taking you with me

Have you ever heard the saying, “I’m going to go insane and take you with me” ?

That’s what I’m thinking right now.

In the absence of my ability to show you anything that doesn’t involve knitting/crochet/spinning at the moment, I had the thought to take you through the process with me as I sit down to figure out where the disconnect is for how I view my artwork.

I don’t know if you’ll find it interesting. I don’t know if your eyes will glaze and you’ll click the back button on your browser quicker then a chocolate addict can scarf down a bag of Hershey kisses. Some of you might find this boring, some of you might already know the answers, some of you might find something new for yourselves as well.

But its what I’ve got to offer outside of my regular posts (which will also continue.) What I’m thinking is that on the last day of each month I’ll talk about one thing that is in the list below and maybe I can dislodge some of the chatter that is rattling around in my head.

Its not going to be a commentary on all fiber artists as a whole but rather a public conversation I'm having with myself about how these things pertain to my own work.

The truth is I’ve never really given any of this any kind of serious critique. And I’m feeling like I need to, like its what’s been missing for me. Up until this point I've been an internal musing kind of gal on this topic. I tend to keep to myself and work through things on my own but I've decided to take a different approach to it this time.

So here is the list of things I want to work through:

• Why fiber? What is the appeal of this particular media?

• What construction methods do I like/dislike? What could I change to bring my work more in line with a way of working that is more enjoyable?

• Create a clear definition of how I want my work to be perceived.

• Why do I find it impossible to work in a series?
  

• How can I streamline the term ‘mixed media’ to give it a more defined purpose in my fiber art?

• Is experimenting with new techniques really beneficial? Or does it simply muddy things to a point that I loose the goal of what I’m working on?
  

• Do I really need a label for the artwork I make? Art quilt? Fiber art? Mixed media? Or is it all the same thing?

• Take the time to educate myself about fiber artists that I am unfamiliar with. What is it about their work that holds my attention?

• Do dimensions matter? Explore the argument that smaller artworks don’t have the same value as large pieces.

• What methods of display are the best?

• What kind of education is the best? Books? Online classes? In-person classes?

• What do I do with the work once it’s complete? Evaluate the roles of showing in exhibits/being published/selling work – which one really suits me best?

I’ve decided to use this year as an evaluation year. I’ll most likely still create fiber art pieces (in between the incredibly obsessive knitting/crocheting/spinning) but I find myself wanting more from the things I make and this seems like the way to get there.

I’m hoping that if I ramble enough in public to all of you, I’ll finally be able to put my finger on it.