Some thoughts on the creative process

One of the most common comments I get when talking about designing a new project is something like, “How do you come up with ideas?” or “Where do ideas come from?” or “I wish I was creative.” - something along those lines.

I thought I would throw out a few ideas on creativity and then how to get those ideas flowing. I know people are stitched up (literally and figuratively) right now finishing Christmas projects but maybe this will come in handy for the new year.

I think about the use of creativity a lot both because it’s important to me and because I see such a sadness in people’s eyes when they tell me they wish they were creative.

So issue #1 is, how does creativity work? I think the biggest hindrance for people using their natural creativity is our general perception of what creativity is and how it works. This is by no means a complete list but here are some misconceptions I think a lot of us have about creativity:

• Creative people just have ideas popping into their minds – complete and in a finished form – all the time, effortlessly.
• Creativity is a mystical, ethereal process that can only be accessed by the chosen few.
• Creativity is inherent, not learned. If you weren’t born with it, sorry Charlie.
• Creativity only happens in regards to the “Arts,” not in everyday, mundane parts of life. Mary may be finding creative solutions to problems at the office but she may not see that as being creative. After all she’s not painting a portrait or knitting a shawl, she’s just doing her job.
  

These kinds of perceptions can be the hardest to overcome because they are really grounded in our culture but I think a way to overcome them is to acknowledge the misconceptions and make a choice to try to step beyond their confines. Once you do that a few times, I think you’ll be surprised how quickly those walls can fall down.

In regards to the first point, my experience is that ideas do pop into my mind. Sometimes they are really clear but most of the time they are vague, sort of “I wonder what would happen if I did this…” or “I wonder what it would look like if I did that…”. But that’s only the first step. It takes a lot more to bring that idea to life. What happens more often is that I try to think of ideas on purpose. Sometimes I want to learn a new technique or I want to use a particular material or make a particular item. With that in mind, I will sit down and get the juices flowing (more on that later).

On the second point, I think this perception comes more from the mystery of the fluency of the highly skilled person than the process of creativity itself. When someone is highly skilled and we see them using that skill, it appears so effortless, so easy. Of course, we’re not seeing the hours and hours the person has spent honing his/her skills, practicing and experimenting with techniques, learning new techniques, talking to and learning from others. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (the Yarn Harlot) was talking the other day about how she knits so quickly. She talked about her style of knitting and how her Grandmother who taught her to knit made a living by knitting and therefore had to be fast and other factors but the point she kept coming back to was the fact that she’s been knitting for 35 years. Building your skills will allow you more fluency in your creative process – more tools are always better!

That’s not to say there’s not an element of mystery to the creative process. Of course there is. But it’s not limited to a small group of people. I firmly believe the mystery is available to everyone – it’s just learning how to let it happen.

I grant you, there are people who from their first breath are inherently chosen to do a certain thing – an actor who knew at the age of 3 he wanted to be an actor, Tiger Woods who from the youngest age was able to golf, the child prodigy violinist. Those people undoubtedly exist. But what child do you know doesn’t use his or her imagination? By now it’s become a little clichéd but all children are creative. I know of no better answer to this misconception. You may not feel creative but it’s in you, even if life or others have beaten it out of you. There are ways to get the creative juices flowing again and we’ll have a look at those in a later post.

As for the last point, let’s face it, creativity at its most basic is problem solving. We solve problems all day every day whether it’s writing a report at work, solving an operations problem or getting all the kids everywhere they need to be. The creativity you use to keep the toddler occupied is the same creativity you can use to design a purse and the creativity you use to schedule your employees is the same creativity you can use to adapt a sweater.

Next time, where to start.

Sharing the Joy (or enabling – depending on how you look at it)

I think maybe I mentioned that I kind of like beads. I’m also fairly fond of knitting and crocheting with beads, especially purses. Add to that my fascination with vintage patterns and pattern books and you’ll understand why I was so excited to find the web site for Iva Rose Vintage Reproductions. While there are a few modern patterns for knitted and crocheted bags using seed beads, there aren’t many. But I found a number of them at this site. It’s definitely worth a visit.

