Beginnings

 

It was seven years ago this month that I started this blog.  I thought I would celebrate by reposting the blog post that started it all.  It was a nice reminder of how I got started. 

    I have come across two philosophers in my life who have the best advice ever for people exploring their creativity.  The first was a German poet and scientist by the name of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe who wrote "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." (That quote gives me goosebumps.)

    The second philosopher was my nephew, Alex, at the age of five who, when I asked him how we were to make a housecleaning robot he wanted to give his father for Christmas, very blunted told me that "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl." 

    Both wise men had a point.  If there is something you want to do, you will never know whether you can do it until you begin it.  Is there some creative technique you want to try but are afraid to?  Just dive in.

    Now it is okay to start at the shallow end (sorry, it is hot outside and water metaphors seem cooling to me somehow right now.).  Dip your toes in.  Paint a page of just one color. One color can express any emotion. Write one line to start a poem.  One line can say a lot (Alex had a lot to say with his one line and it has stuck with me for 30 years.)  Sing one note.  A continuous note can be very relaxing to the diaphragm.

    Just begin it. Don't jump from the high dive. Don't plan a gallery show yet.  Don't figure out your office at the Library of Congress for when you are considered the next Poet Laureate.  And the Grammy nominations are already made for this year.  So relax.  All you are doing is beginning.

    And beginnings are wonderful.  There is mystery in them - you aren't quite sure what will happen next.   And there is an adventure in them - traveling to a new area of your heart.   And the excitement of them - you actually did whatever it is you were wanting to begin.

 You have had beginnings all of your life.  You survived all of those  - school, college, work, marriage, family.  You can survive this one.  But you have to just begin. As Alex said, "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl."  Who can argue with that?

 

© 2016, 2023 – Cheryl Fillion

Advice for New Needle Felters

I teach needle felting.  I have learned through the years to give the same advice to beginners. 

Needle felting can be a very mesmerizing activity.  You push the needle into the wool roving and pull it out.  In and out, in and out.  But if you don’t watch what you are doing, you might go in and out of your finger.  I tell my students to do as I say not as I do.  I have been needle felting for a long time so I have trained myself to always know where the needle is and my fingers are even when I am not watching what I am felting. If you watch what you are doing, you can easily move the needle before it strikes your finger. (I also have learned to bring Band-Aids to my classes, just in case.)

Another tip to avoid stabbing yourself is to go slow.  You don’t need to felt at supersonic speed to get results.   You will be felting if you felt slowly.  Try the thousand counting technique.  One one thousand, stab and lift, then two one thousand, stab and lift, three one thousand, etc. Yes it will take longer to felt but you will get it done without injuring yourself.  When you get more experience, you can speed up the felting. 

I also teach beginners with a simple design.  I usually do something like a tomato or a pumpkin.  It allows the students to practice the felting with a simple shape and one where your fingers don’t have to be close.  And then with the leaves and stem you learn on an item smaller.  Usually by the time they have completed the round shape, they have developed the felting technique and have learned to watch where that needle is in relation to their fingers. 

Having the leaves and stem with both also teaches students how to attach one item to another which is often what is done when felting something.  You might be adding leaves to a tomato, or centers to flowers, or facial features to a doll, or adding another color to a bead for jewelry.   It would be fun to start off with an intricate jewelry design but remember you are new felters and you should learn the basic technique before you try anything complicated.

If you just remember to watch what you are doing and go slow, you will learn needlefelting in no time. And actually that is good for any new skill one might learn.  Happy felting.

© 2021 Cheryl Fillion

Beginnings

 I post this blog every September because it was the first blog I wrote and it is a nice reminder that if you want to do something, you need to just start. Happy 5^th Anniversary, Heartfully Cheryl blog.   

 I have come across two philosophers in my life who have the best advice ever for people exploring their creativity.  The first was a German poet and scientist by the name of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe who wrote "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." (That quote gives me goosebumps.)

 The second philosopher was my nephew, Alex, at the age of five who, when I asked him how we were to make a housecleaning robot he wanted to give his father for Christmas, very blunted told me that "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl." 

 Both wise men had a point.  If there is something you want to do, you will never know whether you can do it until you begin it.  Is there some creative technique you want to try but are afraid to?  Just dive in.

 Now it is okay to start at the shallow end (sorry, it is hot outside and water metaphors seem cooling to me somehow right now.).  Dip your toes in.  Paint a page of just one color. One color can express any emotion. Write one line to start a poem.  One line can say a lot (Alex had a lot to say with his one line and it has stuck with me for 28 years.)  Sing one note.  A continuous note can be very relaxing to the diaphragm.

Just begin it. Don't jump from the high dive. Don't plan a gallery show yet.  Don't figure out your office at the Library of Congress for when you are considered the next Poet Laureate.  And the Grammy nominations are already made for this year.  So relax.  All you are doing is beginning.

