I’m still pondering my thoughts from my last post. It is proven that children will play and explore freely, until someone convinces them they can’t. Some people give up their creative joy because they feel defeated. They don’t believe they should keep trying, because they’re not good enough. Other’s rediscover their creativity later in life, because they’re ready to try again. And some never give up, even when their critics advise them they should. I don’t think art/creativity is always about being good at it. It is so much broader and deeper than that.

It takes tenacity to be a creative spirit. You must be willing to overcome the self-doubt, artistic frustrations and personal critics. It takes a lot of passion and energy to keep going. How much time do you put into it before you just get tired and give up? When things get tough we have to find energy somewhere. Where?

I think that’s were our support team steps in. These are the people who see the light within us. When they show up they bring us energy. Our support team doesn’t have to be family or friends. Sometimes it is a random stranger we’ve just met who sees our talents and tells us they like what we do. Who told you, you can?

 

I recently I found myself in several different conversations in which people (mostly artistic people) recalled that “one person” who criticized their art or their dream of being an artist. Each of these people mentioned how it stopped them (at least temporarily). Some of these people remembered the person by name and shared great detail of the situation. Frequently, it was a teacher from when they were in high school or lower grades. The good news is, that most of these individuals have found success and happiness in their art.

Success isn’t always about making art a full-time job. It could be just having a regular practice and enjoying what you’re creating. It surprises me that many of these people found this peace later in life and usually after years working in some non-related field.

The sad part is how they recall the “sting” of the conversations. They share vivid details of the circumstances. But there’s also this strong attitude of vindication. They don’t want to punish the person who stopped them. They are content feeling justified to have proven the individual wrong. They had the determination not to give up, even though they might have been slapped down in the past.

These conversations have me thinking about the people who say they “wish” they were creative, artistic or talented. It is interesting because, practically every child enjoyed creative play, until they got older. I wonder who told them they can’t.

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My life has been a whirlwind the last few weeks. Lots of things going on between making new art, teaching classes, entering exhibits, and working on other special projects. That’s the way things go sometimes.

This shouldn’t be a surprise, because I had some hand in it all that I’ve been doing. However, I had no idea that my art would be on display in two different local art exhibits at the same time.  Now that was an extra bonus.

I took a chance and entered 2 different exhibits. One is a Fine Arts Festival (FAF) at our local Arts Council. Everyone who enters gets their work displayed. Some crazy talented people enter. You can see my “self-portrait” in red over the fireplace mantle. I had the stitchwork on this piece completed a while back, but never finished it (photo on right: portrait over the fireplace in red with the hat on). This opportunity encouraged me to finally complete the work and enter it into the show.

The second opportunity was for a textile exhibit at the Arts Council of a nearby town. I entered the “spigot” into the juried call for entries (photo on left: me standing in front of my art quilt). I had no idea how this piece would be viewed. When there’s a jury selection process, your odds for being accepted has a lot to do with who else entered work (how good is the competition?). You just have to have hope that the jurors like what you submit. And!…be willing to graciously accept if they don’t. Art is subjective that way. Yet, this one totally surprised me. I entered on a whim.

It has reminded me to submit my work into more exhibits, because no one will ever see it, if it always stays in the closet.

 

Something to keep in mind when you’re creating is to just stick with it. In my last post, I shared some experimenting I was doing. I really felt confident about what I was doing. After I wrote the blog post I tried one more time. This time was going to be for the final project. I felt ready for this.

When I finished transferring my birds onto the fabric using the acrylic medium technique, I wasn’t impressed with my results. Its not that it didn’t work well, more that the results didn’t live up to my expectations for THIS project. I wanted something that would look “cleaner.” If I wanted the design to look more distressed, I would probably stick with it. Also, I felt the image colors weren’t as sharp as I envisioned. I spent a few days thinking about what to do next.

I’ve always had good results with image transfer products (e.g., Transfer Artist Paper (TAP) or t-shirt image transfers). So, I decided to go back to my tried and true method of using them. I used TAP transfer sheets to copy the bird images onto white fabric. Super easy to do and the colors are vibrant. Now I feel ready to move forward on this series of art quilts.

During my trial and error, I wondered if I was being too much of a perfectionist. I decided I was not. I know what I expected and I knew what results I was capable of achieving. I experimented with something new. Although, I liked the result I got from the acrylic medium they weren’t the results I wanted for these new pieces. All is not lost, I have a new skill and I will use it for something. It is just another tool in my toolbox. And some day in the future, I’ll decide when it is time to try it again.

