Things are always changing. We have to adapt, stay stagnant or perhaps (in some situations) perish. Making art is the same way. We all get stuck sometimes. If my goal is to enter an exhibit and have my artwork seen or purchased, I have to make something that is worthy of the honor. I can’t slop something together last minute and expect high honors. Maybe we can get lucky a few times, but the luck … most likely … won’t last.
All things change, including ourselves. Our creative practice will grow and mature as we do. Sometimes they’re scary leaps and other times, they’re gradual progressive changes. If you keep your projects around long enough, you’ll see the journey. What you once thought of as good, you may not value the same in the future.
Frequently, I make things and decide I don’t like them anymore. Maybe a piece was an experiment, something from a class I took (or taught), or even something that once hung in a gallery exhibit. I find it wasteful to throw them out, but do I keep them ALL?
The fabric postcards I make are a reflection of this journey. I slice, dice and reassemble the textile pieces to create new patterns, then cut them up even smaller to make postcards to share with others. For me I see the deep stories of my journey, to anyone else, its just a colorful design.
