In her posting Can A Home Sewist Grow A Designer's Brain ?, Lindsay T asked is it possible to teach yourself to think like a fashion designer, without the benefit of design school or interning for a designer? Questions like this came up all the time when I was teaching textile art and design. Many of my students wanted to be artists without art school, which I happen to think is a fabulous route to take because formalized art school can be the death of creativity whereas a series of self directed studies combined with practice can produce equal or better results.
The key word in Lindsay's question is THINK. Yes, it is possible to teach yourself to THINK like a fashion designer because the role requires a set of step by step procedures that can be learned. The deeper question is will I be an amazing designer? Amazing is a combination of knowledge, skill, and creativity and involves repetition and risk taking.
Becoming knowledgeable about a particular subject is a matter of reading and awareness which can be completely self directed. Developing skills is a matter of knowledge, constant repetition, and practice, practice, practice which - again - can be completely self directed. It bothered me as an instructor to see some of my students skipping the practice part. They wanted the results without the work. It doesn't happen that way... with art... with sewing... with anything.
A while ago, I talked to a woman about her aunt who - according to her - is a fabulous seamstress who has been sewing her whole life. Shortly after our conversation, I met the aunt. She was wearing what would have been a gorgeous jacket except that she hadn't pressed the hems and seams. It had a rumpled, not quite done, look about it. Here is someone who loves to sew and sews often and yet either hasn't educated herself on technique or isn't willing to do what is required to improve her skills resulting in a less than appealing garment. Since Simplicity had already done the designing, all that was required from her was technical ability. In my opinion, considering how long she'd been sewing, that ability should have been there. That it wasn't was due to a lack of attention to detail. Amazing is in the details.
In my classes, I often had students with masses of creative ability and low technical skills. They produced very interesting art pieces that suffered for their lack of delivery. I've seen this with sewing fashions as well. The garment will be an awe inspiring piece except for the detracting construction skills. Unless this person is willing to invest time into improving their technical skills, their creativity will continue to have less impact than it deserves. It'll still receive notice - and comment - but not nearly as much recognition as it would be possible to achieve.
Innate creative ability is not always the deciding factor on achieving success. From what I've observed, success is a combination of knowledge, practice, ability and especially hard work. Without a willingness to work hard, success doesn't happen no matter how talented you are which is why less inately talented individuals achieve greater success. That said, in every class I taught there would be a range of students from those who struggled to produce creatively appealing works to those who effortlessly produced them. Some people can just draw and sew and paint and imagine and create more easily than others. Is there hope for the rest of us?
My friend Lorrie cooks and bakes with little to no effort. Watching her is like watching a ballet. It's inspiring and makes me feel as if I too could cook - perhaps if I just touched the hem of her apron or stayed in her kitchen for the next month. Maybe. Unfortunately, being able is not about magic. IF I am willing to read cookbooks and watch cooking shows and experiment in the kitchen (practice) as she does and risk flops, it is possible for me to learn to be a better cook although it would mostly be good execution because I don't innately understand the language of food as Lorrie does nor do I have the passion to create food as she does. I simply like to eat good food and that would be my motivating factor and my results.
I innately understand the language of textiles. I've mentioned before how much I enjoy refashioning because it mimics in a step by step way the type of textile art I used to produce. One of the best books I've read on art was Greg Albert's The Simple Secret to Better Painting: How To Immediately Improve Your Work With This One Rule Of Composition. It's a short book with a powerful punch. Earlier, I applied the concepts of this book to producing textile art. Lately, I've been wondering how I could apply them to fashion sewing. Not that I'll ever be a designer but - beyond schooling and interning - I think curiosity is the kind of thing it takes... along with PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - thought provoking questions
Myrna,
ReplyDeleteI apologize for not knowing more of your background. I would love to know some more detail of how and why you came to be a textile artist.
Lois K
Powerful truths! I particularly appreciate the story of the life-long sewer who didn't press, did not improve or perfect her skills. I am challenged with each project to learn and improve. I have been sewing for a very long time and always find information that I can use. The current blog community runs the gamut from beginner sewers to advanced. The one principal that I would like to stress to the beginners particularly is..take your time, do it right, perfect your skills, challenge your knowledge. No one really likes to wear garments with lesser quality than current imports now provide. If your are going to spend your hard-earned cash and your priceless time creating something, do it to the very best of your ability. Sewing is designing in its simplest form I think. And I totally agree, that you can develop your creativity in self-directed study. Thank you for your timely insights!
ReplyDeleteOh my, I'm blushing. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhen people ask me why I am a good cook, I say it's because I like to eat. Well.