I took some time this week, for some “playful” experimenting. I read an article by Ana Buzzalino in the Quilting Arts Magazine (Spring 2023) and was curious about her process of “Paper Lamination” (page 82). Her technique is a method of transferring a printed image onto sheer textiles. I’ve read similar articles in the past and even had some of the acrylic medium products she referenced. However, I couldn’t remember if I ever really gave it much consideration before. Her article inspired me for some creative play.

Acrylic medium is a glue-like substance which is frequently used by artists to adhere things to a surface or use as a top coating (e.g., paper collage). Someone discovered that you could put the medium on the ink side of printed paper (lazer or ink-jet) and use it to transfer the ink onto another surface (wood, fabric, etc.). Years ago, this was a technique artists used before printer transfer papers became popular (I remember those days!!)

Initially, I followed Ana’s directions explicitly. However, I wasn’t very happy with my results (e.g., bluebird image, upper left corner of photo). The color of my bluebird was “off” and there was “something (?)” I didn’t like about how the medium looked when it dried. I had to think about this… I looked online for similar tutorials by other artists and I tried a few more attempts. This was no longer play…this was a true experiment, trial and error, plus making adjustments to techniques after I thought about the results. At times I wondered is it me “failing” or something else? Should I give up and go back to my tried and true transfer papers. I was determined to conquer this…or at least get to a point that I succeeded or exhausted all my options (and admitted defeat).

A week and many attempts later, I got the results I was looking for (e.g., bottom 2 bluebirds in image). What I discovered was, the gel medium I was using was too old and thick and I had to tweak the image in Photoshop to get the colors I expected. I also discovered the “mystery” fabric I tried to use (looked like painter’s canvas), probably had a coating on it that resisted the ink transfer process. Every attempt I had with the fabric resulted in the same awful mess because the ink never fully adhered to the cloth.

With new medium and some known source cotton muslin, I tried again and had a successful outcome. I also tried again using a sheer fabric like Ana recommended; success again!

Experiments always provide some type of lesson. In this case, I learned what did and didn’t work, that not everything is under my control, and I reminded myself that giving up is not always the best option.

I’m working on some new art for an exhibit I’m participating in this November. I’m juggling many hats and changing directions every day to feel like I’m accomplishing all the tasks on the list. I know I’m not alone trying to keep up; we all have a list of things to accomplish. Some things need our short term attention and other deadlines are much farther out. Plus, we also have to be aware and ready for those “surprise” tasks, like unexpected home or car repairs, family illness, etc.

It is all a part of life. It is important to find time to be calm, focused, then setting the priorities. One ball goes up, as the another starts falling down. Some days keeping track of things feels like the old Abbot and Costello skit, “who’s on first, what’s on second, I don’t know is on third.” It can be confusing.

I think of setting priorities as finding balance. Do we follow after each lovely bird that flies past? Are we strong enough to say not this one, but maybe the next? Will we be ok with just letting the opportunity pass us by?

 

Life gets busy. There are a lot of priorities. Housekeeping, attending to family members, managing the finances, yard work, etc. There are always so many things that need to fit into the day with a sense of balance. For me personally, I’m learning to swing with the time I have. Certain days of the week I have tasks that get accomplish…for example, today it is writing this blog post. Earlier today, I ran some errands. When I got home I spent several hours in my “studio” (aka a spare bedroom) working on a new project and now I’m in front of the computer writing to you. I can’t always predict how my day will go, so inspiration frequently has to wait for the appropriate time.

For example last week, I took a trip with a friend to a warehouse fabric sale. Definitely not something I spent too much time planning, but I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity. Fabric shopping was part necessity and a little bit of escapism. I haven’t been to a good fabric store in probably 4 years. As I’ve been working on new artwork, I’m realizing my fabric stash has its limits. I decided to take advantage of this shopping opportunity, dropped all my other tasks for the day and took a road trip to go shopping.

I often feel shopping is procrastination. Just another thing that will distract my time from studio work. I avoid it. Generally, I also find it frustrating. I hate spending hours looking for something, just to find the store doesn’t carry it or is out of stock. Living in a small, semi-rural, micropolitan area doesn’t provide many options, especially not for fabric and fine art supplies. So usually it is “Hello, Amazon!” instead.

You can’t “really” buy fabric online…colors on the monitor vary from real life. So this in-person shopping quest was a serious necessity. What I didn’t realize arranging this trip, was that the fabric itself would inspire me to create. Some of the pieces in this newly acquired collection, spoke volumes to me. I looked at some of the fabric and said “I know ‘exactly’ what I’m doing with this piece.” So the short shopping break was not an indulgence, but instead a necessary opportunity to get my brain inspired. So, what gets you inspired to create?

