This month I started reading a newly released book by Shannon Downey, called “Let’s move the Needle.” I’ve been following Shannon on Instagram for several years. She is an craftivist/activist who expresses her opinions using something women have been doing throughout history; stitching what they think.

Since I was a little girl, I have been drawn to causes, particularly environmental causes. Remember “Ranger Rick” magazine?…yah, I think that’s where it started for me. (Thanks mom for encouraging me with the subscription!). I went to college to be a biologist. I had so many romantic dreams about my grown-up life walking the wooded mountains of the West coast as a park ranger and saving the planet

That the dream didn’t become reality. Life happens that way and I took many paths to get where I am today. I’m comfortable with my life choices.

But back to Shannon, I was struck by something she wrote: “In a capitalist society, we are primed to believe that our primary identity is based on the work we get paid for.“

I don’t know about you, but I have struggled with this…because I believed it to be true. I have dabbled in art my entire life, but I also would say to myself things like “you’re not an artist, you’re not good enough.” There’s no question there were things I could do that were good quality…but calling myself an artist for it felt wrong. I WAS A CRAFTER! and I was ok with that title…until I wasn’t.

Shannon’s quote hit it right on the head. I down-played my skills because I wasn’t getting paid. I wasn’t a “professional”artist, so I felt I couldn’t own the title. Over the years, I learned to accept myself and advocate for other’s that we are artists if we want to be. Shannon affirmed that what I believed was accurate.

We (especially women) are led to think the only title we have is the title we get paid for. However if we want to, we can claim a title if we just enjoy doing something; athlete, dog trainer, musician, artist, teacher, etc. So get out there and do what you love. And, while you’re at it, wear the title with pride.

~Nanette

I’ve been paying attention to things with a different mindset then I did when I was younger. One thing that I realized is that I’m a visual learner. I did pretty well in grade school, but I entered college and grad school I definitely felt more challenged with certain topics. Things like statistics and calculus sent me seeking tutors. I majored in science so there were a lot of those classes. In grad school, I took an ornithology class (study of birds) and struggled remembering the scientific names of birds. Geez, my thesis was about birds…surely, I would need to know these words. Why was it so hard? I just accepted it all and continued on the best I could and earned my degree.

Fast forward a few decades and here I am realizing I am a visual learner. I noticed that when I tried to remember something, if I could visualize it, I could remember it. For example, tell me a phone number and I’ll forget it. Write down a phone number and I’ll remember. Because, I can go back into my memory and visualize the numbers I saw written on paper. Why didn’t I ever notice this before? Instead, I stuck with rote memorization – repeating things over and over and over…hoping they would stick.

This may sound like a random thing to be posting today. However, I realize that this is part of who I am as an artist. When I think about a new project, I first visualize it. It is like I have a fuzzy photo in my mind that I can pull up when I need to reference my design idea.

I’m grateful for the convenience of cell phones, so I snap lots of photos of things that catch my attention. When I scroll through my images, I love stumbling on the photos that I took that might inspire a new creation. The mushroom above was taken for that reason. If I didn’t take the photo, I would eventually forget about this interesting specimen that popped into my yard this year. I haven’t decided what exactly to do with it…but finding it re-inspired me.

I wish it hadn’t taken so long to discover my learning style. But, I’m sharing it with you to consider for yourself. Are you a visual, analytical, visceral learner or something else? How does this impact your creative inspiration? When you start a new project, what do you see?

~Nanette

There are always things pulling at us. How do you juggle them all and set boundaries to stay on task? Its a challenge.

It seems a bit crazy when I think of how many projects I have started. But then, in the last couple weeks, I was reminded of the many things I created and are gone. A lot of things I created now belong to other people. It is rewarding to see them continue to have meaning to someone. Then, there are other things I remember destroying, so their gone.

Reflecting on my life’s journey I can’t help compare it to my artistic journey, it is just another extension of my lives. As we grow as artists, our skills grow. We start like infants, not knowing how to do anything. We grow and learn, and may frequently change course requiring us to start at the beginning again. We continue to move forwards, just like life.

~ Nanette

Recently I had several conversations with strangers who told me they weren’t artists. They said it in a way that made me believe they really wanted to be. One replied, “I’m not an artist because I can’t even draw a stick figure” (he laughed). Another said, she couldn’t paint or draw. And as she elaborated, she shared how she loved to restore old furniture and work with wood.

At a local festival this weekend, I encouraged a young girl to paint on a blank canvas. She asked me, “Are you an artist?” I answered yes, then asked her the same question. She bowed her head and said no. I replied, “do you want to be an artist?” She said “yes” and I answered, “then you are one.”

I can go back through my timeline and remember all the various creative things I did at each stage of my life. For many of those years, I sounded defeated in my desires, just like the people I recently conversed with.

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I look back and think how wrong I was. During my journey someone stopped me from believing I could. I can’t place that blame on anyone specific. My mother truly encouraged me. I don’t recall my dad ever criticizing my art. Maybe it was my classmates who I frequently compared myself too. All I know is I believed everyone was better than me, so I must not be an artist.

Over the years, I’ve learned that there are some art things I can do more proficiently than others. Some I could probably do better if I gave it more time to master. I accepted failure quickly and I suspect the person who stopped me the most, was me.

I never gave up though. There was something that encouraged me to continue. I’m still at it exploring new things and experimenting. I have many started projects that seemed so exciting in the beginning…but sit waiting for me to decide if I’m going to complete or discard them.

These recent conversations have me wondering about the label of “artist.” What is the definition? It seems some believe it is the ability to draw like Micheal Angelo or paint like Picasso. I know that’s what I believed.

Now I know it isn’t about how popular or successful we are or how much money we make from our art. An artist is the creative energy that is part of our DNA and inspires the person to make. As I told the young girl, if you want to be an artist…then you already are.

