On Creativity: How Do I Create?

When I started thinking about creativity, I saw that there were two questions I wanted to explore,

• why do I create?
• how do I create? 

As I begin to contemplate the "how" of my creativity, I see that there are two more categories to follow: the art and science of it. I'll define them first, so my reasoning can (hopefully) be followed:

• science = the technical aspects of creativity
• art = the inspiration of creativity

To put it another way:

• The science of an activity involves understanding the specific rules, tools, and techniques.
• The art of an activity involves understanding the principles behind the rules, tools, and techniques. This may be intuitive, or it may be learned.

The science of a thing can be learned by anyone who chooses to: 

• get a teacher, book, or video
• get the tools and supplies
• learn the steps and techniques
• practice, practice, practice

Eventually, one becomes familiar enough with their chosen medium to understand how it all fits together. To understand how changes in tools, materials, or techniques have the potential to change the outcome. To understand which rules can be broken and which can't. This is where the transition from technician to artist begins to take place; the illusive line between the art and science of a thing. 

Creativity itself is not one or the other. I don't think it begins at a certain level. It begins when the first tentative steps of a chosen medium are taken. If I follow a recipe and bake a loaf of bread, then I have created something. Whether I choose to follow recipes or learn to invent my own is up to me. Can one person be more creative than another? Perhaps, but in the end, I don't think it matters. Neither is right or wrong because the primary motive of a creative pastime is enjoyment.

The enjoyment of a pastime (an activity for pleasure rather than income), isn't contingent on one's level of knowledge and skill. Nor on the growth and development of these. A beginner can obtain great enjoyment from the learning process, and an experienced person can be perfectly happy to create something from a kit, whether it's a sweater or a cake. Enjoyment is subjective and is an entity of its own. 

Okay, so how does this apply to how I create? I'm asking myself this because I'm trying to get somewhere with my meanderings. I have a goal.

I can somewhat describe the creative process as I experience it. For example, I'm sitting at the loom, weaving away, and as I weave I'm studying the fabric appearing before me. The question that usually comes to mind is, "what if  . . . ?" This is what I think of as I contemplate the question of how I create.

It's not a series of steps, but there are components:

• curiosity
• questions
• exploration
• inspiration
• intuition?
• willing to test ideas
• willing to make mistakes

I'm going to stop for now with that. I need to ponder how all of this will help me take the next step. 

 

On Creativity: How Do I Create? 

© Sep 2024 by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

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On Creativity: Why Do I Create?

On Creativity: So What? 

On Creativity: Why Do I Create?

I suppose this comes under the category of "lofty thoughts," i.e., thoughts that have no other purpose than to be thought about. I think in general, humans are creative entities, and that their creativity takes many forms. In contemplating my own relationship with creativity, I find two questions worth exploring:

1. Why do I create?
2. How do I create?

The question of "why" is the one I've been mulling over. To give the question context, I'm thinking of creativity as a pastime, as opposed to gainful employment (which would be a motive unto itself). Pastimes cover a broad spectrum of activities including arts and crafts (drawing, painting, knitting, woodworking, weaving, etc.), entertainments (movies, videos, television programming, spectator sports, etc.), mental activities (books, puzzles, etc.) physical activities (walking, hiking, participating in sports activities, etc.), hobbies (collecting, small scales building such as doll houses or model railroads). I choose working with my hands to create yarns and textiles. 

But why? 

Concepts that come to mind (nothing that follows is in any particular order):

• inspiration
• curiosity
• intellectual stimulation
• satisfaction
• distraction
• fun

Reasons that come to mind: 

• to be creative
• to beautify
• to work with my hands
• to leave my mark
• to not be idle
• to be constructive with my time
• to feel productive with my time
• to influence my home environment, i.e., to create a welcoming, pleasing atmosphere
• to exercise my mind
• to be thrifty
• to not have to buy everything
• to not be dependent on consumerism
• to have unique items
• to have well made quality items
• to not have cheaply made copies of what everyone else has
• to follow my own preferences rather than the latest consumer trend
• to challenge myself to learn new skills and improve upon them
• to help preserve historic knowledge and skills that are gradually being lost
• to reduce my carbon footprint by using environmentally responsible materials and techniques
• it's who I am

I'm sure more will come to mind and I'll add them as they do. I also want to note that there is no reason to rank or weight any of these; it's their sum total that attempt to answer the question of "why?"

