Practice Makes Practice = nourishing flourishing quilt making
Image created for BravePatch by Nina Yagual @beautifulhoodcrumb
I’m committed to establishing an intentional nurturing creative practice in 2023. Frankly, my current practice is in shambles and I’m not even sure why. Maybe because it’s a hodgepodge of habits and riddled with inconsistencies and imbalances in all the wrong places? I haven’t given it much thought lately. Instead I’ve focused on getting things done, like monthly newsletters, or planning workshops and making samples, and posting on social media. When I finally get to my studio it’s a blank. I feel drained and apathetic. Occasionally I have a spurt of inspiration — which feels great, but the momentum is short lived and inconsistent.
I think there are a multitude of reasons and ways in which we neglect to establish and maintain a nourishing, flourishing creative practice. Maybe we don’t know how. Or we don’t think our creativity is worthy or pronounced enough to be nurtured? For many quilters in this moment, unprecedented access to learn from amazing teachers across the world is awesome, and yet how many of us have paused to synthesise these new learnings into our own creative voice and vision? What is keeps you from practice? What supports your practice?
2023 is a year for synthesizing and prioritizing the practice itself, instead of what we are learning, doing or making. I have come to realize for myself, that a sustainable creative practice requires me to create according to what serves and satisfies my heart first, without an expectation that it will be in service of others. Rather than leading or even facilitating BravePatch in 2023, I will be practicing along with you, and sharing my journey as it unfolds. I hope my journey will also turn out to be of value to all of you! 🤞🏼🌈 🦋
The magic happens once the practice is in place!
This year in the BravePatch.School
We are exploring what it means to practice, what the goals of practice really are (not perfection), what habits help establish a flourishing quilting practice, what’s already in place, what do we each need more of or less of, what does a practice looks like for me - for you, and how to activate it. The content and activities unfolding this year in BravePatch model five essential phases for a nurturing and sustainable creative practice.
Clear / grounding, centering, jouraling, decluttering, making space, and monthly mindset posts with Cora Drew.
Play / monthly flow-sewing improv-mashup sessions done together in community and/or solo. Once a quarter our Groove Time will be a flow-sewing session.
Fuel / comes from the open, diverse, curious and kind culture of our community, our shared inspirations, learnings, struggles, and resonate feedback, weekly polls and member highlights, and our extensive archive of content.
Generate / Quarterly skill building creative intentions. A new skill building intention/challenge will be introduced each quarter as broad categories so that you can shape it into an intention that serves your creative heart’s desire. Once a quarter our Groove Time will be a skill building demo or a guest speaker.
Reflect / Sharing our Surprises/Discoveries/Satisfactions/Challenges through member posts and during monthly Groove Times and receiving valuable feedback from members and myself. Once a quarter our Groove Time will be focused on sharing and receiving feedback with focused opportunities for members to share the breadth of their work.
Join Our School of Improvisers and Makers!
Find your magic rhythm of PRACTICE. Manifest a nourishing creative practice that serves and sustains your creative heart, with me and other dynamic improvisors and makers — all skill and experience levels are welcome and essential. We learn better and go farther practicing in community.
Join and save 17% on 1-year memberships, through the end of February. Month-to-month memberships are available year round. Yearly & monthly plans have equity sliding scale pricing and a 3-day trial.
Learn more about the -CLEAR/PLAY/FUEL/GENERATE/REFLECT- model for engaging in an intentional cycle of creativity, developed by artist Christine Garvey, and shared on her podcast A Mighty Practice.
