Recently I have had a few friends in the real world and on social media say they feel like they have lost their creative mojo and/or sewjo. I know that at times it happens to everyone, (it has to me ) and sometimes life gets in the way, but it has made me wonder that if perhaps with all the social media influences that affect our lives, we are feeling compelled and pressurised to keep up with other quilters, sewers, creative people.
Are we constantly feeling the need to be making something new, producing new quilts or garments, buying the latest fabric, patterns etc,and posting about them, so that we are getting likes on social media.
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| I've started working on this in the evenings again. |
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| No, I didn't create this, but I enjoyed eating it. |
Maybe when we feel that we've lost our sewjo/creativity rather than endlessly scrolling through instagram or pinterest looking for inspiration, we actually need to remove ourselves from it for a while and find some new sources of inspiration.
Go for walks, look at beautiful gardens, visit art galleries and museums. Tidy up your sewing space, maybe even finish some unfinished projects, often the sense of achievment from completing a project is like removing a burden, and that can free up your creativity. Rearrange your house, wear different colours, read books that take you to a new place- fiction or non fiction, it doesn't really matter, try some new recipes. This article has some interesting ideas too.
Creating and being creative, is something you do for yourself, something that gives you pleasure, it is not a competition.
I think social media and keeping a blog makes us keep cranking things out - we want to make sure we have something to write about and maybe it is competition too - we see someone else make something we like and immediately think we need to make it too perhaps. And then there are all the quilt alongs
ReplyDeleteExcellent post - we all need to take breaks and do other things to refresh our creative spirits. Spending time with family, museums, nature, reading books -- they all make a difference in how we see things.
ReplyDeleteWise words....life is too fast paced.
ReplyDeleteWise words indeed. Crafting is a personal thing and our own interpretation of something so going for a walk and looking at nature is a wonderful suggestion.
ReplyDelete... did you write this just for me :) Yep I totally agree with you, I've just enjoyed "a little media break" lots of family time, birthday celebrations, walking more, & lots of reading too!
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, yes!! Creativity is best when it flows from within, inspired by our world, not a competition on social media. I don't do a lot of social media, and I'm OK with not having a lot of likes. I blog because I enjoy it, and I don't want it ever to turn into a job with pressure to 'keep up' with everyone else.
ReplyDeleteWell said. I often feel the need to be productive in my quilting, maybe because of my corporate working life, and I do have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the process instead of churning out quilts.
ReplyDeleteWell said Julie! It’s not a competition, but it often looks like one when you follow some quilters on IG. I try to enjoy the process, that‘s why I often choose to make slow quilts, with a lot of appliqué or hand stitching ;-)
ReplyDeleteLove your embroidery!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you are right, very often social media is trying to take over our lives; thankfully I am that generation which is not attached to the mobile phone all the time, and I am now trying to limit my time in front of the little screen, but I still enjoy blogging most of all.
xx
Thought provoking post - which comes first, the chicken or the egg..??!! Maintaining some balance is something to reflect on, as is determining priorities and so on. I craft and blog for the sheer joy of it but need to remember the first two points of my comment!
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