What I love

 I love everything about the creative process. I love reading about another artist's unique vision, of how she/he imagines a piece, sketches it out, and then creates it. I love looking at the studios of other artists, whether carefully organized or jumbled messes. I love to pore over the Daniel Smith catalog for artists, or the many craft sites on the web. The talents of others are inspiring, and often humbling.

"We seek" Acrylic, ink, type, thread; digitally enhanced

I've always loved art. One of my earlier memories was as an 8 year old spending an entire Saturday afternoon coloring in front of the fireplace, a callus forming on the middle finger of my right hand that still exists today. My favorite present ever was given to me by my mother when I was around 12. We lived in a big, drafty house on Seattle's Capitol Hill area. She turned one room in the attic into a studio for me, and fitted it with a wooden easel, work table, paints, pencils and paper. I spent many hours in that room, painting and drawing the world as I then saw it. 

I love experimenting with new media, love books that teach and encourage me to reach for a higher level of understanding. For me, a dried piece of kelp, a beautiful color of yarn, or a page in a book may be the thing that lights up my own imagination. Often I simply write the idea down and don't return to it for months, but it's nurtured just the same, and is as much a part of the process as the physical act of creating. 

There have been stretches in my life in which I let my art go. I would feel inadequate and give up, or would let the unimportant take a hold of me, leaving little time for a creative life. Six months ago, when I was laid off from my job of 23 years, the shock left me feeling like I had nothing left to give. The desire to create vanished. But what kept me going, aside from the love and generosity of friends and family, was the creativity of others. I would open a blog such as Purl Bee or Ornamental.typepad.com, the stunning site of Nina Bagley, jewelry artist and photographer, poet and writer, and feel a connection to art and life. The photography of Irene Suchocki (isphotography.myshopify.com) lets me see the world through her eyes. And my sister, Cheryl Morgan, is a quilter who inspires me with her love and dedication for her craft. 

When Purl Bee offered a trial blog through Squarespace, I thought it might be just the thing I needed. For six months, I've collected the bits and pieces of an imagined project in a red cardboard box. But I was afraid to begin, afraid of failure. My hope is that this blog will be a promise to myself to get back in the game and be accountable to my art and life. 

 CeCe Sullivan  (csquareddesign)