Enough Tools in Your Toolbox

Nina-Marie wrote in response to my recent "not all techniques are for everyone" post--and I suck at painting!--that "at some point you must have enough tools in your toolbox." She says she doesn't take technique classes anymore, but rather signs up for guided studio classes. She prefers that to "spending a week trudging through another artist's technique."

I think many of us like to stay up to date with the newest trends, styles, gadgets, whatever, but Nina-Marie's point is really well taken--at some point we have enough skill and knowledge to just figure out how we want to do things ourselves.

I've been compiling a cornocopia of techniques and strategies over the past few years--learning far more techniques than I use in my quilts and mixed media pieces. Some I embrace, some I discard. Now it's time for me to start applying the ones I like (and can master) in earnest.

Thanks Nina-Marie. Your comment was a real shot in the arm for me!

Creativity and the Job Search

The workplace is all about creativity these days. It’s the innovators who are getting the jobs (as we lurch toward a 10% unemployment rate)—whether it’s their first position or their fifth. The same old, same old strategies aren't working anymore, even in corporate America, so employers are increasingly looking for people with new ideas and new ways of thinking.

Two stories in USA Today this week highlight this fact: One, “Retrain Your Brain from ‘Left to Right’ to Fit Into the New Economy” (www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2009-07-13-right-vs-left-brains_N.htm), highlights the story of a Washington, DC man who transitioned from being an attorney to being an interior designer after his billable hours shrank. He spent his down time making an audition tape for an HGTV reality show and posted it on his Facebook page. It didn’t get him on the show, but it did get him some clients. Another story, “No Right Brain Left Behind” (www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-07-13-right-brain_N.htm?obref=obnetwork), highlights the need to prepare young people to be more right-brained (creative) to succeed in today’s marketplace.

I asked career coach extraordinare CONNIE THANASOULIS-CERRACHIO of http://www.sixfigurestart.com/ for her advice about how to emphasize your creative skills while searching for a new job…

I’ve run staffing groups at Fortune 500 firms for almost 25 years and now I’m a career coach. I train individuals on how to optimize their job search. Oftentimes, I help them map out their major strengths and areas they are looking to develop, because these are top questions that are asked in an interview.

The pre-work is very important to the interview. I suggest individuals list their top 10 strengths, and in the column next to each strength, list an example of how they excel at this, and in another column quantify the example in some way, shape or form.


Creative problem-solving is a characteristic that is greatly valued by any company. Let’s face it: business is all about solving problems, and the more creative you can be, the more successful you will be. This applies to any discipline: marketing, finance, human resources, the law, operations, etc.


Here are some examples of creative problem-solving:
1. You are tasked with creating a technology-tracking system for new accounts. Your boss gives you a 2-month time frame and tells you that you are the lead project manager.
o A creative move could be to find someone else in the company who's worked with the technology group and ask them to be an “advisor” to save time and money that they perhaps wasted because they didn’t know any better.
o Another creative move would be this – if you had a friend who worked at another company who had a similar program, perhaps they could share it with you … as long as it didn’t violate any confidentiality or privilege rules.

2. You are tasked with creating a new campus recruiting brochure at your company. You have to decide what “hot” colors are in.
o You could go to the closest Gap store and check out their color arrangements. Gap pours tons and tons of marketing dollars into the latest colors and this could appeal to your exact demographic.


3. Your manager asks you to significantly decrease the error rates on the opening of new accounts:
o A creative move could be to do some research on how errors are decreased, both on the web, and perhaps at Barnes & Nobles. There’s a book about everything!
o You could also do a survey of the new account-opening reps and ask for the last 100 issues with new accounts, and create a short but succinct error analysis.

During an interview, it’s important to highlight your creative moves and the results. For example, the new brochure gave you strong accolades from your new recruits, so note that. Your approach on new accounts decreased errors by 25%. And your new technology program came in under-budget and on time, and the users are raving about how easy it is to use and how helpful the info is.

Remember during your interview to identify these success stories and use them to “ease the pain” of the employers who are interviewing you. It’s always about what you can do for them, so be confident about your background and clear in your explanations…and quantify EVERYTHING!

Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio is the co-founder of SixFigureStart (www.sixfigurestart.com), a career coaching firm that partners with individuals through every stage of their job search. Connie (connie@sixfigurestart.com) and her partner built this business upon their 40 years of experience at companies such as Goldman, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Pfizer and Time Inc. Since they have literally hired thousands of individuals over the years, they know exactly what employers want and this experience and knowledge is shared with their clients so they can find their dream job. Connie also teaches at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, as an adjunct professor of Career Development.

Not all techniques are for everybody...

Classes.

I’ve come to realize I have no facility for painting. I took a class with Esterita Austin at the Vermont Quilt Festival. I loved her and her work, but I just didn’t “get it.” She even got me started me painted shadows and highlights on my fabric, but as soon as I got back to my table I was flummoxed as to how to proceed. I ended up making a mishmash of it all.

Esterita did say that she’d had art training and that you couldn’t learn to paint on fabric in 2 hours.

That didn’t really make me feel better. I left her class feeling disillusioned with myself. I remember feeling this way after I took a painting class at Quilting By the Lake with Elizabeth Busch, as well as after trying to dye.

Some techniques are just not for us. And that’s okay.

If we’re crafting for fun or for therapy, if we’re not enjoying it than why do it?

