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Creative mussings
17 May 2014 10:53 pmI keep drafting blogs that I haven't posted, mostly because they are rants that I think aren't worth reading. Maybe if I took the time to type and edit them they would be usable opinion pieces, but not sure anyone would care even then. I'm on the train and the first leg is already behind schedule so this may be an extra long trip. Away from work is good, but I have plenty else to be getting done, not least qult designs for the new round of UFOs (UnFinished Objects). Sis and i have been discussing design a lot lately. Not many of our quilters are really into that part of quilting, both lacking confidence and unwilling to try. They'd rather follow an exact pattern than even try to follow vary-it-yourself instructions. And those in charge of projects give more instructions than they need to, limiting creativity even when it would be perfectly fine. Like a colorful, mixed fabric stripe: why insist on high contrast? That as likely as not will detract from the look of a colorful stripe rather than aid it, by preventing color flow and blending along the way. And there are already so many colors, contrast with the plain stripe next to is guaranteed, even if a few of the pieces were to be the same color as the stripe.
Our awareness of the oddity of our preference for creativity was prodded awake by plantings, actually. We were considering one property but it's part of a historical association.with few rules but guidance like "match the area trends in landscaping". Lawn and trees is most of the landscaping in the area. The lady thought she was being creative to add a bush too close to the building, and no one had a problem with that so we shouldn't worry. Really? Our idea of landscaping is to avoid the continued existence of grass except as a small picnic area or path between flower beds, herbs, and vegetable gardens. Our own neighborhood used to be either grass or ivy. Now there are green accent plants, flowers, bushes of every sort, even in the curb area of many properties (and neighbors copied our new railings, too). We don't follow trends. We set them. I wonder if that puts us in the category that some consider "bad neighbors"...? Green has been the dominant color in sight on my train ride, too, with hardly a flower in sight even in the small town yards we pass by. Do people not like flowers? Is that part of the recent trend in "decluttering" to deny oneself even pretty sights?
Our awareness of the oddity of our preference for creativity was prodded awake by plantings, actually. We were considering one property but it's part of a historical association.with few rules but guidance like "match the area trends in landscaping". Lawn and trees is most of the landscaping in the area. The lady thought she was being creative to add a bush too close to the building, and no one had a problem with that so we shouldn't worry. Really? Our idea of landscaping is to avoid the continued existence of grass except as a small picnic area or path between flower beds, herbs, and vegetable gardens. Our own neighborhood used to be either grass or ivy. Now there are green accent plants, flowers, bushes of every sort, even in the curb area of many properties (and neighbors copied our new railings, too). We don't follow trends. We set them. I wonder if that puts us in the category that some consider "bad neighbors"...? Green has been the dominant color in sight on my train ride, too, with hardly a flower in sight even in the small town yards we pass by. Do people not like flowers? Is that part of the recent trend in "decluttering" to deny oneself even pretty sights?
