Enjoying Fragments of Learning

Detail of a bookshelf of embroidered books, appliqué quilt

One of the best parts of my week requires me to wake up much earlier than I would on my own, but it’s something I wouldn’t change. It’s to join in with an online Reading Retreat. The idea is to show up, say hello, mention what book you’ll be reading, and then for all participants to then read in silence from their books of choice. Five minutes before the session is done, we regroup and if so inclined, say something about what we’ve just read. I find it a lovely way to get a bit of reading and connection with community in. I have been exposed to so many other books and authors over this past year of meeting weekly.

A passage was brought up a couple of weeks ago by one of the members as she was reading, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May:

“Mostly I read at this hour, perusing the pile of books that live by my favorite chair, waiting to offer up fragments of learning, rather than inviting cover-to-cover pursuits. I browse, a chapter here, a segment there, or hunt through an index for a matter that’s on my mind. I love such loose, exploratory reading. For once, I am not reading to escape; instead, having already made my getaway, I am able to roam through the extra space I’ve found, as restless and impatient as I like, revealing in the play of my own absorption. They say we should dance like no one is watching. I think that applies to reading, too.”

I find that paragraph delightful and enjoy the permission given to dabble and explore. To take what’s needed, find what’s interesting and leave other bits behind to read later or perhaps never. I like being off the hook to read a book from cover to cover. It feels much like being at a really good bookstore where every pile or bookshelf has more interesting looking books to spend sometime with, except more comfortable because of being at home.

This perusing and roaming can also be applied to so many other creative areas to learn from exploration and play. It’s good to remember that dipping in and out of things is also a perfectly valid way of learning.

Do you ever let yourself take time to browse through your books or projects this way? When was the last time?

When Two Worlds Intersect

Recently I’ve been thinking that my drawing skills would benefit from a more deliberate study by working my way through a book that has caught my interest. The book I want to use is Alphonso Dunn’s Pen & Ink Drawing. I started making marks and doing line work in my sketchbook but then saw he also has a workbook, Pen & Ink Drawing Workbook. It is set up in a way that I like so I will continue my pen & ink practice work there. I have my pens. I have my book. I have my interest. Now to start.

But wait! I just learned about another book this past week which has also captivated me. It’s The Intentional Thread. A Guide to Drawing, Gesture, and Color in Stitch by Susan Brandeis. I now have a copy and it is lovely! I just want to pet it. What especially appeals to me in the book is the deliberate approach of practicing “drawing” with thread. She puts a lot of emphasis on how to translate marks on paper or textures in the outside world to make “marks” in thread on fabric. It turns out this book is very similar in approach to Pen & Ink Drawing but with needle and thread.

I am so happy to have two books that focus on different interests of mine but which work so well together. I look forward to seeing what I create and what ideas germinate and develop from my practice with these two books!

Have you come across any books recently that have made you so happy?

Creative Inspiration from Reading

One thing I’ve been muling over recently is the delight in reading books and the serendipitous ideas which emerge. Yes, it’s a well known thing that to learn, one often reads (and talks, debates and thinks).

What I’ve been enjoying recently is the fun of seeing what creative ideas I get when reading. It’s been happening so frequently that I’m almost making a game out of it for myself. Some of the books are art and creativity related so getting ideas from there is not such a surprise. I’ve started inking out words from the pages of a book to see if I can create interesting random sentences. Austin Kleon, author of books, Steal Like an Artist and Keep Going, does this with newspapers. I’m using an old copy of Pride and Prejudice to see what I can find. So far I find it’s hard!

I’ve been reading A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor. Much of the book is rather dry and my mind drifts off when I’m reading it (I’ve been told the BBC podcast of it is really, really good however). Many of the objects don’t inspire me much, but every now and then, there is a piece that I want to and have drawn.

Novels are also a great place for art ideas to come from. Yesterday, in one of my sketchbooks, I was working on an animal from a list I made from animals mentioned in Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I thought I knew a lot about animals before I started reading the book, but I encountered species after species that I didn’t know much about or what they looked like. I decided that drawing them would be a good exercise. I certainly didn’t start the book with an idea that I was going to be drawing from it (in both senses!)

Start of an ink drawing of a bison in my sketchbook (photo on wikipedia by Jack Dykinga)

Three books together are making me think of starting a workshop/group to go through one of the books together, Making Art a Practice by Cat Bennett. The other two books which are adding to the conversation are The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker and Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad. Raising awareness of systemic inequality is not the issue for creating this workshop, but the organization of the book with journaling from prompts, and then talking about exploring together through a shared circle can be used in the format of the class. I love how things related and interconnect so often.

And the list of inspiration goes on…

What books have you been inspired to create from?