Hello, sweet quilter friend! As a quilt blogger and instructor, I love that I get to meet people from all over the world. I get to converse with people of all different skills, backgrounds, and inspirations. BUT I have one thing that drives me absolutely crazy when I meet another quilter…
Do you want to know what drives me crazy?
I meet all these people whose skills and beautiful works of art will make your jaw hit the floor so fast.
I’ve seen crazy combinations of fabric that would blow your mind and people who use fabric in ways that make me fall in love with quilting all over again!
I’m am blown away by the depth of creativity that quilters have! I love seeing the works of people from all different skill levels!
However, it never fails… and it breaks my heart when someone will say something along the lines of… “oh, I love to quilt!… but I could never do what you do!” or “I love to quilt, but I’m not an expert or anything.“
Um… First of all… neither am I.
I love to share my projects and the things that I learn along the way. I created my blog and my Youtube Channel so that I could start sharing my projects and it blossomed into a community of quilters that I gain knowledge from and share the things I learn along the way.
This one little bit of conversation can drain all your confidence away and keep it from coming back!
For most people, you might not even give it a second thought… but audibly admitting that you don’t measure up to someone else will make your confidence take a nosedive.
Maybe you’re a beginner quilter and in conversation with someone who has years of experience… yes, the statements are true… for now. But not forever.
I’m not an “expert quilter”.
I’m not! I’m just a little crazy enough to post all my learning moments and mistakes all over the internet for other people to see. haha)
Truthfully, I never ever want to get to the point where I’ve learned all I can learn and done everything I can do, when it comes to quilting. (or anything in life really)
Isn’t that the beautiful part of the creative industry?… There is no end to this journey. No experts exist in this industry. We are all always learning, even if we’re on different parts of the same journey!
Sure, there are plenty of really amazingly talented people that have years of experience and study on a particular craft or skill. But have they learned EVERYTHING? Have they seen the craft from every single angle and worked with every type of material? – likely not.
My Vision for Creatives
One of my missions is to instill an unshakable confidence in quilters who pass off their passions as “just a little side hobby” – which is totally fine to have, by the way!
There is a difference between a little side hobby and a passion that really brings you joy.
One of them is something that you do when you’ve got nothing else to do… or you are trying to do something to get your mind off of another project. The other is something that you find yourself dreaming or thinking about at random moments throughout the day… you probably even have a few Pinterest boards or a magazine file with inspirations. You have a closet full of supplies and you’re just waiting for that giddy moment when you can sneak away and be yourself!
I can usually pinpoint the moment in beginner quilter’s journey when they fully embrace what they love. By owning up to being a quilter and accepting it as something that you love… I can see their confidence level shoot upwards!
Seriously, just by owning it as a part of yourself! I see their quilts become a little bit bolder and their willingness to try new things increases too. Suddenly the big scary world of quilting is a very comforting and happy place where you’re free from true failure and welcome trying new things!- simply because you want to!
Do you want to know another benefit that I see when a quilter shifts from meekly dismissing their crafty passions to really loving and going all in on being a quilter?
There is a what I like to call the time shift.
And I swear it happens every single time!
Quilters who make the shift from “just a little side hobby” to “creating is what I really love to spend time doing”…. find out that there is more time to quilt on the calendar! It is like magic. When your passion becomes your priority you let the lesser to-dos take away your time..
*BONUS* By embracing what you love, you give others permission to be themselves
I know I talk and share a lot about quilting… but this is true for any passion in your life. Maybe you love to cook, or you’re amazing at making your own furniture, you want to perfect the perfect lollipop formula or you really love to lay out in the sunshine and read.
Embracing your passion lets other people see who you truly are and what you love to do.
This subconsciously gives them permission to love and embrace what brings them joy!
*Without going into a huge campfire snuggle session here… This beautiful circle of inspiration just goes around and around… giving people permission to be happy being their true selves.
With that amount of freedom and beauty… how could you allow yourself to shrink back or compare your journey to someone elses?
I would love to hear you thoughts on this subject 🙂 Feel free to drop it down in the comments down below!
So very true. When I switched from saying “I’m learning to quilt” to introducing myself as a quilter, my confidence began to sky rocket.
I will never be an expert. I love learning new techniques. Which means I’m always “learning to quilt.” But today I stand proud and confidently proclaim myself to be a quilter.
I was recently thinking to myself that quilting has helped me be bolder in other aspects of my life. I’m not as afraid of making mistakes, because it’s a learning event and adds to the experience.