Photographs this week: Birds

Collecting quilting inspiration

I love looking at other artists art quilts.  It is so inspiring to see how others work and what beautiful colours they use.  Looking at other artists/quilters work helps me to look at my work with fresh perspective and new eyes.  I critique my work better by being able to critique others work.  I become braver in my colour choices and how I work with value of colour. It also helps me analyse my own work practices.  I think it is important to look at how other artist work who do not make art in the same way as you do.  I love looking at sculptors, jewellery designers, doll makers, painters and other artists work I have found many new ideas for quilting lines and shape that I would not have found by only looking at art quilts only. 

Many artist/quilters push boundaries with the content and technique in their work and if we never look at they way other artists/quilters work we can potentially end up making the same art or quilts with the same theme for many years. 

There are many ways to collect pictures of other peoples art work.  I have found Pinterest is the best way for me to collect these ideas in one place without any need for huge filing cabinets and hours of cutting and pasting.  I like Pinterest because of it's ease of use and the huge amount of space to store photos.  

These are some of the beautiful pins I have found of the most amazing art quilts

COSMIC COLLISIONS - KATIE PASQUINI MASOPUST

click here to see more beautiful quilts

Other art work to inspire

Scott Burdick (Scott Burdick) (1967-) From the Dominican Republic

Click here to see more beautiful art work to inspire

Photographs are also a great source of 

inspiration

Alhambra - Granada, Spain.

Click here for a link of more amazing photos

If you haven't already start a collection of inspiration today!  

Remember to go back regularly to look at all the wonderful 

inspiration you have collected and be inspired!! 

Art quilt: The scales fell from her eyes

My Quilt the scales fell from your eyes has received a merit award in the Aotearoa quilters 12 x 12 purple challenge.  

Thank you to Wrights fabric in Morrinsville for the $100 gift voucher for my prize.

I am absolutely thrilled. 

How can you use a guide word to be creative?

So you have chosen your guide word.  But what  now?  How can it be part of your creative life?  How can it help you get in your studio space or creative zone each day?  What can you do with your guide word?

Your guide word for the year can be such a great way to be able to focus and to get into that creative space.  

So where do you start?

1. Take you guide word and write down every thought, word or action that comes to your mind when you think of this word.
2. Think of how this relates to your creative self
3. Ask how your word can help push the boundaries when creating
4. Set some challenges for your self in your creative journey this year.
5. Then get someone else to brain storm with you. It is amazing how many new ideas that can be found with another brain or 2 to help.

My guide this year is 

Presence

When I first thought of my word I felt it would be very difficult to apply in my creative life and as an artist.  But after brainstorming my word and thinking about it from a creative angle I found so many ways that my guide word can be part of my creative life. 

I will

• Be present at work each day.  I will turn up every day at work
• Have my mind present on one thing at one time
• To be present in soul and body
• To have more of a presence of my signature in my art work so my work can be more recognised
• To have a better and more efficient on line presence 
• To have a professional presence in all areas of my creative work.  

See how easy it is!!   Those 6 ideas came after on 5 mins of thinking and pondering.  Can you imagine what other possibilities are possible with a little more work.  

What possibilities have you come up with?

Photography this week: Shadows

Shadows are so interesting and beautiful.  They also give so much visual inspiration.  I use shadows to create shapes for my work,  interesting lines for quilting and to create light and dark in pictorial work.  These shadows are from a beautiful walk just 7 mins form our home.  It is one of the most beautiful stands of Kahikateas in the country.

Photography today: Holiday adventures

It's summer holiday time in beautiful New Zealand.  We have been going on adventures in our own community.  We have been having a marvellous time !!!

We are not sure what she was doing here but she looked so cute with her head sticking out of the ivy

Change your life: Start today

Change your life around: start today,  make it now,  don't put it off till tomorrow.

My last post was entitled  So how did your year go?  I have done my evaluation of the past year.  Now it is time to find out what 2015 is going to be.   I am going to action my year,  I am going to make changes and do it now !!!!  

Christine Kane has the real idea for successful goal setting.

 Read about it in her blog here

It is not writing hundreds of goals,  ideas and resolutions.  It is simply just one word to use as you touchstone for the year.  It is a very effective way of goal setting and moving forward.  I tried it last year and what a year it was.  For the first time in many year I achieved so many of my new year intentions

 I blogged about my progress here So how did your year go?

My word for this year is 

Presence

What is your word going to be?  

It is so easy to choose a word.  You will know when it is right as it will just feel like it fits.  I looked at a lot of different words and when I wrote presence down it just felt so right. 

Christine Kane has developed a discovery tool for your guide word It is a fantastic tool.  Click here to download your worksheet.  

Although this tool was really helpful I have found a few more things that have helped me hone in on my word.

1. Check out the dictionary definition.  Use a dictionary at home or an on line one
2. Write down all the synonyms(similar words) and antonyms (opposites) from a thesaurus.  This opened so many more possibilities for me.
3. Because one of my goals I wanted for this year was to increase my spirituality I checked out the bible dictionary too. 
4. Put your guide word in the search box of pinterest.  This created so many more ideas it just blew me away.  You could also add in a second word to help in specific areas of you life.  I.E.  Presence and business,  or presence and art. Doing this gave me some wonderful ideas for on line presence.
5. Ask questions.  I.E.  How can I have more presence in my home?  How can I be a more powerful physical presence? or In what way can I have presence in absence? 
6. Meditate.  Spend a quiet moment thinking and pondering your word.
7. Google your word and see what comes up.  Some stuff won't be relevant but it is amazing what is.
8. Look at quotes about your guide word.  The one that is going on my wall is this one.

Pella Hedeby Stilinspiration

Simple but effective.

What ever your word or direction this year I hope this year will be a productive and great one for you.  

Happy New Year!!!