Perspective: The Benefit of Many Teachers
Sep 15, 2026
One of the things I love most about being creative is that there is always another way to look at something. Just when I think I've got my head around an idea, someone will show me a different approach or a new way of looking at it... And sometimes, that's when everything clicks.
I've experienced this so many times in my own creative practice. I'll hear someone explain something I've technically known for years, but they'll phrase it differently or demonstrate it in a way I hadn't considered, and suddenly I'm looking at it with fresh eyes. This is true even for basic things like knotting your thread. A few years ago, one of the Making Zen artists explained the quilter's knot in their video, and it finally made sense to me. Something I had a very low success rate with previously is now a technique I use daily in my practice.
It's one of the reasons I love learning from lots of different teachers. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, it's also one of the reasons I love bringing artists together through Making Zen.
My quilter's knot!
Have you heard the phrase before, "there are no new ideas?"
I've heard it used in different ways. I think some people use this as a reason to not make anything; if humans have been around long enough to have done everything, why bother doing anything? But I prefer to see it from a different point of view.
Everyone comes to their creative practice from a unique place; we have our own history, experiences, preferences and distastes. Even when we are learning the same project in the same room as a group of other people, we're all going to come out of the class with a different final product. Even if there are "no new ideas," we still haven't seen your take on many of the old ones!
One person might look at a piece of fabric and immediately start imagining colours and patterns, while another is thinking about textures and layering. And another person might be wondering "what would happen if I cut this up?"
None of us is wrong. We're simply looking through a different window, bringing our own experiences and perspective to the table.
Perhaps you've had an experience where you've been really struggling with wrapping your head around something, and someone new comes along and explains it just a little differently, and suddenly everything clicks. It might even seem so simple that you wonder how it was never explained to you that way before - that's certainly how I felt about the quilter's knot!
Sometimes, the problem is not that we need more information. Often, we just need the information put into a different context that resonates more with you or speaks more to the experiences you've had. Maybe we need some of the history or thought process behind a technique, or maybe we need less direct guidance and room to get messy. We all learn differently, and sometimes we learn differently in different situations. That's what makes it so useful to have guidance from many people.
Something I have really learned to appreciate is that not every teacher is going to be a good fit for every student. When you expose yourself to lots of different artists, you're inevitably going to encounter things that aren't your cup of tea. And that's not only okay, but I think it can be incredibly useful!
Sometimes seeing something I don't particularly like helps me understand what I do like. Sometimes I see an artist working in a way that I would never have thought to try, and it makes me want to experiment. And sometimes I watch someone else's process and know that it's not for me.
It's a bit like collecting ingredients. You don't have to put every ingredient into every recipe. You just want to have plenty of interesting things in your cupboard so that when inspiration strikes, you have something to play with.
This is, of course, something I cherish about Making Zen. Over the years, I've had the enormous privilege of meeting and working with so many wonderful artists, and one of my favourite things about bringing them together for Making Zen is seeing just how differently they each approach creativity.
It's not one particular style or technique that everyone is expected to follow. In fact, it's quite the opposite; a smorgasbord of techniques, approaches, mindsets, art styles, and even mediums. A buffet for you to pick and choose from, take what fills you up, and leave the rest.
So if you've been feeling stuck in your creative practice lately, I'd encourage you to look for a different perspective. It doesn't have to be brand new, and it shouldn't be another complicated project that you feel you should finish.
Watch an artist you've never encountered before, try a technique from another tradition, pick up a material you don't normally use. Even listening to someone talk about their creative process can help shed light on new techniques and inspire you to create.
One of my favourite things about making is that there is always another way, another perspective, another possibility. That's why I'm so passionate about bringing lots of teachers and artists together through Making Zen. You never know who is going to make you see your own creativity a little differently.
