Barbara R. Call - The Crafters Devotional: 365 Days of Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Unlocking Your Creative Spirit

Days
of Tips, Tricks, and
Techniques forUnlocking YourCreative Spirit

BARBARA R. CALL

BEVERLY MASSACHUSETTS

Artist Paula Grasdal found inspiration in the courtyard gardens of Persian miniatures for this paper collage. The piece represents her vision of an idyllic sanctuary.

Whether youre a beginning crafter, just trying your hand at knitting, paper crafts, or mixed-media collage, or a seasoned craftsperson who has been creating pieces and artwork for years, findingand harnessinginspiration is a constant need. Though there are as many sources of inspiration as there are means of expression, we all hit dry spells. Creative block can take the form of a blank canvas, idle knitting needles, or an untouched stack of paperwaiting, hoping for that spark to reignite the flames of creativity and allow the process to flow, unencumbered, from your brain to your chosen tool and beyond.

When you hit that dry patchand it will come, however briefreach for this book, open to any page that resonates with you, and allow the creative fire to reignite. The lessons, writings, quotes, meditations, rituals, and techniques here can be used as is, as a jumping-off point, or as fodder for your own creative process.

This book is not strictly about following set directions, examining step-by-step illustrations, or adhering to strict guidelinesits eclectic, organic, and occasionally random, all in the name of inspiration.

We devised a set of organizing principles based on the days of the week, the major sources of inspiration, and the time you have for working to give this book a framework. It may feel like a calendar in some ways, a book of days in others, but this book is not meant to represent any particular season, location, or time. Instead, our intent is to give you a years worth of day-by-day lessons that invigorate your creative flow, allow the creative juices to continue flowing, or even restart a process that may have stagnated, drifted off course, or just stalled.

Some words of caution are necessary, however. This isnt a book of feel-good quotations, or a compilation of uplifting scripture, though you will find many positive affirmations and spiritual mediations in these pages. Instead, its more a book about life, and the wide, almost endless sources of creative inspiration, from sadness and grief to joy, ecstasy, and beyond. If youre looking for pithiness, you may want to look elsewhere. If you need a well of inspiration to revisit every day, a week from now, or even a few years from now, youve arrived at the right place.

Enjoy, create, and ride the wave of inspirationit will set you free in innumerable ways.

BARBARA R. CALL

T HERE ARE 365 DAYS IN A YEAR , but this book does not contain 365 individual entries. Fifty-two weeks worth of inspiration lies within the books covers. Each week features six entries: one for each weekday and one entry for the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). The weekend entries are designed to accommodate exploration that takes more time, such as collaborating with another person, taking a class to learn new technique, or visiting and exploring nature. Throughout the book, each day will be centered on the following categories:

MONDAY / JOURNALING

TUESDAY / RECYCLE, REUSE, OR REVIVE

WEDNESDAY / COLLECTION, STASH, AND MATERIALS

THURSDAY / PERSONAL HISTORY

FRIDAY / NONCRAFT INSPIRATION

SATURDAY + SUNDAY / COLLABORATE, GATHER, AND EXPERIMENT

Each weekend of the month explores one of the following categories:

Collaborating

Exploring nature

Shopping, hunting, and gathering

Researching, learning, and/or trying new techniques

There are hundreds of craft categories, and thousands of crafters who call those crafts their passion. In this book we opted for the larger islands of activity, to connect with more of you and possibly to inspire crossover techniques. That said, this book includes paper crafts, textiles (fabric), fiber (knitting, yarn, embroidery), mixed media, and beading. We have not included fine art, and we have steered clear of commercial art such as graphic design, but should those artists find us, we welcome you, too.

Throughout the book youll also find miscellaneous bits, including quotes, how-to tips or techniques, stories, exercises, brainstorming prompts, visuals, and more. Weve also included a few examples of creative or artistic rituals that may provide inspiration or encourage you to seek out (or create) your own customs surrounding your work.

A BETTER QUESTION MIGHT BE , why not journal? Writing, sketching, or even just taking notes in a day book lets you capture your hopes, dreams, wishes, fears, aspirations, or creative ideas. A journal can also serve as a special, private place to record your grief, sadness, or random thoughts, using just two very basic tools: a writing instrument and something (usually paper) to write on.

Journaling is one of the first tools used to teach aspiring writers how to tap into the creative flow, but you neednt be a writer to harness the power behind capturing your thoughts, visions, or favorite quotes, and thats just for starters.

A basic definition of a journal involves a pen and paper, but the possibilities for journaling are virtually endless, from paper and fabric to wood and more. Journals, books, or collections of pages themselves can even become works of art.

Journaling neednt be expensiveperuse your local office supply shop, drugstore, warehouse, or stationery store for a notebook that can serve as your first journal. Choose the book that youre drawn to instinctively, whether its a miniature notepad or a leather-bound book.

JUST WRITE. Dont judge your output or even reread your writing at first. The goal is to let yourself go and get comfortable with recording whatever it is that you want to keep track of, from happy moments to sad ones, and everything in between.

How truly does this journal contain my real and undisguised thoughts I always write it according to the humor I am in, and if a stranger was to think it worth reading, how capriciousinsolent and whimsical I must appear!one moment flighty and half mad,the next sad and melancholy. No matter! Its truth and simplicity are its sole recommendations.

F RANCES B URNEY (17521840),
British author