 And beginnings are wonderful.  There is mystery in them - you aren't quite sure what will happen next.   And there is an adventure in them - traveling to a new area of your heart.   And the excitement of them - you actually did whatever it is you were wanting to begin.

 You have had beginnings all of your life.  You survived all of those  - school, college, work, marriage, family.  You can survive this one.  But you have to just begin. As Alex said, "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl."  Who can argue with that?

 © 2016, 2021– Cheryl Fillion

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

(I posted this a couple of years ago.  A friend reminded me that this is a good idea so I thought I would post it again.  Happy Holiday Gift Giving.)

Looking for a gift for someone?  Having a hard time finding the right thing?  How about giving them an activity instead?  What if you introduced them to a new craft or art form?

Giving crafts as gifts is the best way to create a lifelong memory.  My little spool knitting doll was given to me as a gift when I was a child.  I enjoyed it then and still do.  The first crewel embroidery I ever did was an embroidery kit.  The instructions, the yarn, the needle, printed fabric were all included in the kit.

Kits where everything is included (even any tools like needles) is the best way to start someone on a new creative adventure.  My love of needle felting came with a kit that included step by step picture instructions, the roving and the needle.  I don’t think I would have tried it if I had to find all the supplies separately.  Now I have gone crazy for needle felting.

If a kit isn’t available, why not sign them up for a class.  Many fabric and craft stores provide classes as well as libraries, community centers or non-profit organizations (YMCA, for example).  If there is something you can teach your gift recipient, buy them all the supplies they need to start lessons with you. This way they have their own tools and supplies.

Or give a gift card to a craft or hobby store, so they can choose their own craft.  And to add to your fun, go with them when they spend their gift.  It is another way you can share the experience.

Remember to start off small.  If they want to learn to quilt, start out with a pillow or small wall hanging.  You don’t want to buy all the supplies for a big quilt, only to find out that quilting wasn’t as enjoyable to your gift recipient and they get bored with it.

Not only is giving something crafty a great gift, it can lead to a lifetime of enjoyment. As the saying goes, it is a gift that will keep on giving. 

PS:  there is also nothing wrong with a brand new box of crayons for crafters of all ages.

 

©2016, 2019 – Cheryl Fillion

Beginnings

In September of 2016, I started this blog.  I like to post the first blog to remind myself and others that if you want to do something, you have to begin it.   I realized recently that I need this reminder. 


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I have come across two philosophers in my life who have the best advice ever for people exploring their creativity.  The first was a German poet and scientist by the name of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe who wrote "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." (That quote gives me goosebumps.)


The second philosopher was my nephew, Alex, at the age of five who, when I asked him how we were to make a housecleaning robot he wanted to give his father for Christmas, very blunted told me that "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl." 


Both wise men had a point.  If there is something you want to do, you will never know whether you can do it until you begin it.  Is there some creative technique you want to try but are afraid to?  Just dive in.


Now it is okay to start at the shallow end (sorry, it is hot outside and water metaphors seem cooling to me somehow right now.).  Dip your toes in.  Paint a page of just one color. One color can express any emotion. Write one line to start a poem.  One line can say a lot (Alex had a lot to say with his one line and it has stuck with me for 23 years.)  Sing one note.  A continuous note can be very relaxing to the diaphragm.


 Just begin it. Don't jump from the high dive. Don't plan a gallery show yet.  Don't figure out your office at the Library of Congress for when you are considered the next Poet Laureate.  And the Grammy nominations are already made for this year.  So relax.  All you are doing is beginning.


 And beginnings are wonderful.  There is mystery in them - you aren't quite sure what will happen next.   And there is an adventure in them - traveling to a new area of your heart.   And the excitement of them - you actually did whatever it is you were wanting to begin.


You have had beginnings all of your life.  You survived all of those  - school, college, work, marriage, family.  You can survive this one.  But you have to just begin. As Alex said, "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl."  Who can argue with that?


© 2016, 2019 – Cheryl Fillion

If You Want To Do It, You Can

I teach psychology at a local junior college.  Our textbook ends with a chapter on health psychology.  Health psychology is the study of how people take care of (or don’t take care of) their health and ways to improve health.  It is one of my favorite chapters.

One section talked about changing a bad health habit like smoking or not exercising for a good one.  The first step is to make an intention (like setting a goal) to change the behavior.  The next step is having a positive attitude about the new behavior and also (step number 3) of having a supportive social group who will cheer you on. And finally believing you can make the change happen.

Now the textbook was talking about changing bad health habits but I told my students it also works with doing anything even learning a new skill.  I have people tell me all the time with whatever I do with needle work that they could never do.  And actually they are right, they can’t; at least not with the negative attitude that they can’t do it. 

