Are you stretching yourself?

Last year someone challenged me to think about what I want the most from my quilting. Am I trying to be known for it? Am I trying to make money? Am I trying to meet personal goals? As I thought about that, I realized  that making money is part of it, since that contributes to my family economy, although I feel I have other ways to contribute that are even more valuable, so I want to make sure I don’t overlook those things to sew. I also want to learn and grow, and to stretch myself and try to meet personal goals. But I think what really excites me the most is seeing other people grow and stretch themselves. I love teaching just about as much as I love creating things myself. And any art form is a really safe way to stretch our comfort zone which can apply to other areas of life as well. 
 
So, where are you in the process? Are you a strict pattern follower? A quilt shop owner told me recently that not only do most people want patterns, they want the exact fabric used in the pattern photo. If that’s you that would be a good place to start, just do a pattern in a completely different color scheme, so you have to choose your own. The next level would be to alter the pattern somehow to make it your own. On my patterns, I usually put  a few suggestions for customizing them, I want people to stretch themselves and  add their own touch. I’ve never been much of a pattern follower, but I still find myself getting in ruts, it’s a constant growing process. My next goal is to get better about having the right amount of contrast, it’s a constant battle for me:-) For example, the green behind the leaves on this card is a little too dark, the leaves don't show up quite as well as they should.


I’d love to hear other ideas for going a step beyond where you currently are in your creativity!

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