sometimes the ugliest piece of fabric that the LQS lady insisted that I buy ended up looking good

*in a quilt*. I mean, it was,like Polly says, "hard down ugly." And it just set off the other colors perfect. I want to be able to recognize the potential of a color and not pass it by just because I think I don't like it.

Sherry

Sherry

It's a power/control issue. I'd be happy to delve further if you want, but I think it would be wise to take such a discussion off- list... ;-)

DW? Is that you?

Doc, the former long-haired freak

Hi Sherry,

There are a few by Joen Wolfrom. I like one of her latest, "Color Play", as it includes a lot of the material from her earlier books. As I learn more, I am also beginning to take some exceptions with some of her ideas, which is ok. It's still a very good book on color theory & practice with regard to quilts. I am sure other folks can recommend other books too.

Doc

Hi Sandy,

Didn't say or mean to imply you did. I've been engaged in these kinds of topics for decades myself.

Sorry if I inferred something incorrectly. We all know how prone to misinterpretation and misunderstanding Usenet can be. ;-)

Doc

I also highly recommend & have Joen Wolfram's color books. One very important tip from many sources, is to look (really look) at flower gardens and the rest of nature. Although I love lots of colour (spelt the NZ way), I have struggled with choosing what goes with what. Carol in Sth Auckland, NZ