Wheesht: Creative Making in Uncertain Times

by Kate Davies

"Wheesht int. v., n., adj., Scots and northern English dialects: to be quiet, to quieten, to hush, to remain silent. To haud or keep one's wheesht: to be quiet, to hold one's tongue. Also in diminutive forms (whish, whishie): the slightest sound. The least whisper. The faintest rumour or report."

In 'Wheesht', Kate Davies asks how we might best enable and encourage our creative practice in the face of ambivalence, uncertainty and doubt. at a cultural moment when it seems that creativity can be anything to anyone, 'Wheesht' poses a set of radical and redefining questions. What if, instead of breaking or disrupting, we made mending and repair the focus of our work? How might creative praxis change if it became more about bringing other people forward than blowing one's own trumpet? What if we stopped wishing for creative freedom and thought much more carefully about what limitation or impediment might have to show us? Might shutting up and 'hauding our wheesht' be, in the end, of as much importance to our creative work as other, louder, forms of expression?

Whether you like creating words or images, sounds or sweaters, at moments of uncertainty it is important to try to find new things to say and different ways in which to say them. With her firm belief that simple acts of making can always make things better, this book is Kate Davies' creative call for us all to 'haud our wheesht' and listen, before making our work, with conviction, with purpose and with heart.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Crafts, Knitting

159 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Kate Davies taught at the University of Sheffield and at the University of York from 1999. She specialises in American and British women's writing, and the literature of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Atlantic.

Kate also writes about and designs knitwear.

Reviews

[Sophy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant, thoughtful, mindful book about the different aspects of creativity in making.

Kate Davies looks at what inspires us, what restricts us, what comforts us and what makes us fearful when participating in any crafting activity.

I love Kate's easy nature in her writing, the way you feel as though you're just having a conversation with a friend. She is pragmatic yet inspiring.

I loved this book and have gone ahead and ordered Handywoman

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but not for the reasons I expected. Each chapter was an education on a specific aspect of creativity. Looking at how people used their personal experiences to direct their output. It also informed me on aspects of music, fashion, writing and making that I had never considered before. At the end of each chapter there is a "to do" section which I look forward to dipping into as time allows. A delightful gem.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good read for these uncertain times! I finished it in a day.

“Pym began to develop a creative practice in which darning became a great way to open conversations; to continue dialogue by sharing stories in which grief was often an auxiliary to damage; and to exchange acts of care...”

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very thoughtful series of essays about creative making. I really love Davies writing style. She is up front about these being polemics but they are lovely polemics. She takes widely held views about creativity and counters them with deeply worked examples from a range of fields, finishing with suggestions for engaging creatively with the concept discussed through one's own creative practice. Because she is a knitter, one of the suggestions is always a knitting one. However, the book is not really a knitting book.

I found myself also thinking about how this applies to areas that are not always considering under the heading "creative making". I work with academic writers. Davies is a historian who has also engaged in academic writing and publishing. I'm pretty sure I was not reading anything into this to say that she would consider academic writing as creative making. I certainly think there are thought provoking things in here for academic writers thinking about their practice.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes a fresh approach to being a creative person by confronting some of the myths that grown around what it takes to be an artist of any kind. In each chapter, Kate Davies presents the myth and then writes about why she thinks that it is not necessarily true. Then, at the end of the chapter, she gives creative assignments that are so much fun and thought provoking.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read the book and now working my way through the book practising

[Snorki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realised part-way through that I’d read this before - it’s a series of essays that were published alongside a creative club a couple of years ago, and I read these as they were released. Nevertheless, it was interesting to re-read them as a series. Davies takes a theme with each chapter, examining myths associated with creativity (“just be yourself”), and challenges this using examples from music to poetry and art to textiles to consider approaching creativity from a different perspective. There are some interesting ideas in here and leaves the reader with some thoughts to consider (and some creative exercises to try!).

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book as a gift.
Part inspiration prompt, part exploration of others works. It's an interesting book with short chapters, each focusing on a different aspect of making and how you may be inspired by unusual things. Each chapter has journaling, knitting or a creative prompt along with an artist to look up.
It's quite philosophical in a way and Davies seems to enjoy using a lot of big words; unnecessarily in my view!
Not at all what I thought it was going to be from reading the back but an enjoyable read.

[Laura Watt · Rating 5 out of 5]

a lovely book of ideas for how to re-think what creativity looks like -- from a knitting designer (who i immensely admire) but not all about knitting. i've read this in little bites, and suspect i'll be going back and re-reading as i attempt to work on some new projects...

[Lucky Christi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have nothing good to say about this book