My Name is Vicki miller and I live in a tiny town in Victoria Australia called Flowerdale.
Background
In my life I have done many things and been to many places. I have been a Research scientist, studied Natural Therapies, been a teacher's Aide and a Teacher, studied arboviruses in the Army reserve, Taught digital publishing and worked in digital publishing, but I have always been drawn to Art and Craft.
I grew up in a family where drawing was valued and art was important. I dabbled in many different crafts as a child, teenager and adult, sewed my own clothes, home dec. made quilts, painted with pastels and a variety of media, made greeting cards, handmade paper, embroidery, crochet, bobbin lace, needlelace, so I have a wide background to assist in creativity.
Philosophy
My philosophy is simple. I believe that creativity is in all of us. Problem solving and the use of tools is what made humans evolve to what they are. Our current society is so fast paced, and focussed on economics that art and craft have almost no place in most people's lives, but I believe that the current surge in interest in craft is a result of this, of people with no meaning in their lives trying to find that meaning through creativity.
I also believe that there is no such thing as a person with no artistic ability. We all see beauty and know what we believe to be beauty, but many people need to realise that because they have not been taught or spent the time to practice the skills needed to create, they lack the skills. But that is all they lack, skills can be learnt, if we want to learn them. And humans have a long history of doing just that. It is part of all of us.
Perfection and creativity
Many people in the craft community get caught up in the struggle for perfection. I believe this is because they think they cannot be creative and instead decide to be the best they can. Being creative is a about letting go and experimenting and looking at the "what ifs". Perfection does not allow for risk taking, it involves following strict rules and not thinking beyond them. Of course this is not my idea of what is important in art. To me what is important in art is the creative process and how it links us to our selves thus allowing us to produce a different type of perfection.
All about a creative life. I am a creator of stuff, be it textile, or mixed media. Creativity is my passion, my spirituality, my life