In fact, I have a confession to make. As I was writing this blog entry, I went to the web site to get the correct URL. Ummm…in the interest of journalistic integrity, I decided to poke around a little bit to get a wider view of the offerings… and managed to pick out 3 more items to buy!! I haven’t actually bought them…yet.

One word on the books that she offers. Although I believe she does have some original copy books for sale, the majority of them are scanned in and printed out with spiral binding - done very nicely indeed. That won’t necessarily appeal to the hard core collector but it is great for those of us who actually want to make things using the patterns in the books. I have several vintage craft magazines from the 1912-1920 sort of era and the first thing you realize is that the paper is quite fragile and it’s not the easiest thing for practical pattern usage. I love them, don’t get me wrong, but they’re not so much with the practical.

With the Iva Rose’s versions, I can fold them back and just get to work – plus I still get to enjoy the real flavor of the original books because she includes all the pages. Of course, providing the books in this manner allows her to provide them at incredibly affordable pricing – many are less than $10.

One last word. If you’re at all interested in costuming or costume design, there are definitely some books in this collection to interest you, including some on millinery. Also, if you’re interested in some of the more unusual types of crafts such as Teneriffe lace, tatting, Maltese crochet, Cluny lace, drawn thread, Honiton lace, Irish lace or other Victorian and Edwardian crafts, you’ll find books to interest you as well.

So that’s my plug. Go check it out yourself. www.ivarose.com

Creativity and the Elements of Design

I don’t always take a lot of time to read. Somehow I get home from work, usually tired in my brain, and pick up a knitting or crochet project to work on. Usually that refreshes me and then hooks me in so that by the time I realize I’m recharged, I’ve worked through the evening and it’s time for bed.

One of the things I always find fascinating is the subject of design. I am hugely inspired by blogs such as that of Roger von Oech, called Creative Think. He’s done books such as “A Kick in the Seat of the Pants” and “A Whack on the Side of the Head.” Now, honestly, how could you not want to read books with names like that! He also has a creativity tool called “Creative Whack Pack.” This is a whole series of creativity challenges and principles on cards, like playing cards, that you can use in a number of ways. Pick a card, any card. Use a card a day. Work through them systematically. However you want to use them, I find them thought provoking and rather fun!

On one of the cards is printed, “Get out of Your Box.” Roger goes on with a short challenge to cut across disciplinary boundaries, look into other fields in order to learn more about your own field or to gain a new perspective on issues you deal with every day. Often gaining this new perspective can open up all sorts of new doors for discovery. For me, I’ve been known to browse through stores that I wouldn’t normally be interested in, like building supply stores or a bicycle shop, for a new or cheaper way to supply my fiber craft.

For instance, my spinning wheel, a Louet S-15, had a solid rubber tube which connects the wheel shaft to the pedal. A while back it broke. There are no spinning stores anywhere near here and I couldn’t find anywhere to replace the part – I didn’t even know what it was called. The other problem was that the screw holding the tube in place was on the backside of the wheel shaft with only about an inch of space to get to it. I don’t know about you but I didn’t own a screw driver only an inch long. I kept trying to figure out what to do, trying to think as widely as possible. A trip to the local building supply store solved the problem. For one thing, I discovered that you can get a bent-head screw driver. Who knew? Now I could get to the screw to replace the part but I still didn’t have the main piece I needed. So I wandered up and down the aisles until I came to the plumbing section. Did you know that you can get thick, flexible, clear plastic tubing in a variety of sizes? I didn’t but I happened to find that one of the sizes matched my broken piece – exactly. The best part? It cost about 29 cents a foot. When I got home, the repair took me about 15 minutes and is still spinning along plus I have plenty left over for future repairs.

Roger quotes Bob Wieder saying, “Anyone can look for fashion in a boutique or history in a museum. The creative explorer looks for history in a hardware store and fashion in an airport.” The card ends with the question, “In what outside areas can you look for ideas?”

