Making the Rounds

Recently, Maggie of Normandy Life, invited me to take part in a tour of blog land. Maggie is British and writes about her life in the gentle countryside of France. The blog land tour involves answering four questions about my own creative process. Thank you, Maggie, for inviting me. The answers to these questions have made me do some serious thinking.

1.  What am I working on right now?

This shouldn't be too difficult to answer. Right now I'm working on a blog post.

In the larger scheme of things, I usually have many projects on the go. Right now there are a couple of sewing projects cut out and ready to stitch, a hexagon quilt that I piece in the evenings, a bit of crocheting I just began, garden produce to freeze and can, weeds to keep at bay, and a major writing project.
 

2. How does my work differ from others in this genre? 

I first began blogging because I was looking for a creative community - some place to share my love of sewing and creating things with my hands. I found that, and much more. I found friendship and encouragement. I found so many others who look for the beauty in everyday life in much the same way that I do.

But each of us is unique. Because of that, my work is unique, just as yours is. We draw inspiration from each other and combine it in ways unlike the original. If I were to define my style I would say I strive for simplicity and elegance, be that in my photos, in my fashion, my decorating, and even my cooking. At the same time, I recognize the complexity in life and appreciate the multi-layered facets of photography, fashion, decor, cooking, writing, etc. 
  

3. Why do I write or create what I do?

If I didn't, I'd go mad. Stark, staring crazy mad. Headed for the loony bin mad. Give me a medium to express myself, any medium!

I've kept a journal for years. My blog is like a more visible journal. Words string themselves together in my mind and flow to my hands and the pen. 

The pen (or keyboard), the wooden spoon, the needle and thread, the paintbrush, the ivory piano keys, and the stick in the sand all provide ways for creative expression. I like to use whatever is at hand.
  

4. How does your writing process actually work?

My blog post topics are often triggered by the photos I take. Details are important to me and many of my photos are close ups of marvelous bits of creation that reveal the paradox of complexity and simplicity. 

I'm fairly guarded in my public writings and sometimes wish I were not. I'm that way in real life, too - unwilling to share too deeply until I know that I can trust the listener. I want my writing to have some sort of take-away value - a question for my reader to ponder and respond to, a thoughtful quote to appreciate, a bit of encouragement, a new way of looking at something, a recipe to try, or some beauty revealed.

I could go on here, but if you've hung on this long, I'll take pity on you and stop.

The idea of the blog hop was to link to 3 other bloggers who would then answer these same questions, however, I was unable to find anyone to participate. Katherine, of Sew Me Something Good, had the same difficulty so we agreed to link to each other's blog. Katherine is a sewing whiz and creates beautiful, intricate quilts. She also has a Craftsy site where she sells patterns.