If you want to learn a new skill whether it is embroidery or quilting or punchneedle or running a marathon, you can if you have a positive attitude that you can do it.  Now I will admit that sometimes it is hard and it may take a long time. 

Sometimes you even have to have the right teacher which you may not find out you need until you get the wrong teacher. I did embroidery for years but it wasn’t until recently with a member of our quilt guild teaching a workshop on embroidery that I finally mastered the stem stitch.  It is not my best stitch but I am improving.

But if you have the attitude of I can’t do it, then you won’t even try. And if you don’t try, you won’t be able to do whatever IT is.  But remember just because you can’t do it now, doesn’t mean you will never do it.  If it is something you really want to do, don’t give up.

And that is where step 2 comes in, have a group of supportive people around you who will encourage your trying.  They will cheer you on when you succeed  and pick you up when your first attempt might not be your best.  If they know it is something you want, they can help you find the teachers or opportunities to accomplish your goals.

So try anything you want, just remember to have a positive attitude about your new skill and don’t ever give up.

©2019 Cheryl Fillion

Beginnings

Lots going on this week with the end of a semester, getting ready for a new class to teach this summer and attend a new Art Festival this weekend so I wasn’t able to get the blog I planned done.  But with all these new beginnings and uncertainties I thought about my very first blog and thought I would repost that.  It is a good reminder of starting new things.

I have come across two philosophers in my life who have the best advice ever for people exploring their creativity.  The first was a German poet and scientist by the name of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe who wrote "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." (That quote gives me goosebumps.)

The second philosopher was my nephew, Alex, at the age of five who, when I asked him how we were to make a housecleaning robot he wanted to give his father for Christmas, very blunted told me that "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl." 

Both wise men had a point.  If there is something you want to do, you will never know whether you can do it until you begin it.  Is there some creative technique you want to try but are afraid to?  Just dive in.

Now it is okay to start at the shallow end (sorry, it is hot outside and water metaphors seem cooling to me somehow right now.).  Dip your toes in.  Paint a page of just one color. One color can express any emotion. Write one line to start a poem.  One line can say a lot (Alex had a lot to say with his one line and it has stuck with me for 23 years.)  Sing one note.  A continuous note can be very relaxing to the diaphragm.

Just begin it. Don't jump from the high dive. Don't plan a gallery show yet.  Don't figure out your office at the Library of Congress for when you are considered the next Poet Laureate.  And the Grammy nominations are already made for this year.  So relax.  All you are doing is beginning.

And beginnings are wonderful.  There is mystery in them - you aren't quite sure what will happen next.   And there is an adventure in them - traveling to a new area of your heart.   And the excitement of them - you actually did whatever it is you were wanting to begin.

You have had beginnings all of your life.  You survived all of those  - school, college, work, marriage, family.  You can survive this one.  But you have to just begin. As Alex said, "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl."  Who can argue with that?

© 2016. 2019 – Cheryl Fillion

New Embroidery To-Dos

I do all kinds of needle work but I started with embroidery.  I was about nine and received a crewel embroidery kit of a tree and squirrel.  I remember it was like a sampler in that in that I learned to do all kinds of stitches.  I loved it.

I have done embroidery on and off since then.  One of my prized possessions is old, very old, iron-on transfers that belonged to my maternal Grandmother. I still use them to trace the designs (I am not sure the iron-on ink would work anymore and the paper is so old, I am afraid the iron would scorch them.)  I also have some wood thread spools that she kept her embroidery floss on with her hand written color codes on the spool end.  I now collect wooden spools for my embroidery floss.

Lately I have wanted to see how far I can take my embroidery skills.  There is a new style of embroidery called Free Form embroidery or Improvisational embroidery.  You really don’t use an iron-on pattern or design like my grandmother’s transfers.  You pretty much paint with thread. You do what you want and try to create designs pretty much as you go along.  You pay attention to your color use, and texture of the thread and the pattern you create as you stitch.

I love the idea of improvisation in any form: acting, music, quilting but it is not something I am comfortable doing.  I am one who needs a plan, needs a design to follow.  So I decided that with embroidery I was going to try to improvise.

As with a lot of things I try, I started small.  Every year I make an ornament to share with family and friends.  This past Christmas I wanted to make something without having to buy any new supplies.  So I pulled out my craft felt, my embroidery floss and started stitching.

Christmas ornaments

I had seen a quilt with various size circles appliquéd on top of each other.  I liked how that looked so I started with circles.  I made various combinations of red, green and white circles.  What was nice about the felt was it stayed stiff enough so you didn’t need a hoop and since they were small for tree ornaments, they were small enough to carry with me. (I received some interested stares as I stitched in the hallway outside my classes last semester.)