All of that to tell you about this new book I’m reading. While looking for a book in the local bookstore (which I never found), I came across one that is really absorbing me. It’s called, “Universal Principles of Design” by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden and Jill Butler (published by Rockport). The sub-title says, “100 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design.” A little pompous, that title maybe, but it’s really quite a useful book. Each of the 100 design principles is arranged alphabetically for easy reference and is addressed by a brief description of the principle on the left-hand page and practical examples on the right-hand page. Although a particular design principle may be focused on a certain expression (print design or art design or software interface design), it’s fun to try to imagine how it could be translated to fiber arts. The entries are short enough to be read and thought about a little at a time, either in order or chosen randomly throughout the book. I haven’t gotten very far but was interested that one of the principles I pondered this morning while on the treadmill, I was able to apply and use this afternoon at work. Having to explain it to my co-worker helped me also clarify it in my own mind.

Some of the principles I’ve had some contact with, either through personal study or because my mother worked on a degree in Psychology while I was in school and I was her guinea pig (taking all the tests, etc.). Thanks, Mom. The book covers principles such as Cognitive Dissonance, Rule of Thirds, Archetypes, Gutenburg Diagram, 80/20 Principle, Hierarchy of Needs, Top Down Lighting Bias, Golden Ratio and Structural Forms. On each principle, the authors give the reader a number of other topics that relate to this principle for further study and even gives a listing of the principles according to whether their category:
How can I influence the way a design is perceived?
How can I help people learn from the design?
How can I enhance the usability of a design?
How can I increase the appeal of a design?
How can I make better design decisions?

A final thought in this regard. In an online Ethnic Knits group I participate in, there has been a discussion on the traditional design of Norwegian sweaters. If you’ve ever been near skiing folk, you’ve probably seen a beautiful color work Norwegian-style sweater. Traditionally, the designs are worked in black and white with a red accent color. The discussion moved into the reason for the red color, something I’ve never thought about before. Evidently, during World War II, although Norway had declared itself neutral, they were invaded by the Nazis. The resistance movement began using red ribbons pinned to the chests or lapels as a sign of their resistance movement but the Germans would tear them off. I won’t go all the way into it, but, because the Germans continually confiscated smaller items such as ribbons or hats or scarves, the resistance began incorporating red into their knitting patterns. Their design identified and concentrated the resistance and allowed the Norwegian people to make the statement they needed to make on a widespread basis. Not only did it allow them to make a statement, it was in made such a way that the design still resonates through the appeal of the mix of the colors.

I suspect the authors of this book would approve of their design.

I'm back

Time’s gotten away from me a bit. Not sure why – some say it’s having fun that does it. Hummmm….

I have been busy with multiple projects. I went into my local Hancock fabrics shop the other day, as you do, to buy some needles for a bead embroidery project I want to try. I got my needles and asked the clerk a question. Now, to get to the clerk, I had to pass by a sample dress. I’m a sucker for a sample. The pattern looked lovely (although the sample was made with the ugliest material on the planet) so I buckled. I found a beautiful chocolate brown material and a brown and blue edging that looks great with it. I was able to get the bodice part done the other day and now just need to get the skirt part done, attached to the bodice and bung in the zipper. I’m a little bit apprehensive about the zipper because it’s not my strongest point but I think, if I just take plenty of time, I’ll be alright.

Skrå-trøyer progress: I don’t have a photo because it’s really just more of the same but I’ve started on the top back and am getting on fairly quickly, even though it’s a bit more awkward working it back and forth. I’m working it knitting across and then knitting backwards so I can easily keep the strands running along the back of the work and I’m having to be careful to not let the gauge get too different from the round knitting section. I think it’s okay right now but it’s kind of hard to tell before it’s all done.

Speaking of hard to tell, when I got to the point of being ready to split the back and front, I realized that, math idiot that I am, I had got it wrong…AGAIN! It felt huge. I’ve actually now cut it down yet again by one whole motif on the front and one on the back. Now I think it’s finally at a reasonable size. It’s just so hard to tell while it’s on the circular needles if it needs adjusting. If I ever make this pattern again (of course now I have some concept of how it goes) – and I’m not promising that I ever shall – I will run it onto several circs from time to time just to check it out. So at the end of the day, I’m going to have a bit of steeking to do. But to be honest, I don’t really care because I’m as in love with it now as I was before I started. I love it, love it, love it. I’m hoping to have the back finished this weekend and then get the front done next week and the sleeves the following week (since I’m off that week of Christmas).


