10 months of Creative Strength Training with Jane Dunnewold

As some of you may know, I joined one of the original Creative Strength Training workshops offered by Jane Dunnewold and Zenna Duke and some of my writing / work is included in the book version published in 2016.  Jane and Zenna are now offering a 10 month extended version of CST and I've decided to revisit the program for a number of reasons. Firstly, I wouldn't lightly offer up the chance to work with Jane and the other CST participants - Jane and Zenna build communities of support and also opportunities for challenge at a personal level. Secondly, joining the 1 March program gives me ten months to explore more deeply the themes from the original CST in an expanded context and will give me a chance to put more concrete strategies in place for my creative future.  I found CST enriched my writing, what I write about and brought me into a more thoughtful and meaningful relationship with my art - as well as the spin offs for other relationships and life more generally. For those considering participation in the 10 month course, consider listening to Jane's recent talk at La Conner, WA (September 2016)  - Reflections on Creative Strength Training- another chance to listen to the quiet wisdom and encouragement of Jane Dunnewold. You can also catch Jane and Zenna talking specifically about the 10 month course and structure here.  I hope to share the next 10 months with you!

Creative Strength Training - Summer Camp

In addition to Jane Dunnewold's latest offering - Creative Strength Training - Jane and daughter Zenna are offering a Creative Strength Training Summer Camp - all online through a CST Summer Camp Facebook page. Each week a prompt is set - and participants post (or keep to themselves) a response to the prompt. Week 1 - was sticks; Week 2 - involves some writing and a poem - all offered by Jane. 

Week 2 is a response to words found in a page in a dictionary or newspaper  - from which a poem is written. My words include: portmanteau, facetious, transistor, motel, convenience, compass, isolated and string.

Rythm and discipline of creating

My time in the studio is limited, fiercely guarded and akin to a religious experience. A cup of tea is brought to me before sun up and that's the fastest way I know to get the eyes to catch up with brain activity.  (It's not the ideal time to warm up with free motion quilting practice, but that's a topic for a different post). Dad found me this dental tool at his local flea market - it's such a useful piece of equipment for working corners and coaxing threads to their rightful place. I use tape to secure an edge threatening to fray itself to oblivion under the hectic pace of stitching, get lots of cardio opportunities moving between machine and design board while strength training comes from camera work and repositioning the tripod (strength training actually derived from lessons learned  and philosophy behind Jane Dunnewold's Artist Strength Training). It's now dark.  The rythm slows.  Another day tomorrow.

Design and Print your own fabric - with Jane Dunnewold

I recently had the opportunity to review Jane Dunnewold's latest DVD - Design and Print Your Own Fabric. I have to declare that I am a big fan of Jane's work and teaching, and recently completed her 10 week Artist Strength Training Course. As someone with an existing print on demand account (Spoonflower is just one entity providing this service), I wondered what value add I would get from the DVD – because I am already very comfortable using the Spoonflower site and digital images to create and design fabric.
Jane’s DVD is like having Jane sitting beside you in the studio chatting about what might seem a daunting topic – how to design and create, upload, manipulate and customise a personal range of fabrics.  The focus is on improvisational design, as much as the how to of embracing print on demand websites and all they offer the textile and mixed media artist.
It is the improvisational design aspects that got me interested – using readily accessed, easy to use products already available to most of us – a camera, computer, thumb drive (USB stick) and scanner.
The DVD covers the creative aspects and functional reality of using a print on demand service provider such as Spoonflower.
Jane’s tuition on improvisational design took me somewhere new – and a whole new design world has opened. That alone justifies for me, the investment in the DVD. The ability to better understand the link between what can be created on the computer, through the use of an image manipulating program was a huge plus. In addition, the technical advice about use of images, explanation of pixels and ratios for exporting photos or images to the Spoonflower site is provided in a way that everyone can manage – something I’d previously found challenging. I particularly liked that I can listen to a section a few times – such as the demystification of pixels – then work “live” on my images while listening to the DVD.
Jane’s presentation is friendly, helpful and her explanations are suited to both the first time and experienced user of print on demand services. If you can’t have Jane sitting with you in the studio, then I think this DVD is the next best alternative.