Do you consider yourself a creative person? If so, why do you create? Is it important to you? What motivates you? I'm interested to know.

On Creativity: Why Do I Create? 

© Sep 2024 by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

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On Creativity: How Do I Create?

On Creativity: So What?  

A Theory of Types of Spinning

By Leigh

I have found the comments to my last several posts, especially Spinning the Cheviot, very interesting for two reasons. First, the experience others have had with Cheviot. Since this has been my first encounter with it, I find your opinions very informative. In my research about the breed, I noted that Cheviot are a white fleeced sheep, so it is interesting that my sample was light gray. Considering the softness of the white fibers in the sample, I have made a mental note to explore the fiber more at some point in the future.

The other comments which I find interesting are those about spinning itself. I have long held that there are different types of spinners. My theory is that there are those who spin by feel, intuitive spinners. There are those who spin from habit, rote spinners. And then there are those who spin according to specifics, technical spinners.

Intuitive spinners amaze me because they simply spin by “feel” and consistently create beautiful, appropriate yarns. Rote spinning is something I think we all have a tendency toward, because it is easy to simply spin out of habit, the result being the same yarn no matter what we're spinning. Technical spinners pay attention to things like fiber length, crimps per inch, twists per inch, twist angle, etc to create their yarns. Of course, in the end it's the yarn itself that matters, so who is to say that one way is better than another. I think it depends on what one wants out of spinning that makes the difference.

I didn't know any of this when I first learned how to spin. I purchased a spindle kit via mail order, which included so many ounces of roving and a how-to booklet. I set out to learn as soon as it arrived, following the written instructions as best I could. I really struggled with drafting and the resulting size of the yarn. This is my first handspun:

It is Lincoln, and as a singles yarn, it averages about 4 wraps per inch. It never did get plied. It sat around in a box for a number of years because I had no earthly idea of what to do with it. Eventually I made a braided wrist distaff with most of it.

This first yarn left me discouraged and feeling that I just wasn't getting the hang of the process. So I decided to purchase Melda Montgomery's drop spindle spinning video. What a revelation that was. I learned that I could actually pull the roving apart into narrower, more manageable sections and predraft them. This gave me the beginnings of the much needed control I had struggled for. I started to relax and enjoy myself. Once my singles were more manageable, I learned to ply.

This is my first 2 ply yarn and it became my first ever project from my handspun, a winter weight crocheted vest, which I still wear.

Once I got a taste of successful yarn, my appetite was whetted and I ordered more videos. This was where I was introduced to Patsy Zawistoski and Mabel Ross. From them I began to realize that it was possible to use the characteristics of the fiber and my spinning wheel in order to control the process enough to create whatever type of yarn I chose, for whatever purpose I wished. This appealed to me and I started to hunt out Mabel Ross's books.

It seems that there is a tendency of new spinners to try to spin finer and finer yarns. As I gained control of the process, I wanted to do this too, I think because somehow I felt it would prove that I was no longer a beginner. Much to my dismay however, I found that in spinning fine yarns, it took a very long time to fill the bobbin. Then it took another very long time to ply it. And after all that, it took a very long time to knit. This didn't suit my personality. I wanted quicker results! So much for fine yarns.

Soon I settled into a comfortable worsted weight size yarn spinning and I became pretty much a rote spinner.......

These were comfortable to spin and comfortable to knit.

This was fine until I got Angora rabbits. Yes, I could spin their fiber the same way I was habitually spinning, but the very nature of angora demanded something different, so I had to renew my acquaintance with the technical aspects of spinning.

As I gained more control of my spinning, I began to experiment with different sizes and styles of yarns. Eventually I dabbled some with designer yarns....

.... though I really think I'm a plain vanilla spinner.

Interestingly, the more attention I pay to the technical aspects of spinning, the more intuitive it seems to become. Perhaps this is the familiarity of experience? Now, if only I could make the same transition with my weaving!

© 13 Feb. 2007 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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Spinning The Cheviot