eQuilter – Floral Fabric Clearance
| Can I tell you a secret? There is no such thing as Creative Block. Somewhere in our journey we are told that this is a ‘thing’ and many of us believe it. But…do you remember the joy you felt in elementary school when it was time for art class? That is our natural state of being. Expressing Joy, Life, and Creativity from our heart and soul. With a giggle and lots of smiles. Think of Finger Painting. Yes we have times when we are exhausted, when we are sad or stressed, when we are between creative cycles and we might be tempted to call it Creative Block. But don’t let it stop you. The creative cycle is like the Circle of Life. It just keeps flowing, turning, just like rising and setting of the Sun each day. Just take a breath. That next inspiration is always right around the corner. I have called myself an artist since I was a little kid, and I am so lucky nobody ever tried to talk me out of it as I grew to adulthood. It is never too late to see yourself as a creative person, as an artist, as a maker. Maybe you need to keep a notebook to write down the things that jump-start your creative juices. Maybe you just push those buttons automatically, without even thinking. Either way, it is all valid. We all have a creative Inner Child that wants to come out to play. And you know what? That playful child is also capable of healing us on a very deep level. So I am just reminding you…this is your Truth. Don’t let anybody take that away from you. One of my sure-fire creative warm-ups is putting on some favorite music. Usually it is music that I have heard while traveling somewhere magical. The Salsa music (Buena Vista Social Club) takes me back to Cuba. The Opera (Puccini) takes me back to Italy. The Spanish guitar – to Andalusia. Ladysmith Black Mombazo and Miriam Makeba – South Africa. The fiddle music takes me back to several countries! (Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Cape Breton/Nova Scotia…) What is your big Creative Button that you can push when you get back into your studio or sewing space? Speaking of Cuba, that seems to be the theme of the week. I have printed out some of my photos from Cuba on stretched canvas, and added some acrylic paint pen flourishes, for a fundraiser at our local Boulder Philharmonic this week. (See the 3 figure images above.) Then the reprint of my Cuban Cars fabric came back into stock (from photos of Retro Cars that I took in Cuba). And then…it was announced that Americans can start to travel to Cuba again. Yay! (Should I lead one more trip to Cuba?) This Saturday I am giving a trend presentation for the Colorado Quilt Council. (CQC – our state guild) I’ll be giving that lecture via Zoom from the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln Nebraska. If you are a Colorado quilter, be sure to watch for the Zoom link on the CQC website or newsletter, and join us at 10 am MDT. Sharing your love of fabric, Luana and Paul See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, watch our videos, or follow us on Facebook. |
