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May 17, 2019
So here you are - all set to sew - your other duties taken care of or shelved till they're due, and you've set aside time for yourself to sew. You walk into your sewing space, and POOF - the magic muse of creation is gone.
Many don't know there's an obscure muse of sewing called Sewistia, but she takes more vacations than is really allowed by the other 9 muses! And it seems just when you need her, sorry she got a good rate on a flight to a beach somewhere. We certainly hope she's enjoying herself, cause SHE'S NOT HERE WHEN WE NEED HER!
OK - so you know that's sort of my funny way of dealing with the white canvas/blank mind syndrome that hits. Just when you get some time and everyone is not bugging you, and you're in your studio sitting on your chair, and then there you are - what to do? Where's the muse when you
get some time? Well here are ten ways adapted from the artistnetwork.com post today, to dial up that lazy gal and get her working for you!
ONE
Do something - make a tee - sewing a ribbon - do something to start, even if it's very simple - I promise this really works.
TWO
Get organized. Personally I can't really start until I'm organized, and although you may consider this more of a drudgery type task, it starts the little grey cells thinkin'.
THREE
Try approaching this from a different point of view - you may like to start drawing a sketch or two. I know, I can hear it now - "I'm not an artist, Claire!" This brings to mind one of my favorite quote from the great M. Lagerfeld "All designers do not draw well, but keep it because one day it will be worth a lot!" No joke!!! So let it go that you don't draw well.
That's not what's important here. What's important is the idea behind the sketch and believe me you will get it. We don't have to keep all our drawings/sketches, but these often can evoke a quick trigger for the muse and there you are with the idea right at hand.
FOUR
Take a class - online or in person. I took a doll-making class one time cause I was stuck in a rut, and it really got me thinking in a different way about my own projects for my clients. As an extra bonus you'll be socializing with like kind and talk about ideas going
berserk!
FIVE
Think about one color or maybe two and work on a design using only those colors. This forms a new challenge that immediately starts calling the muse.
SIX
Pinterest was invented by Sewistia! If you don't have an "Idea" board on Pinterest - start one - personal or public and every time you hit an idea or picture or photo, plunk it into that board. You will be shocked at how that simple picture can immediately recall what you
liked about the graphic and there you are with your ideas back in your head (instead of on vacation with Sewistia).
SEVEN
Look around - get out - put yourself in a different place - a park, sitting having tea in an outside cafe, people watching even those at Walmart can make you have ideas about how NOT to look, but also how to cure what you're NOT supposed to look like. I hope that came out right - but I think you know what I mean. Visit the local department store, I know that the stuff doesn't fit, but it is designed to look good on the hanger, and you can take the look they are working for and design one for yourself that fits better, feels better and of course looks better - on you and not designed for the hanger.
EIGHT
I keep a sketch book that is also the same format I use for my scoop shopping. When I'm visiting a metro area and either window shopping or in the stores, I keep a small sketch book that I can sketch a look or a collar or something. It's amazing how a couple of scratches can recall instantly what you liked about what you saw. Of course if you have your phone with you, you can always take a photo and put
it in your Pinterest "Idea" board.
NINE
This is different from #8 in that keep track of your track of thinking. For example, you saw that program on TV with the news lady who had on that really terrific collar and the person she was interviewing had on a great looking bodice. Keep a track on this. I like keeping things like this on Evernote, but if you have a note app on your phone, that's another great place to keep it, so it's on your
phone and on the cloud where you can access it anywhere (computer, tablet, etc.).
TEN
Kick your inner critic in the a$$! Course one thing about calling the muse is that she pretty much takes care of that ol' fuddy duddy. The muse will bring in excitement, and enthusiasm that pretty much takes care of that inner critic - but if the EvilIC does come around, kick her out and start chatting with the muse again.
I know all this is very colloquial and symbolic, but being stuck with all the time to sew and nothing to do, can be cured, and can be cured quickly. All these 10 ideas are great, but the one sure-fired way to get the muse on a jet back home from vacation is to start something. Something simple - a shell, a stretch top, a pair of leggings (honestly they take almost an hour ½ and you're done) - and
suddenly you're chatting with the muse before you know it.
The muse comes very subtly, and sometimes you don't know it till you've been talking with her for a while. She's gentle. She's quite (sometimes - unless you're on a roll, then she babbles like crazy and sometimes you do have to shut her up - of course that's after you've recorded everything she's yammering about!!!). She's enters in a mist and if you don't listen to her,
she's gone in the same mist. Be nice to her, which means you have to be nice to yourself, which means you have to kick the inner critic into the middle of next week. She really is your friend and comrade and partner, and with a little cultivating and attention on our part, our muses return in no time at all!
So what in the world does this mean? It means that sewing is a process. It’s like learning math – you must learn that 2 + 2 = 4 before you can learn that 4 x 4 = 16. It’s that simple. And yes a lot of
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PS - I do a lot of posting on Facebook as both Claire Kennedy and SewingArtistry - if you want to friend me to check out the goodies over there for free!
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