I limited myself to the button hole stitch, the French knot, the running stitch,  the seed stitch and then a combination of some of these stitches to create a nice design (like the star design in center of some circles and a running stitch-French knot combo along the edge).

I never decided ahead of time what I was going to do.  The only plan I had was not to use the same thread color as the felt.  I became more comfortable with impromptu designing as I went along.  And if something didn’t look right, I just took it out and stitched it again. 

I decided to try something similar for Valentine’s day but I have to admit I didn’t get it finished and in fact am still working on it.  Don’t you hate it when life gets in the way of your crafting.   These little hearts are going to be a small wall hanging to put out every holiday.  I will post a picture when I get it done.

My Hearts- still in progress

So maybe with a little practice and some bravery I can do more free form or improvisational embroidery in a bigger size.  And maybe branch out and use some more stitches.

PS- just so you know I finished the Christmas ornament by stitching the same color circle as the biggest circle on the back.  I stitched down with matching thread so it wouldn't distract from the embroidery on the front and then added a thread as the hanger.

© 2019 Cheryl Fillion

 

Do What Makes You Come Alive

When I began doing research to open my Etsy shop, I got a lot of advice about what to sell, what to do and how to do it.   But the best advice I ever got actually came in a quote.  Howard Thurman (a minister known to have influenced Martin Luther King Jr) said.  “Don’t worry about what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive and do that.  Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.”  That quote made me come alive.  If I was going to open an online shop, I probably should open one that excites me; that gives me pleasure; that makes me come alive.

If you are going to do something creative whether it is starting a business or a piece of art, do something that makes you come alive.   In business it is good to follow the trends.  Trends tend to show what people are interested in buying.  But you can also have too much of one trend.  If you have one shop that specializes in tote bags because bags are the ‘in’ thing, that shop will make money.  But if you have 2 or 3 shops selling bags, the sales are going to be less for each individual shop.

And what if some of those shop owners don’t really like selling tote bags, they are just following the trend of tote bags. That shop owner is not really going to be excited about his or her inventory. And customers tend to sense that.   The same is true in anything we do.  Are we doing it because it is the ‘in’ thing or are we doing it because we can’t stop thinking about whatever ‘it’ is? 

It is OK to do trendy things but don’t keep doing it if it isn’t giving you pleasure. What is the point in that?  A couple of years ago I tried improvisational quilting (in this case sewing random pieces of fabric together without realy knowing what the end product will look like.  One style of improv is the traditional crazy quilt block.). Now I often make things up as I create so I thought this would be the best class for me.  Oh was I wrong.  I like to have an idea of what things will look like in the end.    And at least the way this improv quilting was being taught didn’t do that.

So even though a lot of quilters in my guild were interested in it and talked a lot about improv quilting, I didn’t stick with it.  I didn’t even finish the project I started in the class.  It didn’t make me come alive.  It actually gave me a headache (haha). 

If you are going to spend your time doing something for business or creatively, do something that has you smiling all the time. Do something you can’t stop thinking about or keeps you up at night with ideas swirling in your head (I say that only because I was up early this morning writing ideas down for this blog.)

If you are doing what makes you come alive, you are then a role model for others to do what makes them come alive.  And then they in turn might influence others.   And as Rev. Thurman said “what the world needs are people who have come alive.”   So start giving the world what it needs and do something that makes you come alive.  

©2019-Cheryl Fillion

Start Small

I hate to exercise.  I am just not the athletic type.  I have tried various sports I thought would be fun and I just never stuck with them.  I know exercise is important for my health but I just don’t like it.

So last fall when I signed up with our local guild to take a bus to the Houston Quilt Show, I knew I would be walking a lot and would be very sore at the end of the day.  That was motivation enough to start walking.

If you are going to do a marathon, you start out training.  You don’t run the 26 miles right off the bat; you start small.  So that is what I did.  I walked a short distance and I mean it was really short (like walking past a couple of houses in my neighborhood) and I built up from there. When walking past a couple of houses got easy, I added a couple more. 

I also walked at the college where I teach.  Since I started my ‘training’ in the summer and I live in Texas, I started to walk inside where it was air conditioned.  I walked down one hallway in the building of my classes and then back to the faculty lounge. When the one hallway got easy, I would add the hallway along the front of the building and work up until I was walking the whole building twice.  By the time the Quilt Show came, I was used to walking and feeling stronger (I also noticed my back didn’t hurt as much).  By the time I got home from the bis trip, I was tired but not as sore as I would have been if I hadn’t started ‘training’.

Any big project you do whether it is running a marathon or making a quilt, works better if you break it up into smaller bits.  It doesn’t seem so overwhelming if you do it a little at a time and if you think about it, the fun lasts longer.  If you are doing something like a quilt, you are not likely to go buy the fabric, cut the pieces out, sew them together and quilt it all in one day, especially if you are a beginner.  If you do that. you will be exhausted, sore and probably make a lot of mistakes.

