Show your work
Are you ready for your second quilt brief? There have been a few brave souls sharing their work under the #quiltfromabrief hashtag on Instagram, and I’m hoping a few more will join in as we go along.
You likely will have seen that I struggled with the colour palette in the first brief. You would think I’d write a brief that I would find easy to meet? Apparently not… I tend to have a fairly consistent palette, and those more blue/pinkish reds (as opposed to yellowish reds) of the Kona and Pantone colours of the year were outside my comfort zone. I kept at it though until I came up with a palette I was happy with.
Someone who sets a real example of what can be achieved with a regular design practice is Caroline Hadley. I interviewed her for my latest column in Make Modern magazine and it made me go back through her #sundaysketch series. It’s such an inspiring body of work and shows what’s possible when you keep at it over the long term.
The final colourway for my beginner sampler.
This quote popped up in my Instagram feed this morning and I thought it might help those of you who are struggling to share your work…
“ There is nothing more vulnerable than creativity… It’s not about winning, it’s not about losing,
it’s about showing up and being seen.” – Brené Brown
As a new designer it can be intimidating to show your work to others, but fear is a natural part of the creative process, and everyone experiences it to some degree.
A few tips that might help:
Start small: For the first few months, start small by showing your work to a group of trusted friends or family members. This can help you get comfortable with the idea of sharing and can provide valuable feedback.
Focus on the process: Instead of worrying about the outcome, try to focus on the process of creating, being present and engaged.
Practice self-compassion: Remember that everyone has room to grow and none of us start as experts.
Seek support: Find your group of supportive people online. You can even reach out to them before posting so they can provide encouragement by commenting on your post and let you know you’re not posting into the void. Psst, I’m here for that!
If you’re still feeling unsure, grab yourself a copy of ‘Show your work’ by Austin Kleon. It’s a while since I read it, but I remember getting a lot out of it at the time. In fact, thumbing through it again now, I might take another read!
So, here’s your next challenge… It’s just a few short weeks until my next column deadline, so if you’d like to be featured for either Brief #1 or #2 then tag or DM me on Instagram or email me a pic by clicking the envelope below in the footer.
Happy designing!
Quilt brief #2
Design a quilt inspired by architecture. This could be your favourite building in your hometown, something from a glossy architectural magazine, a building from history or architecture found searching hashtags online.
Size: Throw size
Fabrics: Work only in solids
Colour: Include black and white in the design (it doesn’t have to be ONLY black and white though)
