Lettergirl

A to Z.

My creative habit:  Sometimes I feel stuck in a rut.  I have been hand-sewing pretty consistently for over three years now (and my guess is I won't shake that for a long time yet) but I also feel the need to keep trying completely unrelated art adventures.   My mentor has helped me shake things up a bit with dyeing and discharging and screenprinting.  And I'm waiting (sort of patiently) for a new delivery from Spoonflower so I can do some experimenting over the holidays.  I always do my best work when I have more than one iron in the fire.

A to Z.

My creative habit:  In my last A to Z post, I hinted at the role intention plays in my creative pursuits.  Usually I'm ranting about the big picture, and keeping perspective, but when I am busy-busy-busy with holiday orders, the hardest thing for me is to keep my eyes on the little picture:  to remember that each person who has placed an order will (I hope) use my little creation to add a bit of beauty to their everyday world.  And so I try to channel good thoughts through my hand and into my artwork. (So much easier when I have ten orders on my plate instead of a hundred!)  It is the same when I'm stitching; hand-stitching is ideal for thinking/dreaming as you work.  (And since it is a slow process, thinking about the final result is a big motivator.)  A customer I've had for years once told me that she returns because she always has an emotional response to my work.  Is that my intention coming through?      I can't think of a better compliment.

A to Z.

My creative habit:  I feel a bit lost if I don't do something creative with my hands every day.  This past weekend rushed past in a blur of festivities, theatre, laundry, and errands -- one of the rare weekends when I didn't pick up a needle for even a few stitches.  A luxury for me right now is an extra fifteen minutes in bed in the early morning, pondering, getting my ducks in a row for when I do have time for my own projects.  And while I'm thinking of my personal projects, I don't take for granted that my daily work is creative work. It's just a different effort at this time of year: I have to be vigilant not to allow all the orders to become like an assembly line. I work at being conscious of adding my bit of beauty to the world, with each holiday card I design, each address I write.  But that's another creative habit altogether!

A to Z.

My creative habit:  Mentors have been very important in my creative growth.  I had two growing up:  my mom, who tried every craft at least once (and that was the 70's, so we had supplies for everything from macrame to God's eyes -- remember those?), and my neighbor Ann, whose artful environment I coveted.  (They even had one small cabinet whose surface was entirely handpainted with leaves and flowers -- and a little scene of their family gathered around a table.  I have a photo of it and it still inspires me.)  As an artist, I feel so lucky to have had two more mentors:  Katherine, who will listen to me at 7am or 11pm or over a 3-hour coffee break (when we were in New York together, we never got more than six hours of sleep); and Susan, an amazing quilt artist and teacher who is being awarded the Textile Center's Spun Gold Award this week for her lifetime achievements in fiber art.  Lucky me!

A to Z.

A creative habit I wish I had:  I admire anyone with the ability to exhaust an idea.  My friend Marjorie told me about the time she was obsessed with squash -- drawing them, painting them, finding inspiration in the color, shape & texture -- and I was jealous of her ability to focus.  I am usually working on about six things at once, related or not.  I love the idea of being able to squeeze every last drop from one (juicy) subject.  I would love to hear from anyone who operates this way!

A to Z.

My creative habit:  I have a friend who takes a creative field trip every month.  Remember field trips?  When you got to escape the same old - same old?  I don't schedule them regularly like my friend does, but I do like to squeeze one in now & then for a little fresh air and inspiration.  My favorite creative field trips take me to art museums, used book stores, and those little boutiques that have everything from jewelry to teapots.  (The displays at Patina and Bibelot are always worth the trip.)  Do you have a favorite spot for a field trip?

A to Z.

My creative habit:  I'm not afraid to leave parts undone.  I need to feel closure on each page, that I've done as much as I can, but I don't want to just fill my pages up.  On this page, I had a gap leftover, and so I added brackets around it.  Now I can easily add a short thought later (without requiring any creative energy).  In fact, I have left a blank pair of pages between every letter in the book, hoping that this is a volume I will add to through the years.  Or maybe pass on to my daughter, and she can do her own version of A to Z on the in-between pages.

A to Z.

My creative habit:  Having tools I love and want to use means I'll be more anxious to work.  I'm noticing that more as I work on my textile projects: how nice it would be to have an ironing board set up and ready, an area to cut, my tools at hand.  For my A to Z project, everything I need fits in a tote bag that I keep in our bedroom.  I love Derwent watercolor pencils, Uniball pens, mechanical pencils, Magic Rub erasers -- it's all there, waiting in my bag, ready whenever I am.

A to Z.

My creative habit:   My friend Rachel is fond of saying, "Anything you do is better than doing nothing."  And that applies to a lot of pursuits (except eating Halloween candy).  When I am just not in the mood to work on a project, I give myself a tiny goal: sketch it out in pencil, read through my notes, start with the easiest part, do something.  Now if only I could transfer this approach to dusting the woodwork!

A to Z.

My creative habit:  Look closely at the photo above, and you'll see that the rectangle about Housekeeping is cut out and glued on.  On the previous page, I had rewritten the section on G is for Guilt three times (thanks to the spiral binding, I was able to tear out the rejects), so when I made a mistake on the H page, I just glued over it.  Done.  Would I rather my book didn't have this little flaw?  Sure.  Is it going to be the only mistake I make?  Unlikely.  The key for me is to keep on keepin' on.  (I is for Imperfection, coming next week!)

To me, there is nothing quite so uninteresting as a shining, perfectly smooth surface that looks as though it has never been used.  George Nakashima