So whatever project you have planned, whether it is something creative like a quilt or something dreaded like exercise, start small.  Break it up into small pieces and do a little at a time.  I am pretty sure you will be happy with the results.

©2019 Cheryl Fillion

Filling the Well - Part 2

Last week I talked about filling the well of your creativity with ideas.  To be able to create the life you want, you have to make time for those activities that are important to you.  This involves a little self-care, self-nurturing.   You must be able to express your needs and indicate your preferences. You must set up boundaries.

We need to be able to dwell in our own private sphere to create.  We need to feel separate from everyone else and narrow our focus to what we want in our lives.  Now sometimes that may mean we need to do things that have nothing to do with our art, our creativity.  This is part of filling the well.  And to do this we have to put up boundaries.  We have to be able to say, "I want or need to do this at this time."

This can cause problems especially if you have been available to everyone in the past.  Making your needs known may cause confrontations, misunderstanding and hurt feelings. It will appear to others that you don't care about them, their needs, and their happiness.  We want to care about others and take care of those people in our lives, but it is impossible for us to do that all the time.

Often times the people who hear of our boundaries feel rejected. We are pushing them aside for some 'thing', be it an activity, person, planned event or just to be by yourself. That is not at all what we are doing.  We are in fact practicing self-care.  When we take care of our needs first, we can then be available to others.   It is like traveling on a plane. You are instructed by the flight attendants that if the cabin pressure drops, you are to put your oxygen mask on first before helping the child traveling with you.  You do this because you can't help anyone if you lack oxygen.  If we give all the time to what others need without caring for our needs, we are giving away our oxygen.

It is the same with your creativity.  If you first attend to that part of you that is important, you can be there for those people in your life.  You have been oxygenated, your well is full.  As opposite as it seems, the greatest gift you can give someone in your life is taking care of you. 

If this is hard for you to do, start out small.  Pick an activity that will take 15 minutes, a walk around the block.   Then build up from there.  Take a bath. Go somewhere quiet to read a book instead of watching a TV program with the family. Work in a secluded corner of the yard while everyone else is in the house. Say no thank you to an invitation from a friend. The more you practice this type of self-care, the easier it gets.  You are probably saying that is hard to do.  Yup it is.  I am still learning.

But the more the people in your life will see how happier you are, the more they will understand why you take care of you first.  It makes you a better spouse, parent, child, friend.  It might even prompt them to take better care of themselves and form boundaries of their own. Think of how nicer the world would be then.

© 2018 – Cheryl Fillion

Creativity in your Holiday Shopping

After attending the International Quilt Show in Houston recently, I was reminded that all the quilters who made those beautiful quilts had to start somewhere and so I decided to repost a blog from last year about adding a little creativity to your Christmas shopping.  You never know what you may start.

What do I mean by Creativity?  I mean make sure you buy someone you love some art supplies, craft supplies, or a craft kit or two.  You never know what life long love you will start in a young child or help someone older continue to enjoy a lifelong love.  You might even help a future artist or quilter end up in an international exhibit.

There are all kinds of activities out there from model airplanes and cars to assemble to adult coloring books.  The other day I saw a kit to paint a set of nesting dolls (I almost bought it for myself).  There are looms of every kind and step by step books to do all kinds of needlework.  And of course you could provide the supplies for one of the crafts I have done a tutorial on and show them this blog.

And also consider a gift of music or dance.  Either provide some future performer with lessons or an instrument or take them to a holiday concert or ballet.  I bet there is a Nutcracker Ballet going on somewhere near your hometown this time of year. Going to a performance is a memory both of you can share.  I still remember going to a simple children’s Christmas concert at a local junior high with my mother when I was visiting her one holiday.

So add a little creativity to your holiday shopping by giving a gift of creativity in whatever form your heart desires. You can never give too much. Happy Shopping!!

©2017, 2018 - Cheryl Fillion

What Would You Do If You Could Not Fail

There is a quote attributed to Dr. Robert Schuller (the late pastor and motivational speaker) that I have always loved: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”  What would you do?  Well recently I decided to stretch a little and I took an art quilt class. 

I would not consider myself an abstract quilt or art type person.  I like quilts to look like a picture or a quilt block.  I have trouble with mixed media projects.  I do collages but there still seems to be a theme to my collages. With a lot of abstract art, I don’t see an image or a theme.

So when a quilt artist came to our quilt guild and taught a class, I decided to try it. What I really liked about her quilts is the use of embroidery in them.  Embroidery is what started my needle work history with a crewel embroidery kit of a squirrel at the age of 9 and embroidery seems to be where I am returning now some years later. 

