The HEA Cafe

Today I’m beginning my annual journey of doing the exercises in Julia Cameron’s book, THE ARTIST’S WAY. Her program takes 12 weeks and helps you boost your creativity. It’s designed for people with writers’ block (or any creative block) and although I first did it in just such a situation, I find it helpful to repeat the exercises annually.

“Creativity lives in paradox: serious art is born from serious play.”

One of the things I found (and still find) most exciting is Julia’s notion of creative play, the idea that you have to give yourself permission to just fool around in other media to find the true power of your creativity. I have always worked on my knitting while solving plot puzzles, and have always pieced quilt tops while figuring out what comes next in the book, so this was an endorsement of something I’d instinctively discovered. Not only is creative play a useful tool, in Julia’s view, it’s a critical part of the creative process.

Recently, I bought several quilting books which were visually exciting. One was Valori Wells’ RADIANT BEAUTIES and the other was Karen K. Stone’s self-titled book (it’s turquoise). New York Beauty is one of my favourite blocks - it looks fussier to piece than it is and makes for stunning compositions. I liked how Valori used plaids and stripes in her blocks and I loved the fussy piecing that Karen did. Combining both of those ideas, I’ve been sewing some blocks of my own.

The days that I sew are incredibly productive writing days for me. I write a scene, then choose fabrics for a block. I never piece the whole thing before I hear the next scene in my thoughts. Back and forth I go, between sewing machine and computer, as toying with colour and texture teases the words and scenes from my imagination. It’s incredible. It’s magical. And it happens because I let myself play with fabric.

“Remember that art is process. The process is supposed to be fun. For our purposes, ‘the journey is always the only arrival’ may be interpreted to mean that our creative work is actually our creativity itself at play in the field of time. At the heart of this play is the mystery of joy.”

For the next 3 months or so, I’ll be following the path in THE ARTISTS’ WAY. Why not embark on the journey yourself, as well? We are all creative individuals, whether we earn a living with our imaginations or not, and exploring the power of our imaginations can make us feel more complete. Drop by my blog, Alive & Knitting, for some discussion of how we’re all doing.

And yes, there will be the occasional picture of quilt blocks and knitting projects, as well!