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Overview
Part of the Mindful Thoughts series, this lovingly illustrated little book muses on all aspects of making, including:
- Motivation
- Experimenting
- Making mistakes
- Monotony
- Perfectionism
- The making community
- The environment
- . . . and many more
If you like this, you might also be interested in Mindful Thoughts for Cooks . . .
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781782408840 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Leaping Hare Press |
| Publication date: | 09/03/2019 |
| Series: | Mindful Thoughts |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 160 |
| Sales rank: | 831,528 |
| File size: | 6 MB |
About the Author
Ellie Beck is a textile artist, creative maker and teacher, finding inspiration in and from nature. She expresses her creative voice through botanical dyeing, loom weaving, slow-stitching, crochet, photography, creative writing, and basket weaving, and has taught her eco-conscious skills to thousands of students. Ellie lives a slow, simple and mindful life in the rainforest in Northern NSW, Australia, with her artist husband and three creative children. She blogs about slow creativity and living at Petalplum.com.au/Insta @petalplum
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
The Heart of the Maker
The term 'maker' encompasses so many possibilities and such a variety of crafts and creative practices, mediums, projects, skills and techniques, that it 's almost impossible to narrow it down to any one group of people. Put simply, a maker is a person who makes or produces something, but I think it goes much deeper than that. I believe that we are all makers, if only we'd give ourselves permission to become one, and do away with any rules of what a maker has to be.
Human beings are makers by nature, from our pre-history right through to today. Setting the intention to make something is about tapping into our innate creativity, re-learning the things that a generation seems to have pushed aside in favour of a mass-produced world, and sharing our unique visual voice with our fellow humans. Being a maker can be as diverse as sewing ourselves a new outfit, constructing a lightshade or forming clay into pots. The wonderful thing is there are no rules for what a maker is or has to be, and no expectations that you should only make one sort of thing for your whole life. Indeed, you don't even need to be very good at making, in order to be a maker.
The important thing, in my mind at least, is that you need to enjoy the making – that at least some of the time you find satisfaction and inspiration and perhaps even discover yourself in the things you make. You don't need to finish your projects or share them with the world to be a maker. The heart of the maker lies not in the finished items, but in the doing of the project, the making of the thing.
WHY WE MAKE
Humans have been making since time began, to meet our daily needs such as gathering food and sheltering our bodies, and as an artistic outlet to tell our stories or share our experiences. We make today for many similar reasons. M any makers the world over create something because deep down they have a feeling, an urge to share a story, to show their thoughts, feelings or emotions.
Growing up in an artistic family I never thought much about why I make, but looking at the world today and the increasing numbers of people turning to making, I realize that why we make things today is also quite different to the reasons our ancestors did. While for them it was a necessity to make their own soap, quilts, bread, clothing and furniture, today we can easily and cheaply buy those things with little thought of how they were produced – sometimes by a person, sometimes by a machine. Mass-produced, generic stuff fills our lives, and many of us have started to notice a disconnect from our possessions, and a disquiet about the environmental effects of our modern life. These feelings, combined with a generation of children who didn't learn basic sewing and other making skills from their two-parent working families, have led to a dramatic shift towards DIY, craft clubs, online forums and creative community collaborations.
Thanks to the Internet, makers can now share, learn and connect worldwide, inspiring a younger generation of makers, while learning from peers or an older generation. The increase of at-home ceramics studios, newly skilled spoon carvers or basket weavers is indicative of the modern maker. Our ancestors made these items for everyday use, for mundane moments or creative rituals, and today makers are picking up the tools, attending a workshop or asking the advice of a long-time maker from their community. We are doing this to tap into the truth of how things are made, combined with honouring the history of our regions, all while mindfully giving up on mass-produced items that cost both the environment and the communities forced into making them.
MINDFUL MAKING
Being a maker can be as joyful as using our hands to create something. But by connecting our head and heart to the process, through mindful thoughts, we can tap into a richer depth of our creative practice. The act of joining hands, heart and head together creates something bigger than ourselves, while also allowing us to better understand ourselves. The things we make with our hands have the power to create change in our minds and our hearts.
