When Art Is Woven: Rethinking Creativity Through Tartan

Webster’s defines an artist as “a skillful creator—someone who demonstrates proficiency and imagination in producing works of aesthetic or practical value.” For a long time, my own definition of an artist felt much narrower. Painters. Sculptors. Ceramists. Very traditional. Very… limited. Sigh.

Thankfully, life has a way of stretching us. The more I’ve grown, traveled, and paid attention to the world around me, the more my idea of art has expanded. Today, art feels bigger—and much more exciting. Art is anything a person takes and makes beautiful. It’s creativity, intention, and heart, all wrapped together.

Thanks to social media and modern storytelling, we see this every day. A sourdough baker shaping loaves so beautiful they look sculpted by hand. A “junk artist” transforming discarded metal into stunning garden sculptures. Art is everywhere if you’re willing to see it. Truly, art is like life—it’s what you find inspiring, meaningful, and worth creating.

This way of thinking makes textile art—especially tartan—feel deeply meaningful. Tartan is functional art at its finest: color, pattern, and story woven together into something meant to be used, worn, and loved. Wool adds another layer to that story. It’s natural, durable, and timeless, turning beauty into something practical that lasts for years. At Tartan Chickadee®, this blend of art and function is at the heart of everything we create.

That perspective made our experience as part of the Holland America Artist in Residence program at Denali National Park even more special. We were lucky enough to spend a full week as Artists in Residence, tucked into a charming little studio all our own. We were given room and board, access to a sweet workspace with windows, and even a few commissary nibbles to keep us fueled. What a gift.

Throughout the week, tourists wandered into our studio to chat about their travels, their excitement, and their hopes of spotting a bear or moose. Park staff stopped by too—curious, kind, and from all over the world. Denali in summer is a beautiful microcosm of global culture, alive with stories, creativity, and connection from May through mid-September.

To be welcomed into that space as artists—creators working with wool, pattern, and place—was both humbling and inspiring. It reminded us that art doesn’t have to hang on a wall. Sometimes it’s woven, worn, shared, and experienced together.

And that, truly, is a wonder.