As you know, I've been struggling mentally over the last few months. It's amazing how much a little anxiety and lack of sleep will upend your life. If anything, I have a new appreciation for people who suffer from them chronically. Luckily with each passing week, I'm feeling better. That said, I promised my critique partner, Barbara that I would get back into the studio and ya know actually get something done. Soooooo I pulled out the easiest WIP I had to finish. My sister told me to start with baby steps and since she's a marathon runner (completing not one but two Ironmans) I thought I would take her advice.
You can see this exercise here. Yes, it's been sitting nearly done on the side of my design wall for 10 months.10 MONTHS!! I decided that I would use black as the background. What I haven't exactly decided is am I going to sew the pieced columns all together? Or am I going to put in black spacer columns between the pieced columns?? Also, if I do put the spacer columns in are they going to be fat and chunky OR thin and sleek. Decisions, Decisions. I don't know why but in the frame of mind I've been in the last year, decisions can be debilitating. I really think I need to adopt a "What the Hell" attitude, put on my big girl panties, and just do it.
So tonight I pulled it all out, started stabilizing the columns, and squaring them up. I made a list of the decisions I needed to make. Plus, I gave myself a deadline. By the end of Sunday night, this piece will be ready to be machine quilted.
I know lately, this blog has seemed like a bunch of start-and-stop projects, but I promised myself when I started chronicling my creative journey that I would do it truthfully. I will not hop the bandwagon of people who only put the best version of their life online. This is where I am at right now.
And that's okay. ...
Enough confessing...
So What Have You've Been Up to Creatively?
13 comments:
The vertical black bars give your piece breathing space and organization. I appreciate your honesty as some quilting bloggers are so chirpy I suspect they are on drugs.
I like the black bars. I think it’s important to see people’s frustrations and “failures” as well as their successes. I have posted plenty of my less than stellar things on my blog.
I'm sorry you are having problems, but getting into the art room and creating or finishing your creations is the best thing. THIS IS GORGEOUS! I am always impressed with your art this one is a favorite. Have a really good day today.
I am with you. Only sharing the best version of ourselves isn't really helpful. I commend you for being brave and vulnerable. It isn't easy. May your creativity thrive!
Love your improv quilt! Makes me want to do more playing with improv!
🤣🤣🤣
I love this. The colors, and the dark to light, feels to me like coming out of the pandemic, which is what I hope we are doing. It feels like hope.
Wow great piece! I so hear you on decisions. I find starting by just making one decision, the old one step at a time philosophy. I get a bit intimidated by all the beautiful and gorgeous work I see in the blogverse but all the positive comments and encouragement from fellow bloggers and quilters really make a difference.
Stay safe and sew on !
Honestly, it's much more helpful to us readers when you "let it all hang out" and show us the struggles and questions as well as the triumphs. I too often find all the decisions that a piece might require me to make debilitating, enough so that it can chase me right out of the studio. I think you have hit upon the right approach, the What The Hell, Dive Right In one. I'm trying to do the same this year. Setting personal deadlines is also a good idea.
May be too late to put in my two cents about this but I rather like the columns having a slight gap of black between them. Glad you are feeling better. Extended insomnia is no fun. Why do you think sleep deprivation is a method used on prisoners to get them to talk?
This is a very exciting piece to me. I like all the columns right up against each other. Seeing how you constructed them is very helpful to me. Sometimes just deciding to finish something gets the energy going once again. And congrats to your sister on the two Ironmans - wowza.
You're doing great - a little bit at a time is a good idea. Your piece is looking wonderful. Good luck.
Thank you all for the kind and helpful comments. I did manage to spend Sunday afternoon getting the piece together. I want to layer it up and start machine quilting it. I know there are artists that create in a bubble, but honestly, I have no idea how they get anything done. I find people's comments so encouraging!
Love how this emerged, Nina. Great finish..hugs, Julierose
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