 

“A person who makes something today, isn’t the same person who returns to the work tomorrow.”
~Rick Rubin

I have this small collection of indigo fabrics that I dyed. I took a class in shibori a number of years ago and since then have played several times with the indigo dyeing process. Thanks to a friend who sent me some seeds, this year I’m growing indigo plants in my garden. The same blue in the Shibori is the blue that I love in my jeans.

As I pulled out the fabrics, I thought back to when I last worked with the indigo. It has been awhile. Memories flushed through me. I flipped back through my photos looking for photographic evidence of how long ago it was. A lot has changed, yet everything seems the same, but then again, it is not. I am different. The quote (above) from Rick Rubin says it all.

Right now I’m working on some new artwork. Although it is a familiar design, it isn’t the same. As Rick notes, I’m different each day. The project effects who I am. My thought process changes. My confidence or sometimes the lack of confidence changes.  Yet no matter what I’m doing or feeling, I remind myself to continue. There’s a new day ahead, full of new opportunities. It is important that no matter what I do, I must keep trying. Keep learning. That’s how we grow. That’s how we thrive. And, just because I’m getting older, doesn’t mean I should stop learning. I feel the urge now, its time to make something. Its time to learn something new.

Six weeks ago I started a Step challenge. Basically, a group of people got together and decided to meet a weekly step (walking) requirement. Our personal daily step counts were calculated using the average from our fitness watches.We were required to reach our daily goals 6 days each week, plus one rest day. Don’t meet the goal for a week you’re eliminated from the challenge. It was a doable, yet challenging activity and definitely a personal challenge versus a competitive challenge.

I found each day had its own set of complexities. Some days I felt tired, some days I was bored, some days my body ached, and other days I had a lot other things I needed to do. The challenge reminded me of making art.

There are always excuses. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons to not meet our goals. And other times, it is just a head game and we have to get over ourselves then do what needs to get done! And, if we find we can’t get something done, we either have to give up, find an alternate plan, or make up for it another day (if we can). Giving up feels like a failure and that’s a hard pill to swallow. However, it is important to show grace with ourselves. Whatever happens it is ok.

What I learned the past month is, if I put my mind to something I will get things accomplished. If I chose to, I can stop making excuses and get to work. I CAN accomplish my goals. I definitely have some big goals to accomplish before the end of this year. I successfully completed my step challenge (Yay!). So, now I’m going to take that mindset into my work, because mindset is everything. It is time to “Get R Done.”

Have you ever looked at someone and thought they were lucky? I know I have on a few occasions. Sometimes luck is just being at the right place at the right time. For example, when you’re in a hurry to get somewhere and you get across the railroad tracks just as the crossing gates come down. Or, you play the lottery and win a bunch of money. That’s being lucky.

But, what about when you see someone receive opportunities that you wish you could have. Is it just pure luck? Maybe you think they were lucky to be born with pure talent and that’s why they get these opportunities. You may know people who seem like they never have to work to develop their skills. I’ve had people say to me “You are so talented [creative]. I wish I had your talent.” I don’t know if talent/skill/creativity can be simplified into the luck of the draw. We are each born with unique abilities. How we think and process information is somewhat hereditary, but it also has to do with exposure to concepts and our own personal experiences.

I think my family is gifted with creative talent, but many of us don’t pursue it. I’m a very left/right brain thinker. Besides my lifelong interest in the arts, I also had interest and skill in science and math. My parents took us to museums and camping. From a young age, my dad taught me how to use tools and work around the house and my mom introduced me to textile art. They both taught me to cook. I think my luck comes from being born into a family that exposed me to a variety of things. I found comfort in learning new art and textile skills. Yet, I felt self-sufficient knowing how to change a tire, or oil, in my car. We didn’t have a lot of money, so definitely not much “luck” there. I had to work to pay my own way through college.

Although I admit to thinking some opportunities seem lucky, I’m learning that these opportunities are usually based on how someone used the resources they were given. I’ll never get accepted into an exhibit, if I don’t apply. My skill as a textile artist wouldn’t be what it is today, if I stopped after first quilt. And, I wouldn’t be able to knit socks, if I didn’t read a book to learn.

Fact is, if you dream something and don’t work toward it, the dream won’t come true. So I encourage you to avoid making comparisons with yourself to other people. What they have, you may not have (yet). However, if you want to have it, look deeper into their story to discover how they got there. Learn from them, because their roots might go deeper than you think.