I truly believe that collaboration is where innovation happens. And cross-disciplinary collaboration is an even more fertile space. Ten years ago, I went to school with a guy who superimposed mathematical models onto biological phenomena. What could be discovered when we transpose what we are experts in to something that takes a completely different form?
The collaboration between a quilter and a songwriter seems unlikely. What do Meaghan Smith and I have in common? We are artists. We create. We are mothers. We want to create meaningful work and meaningful relationships.
As we talked and delved deep, we really connected as artists, mothers, and humans. After answering an extensive set of questions about my approach to my work and what I wanted the #oursongquilt project to be at its core, Meaghan saw an early version of a swan and its reflection. It didn’t look much like the final quilt design, other than its colours. As I thought about the background that the swan would be set against, it seemed like it would have to be a lone star — an acknowledgement of the rich history that we have in quilting. Here’s a clip about the collaboration process behind #oursongquilt.
As Meaghan wrote the song, she thought about who her community was. She had broken away from the music industry in its current form and launched something new in the songs that she writes for real people about real events and real relationships:
I talk more about cross-disciplinary collaboration with Kate Toney on the Creative Women’s League podcast. We also talk about fearlessness, vulnerability, dream projects, and more. Have a listen here!
