Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
The first headline of this spark is “Follow Fireflies. it made me think of my ‘What If’ game. The first line also sent my mind spinning. It reads “Inspiration is everywhere you look” (pg.73). I had just been walking down a street I frequent when I saw the decoration/gargoyle on a house. I thought it … Continue reading “Creative Spark #17: Inspiration”
Bloomston got an assignment from an art professor to go and make a secret piece. The class was to do it and not tell anyone. They weren’t to turn it in or ever talk about it. Having and keeping the secret was the assignment. Having a secret doesn’t mean going and destroying some public property … Continue reading “Creative Spark #16: Have a Secret”
Remember the Crazies in Spark #4? I think Doubt is related, but the Crazies prevents us from doing things while Doubt makes **me** think I can’t do something and should just continue on as I am. Doubt prevents me from taking risks. Not knowing the outcome is scary. Bloomston says we have to trust the … Continue reading “Creative Spark #15: Doubt”
This chapter is about finding the original flame of your creativity. So many people I meet see one of my quilts and say something like ‘I could never do that’ or ‘I am not creative like you.’ Baloney. What I do isn’t that special. I may get special results from my choices, but anyone can … Continue reading “Creative Spark #14: Inner Kid Care”
The first thing I noticed about this chapter was the sidebar on the chapter’s image. It says “Phoenix, Arizona yoga teacher Anton Mackey encourages students to turn off their minds and look within by closing their eyes as they practice their yoga: ‘You don’t need to see the pose, you just need to feel it.’ … Continue reading “Creative Spark #13: Get in Your Body”
“Retail, in our capitalist society, has cornered the market on creativity in so many ways” (pg.53). I have to say that the opening line makes me happy and sad. Sad, because retail=shopping=spending money, sometimes unnecessarily. Happy, because creative people work in retail who create beautiful environments that are free to peruse. We have to just … Continue reading “Creative Spark #12: Go Window Shopping”
The picture on the title page of this chapter speak to me in a way that is hard to explain. The picture is of two full pottery jars, one of felt markers and one of colored pencils. The jars are full and the variety of each says that the person who sits near them has … Continue reading “Creative Spark #11: Jar of Markers”
The title should make a post unnecessary, but I am going to write anyway. “You must disrupt your normal patterns so you can see the world with new eyes” (pg.45) I don’t know about you, but I have a routine. Several, actually. I have a routine to get my day started, though it varies depending … Continue reading “Creative Spark #10: Break Your Own Rules”
Grace is something that I skitter around when I come across it. Grace is, of course, a name – a name used often in our family, by the way, though not in my branch – but I am talking about the personality trait. It is also a trait, or, perhaps, a series of traits that … Continue reading “Creative Spark #9: Grace”
“Each moment you spend tending to the Spark, the more your life will go in that direction” (pg.37). I like this line because it is all about process without saying ‘process.’ The whole first part of the chapter is about telling the reader that how we live our lives or spend our days has a … Continue reading “Creative Spark #8: Process”
Kind of ironic, huh, after yesterday’s posts? Permission is an odd thing. Sometimes you need it to move forward. My husband has only once complained about the quilts we have at home. He helps me with quilt math and did all the figuring for the Triangle Technique chart. In these way he has given me … Continue reading “Creative Spark 7: Permission”
“Perfectionism is the enemy of the creative act.” pg. 29 The above quote cannot be learned. It has to be infused into your bones. The single thing that prevents it from being infused, possibly forever, is someone (mother, father, grandmother, well meaning person) crying “how did you get so dirty?” These simple, seemingly innocuous words … Continue reading “Creative Spark 6: Perfectionism & Messes”
“Forever is composed of nows. Emily Dickinson” (pg.25) Have you ever driven to work, to the grocery store or to your hair appointment and all the lights were green, there were no idiot drivers and you found a parking spot right in front of your destination? “If I am struggling with anything, I generally feel … Continue reading “Creative Spark 5: Time”
The fourth chapter in The Creative Spark is called The Crazies. Many writers of creative inspiration write about the negative voices in our heads: the judges, the critics, naysayers, all the people who ever told you you couldn’t. Bloomston calls them The Crazies. I am not surprised that Bloomston brings them up. They are as … Continue reading “Creative Spark: Chapter 4”
The third chapter in Carrie Bloomston’s book is called Take a Class, thus the third spark is about getting stimulation from an external source. Specifically, she talks about taking a class. I like taking classes, but I am choosy about the classes I take. Just because someone can sew doesn’t mean they can teach. Teaching … Continue reading “Creative Spark: Chapter 3”