Breaking Boundaries - Release the Secret Weapon!

Most of us live within self-imposed boundaries and avoid opportunities that come along which would force us to abandon our comfort zone and break through those boundaries. Why? Because it's familiar and it's safe. Some of us establish more narrow boundaries than others, but we all have them. Artists don't have boundaries. They have an attitude of "what if?" and are always looking to break the rules and experiment, eventually finding their own unique form of expression which continues to evolve throughout their lives. Probably the greatest risk to artists is that of success...they give up the art-making process to turn out work that pleases their audience. The economics of their success, money, becomes the driving force in their work and rather than continue to explore and enjoy the process of creating, they set a boundary based on what sells. Talk to any artist and you'll discover what they love most about art...it's the journey, the creative process. 


The certainty of playing it safe with old, familiar quilting patterns and color choices is comforting. But the excitement of change is stimulating. I think we each have a rebel within (a wannabe artist) that's just aching to get out. Dare to change? Let the rebel speak. One way to start is to add one or two colors to your next project that you'd not normally use. Rather than letting the rebel run wild, refer to your color wheel to make sure your selections work according to color theorists. It may mean expanding your analogous selection a bit to include a few colors just slightly beyond your comfort level...that's exactly what I did when I added yellow-green to my palette for the Unusual Lone Star (see yesterday's blog Making Good Choices).


Sometimes its fun to experiment and work with a color palette that's completely new to you. Last fall I decided to make my son a wall quilt to hang in his bedroom, which was decorated with Ralph Lauren neutral bedding (shades of beige and gray). These colors are NOT ME! I would never make myself a quilt of neutral colors. Choosing the fabrics for the quilt was a new experience for me. I had no idea manufacturers made so many neutral colors. Several trips to the fabric store and enough fabric to make several neutral quilts and I still felt something was lacking. I took out my trusty color wheel and looked for the complement of the predominant color in the quilt. A complementary color is that one directly opposite on the color wheel. My colors certainly didn't match any on the wheel, but I noticed that the gray was actually a blue-gray and the complement of blue would be yellow. So, I chose a gold to incorporate in the quilt. Wah Lah! The quilt came to life. A small amount of gold was just what it needed. 


As I write this I'm thinking: Why do we create these mind blocks and refuse to experiment with colors that we've placed outside our comfort zone. I've often said that I don't work with particular colors or I can't live with some other color and so on. Sometimes a little bit of that off-limits color is just what is needed to bring to life what would otherwise be a dull and boring quilt. Let's all try to find the rebel within us and break free from the limitations we've set for ourselves! Your rebel might just be your secret weapon!


Hint: "Release the secret weapon!" is a line from An American Tale, one of the girls' favorite movies back in the late 80's.