I can't imagine a world without creativity. What would that be like?
I spent the majority of my years as a writer. The language arts come very easily for me (as long as they're in English!) and I have a permanent love of cadence and vocabulary, and a true appreciation for the details and mechanics of grammar and punctuation. But they're so, well, black and white . . . unless, of course, you're prone to changing font colors. Which I wouldn't advise. It really annoys people.
While I was writing like a maniac during high school, I was also taking art classes. I started out slowly. One of the first projects I ever remember tackling was a pinhole camera in Mr. Petty's class. But Mr. Petty left, and the following year Mrs. Wells came along. She was one of those hippie chicks I really wanted to be like. She was also fresh out of college - funny how old she seemed to me at the time! - and had no compunction about running her art class like a college studio. Probably not what the school board would've liked, but it worked great for us. Under her tutelage, I tried all kinds of mediums and spent long periods of time working on true personal projects. As a result, best I can tell, I have the equivalent of about 58 hours of college work in the visual arts. Not shabby, especially for free.
I did explore the fiber arts in her class. I built my own loom and wove. I also designed and hand-knotted a HUGE rug, and learned to make coiled fiber bowls and pots.
The bulk of my work with stitchery, which includes embroidery, crochet, and sewing of all kinds, was learned from my mother, either by her teaching or by her neglect of same. Uber-critical, she drove me insane when the four-year-old me tried to learn to sew by making, of all things, Barbie clothes - the smallest, most difficult things on the planet to make! I would've been so much better off with aprons or pillows, but there you have it - Barbie clothes. And after awhile, my nerves couldn't take it and I quit.
Fast forward to 2001, and I start college for the first time, same year my daughter started. I was working on a creative writing and literature degree when I discovered that, for the most part, post-secondary schools only hire people as adjuncts now and I'd make less than $11K per year teaching. My dreams were shattered and I really didn't know what to do next.
I was looking around in bewilderment for a life when I ran across my friend Donna's primitive dolls (there's a link to her website on my site). I got my hands on a pattern, and I was hooked. But I wanted more realistic figures, and started looking around for ideas. I found numerous trade publications and their pages set my mind a'whirl. My attention to detail kicked in, and my work took flight. In the process I discovered art quilting and surface design, and that led to a sketchbook so full of ideas and future projects that I can't possibly live long enough to create them all . . .
I was looking around in bewilderment for a life when I ran across my friend Donna's primitive dolls (there's a link to her website on my site). I got my hands on a pattern, and I was hooked. But I wanted more realistic figures, and started looking around for ideas. I found numerous trade publications and their pages set my mind a'whirl. My attention to detail kicked in, and my work took flight. In the process I discovered art quilting and surface design, and that led to a sketchbook so full of ideas and future projects that I can't possibly live long enough to create them all . . .
but I intend to try!
Brightest blessings,
M