I bought her book ahead of the class and was reading it for the third time by the time of the class took place.  Well the book and the class showed me there was no way to fail.  She gives you guidelines, not rules, not shoulds or shouldn’ts, not a step by step process.  And what she would ask us as she went around the room was: What is your thought here and Do YOU like it?  She would make suggestions and it was OK if you didn’t accept them.  It was your art quilt. 

She also started out small.  We worked on 6 inch art quilts not a big wall hanging.  So if you didn’t like what you were doing, you could easily start over. Or if you didn’t like the whole process, you didn’t feel like you were wasting a lot of fabric or money or time (always a concern for me).  And it was easier to envision the guidelines she gave on a smaller scale.

Sometimes you have to take a chance and try something new.  It is easier in a class and I think after this, easier if you start out small.  I wrote in my first blog to begin small.  You want to paint, paint one color.  You don’t have to start with a mural.  When I taught quilting, I started with a table matt.  I had a design that gave all the parts of a big quilt (a block, lattice strips, border, quilting and binding) but it was only 18 inches square. This way if you decided you didn’t like quilting, you weren’t committed to a king size quilt.

And while my opening quote asks “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”, it is OK  to try something and not like it afterward.  I tried embroidery on paper recently.  I love embroidery but to do it on card stock, you have to poke a lot of holes to prepare the cardstock for the embroidery.  That I decided was not for me.   But I don’t think of it as a failure, I tried something new and learned a little about me (I don’t like poking holes in card stock).  You have to try something to know if you like it and that in itself is a success.  You can’t succeed or learn something new if you don’t try.

So ask yourself this “What would YOU attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” 

©2018 Cheryl E. Fillion

Beginnings

It was two years ago this month that I started this blog.  I thought I would celebrate by reposting the blog post that started it all.  It was a nice reminder of how I got started.

I have come across two philosophers in my life who have the best advice ever for people exploring their creativity.  The first was a German poet and scientist by the name of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe who wrote "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." (That quote gives me goosebumps.)

The second philosopher was my nephew, Alex, at the age of five who, when I asked him how we were to make a housecleaning robot he wanted to give his father for Christmas, very blunted told me that "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl." 

Both wise men had a point.  If there is something you want to do, you will never know whether you can do it until you begin it.  Is there some creative technique you want to try but are afraid to?  Just dive in.

Now it is okay to start at the shallow end (sorry, it is hot outside and water metaphors seem cooling to me somehow right now.).  Dip your toes in.  Paint a page of just one color. One color can express any emotion. Write one line to start a poem.  One line can say a lot (Alex had a lot to say with his one line and it has stuck with me for 23 years.)  Sing one note.  A continuous note can be very relaxing to the diaphragm.

Just begin it. Don't jump from the high dive. Don't plan a gallery show yet.  Don't figure out your office at the Library of Congress for when you are considered the next Poet Laureate.  And the Grammy nominations are already made for this year.  So relax.  All you are doing is beginning.

And beginnings are wonderful.  There is mystery in them - you aren't quite sure what will happen next.   And there is an adventure in them - traveling to a new area of your heart.   And the excitement of them - you actually did whatever it is you were wanting to begin.

You have had beginnings all of your life.  You survived all of those  - school, college, work, marriage, family.  You can survive this one.  But you have to just begin. As Alex said, "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl."  Who can argue with that?

© 2016, 2018 – Cheryl Fillion

I Wouldn’t Do That

I have written before about trying new creative things.  But have you ever thought about just trying something, anything new.

I teach psychology at a local college.  For years I had an assignment called “I wouldn’t Do That”.  The idea was for students to try something they said they would never do.  I wanted them to get out of their comfort zone. 

My students did all kinds of things that they wouldn’t normally do.  The big one was trying sushi.  Every year I had at least one student who would try sushi.  Of all those students, only one ever said he would eat it again.  And that is OK; at least the others tried something new.

Other students would try another restaurant like Chinese or Thai.  Some students would go to a restaurant alone and found they enjoyed their food more since they did not have to talk to others.  There were also a couple of students who made a meal for their friends and found they were great cooks.

Another popular one was giving up their electronics for a day.  They turned off their phone and computers.  You would be surprised what you can get done when you unplug.  You can actually have a conversation with someone face to face.

Other students were more adventurous. I had one that took a hot air balloon ride, another who sky dived (with an instructor).  Some would travel to another city. 

 I had students who went to a church of  a domination different from theirs.  Some would go to a play or symphony concert or a sporting event.  One student wondered why she had never gone to a basketball game before.  She found it was fun.

