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Summoning Creativity #8 ~ Spring’s Threshold

Today into tomorrow is known as many things: Imbolc, St. Brigid’s Day, the Feast of Brigid to name a few. In the northern hemisphere, it marks the time between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and is a time when there are glimmers of warmer times to come. Right now it is 2 degrees Fahrenheit where I live, so temperature-wise, spring might be hard to sense, but there is a noticeable lightening of the sky and certain bird songs remind me that we are part of a cycle, always.

Photo by Aaron J Hill

The ancient Goddess Brigid is associated with poetry, smithing, fertility, keening, and protection. There are many more aspects of her and this would be a lovely time to read up on her. Just looking at those associations, I notice that they are all to do with creation/creativity, keeping that which is grown and cherished safe, and grief. A full cycle embodied in one goddess.

For this month’s Summoning Creativity post, I thought it might be fun to play with words as a way of interacting with the Goddess Brigid’s poetry aspect. Expression of self through words carries significant energy- we take what is in our minds, hearts, bodies and put it through the fires of wordsmithing to communicate with other minds, hearts, and bodies.

One need not write a poem to engage with this energy, but certainly you can! Below I’ll list some ideas to take on today and for this month to work with the power of words. We know all too well that words can work to elevate and express love, can serve as acts of resistance, can illustrate passions, can take us to places in our imaginations that were, prior to reading them, unknown. Words can also be used to attack, harm, humiliate, and isolate others. We must always be responsible for choosing our words.

As we head into the time when winter releases its grip and spring pushes to emerge into new life and new growth, let’s play with words and see what happens.

Photo by Viktoria Emilia

Some ideas:
~ Write down one word a day that is of interest to you and put it in a location where you will see it and be reminded to think of it. Look up the definition and the etymology of the word and see what comes to mind. If a word doesn’t come to mind, flip through a dictionary or book you have around and open to a page. Wherever your eyes naturally find themselves on the page, choose a word.
~ Write a letter to someone- the paper kind! And mail it!
~ Write a poem.
~ Read a poem.
~ Write a word and think about what color it is. Play with that. Maybe paint around it, draw the word, or weave it!
~ Perhaps there’s an email that could be sent to a state politician that implores them to consider a different point of view? Or that supports them in continuing the fight that they are in?
~ Listen to an author read something they wrote or they love.
~ Consider how you would like to use your words to communicate with people in the coming months. Is there anything that you’d like to express that has been hard to put in to words? Call on Brigid’s smithing and fire energies and apply them to working with expression.
~ Look to the sky whenever you are feeling overwhelmed and/or the creative spark is tired or feels far away and breathe. Say one word (or more) that describes what you see. Does it elevate you? or sadden you? Let your eyes find something to rest on that is neutral and simply describe what you see with no judgement. Just be. See what happens…

Enjoy the process of playing with the power of words! See how they feel as you say them, write them, hear them. And look for those signs of spring!

Until next time,

~ bradie


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Summoning Creativity #5~ Hearing From People Who Create

I asked this question to people in my community: what is one thing you do that you feel supports your creativity and art making?

Of those that I asked, these are the responses I got back. Captured are the nuances, intricacies of humanness, and the fabulous varieties in the ways people think about and relate to their creative spirits. It’s clear: creativity is not only about making art. Creativity is energy in the relational field, with self, others, and the world in which we live.

From Donna LaPerle~

Joy feeds my creative sparks which encourages resiliency.  Knowing I have joy inside me comes through my creativity and keeps me from sinking into what I believe is insane news on the TV.  I have balance because the joy of being creative puts me in an “I can” space.  If I am experiencing joy, I am healing myself and it might reflect what I am creating in my art.  My depression has popped out of my so called, Jack in the box, through weaving and woodwork.  Looking at my stash of yarn or smelling my wood gives me hope.  Through my creativity I silently invite others to connect with their joy.  Perhaps I cannot change these crazy times but maybe we can hope for a brighter day and maybe witness just one or two smiles. 

Linda and Donna with some Wild Weaving
Donna’s Weaving & Exploration of Color Interactions

From Linda J. ~

I seek out craft and artistic visionaries who teach, inspire and nourish the creative quest and thought. Then I reflect and gather various inspiring materials, implementing the excitement into action–realizing everything is a learning opportunity and to enjoy the process.

When possible, allot time for your creativity—creativity nurtures so much of our well-being and identity; we can’t ignore that! 