Being a maker at heart is often (though of course not always) about more than the act of using your hands to make something: deep in ourselves, there seems to be an underlying sense of why we make something, how we make, and the connections we create through the journey.
CHAPTER 2Honouring the Rituals
Being a maker in this modern world means actively stepping away from social or traditional media, from the emails and online inspiration, and finding our own space to slip into our creative work. M any artists, writers, poets and makers have rituals or routines that help bring focus and clarity to their mind. While history tells us many artists – particularly writers or painters – used drugs or alcohol to slip into their states of inspired work, you can find other ways to that will work for you.
The rituals of everyday tasks can be used to help slow down your mind and get it ready to settle into work. The simple act of boiling water and getting out a special cup ready for your morning coffee helps to create a bridge between the busy, noisy turmoil of your world and the quiet space of making, allowing you to focus on those parts of your mind where creativity dwells. The ritual helps to form the habit. Setting yourself the mindful task of brewing coffee or tea tells your mind that your creative time is now. Like beginning an exercise routine, once your mind and body knows where the ritual leads, you are more likely to easily slip into creative mode.
You must choose for yourself which acts will become the bridge between everyday life and that space where you find quietness for your creative flow. It might be walking in the garden, practising deep breathing techniques, listening to music, watching the sun rise, doing ten sun salutations on your yoga mat, having a bath, writing in your journal, getting dressed for the 'studio'(even if your studio is only the kitchen table) – what it all leads to is finding what works for you and your creative practice.
Of course, the act of making coffee can be a dreary mindless routine if you don't honour it, and give it space to become a ritual. While the water boils, your mind can let go of life's dramas, the sleepiness you feel, the children bickering, the bills to pay or the job you may later need to get ready for. Taking this special time for yourself, and your creativity, helps to give you space in your day and your life, to honour yourself in a mindful manner. The ever so simple act of making a hot drink for yourself comes to be filled with such meaning that you give it a reverence often reserved for a Japanese tea ceremony.
A DAILY CREATIVE RHYTHM
For some people, it may be the time of day you set aside for making that creates the ritual of easing your mind into creative mode. Using quiet blocks of time to create without any obstacles is common amongst many creatives who work around life, family or a job to do what they are passionate about. Staying up late in the solitude of the night to work while your family sleeps, or waking up early in the dark before dawn to sew, carve or quilt, might sometimes be a necessity, but it can also become a rhythm to a creative practice. The ritual of daily rhythm is not to be confused with routine, which can be mundane and not inspiring at all. Having a rhythm to our days is more lyrical and allows more flow than having a strict schedule or routine to follow.
DEDICATION TO PRACTICE
After time we find that ritual leads to the dedication of our practice. While it is not always understood how rituals work, and many might find them hard to explain, it has been proven that through these repeated acts we can actually get down to good, solid work. Some rituals, such as setting ourselves the task of writing 500 words a day or throwing 50 pots on a wheel, can even put us in good stead to learn the art of our craft better. Practising our craft is not only about learning but about dedicating to our work. An arts practice becomes a habitual process through the continued rituals of doing, and through committing time, space and creative energy to ourselves. Through mindful rituals we can come to a place where the habit of our creative work steps in. Accessing our creative flow through ritual over many months or years guides our brain and body to know where our work can begin.
The simple act of winding the yarn, priming your canvas, mixing the paint, kneading the clay, or even sweeping the wood chips from yesterday's making guides our minds into the quietness we so crave as makers. And in that quietness we find the space to keep on making.
CHAPTER 3Remembering to Breathe
One of the downfalls of our modern lifestyle is the speed with which we do everything, including breathing. Increasing stress in our society has seen an increase in thoracic, or shallow, breathing. Every day we race about, sucking air in through our mouths and puffing it out – in a fight or flight mode of living that results in stress, anxiety and numerous medical conditions, and doesn't allow for connecting to slower thoughts or moments.
