The Creativity Project Week #33: Tara Faughnan

Tara Faughnan is a professional freelance textile designer and quilter living and working in Oakland, CA. Tara began quilting in 2001, and her love of quilting led her to school and on to a career in textile design with clients including Michael Miller Fabrics and Pottery Barn Kids. Tara draws inspiration from the simple bold geometry of antique quilts, the gorgeous bright colors of textiles from around the world, and the freedom and spontaneity found in unconventional and improvisationally pieced quilts. In her work, she uses simple geometry, complex color interaction, and always strives to find the line that exists somewhere between harmony and discord. Tara’s quilts have been featured in countless magazines, and have exhibited and won awards in quilt shows all over the country. Welcome, Tara!

How would you describe your quilting style/aesthetic?

Tara: Modern aesthetic rooted strongly in traditional quilt design.

How would you describe the creative environment in your home as a child?

Tara: Very creative.  My mom is a maker and I grew up in a huge community of makers and artists and generally free-spirited people — it was the Bay Area in the 70’s.  I went to an arts magnet public school and between that and my friends’ parents who had looms and kilns, we were always doing pottery, painting, weaving, poetry, acting, writing etc.  Seriously- it was a creative kids’ haven!

What artists and makers do you most admire or have an influence on your work?

Tara: I draw inspiration form all sorts of areas- Traditional quilts, Amish quilts, African American folk art quilts, textiles from around the world, even rag rugs get me excited.  If I had to pick just one favorite quilter it would be Rosie Lee Tompkins.

Do you consider yourself a “quilter”, an artist, or some combination of both?

Tara: I think both, it’s not necessarily an either/or situation.  I think of myself as a quilter first though, and only recently in the last few years have thought about myself as an artist.  I actually love that we are still in the beginning times (the last few decades, but it’s still ongoing) where quilts are beginning to be seen as art.  It’s an amazing time to be creating in, but I always want to include that I’m a “quilter” rather than a textile artist, as I have a deep respect for that heritage and want to continue to honor it by name.

How would you define “making with intention”?

Tara: Ooh, that’s tough one.  It implies to me a more cerebral process, and my quilt making in general  is anything but that.

Do you think that having a craft makes us more compassionate? If so, then how?

Tara: I can only speak for myself, and it sounds horrible to say, but I’m not sure it does make me feel more compassionate.  I feel compassion when I’m giving to or helping others, and I feel compassion when I talk to others or read their stories, but quilting is a really selfish act for me.  I shut the world out and just dive into myself.

How does creating feed your soul/spiritual purpose?

Tara: I think my soul feeds my creativity.  And then my creativity feeds my soul. It’s a loop.  So it’s giving me that space to connect with myself and imagine. To be quiet and listen. To get excited and act. My mom told me about her  “ironing board philosophy” a few years ago, and it really struck me how true that is. I have had some of my most profound moments while doing the mundane tasks of sewing.

Are there any rituals that you perform to prepare/ground yourself in your work?

Tara: Nothing specific.  I meditate and visualize in general, and that probably flows over.  Every once in a while I clean my studio and that helps ground the space immensely.

What is the support system you have in place for creating your work?

Tara: My husband is also an artist and several of my close friends are artists as well. When I was going through a real creative slump recently it was wonderful to have folks to talk to who’ve been there and understand where you are at.  One of my girlfriends actually gave me the description of my work that I use the most, that I walk the line between harmony and discord. She and I will run ideas back and forth or send pictures when we are stuck and have a question or want an opinion.   It’s not often but I love knowing I’ve got people to dialog with when I need or want it.

How do you deal with comparison to / envy of others? Can you describe a time when you used comparison/envy/admiration to push yourself in your own work and self-discovery?

Tara: I think it’s somewhat natural to compare yourself to others. Mostly I just try to recognize it when I feel it, and then not give it any more power by continuing to think about it.   If I feel it start to creep in, I try to remind myself that “comparison is the thief of joy” (Theodore Roosevelt). I think having started quilting before social media was a huge bonus for me.  I’ve been quilting for almost 20 years. For the first 10, I made a bunch of crap that no one saw because there was no Instagram! I’m so grateful I had all that time to just create without a lot of outside influence or onlookers. And for the last part of the question, no- comparison/envy/admiration do not push me in any way. For me, true creativity comes from within, not from envy or even admiration.

What was the most challenging thing you ever made?

Tara: I made a quilt in honor of my girlfriend after she died of breast cancer.  She was an incredible artist and human — loud, and hilarious, and insightful. I channeled her artistic spirit when I made a quilt in her memory (Alexandra’s Quilt) and just let myself go in a way that I never had before, and I’ve never gone back. That quilt changed everything for me in terms of how I create and the abandon I let myself fall in to.  I can look at the body of my work and clearly see that turning point when suddenly my quilts started to look different and to have more cohesion as a whole.

What does it mean to you to work in a traditionally domestic medium that historically has been regarded as predominately female (aka “women’s work”)?

Tara: It means everything to me.  Over the last 5 years or so, it has become more and more important to me.  At one point, I thought about changing mediums. Perhaps because I realized that if I painted, instead of quilted, nobody would ever question if it was art. And in thinking about it, I realized how important this tradition of quilting was to me. And that made my rebellious spirit go into  paroxysms of joy! To me, it actually feels radically feminist to sit and hand quilt like generations before me, and maybe that has to do with intention. Quietly stitching with the intention of carrying on the tradition and trying to honor it and continuing the fight for the recognition of quilters both in present time and from the past feels really radical to me.  Doing it in a quiet slightly subversive way, too. Women’s work has value, and we don’t need to re-categorize it or justify it to make it so.

How do you see your current work in the context of quilting history?

Tara: I don’t really think about it, but it would be wonderful if my quilts added to the conversation.  It would be a great honor if anyone 100 years from now saw a picture of one of my quilts and loved it.

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Thank you, Tara!  It’s been such a pleasure getting to know more about your work and what inspires you! For more about Tara, visit her website, or connect with her on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. To purchase Tara’s patterns, visit her website and sign up for updates on all the newest product releases and classes that she will be teaching. Would you like to be featured in The Creativity Project? Reach out! I’d love to hear from you! Contact me. Want to participate, but not necessarily be featured? You can do that! Click here to take the survey! The Creativity Project can be found on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or Bloglovin’. Or check back here every Friday of 2018!