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Wednesday, December 3, 2014

“The Little Spark”


I’ve read a fair number of books and articles on creativity. It is a topic that fascinates me the longer I teach fiber art classes. Why is it that some people know they are creative, and some people absolutely deny that they could ever be creative? I always insist that everyone is creative, but some people have simply shut down this essential part of themselves. Artist and author Carrie Bloomston agrees with me. She’s just written one of the best books on creativity that I’ve ever read. Not to sound overly dramatic, but it’s already changed my life.  

It’s called The Little Spark: 30 Ways to Ignite Your Creativity (C&T Publishing, 2014), and  it is 128 beautifully written, photographed, and designed pages to help you try new things, think about things from a different angle, and get motivated to build the artistic life of your dreams.


Carrie writes with great passion, joy and honesty about her creative life. She shares her enthusiasm, her struggles, and her discoveries on her path to greater creativity and personal fulfillment. This is a deeply spiritual book. Not a religious book, but a book about finding meaning and contentment through personal growth, connections, and giving back. It’s about harnessing your essential core – your creativity – and why it is so important to finding your bliss.

Want to get inspired? Watch Carrie’s short video here:


So much of what Carrie says resonates with me. Much of it is stuff I believe, stuff I’ve been telling my students, too. Some of it is stuff I know, but need to be reminded about. “The fact about a creative life is that it is messy and imperfect,”says Carrie. Don’t you love that? Permission to make messes and screw things up? Yes, yes, yes! 

You can buy of The Little Spark copy at bookstores, or here on Amazon.com. It would be a great holiday gift for a creative person you know. Or a person you know who wants to be more creative, but just needs a little friendly encouragement to achieve greatness.

Want to see what other people think about the book? Twenty-four other bloggers are posting reviews of Carrie’s book this week:
  1. Fat Quarter Shop’s Jolly Jabber
  2. Amanda Herring of The Quilted Fish
  3. Shea Henderson of Empty Bobbin Sewing
  4. Shelly Figueroa of Figgy’s
  5. Anna Graham of Noodlehead
  6. Karen LePage of One Girl Circus
  7. Rachael Gander at Imagine Gnats
  8. Amie Plumley wrote Sewing School 1 & 2!
  9. Sam Hunter of Hunter’s Design Studio
  10. Generation Q
  11. Cheryl Arkison
  12. Erica Sage of Craftyblossom
  13. Heather Givans at Crimson Tate
  14. Tia Curtis 
  15. Jill McNamara Photography
  16. Susan Brubaker Knapp
  17. Verena Ehrhardt at Einfach Bunt
  18. Kerry Green from very kerry berry
  19. Sally Keller
  20. Reets Rags to Stitches
  21. Cristy Fincher
  22. Stephanie Kendron at Modern Sewciety
  23. Anne Beier
  24. Jennifer Sampou
  25. Amanda Haas
GIVEAWAY!
Carrie is giving away five copies of her book on her blog! Go to her blog, and leave a comment there by midnight Dec. 9, Mountain Time Zone. (Don’t leave a comment on this post on my blog, because it won’t count.) Also, play along with her Instagram giveaway where three additional people will win a copy. (U.S. winners will receive a copy of the book. International winners will receive the digital copy.)

6 comments:

  1. I am truly honored by your words, Susan! And I am totally going to quote you! You so GOT it. It is a spiritual book in the sense of figuring out who we are, what we want, what lights our fire, connecting with our deepest ancestral wisdom and the knowing we possess. Creativity is absolutely a spiritual act and process. You are the first to say that out loud about the book and I am honored that you saw and felt that. Truly. Thank you so much for your words.

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  2. Best quote!!!! "...but a book about finding meaning and contentment through personal growth, connections, and giving back. It’s about harnessing your essential core – your creativity – and why it is so important to finding your bliss." You got it!!!!

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  3. You are welcome, Carrie! I sensed your strong spirituality when we met on the set of QATV. Your joy is contagious. :-)

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  4. ooh thank you for posting this review, Susan...looks like a fabulous book. Should be remedial reading for a lot of my friends in finance who look at my art quilts and say, gee, I wish I could do that (while privately perhaps thinking I'm mildly crazy ;)...).

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  5. this has been on my wish list!!! Thanks for the review, Susan!

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  6. This looks like a very special book that I need!

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