Be Inspired by Workbox Article
I am really pleased that I have just had an article published in the Workbox Annual Magazine, called ‘Be Inspired’. This is an ‘extra’ annual edition that is longer than the bi-monthly Workbox magazine (130 pages) which they release in time for stocking-fillers for textile addicts. I am delighted by the editing and the graphic design of the article. It’s very strange sending off an article as a text document and some Jpegs, because at that point you lose all editorial control over how it is presented. I opened the magazine quite nervously, wondering what they had done with it, and I was so pleased to see how they had used it. All in all they gave it 8 whole pages (!) including some whole-page photos of my work. I can only include some ‘fuzzy’ images here, because I own copyright of the photos but not the text, so if you would like to read it you’ll need to buy the magazine.
Be Inspired by Workbox Vol 3 Article
Be Inspired by Workbox Vol 3 Article
Be Inspired by Workbox Vol 3 Article
Workbox Magazine Nov/Dec 2014
I was asked to write something about ‘My Textile Journey’ after Workbox put a City and Guilds Press Release about me in the Nov/Dec edition of the magazine (forgot to mention that on the blog, but they gave it a whole page which was nice – see left). I wasn’t sure how interested Josephine Public would be in the details of how I learned to sew, so I thought it would be more interesting if I linked it to something more general about re-finding creativity later in life. Over the last year or so I have had so many people commenting, quite sadly I think, that they would love to be creative but they feel something is blocking them from this. Sometimes it’s time, and sometimes it is a lack of confidence in their own creativity. I am always struck by the way children don’t suffer from this – they just jump straight in and use their imagination and creativity in a spontaneous way. It seems so sad that something about modern life means that adults often lose their confidence in creative expression. I firmly believe that if we have it as children then it must still be there as adults, just buried so that it feels out of reach. My article tries to suggest some reasons why that happens, and what people can do to try to get back in touch with the creative freedom enjoyed by children.
Be Inspired by Workbox Vol 3 cover
This is what the magazine looks like on the cover. It’s slightly difficult to find in newsagents, but I did see it on sale at a big branch of Smiths although some of the smaller branches don’t seem to have it. It can be ordered online http://www.workboxmag.com/shop/be-inspired-vol-3/
Changing the subject: I’ve been enjoying decorating the new house for Christmas. At times I’ve wondered why I was doing it since it’s been a period of really intense pressure on time for various reasons. However, I think I cling to Christmas rituals in defiance or denial of time pressure. Taking out the Christmas decorations each year is like greeting old friends after an absence. It reminds me of a different era as a child, when there really was time to enjoy it all properly. I don’t think I’m romanticising when I remember time to wander the Devon fields collecting dried grasses to spray gold, making hand-made decorations, and making danglies for the Christmas tree. There are times when this hits me as a sad time-warp (usually in a supermarket, when I hear tinned carols and ask myself where we all went wrong with modern life and why we are under such time pressure and things are so pre-packaged). But at some stage I always enjoy decorating the tree, at which point I am a small child again, gazing up at all the sparkles and pretties. Roger laughs when I keep going in and saying ‘pretty, pretty’ and says that middle-aged Jane has been replaced by three-year-old Jane.
Anyway, many thanks to those of you who reply to posts or who email me separately with comments. It’s great to hear from you. Wishing you a very happy Christmas and New Year one and all.
Your article looks wonderful, Jane. The photos of your work are fantastic. Congratulations on being asked, and congratulations also on the City & Guilds Gold Award. I used to be an External Verifier for City & Guilds so I used to nominate people for the award (not in Embroidery of course!) and attend the ceremonies. It’s a huge honour. I don’t remember the exact figures now, but the number of people who receive the award worldwide, across all subject areas will only fill a handful of London buses each year.
This whole area of creativity intrigues me too – why some of us need to do it so much, why some don’t seem to, and why often we don’t do it even though we would like to. I read a lot about this and hope one day to be able to write down my thoughts.
Happy New Year!
Thank you for your kind comments.
I believe that people have creativity within them, but it seems to get blocked so easily. It’s as if people say ‘I can’t win an Olympic sprint, so I’m not going to try walking’. I believe that everyone needs to express themselves in some way, whether that’s ‘art’, or singing, or something else like creating a garden, decorating a home or mending something. I feel abit ‘evangelical’ about it because it seems such a shame for people to miss out on the experience.
Do you follow The Textile Blog? John Hopper writes brilliantly about the creative process and what it means for the human experience – I recommend it.
I hadn’t seen the before, Jane, but it looks very interesting – thank you.
My definition of creativity includes all the things you say, but also things like running a Brownie pack, being involved on a committee, and so on, because I think introvert / extravert conditions also impact on a person’t preferences and where they derive energy.
Yes I agree, creativity includes so many things. I also think that energy comes from things that people regard as ‘passive’ such as watching the sea, sitting under a tree or gazing into space.