The Courage to Be Creative

In the current issue of American Quilter, there is a great article called "The Courage to Be Creative" by Betsey Langford.  She talks about picking up a pencil and paper and just doodling designs for machine quilting.  She says once we've practiced this we have "worked with all the magic you have in your head.  We've not been copying patterns, we've not been trying to recreate something someone else created, we've not been following a set of guidelines or rules.  We've let our minds play  When you play, you let yourself get out of your way and just create.  Creating is taking from what is inside you and putting it outside you in some tangible way... Whether it be a line on paper made with a pencil or a line of stitches across a quilt, it is all really the same."
I have been more adventurous in my machine quilting and I am starting to be more adventurous in my designing and piecing quilts too.  It is very satisfying to create something.  I better get back to it!