BREATHING AND CREATIVITY
It seems many of us have forgotten how to breathe, and how vital deep and slow breathing is for our whole state of wellbeing. The majority of humans breathe using less than 20 percent of their full lung capacity, despite the fact that as newborn babies we naturally breathed deeply right down into our abdomen. Deep breathing is said to slow down our heart rate, lengthen our lives and give us clearer mental capacity. By contrast, shallow breathing is the body's response to danger, which is useful for short periods of time, but means we aren't getting the vital nutrients our bodies need to stay at optimum levels of health. This results in a decrease of brain function, which inhibits our creativity, focus and abilities to solve problems – and all creative people are problem solvers.
The word 'inspiration' comes from the ancient G reek 'inspire', which means 'to breathe in'. So, to give ourselves a better chance of staying inspired, deep breathing practice is an excellent addition to our creative practice, while also being an easy yet powerful tool to help us slow down in an overstressed society.
THE HABIT OF MINDFUL BREATHING
Breathing into the full capacity of your lungs is the foundation of meditation and yoga, but it can also be practised through your daily making. Using your creative work as the reminder for slow and deep breathing will help guide you towards a healthier body and mind. By routinely incorporating deep breathing into your making activities, it can become a necessary, habitual part of your creative practice and your life.
Actively focusing on your breath is the first step, noticing when you are breathing deeply or only taking shallow breaths. The quality of your breathing can change depending on what your creative practice is, but sitting up straight while you work helps with better breathing (not to mention posture and back problems). Sitting hunched over your potter's wheel or sewing machine or curled up awkwardly with your crochet isn't ideal for long periods of making or for deep breathing. Setting up your workspace carefully, such as adjusting your chair and table height, makes a difference to the ease with which your body will cope with extended periods of making. And while it might not be practical to always sit straight or mindfully, it 's possible to keep remembering to tend to your posture, with practice.
TUNING OUT AND TAPPING IN
In my hand-stitch work I like to think of the process and sound of needle and thread pulling through the fabric, as the foundation for my breathing. I often notice when I am a little stressed that my stitches are rough and ragged, whereas when my breathing slows down and I settle into a peaceful, mindful rhythm of creative work, each stitch smooths itself out, sitting more neatly beside the next. I can notice the difference over a short time frame, as my mind withdraws from the scurrying of life around me, and I begin to practise mindful breathing and focus on what 's in my hands. The state of your own mind could show itself to you in the tension of your knitting or crochet, the centeredness of your thrown pots, or, like me, the evenness of your stitches. The joyful benefit, for me, is when the process of my work guides my breathing to become more mindful, and then in turn my slower, deeper breathing allows my work to be more considered.
By focusing on your breath you'll also learn to listen to your mind a little better, tapping into the stillness and learning to watch the way your creativity ebbs and flows. Mindful breath gives you something to return to when your mind wanders, your thoughts scatter, and you slip into negative chatter about your creative work. Breathing with intention seems to help with dispelling negative thoughts, and returns us to simply enjoying the moment of making with our hands.
By breathing deeply to the bottom of your lungs, you are giving your body the oxygen it needs to recover from any stresses of your day. If you have a regular creative practice, building deep breathing into the rhythm of your making will be an opportunity to nurture your body and mind, while creating something meaningful with your hands.
CHAPTER 4The Quiet in the Making
One of the joys of being a maker is finding moments of quiet space to create our work. In this ever-busy world we live in, sometimes stepping away from the noise can help us to find a deeper sense of meaning in our work. While it is true that not every aspect of our creative lives needs to be imbued with hushed tones, it is beneficial for our minds and our work when we actively seek the internal quiet.
