The Creativity Project Week #52: Kim Soper

Welcome to the final week of 2018, and the last week of The Creativity Project! Over the past 52 weeks, we’ve come together every Friday with so many amazing artists and makers to try to get to the heart of “why” we create. For 52 weeks, we’ve come to this space with an open heart and curious mind, to hear each participant give voice to their personal creative process.

Throughout the year, many of you have asked if I would provide my own reflections on the interview questions. While I didn’t want my opinions to influence any of the respondent’s interpretation of the questions, I thought it only fair for me to experience what it is like to be the one sharing their personal process. And so, for this final installment of The Creativity Project, I give you — me.

Before we begin the final interview, I’d like to express how much I appreciate each and every one of you for taking the time out of your busy lives to read this project and reflect on its meaning. It has been a privilege to bring you this series, and I only hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I have. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me.

Of course I’d like to extend a HUGE thank you to all of the project participants: Melanie Tuazon, Jess Skultety, Michelle Cain, Laura Hartrich, Yvonne Fuchs, Shannon Fraser, Tiffany Horn, Andrea Tsang Jackson, Christa Watson, Silvia Sutters, Michelle Wilkie, Deborah Fisher, Michelle Bartholomew, Kirsty Cleverly, Steph Skardal, Laura McDowell Hopper, Daisy Aschehoug, Heather Black, Shelagh Jessop, Kathryn Upitis, Carole Lyles Shaw, Dash Masland, Victoria Gertenbach, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Mel Beach, Diana Vandeyar, Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill, Kristin Shields, Alexis Deise, Sujata Shah, Sara Trail, Gina Adams, Tara Faughnan, Melissa Averinos, Luke Haynes, Jen Broemel, Sarah Goer, Timna Tarr, Heidi Parkes, Alyce Blythe, Scarlet Sparkuhl, Riane Menardi, Zak Foster, Karen Duling, Jenny Haynes, Carolina Oneto, Kim Eichler-Messmer, Suzy Williams, Heather Jones, Sam Hunter, and of course all of you who participated in the survey. Thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully consider the interview questions. Without you this project could not exist! 

And now, without further ado, I give you the final installment of The Creativity Project.

How would you describe your quilting style/aesthetic?

I would say it’s still evolving. I rarely make the same thing twice. Once I feel that I’ve explored a technique or color combination that I wanted to try, I’m ready to move on. But if I had to put myself in a category, I’d say modern traditionalist or structured improv — for now.

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

I was born to color. As an only child, I would gladly spend hours a day just coloring and drawing at my craft table. Especially with markers. I loved markers. Often, my parents would be making something, too. My dad was usually crafting in the garage — from home improvement projects to building me a dollhouse — he did it all. My mom was both a painter (Japanese brush) and loved to sew clothes. I remember, one Christmas, she gave me an entire moving box full of clothes that she had made for my collection of Cabbage Patch Kids. To this day, it may be the greatest present I’ve ever unwrapped in my life! Together we used to make bookmarks and ornaments out of felt, clay and paper. We decorated Easter eggs with a glue gun and sequins. Sometimes I would help my dad work on birdhouses and other projects in the garage, but most of the time I was inside crafting or cooking in the kitchen with my mom.

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

There are so many makers and artists that I admire and that have had an influence on my work over the years. I created this project because I am so intensely inspired by so many of you, and if I asked you to participate in this space, then you know I admire you.

But when I first wrote this question, I envisioned it as a way to pay homage to the artists that drew us into this medium in the first place. And so, that is how I will answer it.

My mom provided the first exposure to quilting in my life, when she took up the hobby during my teens. Later, as an adult, she gave me my first sewing machine, and Victoria Findlay Wolfe instantly drew me in to the possibilities of the medium with her book, 15 Minutes of Play. Hers was the first quilting class that I ever took, and her use of color and improvisational style showed me that quilts could me so much more than I ever had imagined. Plus I was short on time as a new mom, and yet 15 minutes seemed manageable.

Anna Maria Horner also was a huge inspiration. When I was pregnant with my second son, her book Handmade Beginnings, made quilted projects and getting acquainted with my sewing machine attainable by breaking it down into simple steps and projects. My boys are now 10, 8 and 6 and they still have the ball that I made from a pattern in that book.

Amanda Soule’s blog, and her book Handmade Home, brought everything back to the basics. Her simple but cozy aesthetic was a huge reason that I wanted to quilt.

And Rachel Hauser, with her pure love of quilting and her honesty in sharing her life with others, inspired me to join do. Good Stitches and to start my own blog, rather than just watching from afar.

I am so grateful for each of the seeds these ladies planted within me, that have allowed me to grow into the maker that I am today.

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

To be honest, I don’t necessarily identify with either. I see myself as a maker. Whatever I create, I strive to do it well — to the best of my ability — and with the finest materials I can acquire. The more I learn, the more I want to know. I see myself as trying to expand the boundaries of creative self-care, trying to share my journey (and what I’ve learned along the way) with others, and at the same time nurturing my own creative self with the work that I make. Right now, that’s quilts.

How would you define “making with intention”?

To me, making with intention is to create with a purpose in mind. It’s knowing why you are doing something, or at least attempting to understand why you are doing it, while doing it. In my opinion, it is essential to question why we do things, so that we can grow. We need to know where we started so that we can push ourselves to stretch beyond our comfort zone. 

That said, I believe there are many ways to work with intention. It could be intention to use the creative process as meditation. (The repetitive nature of a task can soothe the mind and busy the hands.) It could be the intention to infuse every stitch of a project with love or healing. Or, it could be the intention to attempt a technique or design that makes us uncomfortable and stretches us. 

