Last month, when I spoke with silk artist Diane Fredgant, I asked how she starts a commissioned art project. “It begins with a conversation,” she said.

People engage Diane to create designs for the milestones in their lives. Often she is asked to create a tallit (prayer shawl) for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, but people also hire her to make other heirlooms, like the chuppah (canopy) for a wedding.

After someone commissions her, Diane sits down with them. She asks them questions and listens until they trust her and open up. The moment they let her in, she can see what they see. Then she captures their vision on fabric to create a design that is uniquely significant to them.

Diane’s ability to change her perspective and see through her clients’ eyes enables her to see past the surface. She sees the inner essence of her clients, and that is what sparks her creativity on these projects.

For her own art endeavors, the creativity comes from inside her. Delving deep inside ourselves can be hard, but since Diane has so often seen inside others, she can pierce the veil and find the artistic vision from within.