Aaaah - glad to be out of the time machine - I'm sure you all know we are not in 2121....yet! Sorry for last week's typo! But here's something that will be true 100 years from now or today - inspiration. 

 

Inspiration is something that seems so elusive and yet so close. But it seems that when we need one of our inspiration muses, she's on vacation on a beach somewhere drinking exotic drinks and lallygagging around like some prima donna! Where is she?...particularly when you're in the middle of a time bubble where you have all this time, and nothing is coming to mind? The nerve of her to go on vacation!

 

Or this time of year is when we start thinking about starting anew and possibly getting a handle on the arrangement of your studio and our working space. This "downtime" is perfect for shaking things up and getting your space in order.

 

The New Year seems to be full of promise, hope, and most of all, resolve to institute some great discipline and think about how to better use your most valuable resource - your time. 

 

As I've been working my way through the end of the year and thinking ahead. I am updating one of my more topical resources. I realized how connected three particular resources in the library are, especially for the New Year. These resources aren't so full of techniques as valuable information about organizing your space, time, and inspiration. They are tools that I've developed during high time-crunch times in my design business, and they've worked marvelously for me. 

 

As I began updating one of these resources, I found that it really led to another, which led to another. I decided this is the time to update all three and then combine them in a special combo pack for the first of the year.

 

 

Inspiration aka How To Get Your Mojo Back

Inspiration, ideas, and creativity all come from the same place. Where that is exactly has been the discussion of philosophers, artists, and creatives since the beginning of mankind. The Greeks thought creativity came from the muses. European philosophers felt it came from suffering and pain. (Egads! What a downer!). And today, we seem to have a more functional handle on this, but it's still some sort of ether that wanders around at will and never at our beck and call....or maybe not.

 

Think if your creativity were on demand. To have her where you need her when you needed her. And how to politely thank her and shoo her off, so you can get on with what you're doing. For every creative, that's a dream. And believe it or not, it's not that hard to do. Don't think I haven't walked into my studio with a huge contract and not an idea in my head with a time-pressure from hell - and no ideas......YIKES! Talk about panic!

 

I had to quickly learn how to get the muse to call when I needed her and how to gently calm her down when she was running amok in my busy head. Using techniques and basic common sense techniques, I know how to train my muse to come and go at my will and not hers. I use these now, and I love there's no panic with a new contract or coming up with new ideas. Being creative isn't that much of a panicked-ridden experience anymore.

 

 

 

Arranging Your Sewing Studio or Space

 

In writing all this up about Inspiration, it tied in so closely with the arrangement and environment of your space that I found I was writing about inspiration and space too. After working with my students and my clients to arrange their spaces, it was time to write this all down to benefit all sewists. I even rearranged Walt's office, which he loves. It's a very small space, but he has his desk, credenza, TV, and computer beautifully arranged and loves working in his space. This is the comment I get most often when arranging the space: "I love walking into my sewing room and working now!" And this arranging process is about as nebulous as the come-and-go girls from the creative ether!!! 

Using professional designers' protocols and tenents from ancient guidelines, there's a clear pattern that emerges. In my old studio from 40 years ago, I had all built-ins. That was all the rage back then. When sewing machines were upgraded (they've changed a bit since the 1980s), I would have had to completely tear down my studio and rebuild it back to match the new machine configuration. Ugh! Then, moving to my one-level dream home, I could use all these guidelines to make my own studio/showroom/virtual filming studio a dream come true. The space is so functional that I realized how marvelous it is to have a well-designed space. Once you know these guidelines, it's really a piece of cake. I dare you to try this and not discover this enjoyment on your own.

 

 

Time Management aka Commando Sewing

The other process that began to appear often while writing up the Inspiration Resource is time management. I nicknamed this Commando Sewing. Think about commandos and how they work through their raids. They prepare, plan, and practice their raids so that when they go, they are ready. That sounds like some useful information to gather when we're getting ready to start a project. This is particularly helpful if you're on a deadline or have limited time. And who of us doesn't fit into this category?

 

For the first of the year, these three resources are on sale. This is a great time of year to re-think our sewing environment, whether physical or mental. These resources cover all that and give you sewing inspiration, new ideas for your studio arrangement, and creative time management solutions. This is like breathing new life into your sewing.

 

 

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At last, back to a schedule and with something really powerful to start off the new year.  This is a three-fer combo. 
 
Inspiration, Studio Design and Time Management.  They all three key in really well with each other, and they are on a 21% discount for the first of 2021! 

Click here for more information!

Enjoy! 

 

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