With Power Builders, I plan to provide creative links each week. Inspiration is fuel, helping feed your flames of creativity, making you more powerful in your art and in your life. I love seeing how other creative people use their time, structure their work, find inspiration. These links will provide some of that, some beautiful or fascinating things to look at and think about, some books or other readings I love, and some technical information. Some of it will be directly quilt-related but much of it will not. What you see in Power Builders will depend on what I find. Feel free to link great things in comments, too.
1) Art comes in unexpected places and from unexpected people.
2) The making of a haute couture dress.
3) Have you met Austin Kleon? Take a look at his blog, his tumblr, his newsletters. Fascinating stuff.
4) And one of Austin’s recent tumblr subjects, some thoughts about getting stuff done by David Allen.
5) A piece I wrote about how using our creative powers helps us become ourselves.
6) A little more ice from a blogger I follow named Steve Gingold.
7) And finally, a 30′ tall robot (it moved!), part of the art festival we enjoyed in Taos, NM last fall.
photo by Jim Ruebush
Get inspired by the world around you! What has inspired you this week?
Catbird Quilt Studio 
Loved the frozen waterfall photos. I wonder if the photographer wore battery heated socks.
Great idea for a series! I’ll look forward to seeing what you come up with!
Thanks. I think it will be fun for me, anyway. Danger happens if I start spending more time looking for/at inspirations than I spend actually creating! 😉
Ok, guess I’m the dumb one here but NEVER knew it took that many people to make a dress as in #2! I’m sure the model was pre-selected so can you imagine the pressure on her not to gain an ounce!! The robot is cool!
I KNOW!! I loved the dress video. Also it is a good illustration of the difference between a … big-box store quilt made by the thousands and a hand-made quilt made uniquely. SAME PRINCIPLE!
The Robot is my fave!
Isn’t it fun? We had such a good time, for many reasons. Thanks for looking.
Reblogged this on Our View From Iowa and commented:
Not just for quilters… 😉
#4 I think like this all the time–making lists and prioritizing, Delegating if needed, re-evaluating DOING. Process it so it is off your mind and off your plate. It does free up creativity.
I agree. I’ve gotten pretty systematic over the years. It doesn’t mean “rigid” or “inflexible” or “left-brained” (which isn’t even a thing.) It means I get to not worry about things getting done, and it means I don’t have stress of things not getting done in the way of my more essential work.
Lots of good stuff there. Now and then we all need to strike our best power pose. Get those arms up!
Tell that to the robot! 🙂