Lesson Learned

I've been very focused on making 2 pairs of tiny shoes, and on finishing my Coffee fairy.  I had my time all scheduled, what work I was going to do on these projects every day to have them all done by tomorrow.  However, the best laid plans have a way of going awry.  Sunday morning, before sitting down to embroider the second last line on my Coffee Fairy's costume, I had a wee bit of an accident with a glass cup and suffered a severe laceration to my right thumb.  Instead of stitching, I spent my day in the emergency room getting stitched back together.

Monday should have had me embroidering the last line on the costume, and making insoles.  Only, I found myself unable to pick up anything, let alone a needle or scissors.  Truly, it's amazing how much we rely on our use of opposable thumbs.  Basic personal care, feeding myself, picking up a pen to sign my name, are all very difficult to impossible tasks for me right now.  As I sat here staring at almost finished projects, I had to wonder, what do I do if I can't ever pick up a needle again.  Needle arts have been a part of my life for 24 years now, what will life look like without that?

Probably I should be more concerned with how I'm going to work my regular day time job, but I really have no care about that.  I'll find out how that works when I arrive Thursday morning.  That alone opened my eyes as to how important my work as an artist is to me.  Really, what will I do if I can't pick up a needle again?  That thought is sickening, but I'd find something else creative to do.  I suppose I'd explore more machine stitching.  Precise cutting of fabrics isn't a possibility if I can't use scissors, so I might have to embrace the more free process of rip and tear.  I might think about thinks like abstract painting, holding a paintbrush in a fist rather than between thumb and finger.  The same method might be applicable to needle punch embroidery.  I'm creative.  I'm determined.  If it comes down to having to find a new creative outlet, I will (though I pray that won't be the case).

One of my art mentors suggested I ask myself what this accident creates an opportunity for.  I suppose it gave me the opportunity to stop.  Stop doing the things I want, the things I don't want, stop everything, stop doing nothing.  Just stop, and sit and listen.  In that stillness, I get to hear my thoughts, and hear what my heart really longs for.  I've learned that art is a huge part of the person I am-which now means I can stop the nonsense thoughts of "maybe I should stop wasting my time playing artist".  This was a good lesson in learning to use and cherish our individual gifts, because at any time, they can be taken away.  It's easier to prioritise which projects are most important for me to do, when I think, "if this is the last time I get to make something in this life, is this what I want to be making?".

Though I'm not a bit thankful for this situation, I value the lessons learned.

Something out of Nothing

My first inclination when answering the question, 'what have you done this past month?' is to answer with, "nothing".  My studio is still a disaster, my doll is no further ahead, I'm another month behind on my block-of-the-month quilt.  I've done nothing.  It's been near a month now since I reflected on my journey last, and I've done NOTHING!

However, first inclinations aren't always correct.  Every day I write in my journals, and this allows me to go back and see what it is I have done.  Journal 1 lists the creative thing(s) I did every day, and most every day is accounted for there.  Perhaps I didn't do what I had in mind, but I didn't do 'NOTHING'!  I've spent a bit of time working on my doll, hand stitching the rest of her clothing.  Every stitch counts there, and I appreciate that the time it is taking to hand embroider this costume is worth the effort.  Besides, I do enjoy hand stitching, and I am supposed to be enjoying my time with this, right?  Good, I'll keep at that then.

I've spent a bit of time with Photoshop as well, trying to turn ordinary photographs into works of art.  I'm never going to be good at this, and I'm probably not ever going to like this process, but I am content enough with the results.  I turned my ordinary photo of ice-stick tulips that you saw last month into this.  The possibilities of how I could incorporate this into my are are intriguing.

There's been days when I wandered about taking photos of everything I found inspiring, to have for future reference.  One day I wandered down to Artfest to enjoy the art of other people.  One day I decided to make home-made cosmetics, and now have a lifetime supply of lip balms in many fun flavours!

I also decided that I need to live in a more fun, more artistic, more colourful place,  so set out to refinish the stairwell.  The gross carpet came off the stairs, and there was more ugliness underneath that.  I didn't think this project through too well and I may be in over my head there.  I don't really have a clue about wood refinishing, I don't own a sander, and I just can't see successfully sanding the stairs down by hand.  I had a minor mishap with a can of paint stripper that I'm still physically recovering from, and the projects just newly under-way!  But, it's really too late to back out now....

Every day in June, I sketched a different flower to improve my non-existent drawing skills.

I've started working through a fabulous course for artist's; Julia Cameron's, The Artist's Way.  What a truly wonderful discovery that has been.  Though I'm only two weeks in to that 12 week course, already it has brought me much focus and understanding to my life.  Most importantly so far, that my life, and my life as an artist, aren't 2 separate entities.

I'm back on track with some neglected projects, and there's clay body parts baking in my oven right now.

True, I didn't do what I had planned.  I didn't finish anything.  But, all of this must amount to something, even if it is just paving the road for what I'm going to do tomorrow.