creative process

Hello Everyone. I know it’s been awhile since I last posted, but I’m still here! My friends sometimes call me a turtle. Not only because I tend to work slow and steady, but also because I have been known to retreat into my shell. A close friend who used to live next door to me would joke that there were periods of time when all he would see of me was my forearm pushing the door open to get my pizza delivery. Funny and true.

I have a very good reason for retreating lately. I’ve been nurturing an idea. I don’t know about you, but when I have a creative project that is newly born, it needs lots of protection and care. So I’ve just been quietly doing my thing over here.

And like many creative adventures, there’s a steep learning curve. It’s kind of tough to push yourself to the next level because it requires leaving behind your proficiency and coming to terms with the fact that there are a lot of mistakes and missteps in your future. But what else are you are going to do? If you don’t take that step, you just stay stuck.

I’ve been doing a lot of lying awake at night, designing clothes in my head. The trick is to be able to get those ideas down on paper before the self-sabotaging thoughts get in the way. It’s all fine at 2 am but by morning I start to tighten up.

The best way to get good at something is to practice, practice, practice. The more you flex the muscle the stronger it gets. So I just play a little head game and tell myself when I sit down to sketch that I only have to come up with five bad designs. It is so much easier to get started when all I have to do is make bad drawings. The pressure is off and no matter what I come up with I’ve met my goal. Regardless of the result, I feel good.

This top is a product of one of my “bad” designs. And I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I wanted to create something that had a modern Victorian feel. The seaming and the hem are reminiscent of a corset. The collar comes up higher on the neck. In some ways it’s a modest top as it covers up a lot of the body, but the close fit and the peek-a-boo at the back lend it a bit of sexiness.

Don’t even ask how many times I tweaked the muslin to get it right. My pattern making skills are a work in progress. But I’m getting there! Slow but sure. (I told you I am a turtle.) All of the ups and downs were totally worth it because I have a top that is exactly what I want it to be. The first time I wore it, I had someone ask me where they could buy one. I was so proud to tell her that I designed it and made it myself. And bless her, she said that I need to hurry up and start making more to sell. Who knows? That may be in my future.

Pattern, Designed and Drafted by Me

Fabric, Liberty Lawn, B&J Fabrics

Photography by Santiago Vanegas

This has been a tough year. It’s been about loss, grief, and struggle. When I decided in the fall of 2014 to start a blog at the beginning of the new year, I had no idea what 2015 had in store for me. If I had known, I probably would have decided to start blogging some other time, but as it turns out, Featherstitch Avenue has been my saving grace.

My main reason for wanting to blog was to create a structure for my creativity and a way to hold myself accountable. Many of us have busy, hectic lives and I’m no different. Finding time for soul nourishing activities is a challenge itself, but necessary for me so that I don’t turn into a complete lunatic!

At this early stage in my blogging career, I’m realizing how important it is to thoughtfully consider each post. Otherwise, it’s just noise. We all have too much noise in our lives. Lately, I’ve been experiencing such extreme image fatigue. Images on Facebook and Instagram. Images coming at me through email. Too many magazine subscriptions. And yes, blogs too.

So what does this mean for our blog that puts more images into the world? After spending a lot of time thinking it over, if what we are doing is not meaningful, what’s the point? I happen to believe that creativity is very meaningful. And while Santiago and I have had a great time showing you the finished product, we both know the process of creating is just as important, if not more so. In the future, we will be sharing more posts about our process and speaking more openly about the bumpy road of creativity.

Photography by Santiago Vanegas

And as it often happens, life sends you a message that you need to hear. In this case it came in the form of a beautiful song. My friend Auna has had her struggles. After sustaining an arm and hand injury, she found that she could no longer play classical music on the piano. Although the injury never fully healed, Auna let her love of music carry her through. And so she plays the keyboard instead, as a keyboard has a lighter touch than the more heavy handed piano. Her resilience through struggle is a message that I’ve taken to heart.

Follow the link to play the song. Right Place by Auna Sims

Have a good week. We’ll see you soon.

Learning Curve

The Creative Process and a Beautiful Song