The creative process: Lessons from Gee’s Bend quilts

I started a new class at the Sophia Center yesterday, and as always, I emphasized that it’s about the creative process, not the creative product. Living deeply connected to your creative process isn’t just for artists—it’s a way of living fully and authentically. In my experience, being rooted in creativity is the only way to truly live a rich, meaningful life.

For some reason, the quilts from Gee’s Bend keep coming to mind, urging me to write about them. I forgot to mention them during my pre-class presentation and yesterday’s session, so here’s the story for those who don’t know it:

The Story of Gee’s Bend

Gee’s Bend is an isolated African-American community in Alabama, surrounded on three sides by the Alabama River. The residents’ ancestors were enslaved on nearby plantations, and subsequent generations stayed on the land as tenant farmers. Poverty and isolation (there was no ferry service across the river) kept the community largely disconnected from mainstream American culture, leading some historians to call it “another civilization.”

Too poor to buy quilts and blankets, the women of Gee’s Bend began stitching together scraps of worn-out clothing and old feed sacks. What emerged were quilts that, years later, would be hailed as some of the most significant modern art of the 20th century. These quilts have been displayed in major museums nationally and internationally, celebrated for their extraordinary beauty and Spirit.

Creativity Beyond Technique

Seeing the Gee’s Bend quilts on exhibit was a profound experience for me. They radiate a pure, pulsing Spirit that transcends technique or traditional notions of artistic training.

The quilts remind me of something I often share in my workshops: you don’t need years of prestigious training or perfect technique to create something powerful and moving. What matters is the Spirit and authenticity you bring to the process. The Gee’s Bend quilts, stitched together with the simplest of materials, speak—or perhaps I should say, glow—for themselves.

Art as Conversation with Spirit

In Native American and Aboriginal cultures, making art wasn’t about meeting external criteria of “beauty.” It was a conversation with the Divine. The simplest or crudest works often carried the most profound meaning. The process of creating was itself an act of connection—with Spirit, with community, and with oneself.

This is the essence of what I try to teach: creativity is about relationship and authenticity. Whether you’re stitching a quilt, painting, or simply living your life, the act of creating from the heart is what truly matters.

A Call to Create

Let the Gee’s Bend quilts inspire you. You don’t need perfect materials or formal training to create something meaningful. Embrace the process, trust your Spirit, and see where it takes you.