What have I been doing? As I started teaching the Creative Spark class this week, I realized how little I am practicing what I preach. Only two new quilts since 2006. However, there were several paintings and lots of photography. Working with Eric Maisel again in our individual session he asked if maybe it was time for me to stop working in fiber......Shock, horror, all sorts of uncomfortable emotions. However, you have to give Eric his fair due.....if I am not doing it anyway....is it time for a change?
At the moment, I am repairing a quilt the dog ate....no joke... for a good friend. Now as much as I love animals if this dog was mine, it would now be living in a new home....with other quilts to ingest. Also, this is a beast to repair, the quilt is finished and bound so there is nothing to support the repair....seeing as dog ate batting and backing. High fiber diet....poor thing must need new food.
Back on the ranch, yes, this is taking time that I could use on my own work....which I haven't been doing anyway. A conundrum, no? Have I lost what little talent I ever had? Or am I just being lazy?
I look back at when I was exercising which has also fallen by the wayside. I remember when I spent hours in the studio and quilted at night in front of the tv. Where is that person? As much as I would like to place all the blame on sweet Ronnie's retirement, I must take my share of the blame.
Facing the new year comes either get with it or give it up time. As the wheel turns( isn't that a soap), I hope to come to some answer. Back to the dog ate my quilt.
2 comments:
You haven't lost your talent, which by the way I wouldn't call little, and you arn't lazy. I will say to you what I would say to my students (which is a real cheek I know!)and that is move away from what is familiar to you and find a new inspiration. You've already worked with nature -leaves, fruits, etc so how about looking at architecture or history. Different sets of shapes, harder lines, more oomph. This is what the City and Guilds design course stresses - different subject matters. They have subjects to work on that range from living forms to art and architecture and it is necessary to produce work for all of them to pass the course.The hardest one used to be the one on culture! Perhaps you need to go forth and take loads of pictures and use them for inspiration. Don't think of an end project just work through the ideas until you feel excited about something and can follow it through. Work small! Draw on fabric;use mixed media; layer, cut and burn-distort. Didn't mean to preach or to ramble on but it works for me.
Perhaps G - just a thought - you have been racing around the world, creating DVD, teaching, devising new materials to teach and from what I can read on your blog a zillion other things... Have you thought that you don't seem to pause long enough to draw breath let alone actually 'do'... I might suggest that you might need to just 'be' for a little while - sit back and smell the roses so to speak...
I will miss you this year here in Melbourne I have actually cleared some time form work to be able to make more than a fleeting run out to the quilt show this year... Never mind?? Perhaps next year... yikes - we are only nine days into 2008...
Take care G - I swing past your blog on a regular basis to see what you are up to...
Sharon - Melbourne Australia xxxx
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