Creativity – Page 8

October 11, 2011October 19, 2011

Flow~~~

In art, as in life, experiencing a state of flow can be very exciting and great motivation in moving toward one’s goals.

~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Flow

[click to view You-Tube video of Csikszentmihalyi on Creativity, Fulfillment, & Flow.]

~In Flow your activity matches your skill level–mismatches equal boredom if too easy or anxiety and frustration if too difficult.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lost in Time

~We lose an awareness of time…our focus and concentration is on the creative process and task at hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Go With the Flow

~It includes patience and an easy, gentle pace…but also the failures, frustrations, impatience, and rebellions! (Make Your Creative Dreams Real, by SARK)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Optimal Experience

~ In the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi discusses that creativity and being in flow contributes to an optimal human experience. When our activities are balanced between being a challenge but within our skill level, we enjoy a state of concentration and a sense of well-being. I think of it as a chance to test myself––in a fun way!

* Today in the studio I will be quilting a wall-hanging–When do you experience being in Flow?

If you have the time, I’d love to hear your thinking! (To Leave a Comment–click below…) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How To Get Outside Yourself (everydayintensity.com)

October 6, 2011October 7, 2011

After posting about goals, discouragement, and motivation, I want to keep you posted of my time in the studio–playing @ with new ideas, experimenting with different methods, and a push to create, create, create.…

Here is a finished wall-hanging that is a gift for someone special:

I liked the style and colors of these squares that were found at a favorite quilt shop…The three were joined together with sashing and gold corner squares. After layering with a backing and batting, I quilted in-the-ditch around and with-in each block, and then used free-motion quilting to add motifs in the gold squares and sign my name & the date. Then, threadpainting was used to highlight the steam, whipped cream, and a few other details…

I’m centering and attaching this small art quilt by the top corners to an stretched canvas. It is Sea Images #1, which usually hangs in my husband’s office. This will give it a stage of sorts and more presence in the room as visual art.

Also, Lifeweaving #3 is coming along!–Layering the backing and batting and then basting the strips in place…more to come soon on that.

*FYI!! A great book for creative motivation is Make Your Creative Dreams Real: A Plan for Procrastinators, Perfectionists, Busy People, and People Who Would Really Rather Sleep All Day, by SARK… For Fun & Inspiration visit her at www.planetsark.com.

~Hope you are enjoying your time this week as you strive towards your goals–don’t forget to have fun with the process!~

Thursday In the Studio…”Simple Gifts” (jonibeach.com)
New Beginnings, Renewed Hope (jonibeach.com)
Thursday In the Studio – The Final Stages… (jonibeach.com)
Goals…Discouragement or Motivation? (jonibeach.com)
Tuesday In the Studio…”Spinning Wheels, Going @” (jonibeach.com)
First Glimpse of Fall Colors… (jonibeach.com)

September 26, 2011October 3, 2011

New Beginnings, Renewed Hope

Why is it the beginning of things, such as a new week, a new notebook, or a new school year, can serve to bring us renewed hope? Has life really changed or is it our expectations and attitudes that change? Instead of feeling hopeless and in a rut, do we think of possibilities and believe that new opportunities can occur?

Blog Post — Studio Goal #1: Posting a New Blog Article...

I actually believe it is some of both…while the differences in the new maybe small, the resulting new actions and activities can make a huge difference in our outcomes. For example, with the new week we may reassess our goals and schedules, organize our workspace, and proceed in a different manner, thus achieving different accomplishments.

Layering Wall Hanging — Studio Goal #2: Layering and Quilting This Wall-hanging...

With a new notebook, looking at a clean, unmarked page of paper may provide an uncluttered space to write down our thinking, thus providing clarity to our confusion. With a new school semester, being around a new group of people, having a new teacher to guide our learning, and considering new subjects and activities may give us new experiences and, thus gaining new confidence that comes from testing our ability to learn new skills.

So beginning this new week with new goals and new expectations, there is renewed hope that the work I do will be of value and the time spent will have new possibilities, results and opportunities…