From Kendra ~

I exercise my visual perception. I attentively observe my environment, forms of plants, animals, interior spaces, quality of light/colors. The more I look, the more I perceive with my eyes. 

I exercise my imagination in various ways: I imagine experiencing the world from a different physical size, how would it feel to be a tree or be a particular leaf or cat or an insect. How would I experience a tree if I lived in the soil? What’s the shape of the sensation of my skin touching another surface? What’s a visual representation – color, shape, movement – associated with a feeling or emotion? 

from Kendra ~ Virginia Oaks; the tree pictured in the back is 800 years old!
from Kendra ~ A leaf stuck in the snow and the pattern the wind and it created together. 
from Kendra ~ tea ceremony

From Steve Diffenderfer ~

I reflect on a current event, historical event, a recent interaction with a person be it emotional or cerebral, or anything else that holds my interest. I will then make a series of drawings to create context & reconcile that particular subject/idea/emotional response with at least three drawings and often twenty five or more small 5 /12″ x 8 1/2″ graphite or pen & ink drawings. (30-60 minute drawings).

When I am truly inspired, I will translate one of those drawings into a painting. (5 hours to 45 hours per painting). I am not concerned with generating artwork. I am not constantly drawing. I create visual art in yearly cycles. I play guitar every day :).

Beginning in 2020 I started exploring foreign languages and what may be lost in translation. I read a lot of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Gogol, Turgenev, Pushkin, Bulgakov & Pasternak novels during the pandemic. I considered Russian literature being translated into English prose, and being reliant on a translator. I also considered the Tao Teh Ching (which I consider poetry, and have read and revisited for many years) being translated into English. This led me to begin visually considering Chinese characters (hanzi) and Hebrew characters (Ktav Ashuri) and working them into a series of artwork: using them to convey ideas & feelings outside of the spoken & written language I use in daily life.

I explore other themes along the way. I’m always interested in something.

From Krista ~

I wake up early when it is still quiet. Make a cup of coffee and have time to knit or craft.  It’s almost a meditative time for me.  In the summer, I like to knit outside and listen to the birds and morning sounds. Winter, audiobooks.

Lately, I have moved away from visual YouTube podcasts, because my attention is drawn away from my knitting to the screen.  I am more productive listening to audiobooks.  I can keep working with an eye on what I am doing while listening to a story.

From Ali W. ~

One thing I do that supports my creativity is spending time outside without an agenda- just observing, walking, or collecting natural objects. Being in the moment with nature sparks ideas and often leads to unexpected creative flow. I prefer to let myself follow instinct-whether that’s taking a walk at dusk, watching how the light changes, or making something with my hands from what I find. Those little, unplanned moments feed my creative self more than anything structured (which tends to be hard for me).

from Ali

From Jonathan Silverman~

Serendipity, play, discernment- I have no idea and every idea of what I’m doing. There is joy and humility in acquiescing to both intent and discovery. Kneading, coiling, slabbing, throwing, pinching, scraping, folding, glazing… a wonderous dance. I am in partnership with clay, sometime we are in sync, sometimes we just don’t get along. We share ideas on how to end a form, pondering from the inside out and outside in.

 

Photo by ritesh arya

What do you think? What do you do to tend to or pay attention to your own creativity? Or if you don’t, can you imagine doing one tiny thing to turn your gaze towards the creative parts of yourself?

Until next time,
bradie


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August Creativity Update

We are ten days into this month and I wanted to share an update on how I’ve been doing with the Summoning Creativity intention, which is to engage with your creativity every day. First, I’ll just give you the run down.

August 1: I feel like this was a bit of a cheat because I had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I specifically went to see the Woven Histories exhibit, which was incredible, inspiring, tear-inducing… but we also checked out a lot of the permanent collection which knocked my psyche into a great space. I was also reminded of how much I love the work of Marc Chagall. Once back at home at my family’s house, I did a quick sketch inspired by a piece from the Woven Histories exhibit entitled Composition 9 by Manolo Millares.

August 2: while on a walk in the town I spent a lot of my childhood, I gathered some leaves that caught my attention. I either was drawn to their shape or to their colors. Once back at the house, I looked them up to see what tree they belonged to and took some notes. Sassafras, Pin Oak, Big Tooth Aspen, and some kind of Hickory were of special focus.