The chatter of a knitting circle or a companion in your studio or at your kitchen table is always a welcome addition to the pleasure of sitting and creating something. But if you are always in company, with noise around you, it makes it harder to find the space needed to contemplate the depth of your creative work. Stepping outside group activities and sitting by yourself in the quiet of the day is an important part of any maker's process. It might seem hard to balance the joy of creating alongside someone else with the endless silence of working alone, but once you have experienced your internal quiet it makes those moments seem more profoundly special, and something to seek out.
INSPIRATION FROM WITHIN
Conversations with our inner self during moments of creativity give us a deeper insight into who we are, and how we fit into the human world. Being a maker gives us the opportunity to delve into aspects of ourselves that are often overlooked in the everyday noise of life. It gives us a chance to tap into our innate creativity and ignore the external critics while we immerse ourselves in the joy of making. O f course, not every craft has the opportunity every day for quiet self-reflection, but unless we try to bring some moments of quiet into the act of making, we may end up spending too long looking outside for inspiration, rather than finding it internally.
Noticing which techniques during your practice best fit the quiet, mindful flow of internal conversation means you can schedule those practices during times when no one else is around. The quietest times in your day can coincide with the more mindful aspects of your practice. Working within the creative zone allows for things to flow without being self-judged or overanalysed. This can often result in sheer beauty in the finished piece – and at the very least you'll have had a peaceful session at your work table.
FINDING YOUR INTERNAL QUIET
The rhythmic whirl of a potter's wheel, the click of knitting needles, the thrum and whir of woodworking tools, the scratch of pencil of paper, the scrape of paint across cloth. Noticing these aspects of your daily work help to guide you into a state of mindful contemplation. W hen you focus your mind on one noise or thing, your heart tunes into the sound of your creative work and you can slow time to just that moment. Next time you're at your work table or in your studio, try to work without the radio turned on or a podcast playing, and see if you can tap into the quiet sounds around you, without holding onto any of them. In Z en meditation, a beginner is asked not to ignore the external world but instead allow it to wash over them – to know it's there, but not bring it into their practice.
Leave aside any inspirational books, websites or paperwork, and see what evolves when you choose to give yourself quietness in your creative practice. External distractions have a way of cutting into our creative process, stopping the flow of our work and sometimes, sadly, disrupting the magic that can result from working within the quietness of ourselves.
BRINGING QUIET TO A NOISY WORLD
To learn, through practice, how creativity and being a mindful maker can slow your mind, shows us ways to live in quietness and find contentment in the quiet, mundane moments of our life. W hen you listen to your own heartbeat, and understand your breath, you can take this practice into the world and utilize it to bring slow mindfulness into everyday life. Until you've tried this yourself, it might seem strange or too hard to do, but through regularly seeking the quiet in each day, you'll learn that you can take that quiet into the busyness of the world. Teaching yourself to tune into the stillness around you, perhaps watching a raindrop fall from a leaf, you'll find that you will continue to actively seek stillness and quiet when faced with a regular day of noisy, stressful moments. Using the calmness that making can give you, and understanding that it is possible, you will find a new way of being.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Mindful thoughts for Makers"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Quarto Publishing plc.
Excerpted by permission of The Quarto Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION On Being a Maker, 6,
The Heart of the Maker, 10,
Honouring the Rituals, 16,
Remembering to Breathe, 22,
The Quiet in the Making, 28,
Experimenting, 34,
Creating Time, 40,
Making & Ego, 46,
Being Conscious of the Environment, 52,
Learning Slowly & Patiently, 58,
Working in the Floww, 64,
Nature – the Greatest Muse, 70,
Mono-tasking, 76,
Making Mistakes, 82,
Centring Ourselves, 88,
Motivations for Making, 94,
The Monotony of Making, 100,
Repairing the Broken, 106,
The Seasons of our Creative Life, 112,
Finding Solace in your Making, 118,
Community & Connections of Being a Maker, 124,
Being Gentle with your Perfectionism, 130,
The Importance of Taking a Break, 136,
The Journey of Making, 142,
Clearing Up, 148,
Contentment & Meaning, 154,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, 160,