Welcome to the Quiltblox 12 Days of Christmas! Each day through December 9th, I’ll share a word of the day that has meaning for me during this holiday season. Today’s word is: Explore.
“Kids should be allowed to break stuff more often. That’s a consequence of exploration. Exploration is what you do when you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson
I chose this word because:
Things I don’t yet know how to do – fascinate me. I don’t need to become a master at whatever it is I’m exploring, but I want to understand how it all works and how I might use that idea, technique, or process to inform my own work.
The genesis of “explore” is curiosity — that tug to see what lies just beyond the familiar. For quilters, it might mean trying a new color combination or tackling a technique that’s a little outside our comfort zone.
Exploration keeps our creativity fresh. Try a new pattern, visit a local quilt show, try a new technique, or simply play with unexpected fabric combinations. Exploring reminds us that art and life are both full of discovery.
Creative exploration:
Exploring something new can be exciting (and scary). What if I suck at it? What if I don’t like it? What if it’s … What if, what if, what if. We all have those voices in our heads, and often, that voice skews a bit (or a lot) negative.
Neil deGrasse Tyson has the right idea. We just might need to break a few things in the process of exploration. What if … we give ourselves permission to play like a child, with no expectations for how something will turn out? We can commit to exploring the possibilities and learn from the process. There’s magic in that.
There are lots of quilting-related things I’d love to spend more time exploring. Here’s my list (so far):
- Fabric dying
- Surface design for fabrics
- Long arm quilting
- Thread painting
- Reverse applique (I do a lot of applique – but haven’t tried this version yet)
- Quilted apparel (I really want to try a jacket)
Your assignment: should you choose to accept it:
Step 1. Make a list of at least three new quilting-related things you’d like to explore. It could be new techniques, processes, design styles, tools, etc. Whatever is new to you, that you are interested in.
Step 2. Choose one and investigate it. Do your research, play with it, and see what you learn.
Some ideas to get your exploration juices going:
I chose these resources to encourage you to try something new. Each might represent a new technique you haven’t yet tried. Dive in headfirst and play, you have nothing at all to lose, and so much creative learning to gain.
Follow Along
Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing the final new word of the day in the newsletter and here on the blog. I’m also sharing some other fun goodies in the Holiday Edition of the Quiltblox Newsletter – each day through December 9th. Be sure to subscribe today so you see it first.