Tambour work: I was really happy that this photo picked up the pattern drawn on the fabric as well as the stitching because the pattern is drawn very lightly and is being actually a little difficult to work from. I’ve discovered that if you turn it a certain way in the light, the pattern shows up better on this fabric. I haven’t gotten so far yet but I’ve done a little and you can see in the upper corner that I’ve just started doing the little swags around the outside. It takes a little to get used to stitching on this material but I think I’m getting the hang of it now. In case you missed the previous post, this is a type of crochet that done on fabric and was popular in the 1700-1800's.

Lace Shawl: I lived for quite a few years in the UK but I’ve now been away for a whopping 10 years. It feels like forever. Most of my time was spent in Scotland and I loved living there and had some wonderful friends. I’ve finally made the decision
to take a trip back so in February I’ll be heading off. Not the most auspicious time, I know, with regards to weather, but it is before all the prices go up. As I was thinking about the trip, I got an idea to do a Saltire & Thistle Shawl. That’s what this little blob is. I’m doing it in the style of the Shetland shawl where you have the center panel, surrounded by a wide border and an edging around. Usually you would work the border 1 side at a time but I’ve decided to experiment with that part. I cast on 1 stitch, increased to about 120 and then decreased back down to 1 for the middle section which is worked in the style of the Saltire (also known as St. Andrew’s Cross) – the Scottish flag. I’ve just picked up stitches all the way around and will be starting on a Thistle pattern out of one of Barbara Walker’s wonderful books and then I’ll have to decide on an edging. I’m going to let that be a surprise, like writing a book and having to finish it so you know what happens. That’s the sort of thing. For those interested in such things, I'm using Skacel Merino Lace Yarn in a sort of pinkish tan color - the only color the yarn shop had 2 skeins of. I love knitting with this yarn. In fact, if you don't have a lot of experience with lace knitting, this is a great yarn to start with - soft handle, doesn't split easily.

I’m not too stressed about getting it all done because I’m thinking it might be cool to take it as a travel project. With it on the circs now, it’ll be easy to carry. Don’t know if I can wait that long – I’ll just see how it goes.

Baby Sailor Suit – This was a pattern that I originally wrote when a colleague was having a baby. I wasn’t happy with the original version sleeves and I can’t say I’m too much happier with these sleeves. At least with this one I have it in front of me to look at and figure out what I want to do differently. The other, alas, did go to the baby and I no longer have access. I love
the little pattern. I don’t know if you can see but it’s a onesy type construction and will have snaps at the legs and cute white anchor buttons along each shoulder so that it opens wide for the giant baby head! I have the pattern finished except for whatever I decide to do with the sleeves and to get the finishing touches on the various sizes. This is another project I’m hoping to get finished this year. If you would be interested in knitting it as a tester for me, I would be willing to provide the pattern for free to you. That would just basically mean make it up and let me know if I’ve made any errors in the pattern. If you would be interested, just let me know either in the comments or by email at dks@wandagraysondesigns.com.

Like I said, it’s been a little busy.

Best Laid Plans

I was off from my day job last week. I had a whole list of things I wanted to accomplish during the week. Maybe you’ve guessed where I’m going with this.

I got absolutely nothing done that was on my list other than working on my Skrå-trøyer sweater. Now I did get quite a lot done on that and I did get quite a few other projects finished and things done. Unfortunately, none of them were on my list. I used to add things to my list after I’d done them so I could say they were on the list but I didn’t think in this case that that was quite in the spirit of the whole list thing.

One of the things I had on my list was to clear my desk and finish organizing the piles that were stacked on it. I have to be honest and say that after sitting at a desk on the computer for 8 hours a day, when I go home I usually have very little desire to sit at a desk or work on the computer.

But I was tired and couldn’t really get into any of my projects. Somehow projects seem to conspire and make sure that they all get to “thinking” points at the same time – not helpful when you are brain-challenged. You know how it is when it’s no longer just mindless knitting and you actually have to pay attention to the pattern.

