Environment
As busy people with busy lives sometimes we forget to stop and smell the roses. Unfortunately, whether we realize it or not, the roses are affecting us. You know what’s also affecting us? The pile of dung left under the roses by that annoying neighborhood canine. What we surround ourselves with affects how we think, feel, and act. Our environment, both physical and mental, plays a huge role in our creative flow.
The Quilter’s Physical Environment
1. The Dedicated Space
I have lived in ten homes in the course of 12 years. I have had a twin bed and a desk to sew off of and I have had entire rooms dedicated to my quilting. I understand the pains of not being able to dedicate a space to my craft. I’m sure this is a shocker, but in every house where I did not have a dedicated space my time spent quilting decreased significantly.
To stay in creative flow, spending time on your art can not feel like a chore. Having to pull out all of your supplies, your machine, and your project is a chore. If you do not have a room or studio that is solely used for your quilting then you need to find a special space to keep your supplies.
-Build a desk and shelving into a closet.
-Convert a wardrobe to a craft closet
-Designate a corner of the basement to your sewing table
You will be much more inclined to work on your masterpiece if it is set out and ready to go. This is your home. You deserve space in it to sew.
2. Clean, baby, Clean
I know many of you claim you need chaos to create but honey, chaos on the outside brings chaos on the inside. Take time to keep your space organized. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
-Get rid of the grocery bags of half done projects. Get plastic project totes that can easily be stacked and are clear so you can tell what the tote contains.
-Organize your patterns by type of project or by made/not made (I do both!)
-DECLUTTER! I know as quilters we are predisposed to be collectors (hey, I didn’t say hoarders). Go through your piles and really make a decision whether or not you will ever use said item in a project. If you truly feel you will, then organize by item. Mason jars are great for small items like buttons! If you can’t easily look through your collection and find an item - you will never use it. GET RID OF IT.
Back to those half finished projects…
-Look at each project and Marie Kondo that bitch. If the project no longer brings you joy GET RID OF IT. You have permission to not want to finish a project. You have permission to not finish it. You have permission to remove it from your life. Unfinished projects carry a lot of guilt and stress around them. Keeping them sucks creativity out of your space.
-Get your friends together for a PHD (Projects Half Done) swap meet. A friend might find the lost joy in your project.
Having a clean environment opens the path to having a clean mental environment.
The Quilter’s Mental Environment
Unfortunately, many of us have other things in our lives besides quilting. Oftentimes these things cloud our brain and make it hard for us to focus on our creative energies. How can I create when I can’t stop thinking about the load of laundry that needs to be done? How can I create when I’m stressed over my job?
It is imperative that we bring mental stillness into our lives on a daily basis so that we may be open to the creative process. Clearing our brain is a practice that we may never perfect, but we must continue to work towards.
-Meditation: sit quietly and concentrate on your breathing for a period every day. This may be five minutes. This may be an hour. When a thought tries to sneak up on you gently push it away and go back to your breathing. There are several apps that provide mediations if you do better to listen to affirmations or music while you meditate.
-Journaling: if only we had a Pensive like Dumbledore in Harry Potter in which to store our thoughts outside of our brain. Think of your journal as a Pensive. You don’t need to be a poet or write profound ideas. Just dump the swirling thoughts and leave them there. Set a time to write each day and do not overthink your topics. Just write whatever comes to mind.
-Another form of journaling can be List Writing. I tend to get caught up in the multiple tasks I have to accomplish each day. I repeat the list over and over in my brain so I don’t forget anything. Before you sew, write a list of all the things you have to get done outside of sewing. Then walk away from the list. Everything is written down. You will not forget a task. But you do not have to think about them now.
Clearing out your work space and your thinking space will completely change the energy of your environment. Creativity cannot join a packed room. Invite inspiration in by asking chaos to go.
*Read the other 3 Steps to the Cultivating Creativity - Exposure - Experience - Emanate
