Passion Fruit Writing: The Intro

Get ready for this free writing workshop. Read about it here.

A Creation Story

As you can see, Sally is a textile artist. The way she puts together her quilts, the way she creates each piece, is its own creation story. This one is particularly interesting.

Sally began quilting three years ago on a whim. She didn't buy a fancy sewing machine, she just got her start by making a pillow, and now is a regular prize winner at quilt shows.

Last winter she was browsing through an ABC.com news story on commercial Christmas decorations. She was entranced by a Nordstrom's image that looks pretty much like the quilt in the picture. She printed the image from the web site and had it enlarged at Staples.

She then picked out the fabrics to correspond with the colors in the image and sewed them together. She added embellishments through beading, and I think glitter, and voila: a first prize quilt that is unusually charming.

As you can see, it's not your grandmother's quilt. It is meaningful contemporary interpretation of a traditional American craft, one that showcases a national virtue: ingenuity. In a way, quilting is the ultimate recycling art -- making something beautiful and useful out of scraps. Each quilt is also its own story. Creativity in action.

What About Another Stream of Income?

The jobs cuts and stock market situation have a lot of people thinking about job security, or the lack thereof. The truth is, you work for yourself, whether you're employed full-time or not. If you do have a full-time job, the company who pays you is your client, and you only have one client, perhaps. But, while it's probably a really good one, you might want to diversify your client base.


If you're like most people, you daydream on occasion about doing your own thing. Selling your art, or marketing organic dog treats. The desire to create is an inherent part of being human, and that's a wonderful thing.


Even if you're far too overwhelmed right now to even think about any other activity, it's a good thing to take inventory of your skills, dreams, and ideas. Here's a list of things you can start jotting down, either in your journal, on a Word document, or anywhere. The point is to write it down.


My Creative Genius List:


1. 20 Things I'm good at, at least I used to be good at....



2. 20 Interesting experiences.



3. 20 Things I know about.



4. 20 Things I enjoy.



5. 20 Challenges I've faced.



That should get you started. And that's how incredible projects get done, one step at a time.



For for information about this exercise, click here.

A Great TED Talk on Creativity and Play at Work

The fantastic Garr Reynolds of Presentation Zen has posted a wondertalk by Ideo's Ted Brown. Ideo clients include Google and Pixar. It's only 28 minutes long and Brown (who happens to be handsome and sports a delightful accent) compares creative development to play and how it works in the design business. He also talks about having symbols of creativity, which Mixonian tossed out for your consideration last month.

To see the talk, click here.