Where does creativity and inspiration come from? Sometimes, if we’re really lucky, it will just fall into our laps. We’ll have more ideas than we can keep up with, and they’ll come to us at the most random times. This can be both a blessing and a curse, as sometimes too many creative ideas can be just as challenging as not enough!
But for many of us, this isn’t always the case. There are many reasons that we can lose our creative mojo, but the one that tends to hit me the most is stress. When I get stressed out, whether it’s at work or at home, my mind goes into overdrive thinking about whatever problems are currently on my plate. I can’t think about other things, including my creative work.
Sometimes when this happens all I can do is ride it out and trust that the creative juices will flow again eventually. But sometimes that’s the wrong thing to do, and I need to take the steps to seek out some inspiration. This inspiration can come from lots of different places, but today we’re talking about finding inspiration from nature!
Use the World Around You
Planet Earth is a pretty amazing place, so it makes sense that we could turn to the Earth itself for creativity. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives and stepping into nature can reveal some amazing opportunities for inspiration to strike. Sometimes all it takes is for me to step out of my front door or into the backyard to find something inspiring.
The natural world is full of components that can be incorporated into a quilt:
- The beautiful reds and oranges on the flowering birds of paradise bush that’s next to the driveway
- The texture of the cobblestone path that runs along the side of the house
- The colors of the hummingbird hovering around the feeder full of sugar water
- The way the sunlight dapples on the bottom of the pool in the late afternoon
- The puffy, free-form clouds moving across the sky
When I’m looking for inspiration in nature, I’m keeping an eye out for things like colors, textures, shapes, patterns, and light!
It Doesn’t Have to be “Nature”
The amount of true “nature” available to each of us will vary greatly depending on where we live. Living in a secluded cabin in the woods will provide different opportunities to connect with nature than living in downtown Manhattan. So if you are in a more urban setting, try connecting with the architecture of your cityscape for inspiration. Modern quilting techniques may be a perfect way to represent the harsh lines and bright lights that you find right outside of your urban doorstep.
Give It a Try!
Try stepping outside, into whatever environment that may be. Make a list of the things you see that you might use to create a quilt or another work of fiber art. How many colors can you see from just one step into your backyard? What about textures, shapes and patterns?
Still can’t find enough? A short walk might bring more inspiration in front of your eyes, plus provide a great mental health break and a chance to step away from social media.
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