Captured with VisionCamera by mrousavy
Captured with VisionCamera by mrousavy
Captured with VisionCamera by mrousavy
Captured with VisionCamera by mrousavy
Captured with VisionCamera by mrousavy

August 3: On this day, my daughter and I drove from my family’s home in NJ where we were visiting to Asbury Park which is on the Jersey Shore. Driving in NJ elicits a unique kind of stress in my mind and body, so just making that trip felt like a feat that involved mental creativity. BUT, once there, we made it to the beach for a bit, swam, and I let myself succumb to the relaxing and beautiful sounds of the ocean waves. Heavenly magic. I watched people and witnessed a most beautiful scene: two women helped an elderly woman down to the water. The elderly woman was wearing a long blue dress. Her hair was pinned up. She was beautiful. The two women on either side of her were holding each of her hands gently; they were in bathing suits. They stepped into the water, feet getting wet. Then a little deeper… ankles and calves… no worries about the woman’s dress getting wet. They moved slowly, patiently, lovingly. Deeper still and they were up to about mid-calf. They were getting splashed by waves, smiling. Her dress was completely wet. Other family members approached and stayed. It seemed like there were at least three, maybe four generations of family there. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. The picture here is cropped in such a way to respect the privacy of those in the scene.

August 4: On a walk with my daughter to the place we went for dinner, we got turned around and ended up on a little footbridge. I took a picture of the reflection, imagining a tapestry project idea and made sure to document it in my book.

August 5: on our last night in Asbury Park, we took in the scenes around us and marveled at the art, edginess, creativity and spooky feeling that abounds there. I didn’t do any journaling- taking in the ocean and the sights was satisfying enough.

August 6: I drove home to Vermont from the Jersey Shore, about a 6.5 hour drive, and stayed mostly calm through 4 hours of heavy traffic. That’s all I could muster.

August 7: I had to, rather quickly, make a fun project for an upcoming class at the Shelburne Craft School. My goal? Show how random we can be when weaving on a frame loom, and how we can just follow an urge or a whim to create something unique.

August 8: I sat on my porch in the evening and added a little bit to my little tapestry project. There’s no plan to this. I just want to make waves an swirls and swales, capturing my feelings about this summer. I didn’t have too much time to work on it but I got one more wave in (on the left) and the yellows.

August 9: Yesterday began with me trying to sort how I was going to spend my hours… I need to repair a sculpture at my studio and am longing to be there. But home was calling to me- I wanted to tend to it and be around my family. What began as some mild chores turned into cleaning windows, mopping floors, putting things away… I listened to music (I’ve been on a Rolling Stones kick lately) and took care of my space with a lot of time to be with my people. I came across started and then left, or half-finished art projects and did the next step on one of them: a while ago I took some loosely knitted linen material from a former project and molded it around a bowl with some hardening fixative. It’s been sitting and curing for months now. Yesterday I spray painted it gold. Next step will be to paint it with nuln oil. Can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s finished.

August 10: Early this morning, I sat on my porch, listened to all the critters making their late summer sounds. I worked some more on my little tapestry, until it became too hot in the direct sun.

In these first ten days of this month’s Summoning Creativity intention, I’ve given myself a lot of space to be where I am and fully engage with whatever is happening. Sometimes I’ve actually gotten to make something or work on a project. Most times, I’ve been more of an observer/noticer of interesting, beautiful, lovely things or moments. One day, so much focus and energy went into driving safely that there was no energy left over to do anything else. What has been consistently true is that I have not had hours to spend on my own art. Life is busy with family, work, chores, and other engagements. Yet, I feel like I’ve been really tuned in to the part of myself that is creative and wants to create. I’m proving to myself that not having a lot of time in the studio doesn’t mean I can’t live in and experience my life artistically and creatively. Having this intention for the month is reminding me to tune in and do something… anything… to keep the flow going so when I do have more time, I can jump in with abandon.

Tell me about your creative practice! I love hearing how people approach their own artistry.

Until next time…


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Slow Stitch Stitch-Along, Week 3

My partner in stitching and I agreed to extend the running stitch squares for another week. The last several days have included busy spots that I could only describe as Tetris-like. When the days actually worked out, I marveled at my ability to pull it all off. But sadly, I didn’t get as much stitching in as I wanted and so suggested extending it by a bit. 

I was able to experiment, practice, and imagine though. 


I was able to get into a very sweet flow and pay attention to my thoughts. I’m slowly learning what I like the looks of and how to make things line up. This is a wonderful process for me.