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Inspiration
Jan. 20th, 2006 11:57 pmA week or two ago, G and I were talking about creativity and its various outlets, and I was telling him how happy I was that he'd taken up cooking.
"But I don't really like cooking," he objected. "I just want to eat good food."
"Maybe so, but you want that enough to spend time studying recipes and thinking about cooking techniques," I pointed out. "I like good food too, but not enough to put even half that much effort into it. You obviously have some talent."
It's true, though. I think people will naturally gravitate to what they're good at, even though they might not be concious of the fact. It might not turn out to be the easiest thing to do, but I don't think anyone ever said that creation was easy; I don't think it should be. As was brought up in another recent discussion with someone else, the act of creation is necessarily preceded by much thinking, the "quiet before the storm", as it were. Even when doing something else, the mind is turing the project around, looking at it from different angles, examining the possibilities. That is the tiring part, at least for me. It seems that when I finally get around to physically starting a project, I've already done it at least twice in my head. And to me, there's no real difference between creating something intellectual, like writing or music, and creating something with your hands, be it clothing or a webpage or even home renovations; it's all about showing the best of your abilities, isn't it?
I was doing some much-needed tidying up in my sewing room/office the other day, and I came upon a notebook I started way back when I was still in university. -- As an aside, I can't believe it's been more than FOUR years since I graduated. It at once seems like more and less than that. -- I had written random thoughts in it, little texts about various things, of which I'd forgotten the existence. What surprised me most was the theme of needing a creative outlet. Not that I put it that way, of course, but I kept coming back to the desire for an interest, a passion, something to spark the imagination, that I obviously felt was lacking back then. I was also struck by the undercurrent of despair, of wondering whether I'd ever find something that could drive me to create. I had only the vaguest memory of being that dissatisfied. No, that isn't the right word. I wasn't unhappy, but I was aware something key was missing.
Now that I spend a good portion of my energy if not sewing, then at least thinking about it, or buying fabric, it's hard to imagine that I really only started doing this in earnest a bit over a year ago. Oftentimes it's frustrating, but ultimately it's quite rewarding, especially as I can see my skills improving (skills including "knowing how to choose fabrics that are easy to work with" being the chief among them) and I learn constantly about fabrics and my machines and clothing in general.
Another thing that recently struck me was the difference between "artistic" and "creative". Because while I've been taking ballet lessons for 12 years, and it's certainly an artistic as well as physical activity, it's not creative, except for the classes I teach. And since this year I'm doing choreography from scratch (instead of adapting previous dances, like last year), it's quite a different endeavour. And I know one could argue that sewing with patterns isn't really creative, I think that it's all in the detail, in how much effort one is willing to put into it to make it look right. Add lining? Add trim? Take the zipper out and put it in again so it looks right? Modify the waistline? Change the sleeve lenght? Been there, done that.
This entry has been cogitating for a while, and I'm sorry that it came out when I'd had a bit to drink. It isn't as well-written as I would have liked.
"But I don't really like cooking," he objected. "I just want to eat good food."
"Maybe so, but you want that enough to spend time studying recipes and thinking about cooking techniques," I pointed out. "I like good food too, but not enough to put even half that much effort into it. You obviously have some talent."
It's true, though. I think people will naturally gravitate to what they're good at, even though they might not be concious of the fact. It might not turn out to be the easiest thing to do, but I don't think anyone ever said that creation was easy; I don't think it should be. As was brought up in another recent discussion with someone else, the act of creation is necessarily preceded by much thinking, the "quiet before the storm", as it were. Even when doing something else, the mind is turing the project around, looking at it from different angles, examining the possibilities. That is the tiring part, at least for me. It seems that when I finally get around to physically starting a project, I've already done it at least twice in my head. And to me, there's no real difference between creating something intellectual, like writing or music, and creating something with your hands, be it clothing or a webpage or even home renovations; it's all about showing the best of your abilities, isn't it?
I was doing some much-needed tidying up in my sewing room/office the other day, and I came upon a notebook I started way back when I was still in university. -- As an aside, I can't believe it's been more than FOUR years since I graduated. It at once seems like more and less than that. -- I had written random thoughts in it, little texts about various things, of which I'd forgotten the existence. What surprised me most was the theme of needing a creative outlet. Not that I put it that way, of course, but I kept coming back to the desire for an interest, a passion, something to spark the imagination, that I obviously felt was lacking back then. I was also struck by the undercurrent of despair, of wondering whether I'd ever find something that could drive me to create. I had only the vaguest memory of being that dissatisfied. No, that isn't the right word. I wasn't unhappy, but I was aware something key was missing.
Now that I spend a good portion of my energy if not sewing, then at least thinking about it, or buying fabric, it's hard to imagine that I really only started doing this in earnest a bit over a year ago. Oftentimes it's frustrating, but ultimately it's quite rewarding, especially as I can see my skills improving (skills including "knowing how to choose fabrics that are easy to work with" being the chief among them) and I learn constantly about fabrics and my machines and clothing in general.
Another thing that recently struck me was the difference between "artistic" and "creative". Because while I've been taking ballet lessons for 12 years, and it's certainly an artistic as well as physical activity, it's not creative, except for the classes I teach. And since this year I'm doing choreography from scratch (instead of adapting previous dances, like last year), it's quite a different endeavour. And I know one could argue that sewing with patterns isn't really creative, I think that it's all in the detail, in how much effort one is willing to put into it to make it look right. Add lining? Add trim? Take the zipper out and put it in again so it looks right? Modify the waistline? Change the sleeve lenght? Been there, done that.
This entry has been cogitating for a while, and I'm sorry that it came out when I'd had a bit to drink. It isn't as well-written as I would have liked.
