Yes, and… was a phrase that came tumbling into my life from two different sources, one of which was a podcast. Yes, and… is the idea that to move an idea along, first you acknowledge that idea, and then add something to it. It can work in creating. It can work in setting up your day. It can work in relationships, in collaborations.
Some related excerpts from the podcast were also about creativity, so let me just throw these here, too, at the top of this post:
“[A]n important part of creativity is that it’s joy experienced in the present, and you have to be fully present to be able to have that experience and to be there. If you are distracted or you’re not fully in it, it is not the same experience.”
“Andrew Hooverman defined creativity as two phases, divergent, which the wider you explore things, the better. Nothing’s wrong there. You are exploring everything. And then the convergence, when you look at it and go, not all this is great, you know, and editing out, but you don’t get to the one without having volume and mistakes and figuring it out. I think it’s important to keep, you know, open to possibilities, at least early on.”
And finally, “[S]ome creative pursuits are outward facing, and some are in solitude.”
(from a podcast conversation about creativity and spirituality, with Lisa Valentine Clark and James Rees)
Which led me to explore some art galleries online, a very “yes, and…” experience as I see one piece of art, and say oh yes, and…I want to see more. Here’s one example:
Rebecca Klundt, in her artist statement on the David Ericson Fine Art website, talks about using the unusable, and that “I believe that when you are driven to create, you begin to see things around you in a different light.”
Perhaps Klundt takes the yes, and… approach, and in looking at her art, filled with squares and bits and rectangles, it reminded me of our drive to take our squares and bits and rectangles and try to see them with new eyes.
Where is the yes, and… in the quilting you do? Perhaps I am just in the divergent phase (as described by Hooverman above, but sometimes after finishing a big project like last week’s SAHRR 2026, I like to clean up the sewing room, tuck away the remnants of a project, evaluate how it went, what I might change.
Or maybe I’m feeling the “resistance to premature closure,” something tested for in the Torrence Test of Creativity, and I don’t want to close it down or wrap it up. Is that the source of a quilter’s UFO? Haha, I don’t think so. [For more yes, and…on this test, head here.]
All I know is that this week I:
- sanded and varnished and sanded and varnished a stair rail bannister (and it’s still not done)
- finished prepping the rest of my squircles, after putting them all up onto a wall to try and get some sense of the color and value shifts.
- visited San Diego (husband’s scientific conference) and while there, hit three different fabric shops and kept squircling
- hosted a daughter and granddaughter for a “flash visit” (less than 24 hours)
- celebrated a significant birthday of someone I love, with other people I love.
Even though I’d spent a lot of the last few weeks in “keeping the closure open,” thinking a lot of yes, and…. while working with the different SAHRR prompts, I am still using the yes, and... approach to figuring out what I want to do next.
Stay tuned.
(The art in the featured image at the top of the post, which some may see, is also by Rebecca Klundt. Head to the Blog Index — listed in the header — to see all the featured images in this blog.)
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I like your “Yes and…” approach! Your squircles are very pretty, they look addictive. I like the flash visit idea. I need to plan a daughter/granddaughter event!
I love the getting lost and being focused, not only on, but within my project. I begin to look at things differently. You with line which I do in quilting, but in another art medium, I’m always checking the sky, trees, animals or animals in the sky, haha. How light and shadow work, what makes my eye move to certain objects or deflects. Always that lone block that strays from fitting.
As always, another wonderful post. Thanks Elizabeth
I like this post a lot, especially your images of Rebecca Klundt’s work. Her art is baldly and clearly 2D – no attempt at suggesting depth. Just enjoying the surface and the patterns created. Like most quilters do.
What beautiful art you have found in your wanderings from one Yes to another…thank you for showing us, and for (as always) your thoughtful musings. And “flash visits” – haha, what a wonderful framing – I’m going to borrow that. Those squircles are looking juicy and abundant…they are going to turn into something very special by the time you are done. Thanks for sharing all of it with us!
Yes, and also makes me thing a lot about improv. I’m thinking my next quilt might be delving into improv but with my inside out seams; it’s an itch I’d really like to scratch. I hope the sanding and varnishing work is something you feel good about when it is complete, and I sure love all the color you are working with in the squircles. May you continue to have weeks full of good things like family and celebrations, too.
This makes me think of liminal space too. Thanks for the podcast link – listened to that one and went down a bit of a rabbit hole about creativity. So many good references.
Thanks for the post Elizabeth. I think I need to incorporate a little more “Yes and…” into my life. Your squircles are looking good. Isn’t it fun when things start coming together on the design wall? I’ve got a quilt coming together right now on my wall. I finally have enough blocks to really see the effect and I’m liking what I see.
Great! I just ran across one of my “yes and” theatre sports books. Isn’t it funny how these things pop up in clusters. Some “yes and” is good for these times when we truly need to say “hell no” to so many things.
I really like knowing we can “yes and” and “hell no” at the same time….good skills for these times for sure!
Your ‘Yes, and’ is an interesting idea. I’m not sure I really understand it but it sounds like a very positive approach for collaboration. I love your Squircles and I’m looking forward to seeing them sewn into a quilt 🙂
I like the “Yes, and…” concept very much! I find that, in my creating, the “and…” leads me to “attention to detail” which is often the difference between a “meh” result and a more interesting one. I LOVE how your are arranging your squircles right now – they look great!
Like the others, I am intrigued by the “Yes, and” concept. And like you, after a project is completed, I do like to clean up my workspace. It gives a sense of clarity, and also often sparks another idea. Thanks for sharing the inspiration photos – I need to check out some online art galleries! Looking forward to what comes next for you!