My creative (and messy) process
I marvel at the quilters/fiber artists/crafters out there who have neat, tidy studios. I spent a lot of time reorganizing my studio earlier this year and am coming to grips with the reality that I just can't keep it clean and neat. This is what my studio looked like this morning:
You see several projects scattered over my sewing table and hanging on a cabinet. I cannot work on one project at a time; this ADD brain of mine takes me to different ideas and part of me says, "I want to start it now." Other things filter in such as our son's request to make a quilt for someone that stops whatever I'm doing. On the table you see the pattern schematic for David's gift quilt, fabrics pulled for auditioning for that quilt, my serger set up on the other side of the table with red threads for the other school bus shirt I'm making for the hubster (part of it hanging on the cabinet and the sleeves are draped over the back of my chair), Trick or Treat is in another bag, and some blue fabric I used to mend some jeans (mending is always last on the list...like that's an epiphany). My light box is on my pullout tray where I have been tracing patterns onto fusible web for Love Endures.
I know really organized people who tidy up their spaces before shutting it down for the day/evening--this is part of their makeup--and they have to do it. I want to get there, but not if it costs me in creativity. I am driven to get into the studio every day and do something, anything, to keep the creative process flowing.
This week is the first time I have not spent a portion of each day in the studio in almost 4 months. The week has been chaotic between getting ready at work for the shutdown of the federal government, and someone will be moving into our house this weekend (more about that later). I felt poorly on Wednesday and stayed home from work. I realized I needed some downtime and have not worked in the studio in 2 days.
I'm recognizing that my creative process is much like my work process; I seldom am able to work on just one thing at work, just as I don't work on only one thing in the studio. While my office at work is somewhat neater than my studio, it's not pristine and never will be. Neither will my studio be pristine, and I am finally accepting it.
We're continuing our progress on Love Endures, and David will return Sunday to make a big push on finishing the applique. Jack sent the last pattern to me yesterday. My goal is to have it on the longarm by next weekend.
What are you working on this weekend?
Happy quilting,
I know really organized people who tidy up their spaces before shutting it down for the day/evening--this is part of their makeup--and they have to do it. I want to get there, but not if it costs me in creativity. I am driven to get into the studio every day and do something, anything, to keep the creative process flowing.
This week is the first time I have not spent a portion of each day in the studio in almost 4 months. The week has been chaotic between getting ready at work for the shutdown of the federal government, and someone will be moving into our house this weekend (more about that later). I felt poorly on Wednesday and stayed home from work. I realized I needed some downtime and have not worked in the studio in 2 days.
I'm recognizing that my creative process is much like my work process; I seldom am able to work on just one thing at work, just as I don't work on only one thing in the studio. While my office at work is somewhat neater than my studio, it's not pristine and never will be. Neither will my studio be pristine, and I am finally accepting it.
We're continuing our progress on Love Endures, and David will return Sunday to make a big push on finishing the applique. Jack sent the last pattern to me yesterday. My goal is to have it on the longarm by next weekend.
What are you working on this weekend?
Happy quilting,
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