Notes on Fear, Creative Interpretation, and Small Steps

Studio Notes

all things crochet

I've had more time to work on my otter, but no progress there. Instead, I designed a sunflower buddy. She still needs a mouth, and then I'm ready to try to get testers for the first time! So far, I've designed about 10 patterns, but none have been shared or tested. This is an exciting step, and I'm getting nervous...

I am working on an owl as well, and I'm really pleased with the "rough draft" of the wing design. I still need to make a few tweaks since it is not laying how I would like it, but it is very cool.

I swung by the store to pick up some colors I need to complete the final bird in a bird bundle I'm designing. These are all long-necked birds, so there is a flamingo, a duck/goose, a turkey, and a peacock. What I love about this bundle is that they have the same body style with different tails and beaks to complete the look. I might even add a Mallard duck in there, too!

There's been lots of progress this week, which is exciting. I have to keep switching up my tasks to keep things interesting. That means I have numerous projects midway through. But progress is happening, even if it is a bit chaotic.

Nature

sightings and experiences

I saw a Red-headed Woodpecker and a Red-bellied Woodpecker! There was also a White-Breasted Nuthatch and possibly a Brown Creeper.

I'm learning about the birds in my area with the Merlin Bird ID app. I highly recommend it. I use it to identify birds by sound, so I have an idea of what I'm looking for. It also works well to identify birds that you have spotted by generating a list of possible birds after you answer a few simple questions about what you saw.

Gathered Things

annotated links and more discovered this week

I wanted to share a quote from a book I've been listening to, so I went to GoodReads to see if I could track it down without having to re-listen to portions of it. I was surprised by the negative reviews I saw there. It had me hesitating on whether to share the quote, even though it is valuable to me and related to this blog.

What's interesting is that I've previously shared a helpful post from a blogger who ensures that her sources are good. I think this is valuable work.

At the same time, I often find things of value in unlikely places. Yes, there is what the author said, and that is important. There is also what we got out of the book, whether it is a phrase, a concept, an analogy, etc. Sometimes what I receive from a source is incredibly small but still powerful and more important (for my personal life) than the author's intended meaning.

If I only share from sources or people that I agree with 100%, I wouldn't share much. It's also fascinating how you can read beyond your "market segment" and find meaning, whether or not it is intended by the author.

So yes, I agree that sources are important, but I guess I wonder if we place too much importance on that and not enough on our ability to creatively use and build upon the writing and ideas of others. Yes, interpretations could go way off the rails.

But when a phrase, a sentence, an idea, or even a single word resonates with me at a deeper level, I try to pay attention, no matter the source. It is resonating because I find meaning there. What is it? Why is it relevant in this time and place in my life? I've found deep meaning in a few sentences when the rest of the book is a miss.

I also put down more books than I finish, by quite a wide margin. I realize I may be in the minority, but I think I read deeply with my emotions. If there is enough emotional resonance, I will stick with something longer even if there is disagreement.

There is a lot of dross out there. I want to find and share what is of value to me, and readers of this blog can take whatever is of value to them, in that moment, in that place, in that circumstance of their life. If it doesn't resonate, that is ok.

That was a long preamble for this idea (still couldn't find an exact quote). I needed to clear my throat to be able to share it, actually, for more reasons than what I've already written. Maybe for another day.

The authors were discussing fear. Something that I have (regrettably) too much experience with. They described a magnificent train journey through the mountains where fear is an unlikable passenger. I thought they were going to say something like we can either look at the mountains or we can look at fear, but that's not where they ended up.

They said, we can either let fear trap us at the station, or we can let fear be an unlikable passenger on the train.

This was eye-opening. I realized how often I let fear keep me from taking chances and just enjoying life. By "staying at the station," I'm not avoiding fear but giving it undue power over my decisions. I'm not going to rid myself of fear, no matter what, so why do I stay in the station when I'm presented with an opportunity to see the mountains?

I wouldn't let an annoying passenger ruin a real trip I was on. Why let fear? Perhaps it was the shock of thinking I knew where the authors were going, but this is such a helpful analogy for me. It reminds me that fear is inevitable, whether or not I get on the train.

I hope you found something alive for you in this post. That's what I'm looking for when I read, and I can't imagine reading any other way. Thanks for being here!