Thursday, August 31, 2006

Creative Spew

I have been planning my back to school week. This coming Tuesday is the day that formal education starts again. I am ready but I am not ready. You know what I mean? No. Well, that's how I feel.

I feel as if I am finally in a creative groove. Actually not a "creative" groove but a producing groove. I have been knitting and sewing. I have been knitting from patterns but I have been sewing curtains from my mind... So, which is more creative? Using patterns or winging it? Alot of the times I just wing my knitting though this summer I have been largely following patterns except for my purses. I came across a sheet about scrumbling and I want to get into that again. I really enjoy it but I find I need to set aside a good chunk of uninterupted time...like a full day. I need a full day or night. Actually if I let my internal clock dictate when I am most productive it would probably be in the wee hours of the morning. My life being as it is I need to be awake all day long so I have to sleep all night. SO ideally I should have a whole night set aside for creativity and the next day for sleeping.

What is creativity anyways? Is it the ability to think of brand new ideas? Is is the ability to use a medium at a high level of excellence? Is it technical ability or ideas?

Are humans just innately creative or is it something that has to be learned? I think that we are all born creative. We make it up from day to day. Then society (parents, teachers, peers) try to qualify it. Like expecting a drawing of a house actually look like a house. When I teach art to my 4 year old I always accept the outcome as fabulous . I find that through the year with me as their teacher they become braver about letting their creativity flow. I only hope that my year or two of influence and acceptance stays somewhere inside them through life and they remain brave about trying new things and about using their creativity. I guess part of why I am a teacher is my love of watching creation in its most elemental state. The creation of an adult. Actually the most creative thing I have ever done in my life is to create 2 lovely, independant, creative children. As they tackle teenagehood I hope they remain open and creative individuals. I hope I can still allow them to be while I am reeling from their separation from me.

Wow this is an extremely meandering post. I guess you could call it a creative brain spew. Now, to make this more interesting for you I include a couple of my more creative knit items.


Knit Sculpture-"Reaching for the Top"



Multi Media - "International Laundry Day"



10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't have a bit of creative juice in me. I envy people who do.

Dorothy said...

I think all humans are creative.
We can all think of at least one unusual way to use the ordinary. It's that "...wonder what would happen if I..." gene in all of us. It's how technology happened, buildings went up, and cities and towns are planned.

I think you have to be creative to follow a pattern or to create your own. Just like with paintings. Some of us like things to look like stuff and others prefer the swirls and lines of the abstract.

I love your knit art. The tree scene would be awesome to knit for the kids. Did you write down what you did? Are you willing to share?

Anonymous said...

I think it is great that you allow your 4yo's to develop their own sense of art. One of my complaints about my son's school is that they regiment the art. I usually throw it all away when it comes home because I feel like it isn't his creativity that is expressed. At home he is allowed to free form, and he loves it.

Your knit art is fantastic! I had no idea you did knitted sculpture.

Charity said...

Ready but not ready... I so hear that!

I love the knitted sculpture, especially International Laundry Day!

Spinner said...

Your knit art is AMAZING! I've never seen anything like it before. And I love to hear that you let your students express their creativity. At that age, any age really, art and crafts should be explored and enjoyed, not defined by rules and requirments. Now if only that applied to cooking...:)Happy long weekend and good luck going back to school next week!

Anonymous said...

wow... I never thought about 3d knitting... oh dear... one more thing to try before I die. I can't stand the '100 things to do before you die!... what? only 100?

what am I supposed to do all the rest of the time?

so you're a teacher... what do you teach? or I haven't paid attention and I should know that? Am I in trouble on the first day?

Jo at Celtic Memory Yarns said...

LOVE those creative pieces, Martina. Hi, just found you via Charity and dropped over from Ireland to see how you were doing. Bright breezy autumn day here. Hate housework myself - after all, what is the use vacuuming today when you'll have to do it all over again next year?
Jo
celticmemoryyarns.blogspot.com

Suse said...

Oh my god I am totally in awe over those knitted sculptures. I can't BEGIN to contemplate how you did them!

And thank you for showing the Fetching fingerless gloves - I am about to knit two pairs for an order and I haven't tried that pattern yet. Glad to hear it's quick and easy.

PS. We have sons with the same name!

Anonymous said...

I really adore your knit art, it's amazing - especially "Reaching for the top"! Great!

weirdbunny said...

Wow those shadow boxes are amazing, they are the best things I've seen on a blog for ages - your so talented.