Inspired Inspiration

Merry Christmas to All

in·spired  inˈspī(ə)rd/

adjective

1. 1.

   of extraordinary quality, as if arising from some external creative impulse.
2. 2.  (of air or another substance) that is breathed in.

in·spi·ra·tion  inspəˈrāSH(ə)n/

noun

1. 1.

   the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

I spent some time working on a welcome gift for our new neighbors this weekend. It's a happy/sad moment for me. I will really miss our former neighbors. They loved their home and their yard. I will miss our yearly tomato contest which Tom always won! This past summer I finally gave in and forfeited. I think he felt pity on me and gifted me with several wonderful tomatoes from his garden...one of which weighed nearly 2 pounds. 

We are excited for our new neighbors and still remember how excited we were when we moved into our home 20 years ago last month.  Wow...how does the time fly by so quickly. I wish them many happy moments and lasting memories and thought it particularly good luck that the year they moved in and their house number are the same.  

My favorite week of the year is coming up. It is a tradition for my husband and I to take time off of work. It allows us to relax and rejuvenate. It also is nice to have some quiet time to slow down from the day-to-day happenings that life throws our way and savor the blessings received throughout the year. It is also a time to let go of anything that pulls me down emotionally or spiritually. I never grow tired of reading about Christ's birth and listening to Christ words while he was on earth. Some of my most amazing designs have come during this time of rest and revival, which brings me to the title of this post "Inspired Inspiration." 

Have you ever been in a creativity rut? This happens to me sometimes when I'm in the midst of creating a digitized file for a customer. Digitizing an actual file uses a lot of both sides of the brain. Left side for process and right side for creativity and how best to uses stitches. The artwork might have some challenging areas that do not translate well into thread or it may be a study on how best to walk through the logo in the most efficient and production friendly way for the fabric it will go on. Both of the preceding processes use the left side of the brain. During these times, it is easy to get caught up in it and sit and spin in circles with no clear answer in sight. When this happens, I stop working and go do something that uses the right side of my brain (time to draw, play with new Spirograph or even mundane things like vacuuming or folding clothes!). 

While I'm doing something different, my brain is still calculating and working on a solution or workaround...just in the background of my mind. I've never been stumped for long as long as I allow myself to get away from the issue at hand.

2015 is only 10 days away and I am inspired to follow Eleanor Roosevelt by "Do(ing) one thing every day that scares you(me)."  That should be inspiration enough to keep 2015 one of the most exciting year's yet!

I already have a list started for a few of those scary things that include:  

• Designing an English paper piecing mystery block of the month for Pioneer Quilts
• Submitting an original quilt to a national show
• Submitting a book idea to a publisher
• Submitting an original digitized file for judging

Whew...I'd better stop now or I will never enjoy my vacation week.