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You are probably a creative person if you are reading this. Or perhaps you are not but wish you were (Pro Tip: Humans are creative. You just need to recognize how you are creative.)
If you are an impatient person, as I sometimes am, you are probably thinking to yourself “Stop blathering on and get on to the tips!”. So here goes.
TIP 1:
Trust your gut. If something interests you, intrigues you or makes you want to experiment go for it. Very early on in my weaving life, I was still taking classes. The nice part was you just kept signing up for the same class and advanced at your own rate. Some of the weavers had literally been there for years. I was too until I moved away from the city. Once day I decided to weave a scarf with some very pretty mohair that I had splurged on. There was a LOT of it and I was eager to try it and to use it up. Many of the weavers there told me I could NOT use the mohair in both the warp and the weft. Mohair is fuzzy thread made from goat hair.
For those that don’t know, warp are the threads that are fixed to the loom and would be heading away from you if you were standing in front of the loom. Weft threads are passed from left to right orientation or perpendicular to the warp threads.
Many weavers use words like should, mustn’t, never etc. I try not to use those words because I like to experiment, try things out and learn by doing. I don’t believe in rules for weaving. There certainly are some things that will make like easier, such as warping properly and using an spacing the threads appropriately to achieve a nice fabric drape but rules per se are verboten in my world.
So what was a newish weaver to do? Fortunately, I used my gut. I did use the mohair in both the warp and the weft. Sure it was a bit sticky. The long hairs got caught together a bit and it was slower weaving. But I was very proud of it when I was done. I proved to myself that it was possible if care was taken and I made a darn pretty scarf.
TIP 2:
Prioritize your creative time. I know that now some of you are saying “But I don’t have any time to be creative. That is my problem!” So please go back and read the first line. Until I prioritized
my weaving over the laundry, dishes, endless trips to the grocery store, candy crush (there I said it), checking if I was still relevant on Facebook, checking out everyone else’s weaving on Facebook, Pinterest etc, I seldom did any of my own weaving. And when I did, I felt guilty because I thought I should be doing – see the exhaustive list above. Notice that I didn’t add work to that list. Obviously, work is a priority. And your family is too. But do not use them as an excuse to avoid doing the creative thing that you wish you were doing.
I belong to a weaving guild. I have for years. But for many years I rarely went to any meetings. I often used my son as an excuse. I felt guilty leaving him to attend a meeting that was for my benefit. As a result I always felt like a guest when I did go because I didn’t know many people. “Why can I not meet people?” I wondered. Of course it turns out that anxiety played a huge part in that. If I didn’t go, I wouldn’t meet people, they wouldn’t see that I was a fraud/shun me and I wouldn’t fail” except that I failed myself. I missed the opportunity to enjoy my hobby and nurture my creativity. I am much better at that now. So put yourself out there. Go and be creative. Start now!
TIP 3:
Beautify your space. Right now I am sitting on the couch. It is not in my studio, but it is a sunny day. A sunny winter day. Those are often few and far between. I am soaking up the sun while writing. I am also lucky enough to have a studio space to call my own. But let’s face it. Looms can be large and mine is. It will not fit on the dining room table. But depending on what you do in your creative time you might not have or even need a large space. But you do need a pleasant space. Get a plant and put it beside you while you knit or write or draw. Buy (make?) a pretty cushion, throw blanket or picture to keep near your space. Put on some music. Or do like I have and buy a cheesy print of a beach and hang it on the wall so you can always see the sunshine. Make it your space even if you have to clear away again to eat dinner.
Thanks for dropping by!