Steph Redfern: Floating Patterns

Last weekend I went to the RBSA in Birmingham to take a day's workshop with Steph Redfern.  The great thing for students (but maybe not the tutors) about the workshops at RBSA is that that the tutor has to provide course aims and a list of skills and knowledge to be taught as well as the course description.  This means you know exactly what you are signing up for.

That said I signed up for Steph's workshop because it was Steph!

And it was local and I could get there on the train for free!  [In the Centro area of the West Midlands the standard English bus pass works on the trains and the tram as well.]

No really, I signed up because I love Steph's work.  It isn't at all my style so I thought it would be great to try something that would stretch me.

The skills & knowledge to be taught included:
How to choose, simplify and use elements from personal visual resources to explore and
experiment with the use of pattern and space.
How to choose and develop motifs, and their eventual arrangement and role in your work.

I've done mixed media collage classes before and learned the 'rules'.  I did a great class with Seth Apter.

The great thing about Steph's work is that she has her own way of working that bears no resemblance to the 'rules'.

Photo from Steph's website used with permission

I took with me some of my photos from Florida and some of the fabrics I had dyed and printed on either at Hilary Beattie's Sanctuary workshop or when I've been at Littleheath Barn.

I forgot to take photos as I went along so I only have this photo.

The background fabric is a piece of dyed fabric which I had used thermofax screens to print with.  It needs to be stitched and then I need to decide what to put it on.  Or I could use it as a book cover.  I'll let you know what I decide.

I'm not sure whether I will embrace this method of working but I did learn how to choose, simplify and use elements from personal visual resources and that will be really useful.  It takes me away from somehow trying to use photgraphic representation in my work and enable me to narrow down the subject.

Coming up next: Two days with Steph Redfern - Artists' Pages.

Thanks for stopping by.
Bernice

Creativity & Vulnerability revisited

Thank you so much for all the comments I received both here and on Facebook regarding my post last week on Creativity & Vulnerability.

Many of you commented that you felt the same way which encouraged me.  So often we sit in our small corner thinking we're the only one.  But we're not the only one.

I thought I'd share some of the comments and answer a few of them.

Eva commented: Ultimately if you want to make art you will make art.  You need to ask yourself why you will do almost anything to avoid doing the one thing you say you want to do?  There is the possibility that you do not want to make art and that is why you cannot commit.

I have considered Eva's last point many times before I wrote the original post.  I have asked myself whether giving away all of my art supplies and textile supplies would be the sensible route to take.   But I know that I am supposed to be creative.  I know that I am good at what I do when I actually get down to it.  Plus it isn't just my creative life that I was thinking about in my post.  Quite often I feel as though I live on the periphery of my own life.  Commitment and vulnerability applies to all areas of life not just creativity.  But I am getting there.  Especially if I stop saying negative things to myself.

You can read all the other comments on the blog post but I think this from Beverlee summed them all up:
I saw your post via Studio 11 Eastbourne. I really enjoyed reading it - spoke to me in a BIG way! You and I are practically interchangeable in our thoughts (and more thoughts!) and struggle to just DO already! Oh the stories I could tell ... �� I do understand about the "vulnerability" - still working on that in the rest of my life too. In my own creative work experience, I needed to take the "commitment" part one step further - to include in a self-worth piece. That, even in the midst of my struggling, idea filled, planning, course taking, technique searching and overall, unproductive creative life - my creativity and I are worthy of time and commitment. It has been a very, VERY long (and still continuing) process to commit to purposefully setting aside time, then honouring and being respectful of that work time both to myself and in my time with others. Thanks so much for sharing of of yourself Bernice �� keep on moving forward beautifully!

Beverlee, thanks for taking the time and effort to write.

If you don't follow me on Facebook then here are some of the comments:
Karen: It is a real struggle between creative thought, process & product,...I find the more I create, the more it helps clarify what I'm thinking, which in turn, can often create more ideas & thinking...a creatives ongoing conundrum!!

Lorna: Thanks for your lovely words, they have certainly mirrored what I have been doing. I must take risks and instead of thinking, start creating and hopefully be pleased with what I have produced.

Sue: I loved this post Bernice! I can be an over-thinker too! I will frequently work out the problem of a piece in my head for so long that I decide that I no longer need to do it! My encouragement to you is just to run with it-do what comes to your heart. Style, voice-these evolve as you grow and expand as an artist. No matter what you do there will be an element of who you are captured within the work.

I so understand what Sue means about thinking about it for so long that there's no longer a need to do it! When I was a primary school teacher I loved all the planning but by the time I came to teach what I had planned I was bored with it.  And that's a risk with my creative work too.  I've overthought it for so long that I no longer want to carry on with it.

I had a mentoring follow-up call with Christine last week and we talked through some of these issues.  She was such a great encouragement to me.   I thoroughly recommend finding a mentor.   And following on from the reading of some of the books on creativity, I think it's really important to find like-minded people to meet with and talk to - people who will encourage you in your work - be critical when needed - supportive and understanding.  Lorna and I are going to start meeting up on regular basis.  Hopefully we will find some other like minded textile peeps who live locally who would like to join us.

Thanks again to all those who read my blog post and a special thanks to those who left comments.
Thanks for stopping by.
Bernice

Books on Creativity

When I received the feedback from Christine on our mentoring days, an optional extra was to read some of the books she listed.

I started with Austin Kleon's 'Steal Like an Artist - mostly because it's small and easy to read.  He made some really interesting points so I was glad I read it.

Then I moved on to 'Imagine' by Jonah Lehrer.  This was such an interesting read.  It delves quite scientifically into how creativity works.  There are some really interesting insights into how people work collaboratively.  I really enjoyed finding out about companies like 3M and Pixar.

Christine also recommended Julia Cameron's 'The Artist's Way' which I have read but didn't do the 12 weeks of work.  As I couldn't find my copy I looked online and discovered Julia had written a new version called 'The Artist's Way for Retirement'.  It has some extra activities in it, however I haven't got past chapter 1.

While I was at Christine's studio she had shown me Denise Lach's 'Calligraphy' which I ordered online and then decided to buy 'Journeys into Calligraphy also.

I saw this book whilst I was at Littleheath Barn so I decided to get myself a copy.  I have done one of the activities in it.  And then I booked to go to a workshop with Bobby Britnell which I hope will help me.

And this book was mentioned in the Visual Language Book.

Whilst I was at Julia Triston's workshop in Stroud I bought a copy of her book.

I bought 'Approaches to Stitch' because it sounded interesting.

In my quest to find my voice, style and get-up-and-go (see this post), I bought this book.  I've read part of it and it's really good - if only I actually did the suggested exercises.  I was a bit put off by the chapter on chakras!

While I was on Christine's Paper Lamination workshop I bought this

And lastly I just had to have the latest Lynda Monk book.

And now I'm going to call a halt to my book purchases.  I have to!  Not because my credit card is crying but because I need to read them and do something with what I have learned from them.

What are your favourite books on creativity?

Thanks for stopping by.
Bernice