(Reposted from archive)
I read this quote last year attributed to President Harry S. Truman:
“It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
After reading it, I spent the next several months making and donating quilts without taking photos of them or even telling my friends. I wanted to see if it affected my enjoyment of the process. Would I still feel excited about the finished quilt and eager to begin the next one? I didn’t know, but I was curious to find out.
We give because it makes us feel good, as it should. I learned that the desire to share a photo of a quilt we chose to give away isn’t to fill a need for validation or, about seeking some sort of arbitrary credit for donating it. Whether I chose to tell everyone, or tell no one, the pride and joy I felt were the same.
It quickly became clear that as quilters, we’ve always shared our ideas and felt proud to show our quilts to others. Blogging is just one of the ways our generation does it. I’m often inspired by seeing another quilter’s photo. Sometimes it’s a pattern I’ve never seen or a color combination that reminds me of something I have tucked away. Other times just seeing something beautiful that motivates me to create too.
Truman was may have been right that seeking credit can affect accomplishment. But, I’m no longer concerned that quilters are seeking recognition when we share our photos.
We share our creations for the same reason a ballerina, an actor, a musician, or a singer steps on stage. Much like those performers, we showcase our quilts with the simple hope that others will enjoy seeing them. ♥
Women of Appalachia posing with their handmade quilts.
Time to Quilt 
I absolutely agree with you. When I first started reading your blog today, I stopped and asked myself why I take pictures of my projects. One reason is to remember various patterns and fabric combinations. I use my pictures as inspiration or as a trip down memory lane. I also share pictures on my blog and again, a good way to remember and many times, I have gone back looking for a quilt that I made that someone asked about. Days when I feel I am not accomplishing much are helped by looking at what I did get done in the last few days or weeks. No, am not looking for any kind of recognition but if I inspire someone to join in making quilts for the various organizations I contribute to, then that is a good thing. And, like you, I would make the same number of projects if they weren’t recorded and posted but I would also be frustrated in trying to remember an idea or pattern and couldn’t go back in my history to see it and figure out how I made it or why it worked. Good topic for us to all think about. As for pictures posted by quilt guilds of show and tell and blogs I read… that is totally inspiration for me and helps me to move forward with trying some new ideas or fabric/colour combinations.
LikeLike
You bring up a lot of good reasons to blog and I’ve used it as a reference more times than I can remember! I figure if I love seeing everyone else’s quilts, I should share mine too. I haven’t met a quilter yet who didn’t love to look at pictures of quilts. LOL
LikeLike