[Photo: a quiet moment at Descanso Gardens a few weeks ago...]
I miss my blog so much. I miss sending notes to friends and leisurely weekend mornings and eating lunch. I have given it all up. It has been a mad dash to get ready for this trip to quilt market on Thursday. My husband has been grocery shopping twice this month which tells you how bad it’s been. He also scrubbed the bathrooms. (?) Let’s just say that the list of people I owe when I get back is ridiculous.
[Is anyone curious about what Quilt Market is? I gave a little explanation once here. This trip, Andover Fabrics will be previewing my new fabric collection on paper.]
I will be walking around with some samples of my new sewing patterns trying to meet with distributors and (hopefully) learning as much as I can. I will also be taking pictures.
I know there comes a point in most designer’s lives where they sort of stop photographing other people’s stuff and really just show their own work. This makes sense for so many reasons — not the least of which is that they are all very busy at the show and hardly have a chance to sneak in a snack let alone go around taking photographs. I thought about this a bit and decided that I still would like to share as much of what I’m seeing as I possibly can. (I’m not sure I could do this if I had a booth, and I certainly do not fault anyone for deciding not to do this.)
However, this year, I’ve decided that I am also going to try to interview as many designers and interesting people as I can possibly fit into one action packed morning. True Up is still the best source for detailed quilt market coverage, and there are other talented people taking great photos of the show. I’m not trying to compete with them. Instead, I’m just going to ask a few questions digging a little deeper into the heart of this whole thing:
- What are you most excited to be showing off at this show?
- What keeps you inspired?
- What advice would you give to someone else who wants to pursue their own creative dream?
I would LOVE to ask your questions, too — so if you have any ideas for me, please send them my way. Then check back late next week, and we’ll see what we can learn from all of these talented folks. Thanks so much for sticking around. As I’ve been working like a frantic, busy little bee I picture so many of you who visit here regularly, and it makes it worthwhile.
See you soon!
Filed under Fabric & Sewing, Travels Near & Far.
Tagged with Inspiration, Quilt Market.
By Kelly
October 25, 2011
[image credit: Brandon Shigeta on flickr]
I have been struggling a bit on how to recap the Tim Burton exhibit at LACMA. Before we visited the museum, I had read photography was not allowed, so we left the camera at home. I didn’t even have a photo of the amazing entrance. Luckily, I found some great photos on flickr by Brandon Shigeta (yay for Creative Commons licenses!). If you want to see more, hop on over to check out his photostream.
I think what struck me the most about the show was how dense it was — not only with people, but also with art. There are hundreds of sketches, drawings, and paintings in addition to some installation pieces, costumes, props and models from his films. However, I don’t think I was prepared for just how prolific an artist Tim Burton is as an individual. I think I was expecting to see more work done by his film teams, but there are lots and lots of scritchy-scratchy drawings and sketches and paintings by Tim Burton himself. The whole show was imagination caught fire.
One of my favorite pieces was an excerpt from a letter from Warner Bros. giving creative direction on the Family Dog. You could faintly see Tim’s doodles on the backside of the paper. The tone of the letter was so comical! As a former video game producer, I had to read and write a lot of creative feedback. I so identified with the poor person who had to type up the letter suggesting that the dog not be treated quite so violently in the show. On the flip side, I completely identify with Tim who used it as scrap paper.
There were a few storyboards from the late artist, Joe Ranft, and we paused there for a moment. (We watched the documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty recently, and if you want to know more about Joe Ranft or the world of animated films, I highly recommend it. You also see a very brief appearance of a young Tim Burton.)
The show is definitely worth seeing if you get a chance — a little creepy and weird in places, but amazing nonetheless. I think it’s always inspiring to see an artist who has so diligently worked at his craft and who stays so true to his voice. I left the show itching to draw, and I think it’s pretty special when an artist can have that impact on people.
More from me soon… hope your week is off to a good start!
Filed under Inspiration, Travels Near & Far.
Tagged with Inspiration, LACMA, Southern California favorite spots, Tim Burton exhibit.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a visionary. What is that quality that makes some people better at getting their ideas out there and into the world? I used to think rather naively that those people simply had more creativity and talent or better ideas to begin with, but I think we all know that is not always true.
I think there must be a special blend of other “companion” qualities (drive, determination, self-belief) that need to be there, too. I have been pondering what those qualities are and dreaming up a way that we can bottle them up and drink them before kicking off special projects.
We went to Disneyland over the weekend, and, of course, this got me thinking about Walt Disney. Walt is far too complicated a person for me to wrap up my thoughts on him in a few quick sentences. However, I’ll just say this. We stopped in to watch “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” which was very odd.
For the first time, it occurred to me just how peculiar and varied some of Walt Disney’s ideas were. I found myself wondering more about who he was at the start of his career and how those early experiences must have shaped him.
Last week, I finally watched the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop about underground street artists. (Fabulous and weird. I really enjoyed it.) Between that, the CNN Heroes, and the interviews with Diane Sawyer and Maya Angelou on Oprah’s Master Class, I’ve had a lot of people and qualities to consider. (I’m taking inspiration anywhere I find it these days.)
So, are there any other biography fans out there? Whose lives are inspiring you? What are you learning from them?
Filed under Inspiration, Travels Near & Far.
Tagged with Disney, Exit through the Gift Shop, Inspiration, role models, visionaries.
By Kelly
February 7, 2011
Today, I wanted to share some of the things I’ve been working on as part of the class I’ve been taking. I think many of you have heard of Leslie of A Creative Mint who posts incredible color stories and photographs as part of her monthly column on Decor8. (Definitely check out her latest column — Pretty Purple Hues. These colors are so soft and soothing — just what you want to see on a Monday morning.)
I had fun creating my own color story with navy, moss green, and gold/metallic. This is a big departure from my usual photography/inspiration process, but it was fun to try out some new techniques — and I have new found appreciation for Leslie’s talents! Editing is something I struggle with, so I really enjoyed trying to limit myself to a few colors.
It all started with a mood board. (Did you see the birch tree pin board last week? I really enjoyed using it today.)
Next, I went on a treasure hunt rounding up some of my favorite materials (embroidery floss, fabrics, sparkly brooches, gold leaves, and more). I also created an informal flower arrangement with some of the tips we learned in class.
Have you tried doing something like this before? Maybe to decorate a room or start a special project? If so, leave a link in the comments — I’d love to see it!
I think I’m going to try to create something similar for the fabric collections I’m working on right now. I do keep reference handy for all of the colors I use, but I can’t say that it’s this organized.
Hope you have a great week! I’ll see you on Wednesday. I’m trying to squeeze in a quick sewing/craft project, so more from me soon…
Filed under Inspiration, Photography.
Tagged with color story, flowers, Inspiration, metallic, moss, navy, phography.
By Kelly
September 27, 2010
Found a little gem today:
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” — Ambrose Red Moon
Wishing you a courageous week.
Filed under Inspiration.
Tagged with courage, Inspiration, Quote for the Day.
