Creative Nudge – Fresh Start

Yesterday Sam and Sophie started the new school year. Sam observed – as only a 14 year old boy can – that it would be a good time to have a "fresh start" – i.e. forget about the past and start over with a fresh attitude. Since he is leaving behind Middle School, and starting High School (!?!) it seemed like a reasonable suggestion.

It got me thinking about how many times a year we have opportunities to have a Fresh Start. New Years Day and our birthdays come to mind immediately. Weddings, divorces, babies, deaths, illness and recovery, starting school and graduating….all opportunities to Start Fresh.

For me, when I am paying attention to Life, every day is an opportunity to Start Fresh. All you have to do is believe….that today really is the first day of the rest of your life. Today is the day that you can clean your studio and plan your next great creative project. Today is the day you can heal any guilt about being a creative person. Today is the day you can release your fear of doing what you love.

Today is the day you can nurture yourself and allow fabric, needle and thread to clear your head and heal your heart. Really.

Some people like to wait for the New Moon to start a new cycle in their life. Others simply rise before dawn and watch the birth of a new day. Some may travel to the home of their ancestors and be inspired by their roots. Others may run screaming from the room and say "I just can't take it anymore!" and that is how they start their new life.

Whenever that moment comes, it is the germinating seed bursting through the earth to reach up towards the Light. The seed and all its potential have hidden in the dark, awakening to the warmth and moisture, somehow pushing up through the darkness and on one fine day, breaks through the mantle of dirt to reach for the sky.

Is today your day?

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As you may know, last week I was at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK. eQuilter was the sponsor of the Pictorial Category, and the top winner of this category also won Best Amateur with a 2nd quilt…which also won Best of Show! How exciting!

This soon-to-be-famous quilter is from the Netherlands, and her name is Janneke de Vries-Bodzinga. Here is the center segment of her large horizontal banner quilt "Hot Africa" which won 1st place in the Pictorial Category.

I would say that Janneke has now moved out of the "amateur" category, and we hope to see what she will do for this show next year!

Bonnie McCaffery and I filmed several short videos which will be posted in the next few weeks – keep an eye out for them in our newsletters!

In Saturday night's newsletter we included a letter from a coordinator who was present when the 2155 donated quilts were distributed to tsunami survivors in Japan. In case you missed this newsletter, you can read the letter on my blog. We will eventually receive photos of this event, and will of course share them with you asap.