Many of you, I am sure, have a copy of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Hers was one of the first widely read how-to books on developing Creativity. Julia has encouraged us to plan a weekly creative play date – or an Artist Date – such as visiting a gallery or museum. It could also be a visit to a garden, a bookstore, or attending a live performance. These are all things that bring us into the moment, and stimulate new creative pathways in our brain. She suggests going solo, but I like to do this with fellow curious artists because they may see something that I would otherwise miss.
Children learn by playing, but why do we forget that adults learn by playing also? Whether you are playing with fabrics (auditioning color and design combinations) or playing with a new stitching technique (giving yourself permission to make ‘mistakes’ and experiment without expectation) – our adult playtime is where the magic happens.
I just brought in a new category of products to play with:
Bags of wool felt balls in groupings of analogous colors. Ooh, I just look at these and I am itching to play! Do these stimulate the reptilian creator in your brain? (i.e. what is the first instinctive or intuitive idea you have when you look at something like this?)
We also wanted to share this new exclusive digital panel that arrived here this week – of a Steampunk Mona Lisa. She is so playful…and look there is even a balloon in the background to remind you to laugh about all the crazy things in the news these days!
I was so fortunate to have essentially a private viewing of the Mona Lisa in the late 1980s, on a late Tuesday afternoon. She used to be in a smaller room at the Louvre, so you could walk right up to her and hang out with the enigmatic smile as long as you wished. I was there with a friend, and that’s what we did. We stood there (mostly) alone with Mona until the guard kicked us out at closing time. The last time I saw her, they let in 500 people at a time and you basically took a picture of her across a crowded room with hundreds of other people’s phones taking the same photo, between you and the painting. Ugh.
So cherish the intimate artistic moments that you have out there in the world. You never know what experience will become a priceless cherished memory. When you recognize you are having a Peak Artist Moment, take a deep breath and immerse yourself completely in the moment, so you will carry the memory with you….always.
Bring the inspiration back home with you. Take notes while you are still flush with the delight of the moment. You may call this ‘Morning Pages’ (ala Julia Cameron) or sketchbook notes, but they will always be waiting there for you when the muse strikes.
Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul
Travel/Quilt Calendar:
Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – GOLD SPONSOR – Atlanta
Mar 21-24 – Washington DC
April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia
August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska – Sign up Now to travel with Luana!
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