Creative Life Sampler

The Road of Creativity and Candy Crush Certainly we have all had those moments of marveling at something truly creative and pondering “how did they think of that?” How indeed. How does one even describe the creative process? It is at once simple and complex, individual and universal, solitary and humanly interconnected. And it is always exciting and inspiring. For an road map of the creative process we might look at something very familiar to computer game enthusiasts: Candy Crush . If, you are not familiar with this game, it is literally laid out in a board game format along which the player advances through a never ending series of challenges. Argue what you will on the merits of computer games, this one documents the evolutionary aspect of creativity. Webster defines the word method as a “system of doing things or handling ideas .” Looking carefully at the process used to create each level in  Candy Crush, we might find some hints on "handling ideas"...

Computer Time vs. Creativity Time This image was created in 2012 with the Gravitarium+ app Have you noticed the increase in apps that stimulate, encourage, and support thinking skills? They are advertised on tv and pop up when you’re playing a favorite game on your iPad. There seems to be an endless supply of variations on this theme. These games are designed to introduce new ways of thinking in a fun format. To be effective, programmers must draw on the way we learn. There is always a short tutorial  introducing the basics at the  b eginning . The first challenges are simple and they lay the foundation for more complex puzzles to come. You get where I’m going with this… mastering a new computer game is very similar to beginning a new creative endeavor. On a recent Facetime call I was helping someone who was just learning to knit. Of course it is still easier and more effective to demonstrate in person, but it struck me how much technology has opened up...

Glitches in Creating After some time under stay-at-home restrictions, I anticipated having several projects to show for all the time at the sewing machine. In the spirit of "making the best" of a difficult situation, I'd resolved to clear out some space and stream line my work space. UFOs (Unfinished Opportunities, in quilter jargon) were pulled out for completion.  I wish I could make a big reveal at this point, but I've run into a couple of unexpected glitches which have been compounded by the fact that I've chosen not to take advantage of curbside pick-up service or mail order delivery. I've stubbornly stuck with my goal to get rid of what I've accumulated. But I'm rapidly running out of thread; several spools of white were the first to go, followed by light gray and remnants of odd colors from long forgotten projects. (More than once I've wondered what I'd made with certain uncharacteristic color choices.)  And since I...

Linen Closet- Spring Wall Hanging This is one of a series of four Hawaiian quilt wall hangings that I rotate with the seasons. It was started in October 2010 and finished in March 2011. I was going for a spring color scheme here. If I were to do it over, I would choose a paler off-white/beige; then the two colors wouldn't be so close in tone. To create a greater contrast, I elected to heavily echo quilt the background and not quilt the wreath. The texture of the background makes the wreath stand out more. Note: This pattern is from Hawaiian Appliqué by Vicky Fleming.