Photo courtesy of PDUB productions)
All creative work is made by many small steps.
The steps themselves are rarely great leaps.
It is the faith to begin
that we must cultivate.
~ Julia Cameron
I've been so inspired by Julia Cameron, author of quote above and the books, "The Vein of Gold" and "The Artist's Way", etc. I've never read her books but just following her on FB has been inspiring.
Anyhow, with all of this encouragement I've felt compelled to delve into the arena of Fashion Design sketching. I think to a degree most home sewers are designers. We take established patterns and make them our own. We often tweak & morph designs to create something to our liking. Earlier this year I began sketching designs, not because I'm so good at it but because I want to capture the ideas floating around in my head. I know I've got to do more to cultivate those ideas. Hence my draping training that I'm about to embark on. I desperately want to bring my own ideas to life.
But this newfound desire to explore my creative side hasn't been an easy process. It seems I need to train my brain to think creatively--I mean push it past it's current barriers. We all know that everyone has 2 sides of their brain that controls different functions. The left side is the more "logical & objective side" and the right is more "intuitive & subjective". There are a few debates about the function of each side so I'll steer clear of all that. I only mention it to say that it seems that out of the two I'm more left-brain dominant (there's some fun online quizzes that can help you establish which you are).This fact is true and evidenced by how I've been sewing for the last few years. In the past I've been so concerned with the technical skill that I hadn't really allow myself to be immersed by the creative possibilites. I'm becoming more and more comfortable with my sewing ability so it's time to shift focus. This shift requires a more intense use of my right brain. So I'm devising ways to tap into my creative side more and to stimulate right-brain thinking. This is REALLY exciting for me!!! There's all kind of ways/methods to encourage creative thinking.
Here's some interesting articles I've run across on the subject.....
As a sewist, one is already being creative by choosing a fabric for a particular pattern, but it is all too easy to keep repeating that process and not moving on. It is (I think) important to push the oneself further and explore all sorts of possibilities. As with all things in life - if you don't try new things, you will never move forward.
ReplyDeleteI'm such a right brain person...I see design ideas everywhere!
ReplyDeleteI'm at the stage where I am focused on my technical sewing abilities, but in the back of my mind I am always looking for creative design ventures. I get creative ideas often, I just can't always produce them. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I was more creative so therefore I turn to reading sewing blogs to get inspiration . It is very exciting to be taking your sewing to another level.
ReplyDeleteI think you and all my real and virtual sewing friends are quite creative. But I do agree that I need encouragement and support and inspiration to be more adventurous. Love how you are using Julia Cameroon's wonderful books for your art form.
ReplyDeleteI am a right brain person. I've read Julia Cameron's books,The Artist Way and The Vein of Gold. Get them if you can. I think you will enjoy them. I'm excited for you about getting in touch with your creative side in your sewing. The flood gate is about to open.
ReplyDeleteI forget how sewing is a creative outlet because I tend to get caught up in trying to be technically perfect. I'm going to look up the books - might help boost my creativity!
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