~Nanette

Where I live in North Carolina is roughly equal distance to the Carolina coast to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. I love the Carolina beaches, but my heart has belonged to western NC since my first visit. I’ve created several pieces of art inspired by the area. The photo above was taken at Banner Elk, NC in 2014 and has been the desktop image on my computer for several years.

My friends who live(d) in these mountains have heard me for years saying, “this is where I want to live.” It hasn’t happen and now, I’m sure, it never will.

The hurricane that barrelled through western NC this past Friday destroyed most of the area. It is beyond tragic and my heart goes out to all those affected and suffering. It will take years to put the area back into working order. It will never be the same.

I know this is not my usual type of blog post. However, what has happened in Western NC is more important to me, than anything else I could write.

~Nanette

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If you find it in your heart…here’s a list of ways you can to donate and help the area.
https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-09-28/list-ways-to-donate-and-help-flood-victims-in-western-north-carolina-after-hurricane-helene

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of teaching an indigo dye class. I love indigo and the ease of using Jacquard’s Indigo Dye Kit to create the dyed fabric.

I dabble with indigo. I don’t usually make anything from the dyed fabric I’ve created. I should change that habit, because I’ve always been a big fan of this shade of blue. “Forever in (indigo) blue jeans” has always been my motto.

What’s fascinating about teaching a class like this is the inspiration I get from the participants. I can’t really say I taught them much in this class. I demonstrated and explained the process. And, I showed them some examples that resulted from the techniques. Then, I let them experiment and play. This is were their learning came from. They learned by trying something that they weren’t 100% sure of the results. Would it look like my example? Maybe or maybe not! Its a lesson about letting go when we create. Life is not always perfect, its messy sometimes, and what we hope things will look like don’t always result in the same.

They had the option to do something different from my demo, like combine techniques and folding patterns or use fabrics they brought from home. As they worked, I walked around the drying lines and was overwhelmed by the beauty. This teacher became the student asking them how they created their unique patterns.

That’s what I love about teaching and sharing ideas with other creatives. There’s always something we can learn from each other.

~ Nanette

I am lucky to say that I have a diverse and eclectic group of artist friends. Sometimes you meet people randomly and instantly like them. My friend Joyce Atkinson McGugan is one of those people. We met 5 years ago at an art exhibit were we both were exhibiting.

A couple months ago we met up for another art exhibit. When I saw the piece she entered, it blew my mind. Joyce paints. I was initially attracted to the teal-blue blocks of color she used. And, I was also extremely attracted to the textures she created. Among other textures, I notice she embedded vintage lace in her work. The color AND the textiles…WHOA! I wanted to know more.

As we talked, I remembered a collection of lace and doilies I was gifted with a number of years ago. These textile pieces once belonged to a friend of a friend who had collected them over the years. They had no “emotional” connection to me. Since they weren’t some great family heirloom, I knew I wouldn’t have guilt about altering them.

We all have stuff we collect, and, if you’ve been reading along the last few months you know, I’ve been working on eliminating things that no longer fit into my life. I offered the pieces to Joy

I met up with Joy again yesterday and I got to see her newest artwork. Again, I was blown away seeing how she used the vintage lace I gave her. I had to show you.

I find it amazing how artists view things. Something that I couldn’t envision using, became a piece of art by someone else.

~Nanette S

Sorry if I’m getting a little nerdy here, but I find the concept fascinating. I have found myself in these trance-like states of being and they’re powerful. I usually recognize them after the fact. I’ll get busy working on something and suddenly realize more time has passed then I thought.

Being “in the zone” is considered a “flow state,” a psychological state of mind where actions and consciousness melt together. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is noted for recognizing and naming flow in modern psychology. Flow is often marked by the mental loss of time while you’re doing the activity.

I know I lose track of time working on the computer, checking email, or searching for something. But, I don’t recognize that as Flow…I may be focused, but I’m not 100% enjoying the process. This past week I realized Flow is deeper.

I set myself on task of slicing and dicing up old quilt projects (I wrote about it last week). It took thought to methodically cut up the projects and resemble them. I had to focus on design because I didn’t want like colors or patterns to sit next to each other. I was really enjoying the process of slicing, dicing, stitching and … CREATING. It felt good. I felt productive and I felt at peace. It was magical being in the Zone.

~ Nanette S.

Just wondering … do you think fabrics hold memories?
My sense of reality tells me:
“No! Of course not, the memories are in your head, not in the fabric.“

Maybe telling myself this is just a way to rationalize how crazy it sounds and I should just ignore my feelings. Because, I do want to believe that inanimate objects carry their history with them. Or, maybe what I’m feeling is really just my heart hoping it is true.

You see my family are collectors. We hold onto heirlooms and we search antique stores, flea markets and garage sales for special finds. I have always sensed inanimate objects carried their stories. When my mom died, I inherited one of her every day aprons. I love finding it when I sort through the box of family linens. I think of her cooking in the kitchen and her giving me a warm hug.

I also received a collection of my uncle’s ties after he passed. I cut-up them up and re-assembled them, crazy quilt style, making pillows for his wife (see photo), one for myself, and one for his sister.

Around the same time I made the pillows, I convinced my uncle’s wife to give me 12 of her favorite t-shirts so I could could make a t-shirt quilt for her. I really challenged her with this request because the shirts were so precious to her. Each shirt carried a story about a road race, friendship, or her love of gardening. I suspected she thought I would ruin them and her memories would be lost. When the quilt was completed, she cherished it. Now, after her recent passing, the quilt is back in my care.

So this is why I’m wondering about all this. I have these things that belong to special people in my life. Are my feelings just wishful thinking? Or, is it true that when I hold these textile objects that once belonged to someone I loved, that I indeed do feel their presence.