Any Excuse to Play

I haven't been playing much lately. It feels like there isn't time for anything extra. Still I know I need to make time to play with my art. If not, it starts to drag on me and I lose the passion I have for it.

Not long ago I volunteered to help with bulletin board projects in my son's classroom. Honestly, I thought this meant that the teacher gave you the supplies and a sketch and you stapled it all up according to her plan. Not a big deal- I can usually follow instructions (although a picture helps me lots). But what it actually entailed was coming up with the entire design/concept and then executing it. Again, a little more than I thought, but that's ok. But then I saw it at the bottom of the e-mail, "thank you for sharing your talents in this way." That got me.

Suddenly I saw this as a challenge, as a reflection of me. Now keep in mind that it's just a bulletin board but internally I was putting this up there with all the other big challenges I've had and I have to admit to being a little intimidated. Then I calmed down and realized this for what it was- an opportunity to play and an opportunity to share what I love with others.

So I went to the fabric store. Any excuse, right? I got some gorgeous warm yellows and oranges that gushed "thanksgiving" to me. Then I came home and cut the fabrics into scrap sizes and started to layer them onto the fusible interfacing (paper side down). My idea was to make patchwork style cornstalks with cobs that each child would write what they're most thankful to God on. Surrounded with fabrics, playing with patterns, I was suddenly conscious of enjoying myself immensely. Fabric is so much about color, texture, and patterns for me. Visiting a fabric store gives me the kid on Christmas eve feeling. I love it. It's all the raw material to create with.

Layer fabric scraps onto fusible interfacing and iron flat

To cover any holes I had I cut some small fused pieces, peeled off the paper backing, and laid them vertically across holes

Layering creates a patchwork effect and then I ironed the pieces to fuse them in place

To complete, cut into desired sized shapes or strips as shown

The bulletin board turned out well. I had a little trouble with the execution and cut my background paper too small. twice. but I managed to patch it the second time and put a cornstalk over the seam. The kids answers were so cute, and best of all I played.

Dealing with Detours on our Creative Journey

We've been on the road again. This time visiting my husband's family and man is it a long drive. There are very few times in life anymore however that I get the time to sit and do nothing and so although it's long I do rather look forward to the downtime the journey, and a few detours or road construction brings.

Which makes me think about other journey's, like the one you and I are on. It's a personal journey with ups and downs, but I think rarely do we stop and think about as a journey. When we do we're frustrated by where we are, or our inability to read the map or even find the map.

I know that I need to remember that sometimes making no forward progress, and taking the opportunity that sitting still and reflecting is, allows us to discover where we are in the journey. For instance I took a class recently and many of the artists were frustrated by their inability to settle down and concentrate on just one aspect of their art. Because I was there just a few years ago and recognize the frustration I realized that they were someplace important to their journey. They were trying and discovering who and what they were interested in artistically. In the midst of it you feel as if you've been traveling for ages but really it's still the beginning. You're doing the work now, that will allow you to go on from there confident, experienced and well traveled.

Sitting in the car I'm thinking about this and wishing I could encourage those who are in that part of their journey. I've only just past that part, I found my wire and fabric, and I know because of past experience that although I feel I've come far and feel as if I must be at the mid point of my journey, that how you feel is deceptive and I still could just be in another stage of that beginning.

The point is that we are on a journey. We are traveling toward something and not sitting at home reading the postcards others have sent us. We are out there, discovering new things, maybe experiencing a detour or two , but still we are journeying.

But today's lesson remains, as I sit here in the car with my Soy Sugar Free Vanilla Coffee Frappucino (another detour story there) that it is important to sometimes set it on cruise, or pull over and check the map and realize where we are, how far we've come, and that we're traveling towards something.

Take the Time to Consult Your Map

Sometimes it feels like my creative journey is leading me down one way streets- in the wrong direction. I can tell you that's what it felt like because as a child I had a pretty impressionable experience with that. Driving along we took a turn and went down a street and as we went, noticed that people in the skyways, and on the side of the road were waving at us and seemed really focused on us. This is downtown Minneapolis and while friendlier than most, you don't usually see people waving and cheering for you as you drive down the street. The street was Nicollet Ave.-Nicollet Mall, and is reserved for public transportation and emergency vehicles. Not only were driving our car down a "do not enter" street but I believe it was the wrong direction as well. Because of the "strange" behavior of the pedestrians we looked around and soon understood the situation. To fix it all we had to do was turn off, but the experience is still one I remember.

This story comes to mind today because today I started Kelly Rae Roberts' business e-course. She had a wonderfully inspirational first post with prompts at the end that have made me think about my creative journey. There have been times when I felt in tune to the journey, and other times where I feel as if something's not quite right but can't put my finger on it. I'll be cruising right along, feeling the creative energy, whipping out art like there's no tomorrow and more ideas than I have time to do. Then suddenly- it stops. I can't finish a piece to save my soul, because the vision isn't as clear, and nothing I try seems right. I feel clumsy and my entire life is affected. I can't seem to concentrate on the easy things-like what's for dinner. I feel anxiety when I enter the studio. I see the projects stacked up and feel like the current that I was happily following suddenly switched directions and I was now struggling upstream.

That's been the case lately and I've wondered how to express it to you. If I should. But after today's first class I think I've realized that this is all part of the journey. We all go through it to one degree or another. I think it's important to realize because if you don't acknowledge it as part of the journey than fear comes knocking and soon after it's arrival creative paralysis sets in.

If this happens to you, then I think taking it slow and looking around at your life, consulting your map, or a roadside sign or two might be the answer. You might even stop to talk to a pedestrian. Everyone on that street saw us going the wrong way down a "do not enter" street. If we had rolled down our windows and asked anybody what the commotion was about they would have told us. So do the equivalent. Ask a friend what they've observed. Or ask yourself why do I feel this way? Was I going the wrong direction to begin with? Was I inadvertently traveling along to someplace I don't want to go? Or is there something else going on? I feel distracted so I need to ask myself where the distraction is.

After looking at my life I've realized that my creative life might be stalled right now because I'm dealing with some pretty big life changes in other areas of my life. Letting myself put a bit more time into those areas right now is really investing in all areas. My creative growth will resume, but I'm going to let myself take it a little easier this next week. Not give in to my internal pressure to produce. Play a little. I'll let you know how it goes... :)