Thursday, October 15, 2009

Applying the seat of one's pants to the seat of the chair

Just finished reading Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit. I'm not big on self-help books. As a matter of fact, I find many of them to be mindless drivel.

But Tharp has brains. She's well-read and draws on a range of sources to illustrate her points. While some might accuse her of pretension—her numerous references to Beethoven and Mozart and her name-dropping of Jerome Robbins and Barishnikov—I think they provide examples that make her points convincingly.

The bottom line: creativity requires discipline, but in order to remain creative, it has to be shaken up from time to time. So, applying one's rear to one's chair regularly is required (for a writer—a dancer would apply one's body to the gym regularly). No shortcuts.

More on my trip to Houston and the Quilt Market soon....maybe even tomorrow, if I apply the seat of my pants to my chair.

2 comments:

Mary Lou Weidman said...

I am waiting to see your photos from Houston...cannot wait....sit down, apply your pants to your chair dear friend!

Astrid Hilger Bennett said...

Twyla Tharp deserves to comment on Beethoven and Barishnakov= she was certainly a major force. I saw her company here at Hancher, and also loved the way she got NFL football players to dance...