Seeds
This time of year, seed catalogs begin arriving. They are a harbinger of spring and speak to us of sunny days, full of marigolds, petunias, and summer squash blossoms. Green and growing plants are lovely to contemplate, in the dead of winter.
Seeds for plants are important as they propagate a species, but other “seeds” have value, as well. Every time someone sparks in you an idea, either verbally, or by the example of their own work, potentially they are planting a “seed” in your mind, a starting point through which you can envision a new work, to make a quilt or something else that is creative, on your own.
We are all influenced by all of the artists who ever lived. The word “artist,” as used here, is an all-inclusive concept that gathers into its folds songwriters, writers, graphic artists, oil painters, humorists, quilters, embroiderers, and all other creative people.
If someone has influenced your work, acknowledge them a silent “thank you” in your heart, or, if the person is still above the ground, write a thank you note, if that is possible.
Seeds are wonderful things, and so are seminal ideas. Virtually no Art exists in a vacuum. Mankind is a tribal group and since we live with and among other people, it is inevitable that we will provide each other “fodder for the grist mill,” or at least, “food for thought.”
Germinate those ideas, and may your quilts, like flowers, ever bring you joy!
Patricia Cummings