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

I think it’s really difficult to be compassionate to others unless you have compassion for yourself. One way I show myself compassion is to indulge my creative desires. It’s how I nurtured myself as a child, and it continues to be how I nurture myself to this day. So in this respect, I think having a craft can help to make us more compassionate. I also think it harkens back to intention. When we infuse our work with the intent to nurture ourselves or to infuse our stitches with love for another, we are practicing compassion through our craft.

How does creating feed your soul/spiritual purpose?

Spirituality is a connection that gives our lives meaning and purpose. Creating makes me feel connected to something bigger than myself. To take something that was merely an idea in my head, and to be able to bring it into being, is hugely satisfying and nourishes my soul.

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

Clean mind, clean space.

Journaling is the #1 way that I prepare to work. Whether I am trying to decide which new project to start, or I’m having doubts about the way a project is going, or I’m distracted by life; journaling is the way that I clear my head and work through issues. Putting it on the page somehow clears the clutter from my mind and allows me to approach my studio with a clean slate.

And if the studio isn’t clean, then I need to clean up before I can work. I must have a completely clean space to start a new project, and a moderately clean space to keep working on something that is already in progress.

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

I feel very fortunate to have the best husband in the world (sorry, ladies, I got him!). He pushes me when I need to be pushed, he encourages me when I’m struggling, and he gives me the time to work on my craft. I’m very lucky to have him and my three boys that think because I have a few ribbons and some instagram followers that I am “the best quilter in the world” and “famous.” I might not believe them, but I really appreciate knowing that they think 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?

Instagram and Pinterest are full of inspiration. But if my head is not in the right frame of mind, that inspiration can quickly turn to envy when I feel like other quilters are more productive or more creative.

Personally, I really struggle with envy of people who are able to create quickly. I am quite slow, deliberate, and tend to overthink as I am creating. So I get overwhelmed when I see quilters that can produce multiple projects at a time, or tons of quilts in a year. For me, the bigger issue is that my envy snowballs into worry: I worry about not making the most of my time; I worry about spending too much time looking at inspiration and not enough time creating; and when I am actually creating, I worry I am taking too long! It can be a vicious cycle of anxiety!

I often have to remind myself to be present and to be grateful for the time that I have. I have the ability to be purposeful about how I spend my time – but it is up to me to make the best use of it. I can only do so much, and I have to be confident that what I do is enough.

There’s a fine line between trying to “make” things happen and learning to let go and “allow” things happen. Sometimes it’s hard to know when to surrender control — especially when we really want what we are working toward. I’m still trying to find that balance.

What was the most challenging thing you ever made?

Hands down, I would have to say the In Our Own Words Quilt. When I put out the call for words, I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know if I would receive 30 words. . . or 300! Once I had the final count on the words (196), I had to come up with a plan for the design. I wanted each part of the design process to be meaningful, so that even if someone didn’t appreciate the end result aesthetically, they could understand why I chose to do what I did. 

I also felt a huge responsibility to each of the women that took the time to hand-stitch a block and to send it to me. I am still trying to decide how I can document the letters that I received with so many of the words, explaining why each woman chose the word that she did. Many of the letters brought me to tears with their simultaneous strength and vulnerability. Because I wanted each word to have it’s own equal recognition, I had to create a quilt with 196 blocks. 

In the end, the quilt is 10 feet by 10 feet. It required assembling 784 drunkards path pieces into 196 finished blocks, to which I machine embroidered each individual word. I only hope that it makes all of the women that contributed to the quilt proud. I can assure you that I tried my best and had that intention in mind with each and every stitch.

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”)?

If you read last week’s post with the survey results, then you know that I have already shared my reasons for including this question in the project. I hope that you will go back and read my (lengthy) reason for asking it, and the many ways in which my intent was misunderstood. I think it was very interesting to read through the survey responses.

Answering the question for myself, I can only say this. It means the world to me. As you can probably already guess from the In Our Own Words Quilt, I am a huge believer in the power of women. I strongly value the community of women that I am a part of, and I seek in my own small way to help others appreciate how awesome we are.

Choosing to quilt, for me, means that I am actively choosing to work in a medium that women have worked in for hundreds of years before me. I am so proud to be a woman actively choosing to quilt at this moment in time. I often question, why is it that painters and sculptors get to, by default, call themselves artists; but if you quilt, it’s a hobby? And how much do traditional gender roles, and who participated in quilting vs. who traditionally made “art” (and judged what “art” is), factor into these designations? By striving to elevate the craft, my goal is to hopefully bring some overdue recognition to the women who have been keeping this medium alive for centuries.

I am not advocating we be exclusionary by gender either. The medium of quilting is open to everyone, and quite honestly, the more widely practiced it is as an art form, the sooner it will be elevated in the art world.

But at the end of the day, I do not want to lose the sense of tradition that quilts were mostly created by women. It is because I value the contributions of women of the past to this medium that I actively choose to keep their traditions and spirit alive. It is this core belief that draws me to quilt and to study our choices to quilt. I truly believe that it is an exciting time to be a woman creating in the textile arts. It is now up to us to seek out opportunities to exhibit our work, to ask for a fair value for what we make, and to support one another’s efforts to elevate our work to receive the recognition it rightly deserves.

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

I only hope that what I do, in some small way, meaningfully adds to the elevation of the craft, the valuation of quilts as art, and the importance of quilting as a way to nurture ourselves — through connection to ourselves, as well as to the quilting community: both past and present.

---

Thank you, everyone, for reading along. It’s been an amazing year, and I look forward to learning more, loving more, and sharing more experiences with you in 2019! Happy New Year!