Sewing Summit 2012: Believe in Your Creative Journey

I was a little nervous about going to Sewing Summit this year—I knew I was going to be surrounded by many talented, kind, and ambitious people, and I did not want to come home feeling frustrated or bad about what I am or am not currently doing in my life.  The worst feeling in the world is to be jealous of people that you actually really like.

I am happy to report that I came home feeling much more calm and content with my life than I have in a long time.  I got to meet sewers, quilters, and bloggers I admire, and hang out with friends I have met before (or interact with regularly on Instagram).  It was so nice to remember that most people there spend a majority of their time raising children or working in non-sewing jobs. Or both.  Life is a balancing act for everyone, and sometimes it works out really well.  Sometimes it doesn’t. 

It was a breath of fresh air to have honest conversations about sewing, quilting, blogging, balancing, and evolving.  And also honest conversations about the importance of taking care of yourself, first.  I’m happy to say that I hit the pool four out of five weekdays this week. Which, of course, is more than I have in the last six months!

The theme of this year’s Sewing Summit was A Creative Journey, which is something I have thought a lot about since returning home. I appreciated what the keynote speaker, Nancy Soriano of  The Creative Connection,  had to say about her own creative journey, which included a long stint as the editor of Country Living. She encouraged us to be a maker and use our hands, which she compared to  productive meditation, which describes just how I feel about creating. 

Each place setting for dinner Saturday night included a Spoonflower swatch with the Creative Journey logo and the phrase “Believe in Your Creative Journey” written on it. I used it to make a quick and scrappy zipper pouch—hopefully a daily reminder that believing in yourself and your creative journey, however you define it, is essential.