practice

One of my favorite bloggers wrote this week on keeping up her blog and how she keeps it fresh and interesting. Admittedly, she has a much wider base of support for her topic of interest, cooking, than a blog of tiny quilts will ever get, but her writing really connected with me. She writes:

  

"Here's how I approach this site, and have for a long time. I think of it as my practice. It's something I'm committed to, and look forward to being committed to for years to come. Contributing something new each week helps me develop in areas that I find important creatively - cooking, writing, taking photographs - and the only way I'm able to grow is through experience, experimentation, and regular practice."

Having spent my 20s studying Washin-Ryu Karate and having a long term interest in Zen Buddhism, the word "practice" woke up a realization in me that everything I do with fabric, color, and design can be described with this word that is both noun and verb. To apply the same focus towards writing about fabric, color and design is to bring the breadth and depth of the activity into the realm of communication. To try to capture the creative process, the influences, and the engagement with tactile materials and visual experience in a blog post is an expansion of the existing practice of making quilts.  

Inspiration can come at us from any direction. Who knew that reading a cooking blog can inspire a quilt maker?

prac·tice

ˈpraktəs/

noun

1. 1. 

   the actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method as opposed to theories about such application or use.

   "the principles and practice of teaching"

   synonyms:

   application, exercise, use, operation, implementation, execution More

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2. 2. 

   repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it.

   "it must have taken a lot of practice to become so fluent"

   synonyms:

   training, rehearsal, repetition, preparation; More

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verb

1. 1. 

   perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency.

   "I need to practice my French"

   synonyms:

   rehearse, run through, go over/through, work on/at; More

2. 2. 

   carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly.

   "we still practice some of these rituals today"

   synonyms:

   carry out, perform, observe "we still practice these rituals today"