I had a new Dr. Who audio book from Audible (David Tennant has such a great voice – and variety of voices - for this type of reading) so I got that playing and got right to it. Not only did I get my desk cleared and organized but I also hung 6 framed tambour projects. I had done a set of 4 tambour pictures using ecru colored tatting thread on a natural colored linen and then I’d done a set of 2 – one was a sort of free style and the other was a celtic knot pattern, both on a filmy fabric. I’ve had them laying around so I’m quite pleased to finally see them hanging.

One of the piles on my desk was a new tambour project that I’d gotten materials for a while ago and never started. I had the idea to do a purse using a silky brick red material and then over it I would layer a very filmy gold color material which would have a tambour design worked on it. To me it is a very Victorian combination of colors. I’m not sure exactly what shape it will be or whether it will be mounted over a frame but I’m fairly excited to see how it will come out. Anyway, I got the pattern drawn on the fabric and this morning before work I tried out a couple of different threads to see what I will use to work the design. I think I’m going to go with a yellow tatting thread as it blends nicely into the gold of the fabric but will still stand up against the darker underlayer. I also think it will allow me to do a finer stitch which is what I had originally envisioned for the project.

I’ll post pics as I get going.

Ah, it’s so nice to look over and see a clean desk and a new project just waiting to be worked. I left Rose in between time and space trying to find the Doctor so tonight I’ll have get the project started so the Doctor and Rose can get out of this predicament they’ve found themselves in!

Misers Bag

Just a quick post to show the finished Miser's Bag. I've got a number of ideas for variations and can't wait to finish them.

My main project now (apart from the Skrå-trøyer sweater) is a Shetland-style shawl in honor of my upcoming trip to my former homeland, Scotland. It's been 10 years since I've been there so I'm more than ready to get going. Alas, I'll have to wait until February. I know, I know, the potentially worst weather month but all the flight prices begin to rise in March for tourist season. There really is a smidge of method in all my madness. Not much, sometimes, but certainly some!

Can't get better than this.

Sitting here listening to Van Morrison working on a new bag. Don’t get much better than that, does it?

Have you ever heard of a Miser Bag? It was popular from the sort of mid-1800’s to the early 20th century and is something that has always intrigued me. I have sketches of it early on in my design sketch book. Here’s a picture of a 1920’s pattern for one – see the extensive pattern instructions! I think it’s the mechanics that intrigues me. As you can see, the bag parts are on each end with a middle part with an opening to access its contents. There are rings that can be slid one way or the other to get at the contents or each can be slipped out to the opposite ends to keep everything in and safe.

At the little presentation about Civil War-era purses, the presenter talked about the fact that these were great because they could just be hung over a belt to be carried and then be right to hand when needed (they were used by men at one time as well). She also mentioned something I had never noticed before – the 2 ends are made differently. One end is rounded and the other end is sewn flat. The reason for this is that the user would keep their gold coins in one end and their silver coins in the other end and would know what end to go into just by feel, taking the guess work out of the process.


I’ve finally started experimenting with a rather traditional patterning – here’s what I’ve got so far. It’s a smallish version but I think it’s really pretty with the green thread and the transparent grey seed beads. The beads are transparent enough to pick up the green of the tread and really complement it.

I’m thinking that you could really update the look with some cool ring beads in the middle and an interesting handle. The sample above doesn’t show a handle but I have seen examples with a sort of bracelet handle that I think could be made really modern. It’ll be interesting to see where it can go.


Skrå-trøyer update: Well, I have done absolutely nothing that I’d hoped to get done this week, mostly because I became obsessed with my Skrå-trøyer sweater. Here are a couple of photos that show that I’ve got the body worked all the way to the half gussets at the armhole shaping. The second photo shows the side panel and how it splits to work in the half gusset. The body is worked in the round and then at the point where I am now, I have to start working flat. I’ll have to be careful with my gauge because changing from circular knitting to flat knitting will produce a different gauge, especially since I’m working 2 different weights of yarn. I’m just making some adjustments now and I took today off from working on it to give my hands a break – one can only work for so long with US size 1 needles and worsted weight wool! I’ll get kicked back in tomorrow once I’ve finished my little Miser Bag. I certainly feel that I’m a good half way through although I still have to do the sleeves and they can be a little tricky with the way they’re made. But I’ve got a lot done and I think I’m not going to be too far off my goal of finishing it by the end of the year.