What would you do?  Is there anything you have said “ Oh I would never do…”  How about trying it?  You don’t have to do it alone, find someone else who would like to be adventurous or maybe even supportive of you.  I remember one student had never gone swimming in a lake.  She wanted her children to have that experience and was afraid they wouldn’t do it if she didn’t.  So that was her project.  She thought it felt funny with the sand beneath her toes and little fish swimming around but she did it.  And hopefully her kids are enjoying lake swimming now as well.

So this week, go try something you have never done before or would never think you would.  You can start off small like turning off your phone.  But just start somewhere.

 

  ©2018- Cheryl Fillion

Try a Coloring Book

Coloring books are popular now, especially those for adults.  You can find them everywhere.  I even see them in the magazine rack at my grocery store.  I have bought a couple, mostly for the images inside.  They give me ideas for embroidery and appliqué. But I had never colored in them.

Until about a week ago when I was feeling restless but didn’t want to sew or embroider.  So I pulled out a book and my colored pencils and started to color.

I immediately felt my body relax.  It was a calming sensation to move the pencil along the paper. It also brought back some wonderful memories of coloring as a child.  I really enjoyed coloring.

Looking back on the activity now, I also realized some other things.  When deciding what picture to color, I found myself attracted to the ones in the book having to do with teacups (the coloring book had a theme of houses and homes).  I found this interesting.  I don’t drink tea, don’t own any flowery teacups, and probably would never go to a tea party.  But I was wanting to color teacups.  (I settled on a picture that said Give Love and had all kinds of hearts surrounding the words.  As I have said before, what do you expect when one has a shop and a blog entitled Heartfully Cheryl).

I also noticed that I am attracted to landscapes particularly beach scenes.  I think these pictures are providing me with a little bit of an escape.  I can’t go to the beach so why not color one.

And while coloring  I was able to play with color.  I did one heart in one color scheme and then tried another heart in a totally different color.  I mixed together colors I never would have done on fabric or with thread.  But after doing it on paper, I might try playing with those colors combinations in my quilting and embroidery. 

It was a nice activity to do.  It was relaxing and playful and brought back memories I had forgotten.  If some people think that coloring for adults is childish, then let them.  I am going to do it again (maybe this time a teacup and maybe with crayons.) 

Want to try something new (or if you colored as a child, something old)?   Get a coloring book and some pencils and color.   You just might have some fun.

©2018 – Cheryl Fillion

 

 

Lessons from a Class

I recently took a needle felting class.  Yeah, I know how to needle felt.  I even teach it.  But I am a believer that you can always learn something new. And I did.

In this class we made a needle felted bunny using an armature.  An armature is a framework for a sculpture.  It is a wire base that you build the sculpture on. I had never done that before.

It was interesting to make because the armature looks nothing like the finished bunny. So it was hard for me to imagine what I was doing.  I did learn that my hands had a hard time manipulating the wire for the armature. And I learned that once you have the wire armature, you can then wrap it first in chenille sticks (pipe cleaners). The fuzzy covering of the chenille stick protects the felting needle from getting broken if it hits the armature.  If I do another one, I might start with the chenille sticks.  Those were easier for my hands to manipulate.

This bunny was much bigger than anything I have felted before.  I am used to 3-4 inch items; this guy is about 8 inches tall.  While I like to needle felt, that is a lot of felting to do in one sitting.  The class was supposed to be 3 hours long but it ran over that.  I had to stop before I was finished because my hands couldn’t do any more.  So when I do something this big again, I have to remember to plan to do it over days not hours.

I also learned to be prepared for anything.  The chairs we sat in were folding chairs with an open back.  Sitting in those chairs were not the best for my back.  So next time I take a class I might want to bring some over-the-counter pain relievers like aspirin or ibuprofen to take.  It might be a good idea to take it before the class.

The chairs were also a little shorter for the table.  I am short to begin with so my arms were at an uncomfortable level while doing the felting.  I move the felted bunny to my lap which is not a safe place to be needle felting but it was easier on my arms.  Next time I take a class, I am bringing a pillow to sit on so it raises me up higher with the table.

And while the lighting was great in this room, if you are someone who has poor eyesight, you might want to bring a light to use.  Those that hang around your neck and are powered by batteries are great. 

I am glad I took the class.  I learned a new skill, will have a new bunny to display and met some great people. And sometimes that last reason is the best.  It is always good to meet new people.

©2018 Cheryl E. Fillion

I Live in Clutter and I Love It

My house is cluttered.  Not really dirty (a bit dusty maybe.  We had a neighbor growing up whose philosophy was “If people are going to come in my house and look for dust, I am going to leave some.  I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”  I have adopted her philosophy.)  But my house is cluttered.  I have boxes and baskets and yes piles of projects and craft supplies.  I usually have multiple projects going on at once.  I never know when the mood will strike me to change what I am doing so I want everything close by (and I actually know where things are in my clutter.  I have found that if I “put it away”, I don’t remember where I put it.).