Craft to Heal giveaway

The website Craft For Health posted my "divorce quilt" story today, along with my offer to give away a copy of my book. All you need to enter the contest is to go to the site (http://www.craftforhealth.com/), post a comment, and your name will be thrown in a hat to receive a copy of the book. You have to enter by July 9 8am EST.

Please post (here and there!) and good luck!

Being creative every day feels good!

I went to the Vermont Quilt Festival (VQF) last weekend, where I entered my “Quilt On!” mixed media scrapbook quilt in the show, only the second time I’ve had the nerve to do that. The quilt didn’t have to meet any judges’ requirements to get in (they allowed the first 200 that applied to be shown)—but it was judged by a panel of three. I got an 84, 81, and 79 out of 100 points. Not too bad. The judges said my piece was fun (yes!) but it needed more quilting. I don’t disagree—I just didn’t feel like doing it. My goal was to make something simple and get my confidence and desire to quilt back. I felt good that none of them said it was a disaster construction-wise. I'm always worried about that because I have a hard time with piecing accurately.

Over the past couple of years, I think I’ve been stymied by my desire to expand my wings. I design quilts that I have NO IDEA how to construct, so I get stuck. I am so overwhelmed by what to do next and all the projects I want to do that I do nothing (sounds like the men I date).

Anyway, at VQF I came to the conclusion that I will never be a master quilter. Don’t laugh. That was once my goal. But I know I’ll never have the patience, skill or vision of a Barb Olson, Margaret Miller, Ricky Tims or Susan Balch. And I’m learning to be okay with that. In fact, I think it’s inspired me anew.

I took another class with Barb Olson at VQF and it was simpler than the previous class I’d taken in April (bigger pieces to glue and appliqué!) and I was familiar with the technique this time. It’s also a dramatic flower (which I’ll show you somewhere down the line when it’s more finished), which I loved. She calls it “Wild Child.” As soon as I got home, I started working on it:
1) Because I was psyched to design it. It was FUN!
2) I left my sewing table folded out and my fabric everywhere. I just spread it all out throughout my dining room and let my housekeeping go to hell.
3) I can take 10 minutes here and there to work on the piece. Once I start to get frustrated or my sewing machine gums up, I stop.

Over the past week, I've finished all five petals and I’ve felt really good mentally—and I know it’s because I’m quilting.

It’s amazing how good it feels to be creative everyday--don't you think?

What to say...

My sister and I just heard that an old family friend had died. We bought a condolence card, and were faced with the dilemma of what to write. How to express our sympathy and offer encouragement in the saddest of times? Just by chance, I came across a short article I'd written on the topic. It helped me, so thought I'd share it...

Composing Tough-to-write Sympathy Notes...

When a friend experiences a significant loss--a loved one dies, she miscarries, she gets divorced, she gets sick, she loses her job--what do you say to her? How do you let your friend know you care without being patronizing, unintentionally insensitive (by saying too little) or offering cliches? According to Rosalie Maggio, author of Great Letters for Every Occasion, you walk a fine line, but the biggest mistake is ignoring the loss. In situations where someone has died or been the victim of a big misfortune (a fire, flood, burglary, violent crime, job loss, a miscarriage), not sending a letter is worse than sending a misguided one, she says.

Here, some tips on WHAT TO DO:

Acknowledge the loss and mention the deceased person by name (or specify the misfortune). Recipients are already in pain and they don’t want that to be ignored, says Maggio.

Express your feelings of grief, dismay and loss in an honest and clear manner. Don’t use euphemisms such as “left this life,” “the dear departed” or “gone to a better life.” Instead, write “died” or “miscarried.”

Be brief. “A lengthy letter can be overwhelming in a time of grief,” she says.

Mention what you particularly liked about the deceased.

End with a general expression of concern or affection, such as “you are in my thoughts.”

WHAT NOT TO DO:
Don't go overboard in expressing how you feel about the loss—saying “I was devastated. I start crying every time I think of him.”

Don’t use overly dramatic language (“the worst tragedy I ever heard of”).

Don’t use well-meaning but hurtful clichés, false cheerfulness and optimistic platitudes.

Don’t discuss your religious views or philosophy of death or loss unless you know the recipient shares your views.

Creative bravery

Creativity bravery is the essence of good art--don't you think?

The risk, of course, is that you expose your deepest feelings, thoughts, and values to the ridicule, judgment, and misinterpretation of others. But that's why you do your work for yourself and yourself alone. It’s only when you can push away your shame, fear, and insecurities and say with confidence, “I don’t care what anyone else thinks, I’m going to do this my way,” that you can let fly what lies within and create something that is truly unique, truly expressive of you, and ultimately truly healing.

Still, it’s not easy to put yourself out there and keep at it.

There’s a great little book on developing creative bravery: It’s called “Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking” by David Bayles and Ted Orland. I read it frequently, underlining new passages each time. It has so many inspiring pearls of wisdom in it!

When I’m feeling bad that one of my projects isn’t panning out the way I planned, for instance, I think of their counsel that “vision is always ahead of execution.” Or that “In a general way, fears about yourself prevent you from doing your best work, while fears about your reception by others prevent you from doing your own work.”

As Mary Tyler Moore has been quoted as saying…”It’s none of my business what anyone else thinks of me.” Your creativity is FOR YOU.