Tag Archives: creativity

Sew 263 – Kitchen creativity

In a previous life, Helen Hill was a paper artist turning fibres found from nature into works of art. Now her creativity is directed to developing a new organic fruit crop Achacha in tropical north Queensland.

It was great to have the opportunity to spend time with Helen and Bruce at their plantation and hear the story of their transition into food growing from professional careers, and their desire to farm using organic techniques.

The plantation is just south of Townsville and my friend Fiona Lake spent a few hours today chatting, checking out the property, cattle and wetlands. The fruit matures in December but there were plenty of flowers, baby fruit and bees active in the trees – so a good crop is forecast. Continue reading →

Sew 218 – Creativity is taking risks

In the 21st century, society needs people who think creatively because as they step into life’s problems they are more able to find creative ways of dealing with them.

That’s a paraphrase of the Life at 9 life journey series on television last night, which was about creativity. It seems creativity is a predictor of success in every domain of life because it is problem-solving, divergent thinking of possible solutions when presented with a difficult issue.

As we grow up, we are often obliged to subvert our creativity, to conform and follow rules and the experts in this program suggested that our current education system’s emphasis on performance and getting the ‘right answer’ is squashing creative development. Continue reading →

Sew 71 – Have creative courage

Today’s upcycle adds an extra row of buttons to create room in a double-breasted silk jacket and turns a cardigan into a skirt and scarf.

These garments may not be perfect couture but they’re wearable and workable. And as the quote from @Wisdomalive on Twitter said today: Imperfection is an essential ingredient in the pursuit of excellence.

This aligns with a New Scientist article (March 8) by Michael Bond about The Secrets of Success, which include adopting a growth mindset – the belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and practice and aren’t fixed by biology. Continue reading →

Sew 62 – Unleashing upcycling creativity

This linen combo springs from jumper and jacket uplifted by creating jumper scarf with jumper bottom becoming skirt.

It is fun, resourceful and economical to magic something fresh from existing clothing that’s in the reject pile – and I love sharing ideas and skills to help others find their inner creative.

A key learning from postgraduate study last year that applies at any stage of life is seeking the skills/asking for help from those with the knowledge to move you forward.

Some people say they don’t have a creative bone in their body or can’t sew. I believe that’s a self-limiting approach inadvertently sown (excuse the pun) by a parent, teacher, partner or ‘friend’ somewhere in the past. Continue reading →

Sew 19 – Creativity in dress

It took several additions to be satisfied with this dress and I am still not entirely so. It is a bit twee, lacking creative spark.

Creativity is an interesting quality, which my edition of the Macquarie Dictionary defines as the state or quality of being creative. Creative, adj, 1. having the quality or power of creating. 2. resulting from originality of thought or expression. 3. originative; productive.

As an agricultural science graduate, creativity didn’t feature much in my formal education and I always scratched my head when encountering star sign characterisations of Pisceans which generalised us as artistic types.

It was only after children and having fun with paint, clay and glue that I began experiencing the potential for creativity and the concept of producing something out of not much.

More recently while pausing again to look around my world and undertake further study, I read Deepak Chopra who identified creativity as one of the most significant spiritual laws in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes.

Chopra defines creativity as a leap in consciousness that brings new meaning or new context to any situation or problem. Cultivating creativity turns problems and obstacles into challenges and opportunities. In every adversity there is a seed of something magnificent.

He says creativity is the principal force that drives all life, evolution and the mechanics of science. To effectively harness creativity and lead in your life, Chopra recommends:

Determine what to get rid of – what in your life detracts from its quality and is unnecessary? Commit to letting go of whatever it is that is holding you back, including toxic habits, emotions, relationships, substances and environments.
Practice clarity of vision – what do you want to create? Ask yourself what you really want, why you really want it, and if manifesting it will serve a higher purpose for humanity
Follow the nine steps to accessing your creativity with diligence and detachment. The steps are: intended outcome; information gathering; information analysis; incubation; insight; inspiration; implementation; integration and incarnation.

I’ve taken these thoughts on board in developing this Sew it Again campaign as a personal leadership response to the burgeoning waste of textiles and clothing churn I see all around us. I am now in the implementation phase – Day 19 of a 365-day demonstration of upcycling natural fibre garments for pleasure, reward and sustainability.

From my op shop stash, I used an old silk shirt to create straps and embellishments to turn this skirt into a dress. I used the former shoulder pads to create button brooches, which looked a bit too neatsy on their own, so I gathered up the collar to create another brooch and randomly stitched another torn strip from the shirt across the dress front.