But it does drives my visitors and landlord crazy.  One friend stopped by recently and looked around at my living room frowning at my clutter and I said “Welcome to the Heartfully Cheryl Manufacturing Center”.  It was a way of letting her know there was a purpose to my “mess”. But I will admit after recent events, my clutter can be difficult.

A few weeks ago, my refrigerator decided to stop cooling.  It apparently decided on a career change.  And so we had to get a new one.  The best way to get anything out of my house is through the front door, which meant moving furniture, a sewing machine and much of my clutter.

It was challenging I had things in places I don’t normally have things like the bathroom and the front porch.  But it worked out and I now have cold and frozen food again.  But I wasn’t allowed to get everything back in place (which turned out to be good) when my washing machine decided to go to the big Laundromat in the sky.  Again everything needed to be moved (and even more things from the hallway between the kitchen and laundry room) to get the old machine out and the new one in.

This time I decided to clean out some things.  Two items I had to move were 2 drawer file cabinets I use to store teaching notes and exams and in them I found all kinds of things for classes I no longer teach.  So off to the recycling center those items went.  I cleaned out fabric and yarn to go to various friends and charities.  I found a new spot for my paid bills to go and also for my card stock.  And I hate to admit it I found some projects I had forgotten about but now will get finished.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with clutter.  I like having my projects around me to work on. My moods and energy level often decide what I am going to do at the moment.

But there is something to say about clearing out the old that you really don’t need anymore (and cleaning up the dust too.)  If you don’t mind the clutter, don’t change because others don’t like it.  But every once in a while, go through it and see what you still need and what you really don’t need.

 

©2018- Cheryl Fillion

Artistic Graduations

There are a couple of businesses in my town which offer artistic parties. You scheduled a day and go for a birthday or shower.  You create something while you are there and often times they decorate or provide a cake based on whatever theme you choose.  I would have loved this kind of birthday party growing up.

The other day I was thinking about the upcoming graduations of some of the students I teach which got me to thinking of my graduation.  Wouldn’t it be fun to have an artistic graduation?  Either go to one of these businesses and schedule something for everyone to make or create one of your own for the artist you love who is graduating high school or college.

Suggest that gifts could be art supplies or gift cards to art supply stores.  Or have some sort of project that everyone can make and take home as sort of a party favor from the graduation celebration.

A few years ago I was trying to sort out what I was going to do with the next part of my life by making collages.  How about a big collage (or lots of little ones) representing what everyone at the celebration wants for the graduate.  What type of career, or success, or adventure you wish for them.  And then of course present it to the graduate at the party’s end.  Maybe if there is time, explain to the graduate (and other guests) what your collage means. It would be a great way of sharing your best wishes for them.

Wouldn’t this be a great way to celebrate that graduating artist? And to any graduates out there reading this:  Congratulations and best wishes for your future.

©2018 Cheryl Fillion

April celebrations

I have been doing blog posts on holidays for a couple of months now.  It is fun to see what people around the world celebrate.  This month I have two.  I just couldn’t decide. 

The first is actually the whole month of April.  It is National Poetry month.  That alone should tell you what I am going to recommend.  Yup, poetry.  Do you read poetry?  If not give it a whirl. 

If you are not sure you will understand poetry, start out with some children’s poems. If you don’t like the structure of poetry, read some freeform poetry.  My favorite poet is Emily Dickinson.

Have you ever tried to write poetry?  Try it.  Know that all the words don’t have to rhyme but that might be a lot of fun to try.  Here is an experiment to try: go to a page in a book or newspaper and randomly pick out 5 words.  No fair picking only words you like.  Then with these words write a 4 line poem.  If you want to start easy, go with a children’s book or the funny pages in the newspaper.  You don’t have to publish it.  You don’t even have to show anyone your poem.  But as a line from a commercial once said, try it, you’ll like it.

The other holiday is April 22, Earth Day.  This holiday was created in the 1970s when the environmental movement was just getting started.  It is one that has special mean to me.  I recycle and reuse (and reuse and reuse) but it is a holiday when my dad would send me a Happy Earth Day card.  He always tried to find some card with a nature scene on it and make it into his own Earth Day card.

So on this day do something nice for the Earth.  Take your cans and bottles to the recycling center.  Plant some flowers (and if your ground is still frozen, plant some flowers in a pot).  Paint or embroider a picture of a natural scene.  Or take a walk and watch nature (and then come home and write a poem about it.  Ah, you knew I would get these two holidays together.)  Maybe even continue my dad’s tradition and send someone a nice card with a nature scene on it.

So                    Roses are Red

                        Violets are blue

                        Celebrate Earth Day

                        And poetry too.

©2018 Cheryl E. Fillion