It is a while since I wrote last, but contrary to possible speculation I have not been doing nothing. At the very least I have been thinking. Thinking, unfortunately, does not necessarily offer evidence of the activity, nor does it necessarily yield results!
Thinking has not stopped me actually doing things. I continue to have at least one stitching project constantly on the go. My mind still throws up various ideas for ‘doodles’ which please me more or less, … but I feel somewhat limbo-ish nonetheless. I don’t think that the new images that I’m currently developing are actually moving my work forward – whatever that means. And I guess that’s what is bothering me: I cannot fathom at present what direction to look towards.
Meanwhile, a bit of organisation always helps. I am on a general life project to downsize possessions, partly so that as we become more decrepit and literally downsize to a smaller dwelling, we will not suddenly have to cope with a mountainous task. Today I decided to sort my threads.
Happy conjunctions present themselves when taking time over the sorting of stuff. One problem is that I have lived through several eras of need. For instance when I was working freelance in publishing, teaching abroad, and writing a publishing manual I needed filing drawers – not only for files (remember paper files anyone?), but for paper, flimsy, carbon paper, tippex (!), and other stationery. One cherished piece of filing furniture is my bright red Habitat set of drawers. Just right to accommodate threads.
Bit by bit nearer to some kind of Chaos control even if I’m not much nearer finding any coherent direction for my work.
Hand, Eye, Mind 
Several thoughts. I rue a world where thinking is not perceived as doing, that the only evidence of productive use of time is something tangible. I generally think of this as the result of the Puritan Work Ethic, which I am convinced is what I was raised up on. Why else should I feel guilt when taking time out to read, research and cogitate? Doesn’t matter how important I know these activities are to eventually producing tangible work, it seems we are constantly compelled to justify using our time on them.
For some reason, your mentioning of whether what you are doing is “moving your work forward” and question what forward might look like made me think of Michael James. From the time I was first aware of him, his mantra of “do the work” made a deep impression on me. Always encouraging artists to stop worrying about what others thought, or what direction you should take to be successful, but just keep doing the work and eventually it would present itself, and it would be something that truly pleased you, which should be the point of making art. It takes time, he reminded me often. And at this stage in our lives, maybe we don’t feel we have time to wait around for a direction to present itself, but I think he is right. It’s only in doing, even when we keep repeating ourselves, that we stumble upon the next step.
Later in his career, he made the observation that artists seem to follow the same arc and it was evident in his own work. I’m paraphrasing here as I don’t have access to the articles where I read this. Typically, an artist will start out working quite complicated designs, intricate work, flexing technical muscles. Then the work gets simpler, less complicated technically, but deeper and more complex even as it gets more minimalist. The last stage may bring an artist full circle, re-examining earlier work and pulling in pieces of it, references to it but now influenced by that middle minimalist phase and in many ways more mature. I recognize this same progression in my own work, and am at a point of a bit of floundering myself in terms of direction. I try to keep reminding myself that Michael would keep repeating, “Just do the work. The rest will sort itself.”
I’ve just read his Wikipedia entry to see if I could spot any familiar quotations. I found it an interesting read, even though I’ve followed him throughout most of his career so know much of what it presented. Don’t know how familiar you are with him, but you might find something useful there (plus some pictures of his work): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_James_%28quilt_artist%29
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Sheila, I so agree about the Puritan Work Ethic. I so often used to hear a rebuke for reading ‘when I could be doing something’ that stays with me as a feeling of guilt, as you say. Of course, with a degree in philosophy I should be able to say that my training was in thinking. The shame is that I cannot always articulate what that thinking. Hey ho – it just means fewer blog posts. Just mild feelings of guilt!
I find what you say about Michael James interesting. Yes I know of him and his work, and heard a lecture by him (and one by his late wife Judith James) some years ago. I agree with the injucton to keep working and a direction will reveal itself. I’ve largely been trying to do that.
Strangely enough, I looked up Michael James’ website last week in the search for cheering news about progress in art quilt design – I have been somewhat depressed with the overall developemnt of art quilts recently. I think that there were far more exciting directions being taken and explored at the end of the last century than there are now. I must say that I was also disappointed with MJ’s work too, whereas I had been excited by it round about the time when he first went to Nebraska.
But we all move at different speeds through the areas of interest which motivate us, and no bad thing in that. My thinking has since been enlivened by discovering the artist Peter Sacks (see my Threading thoughts blog post of 3 May), and I have the outline of a new stitching project in mind, which at its present stage seems to point towards working on, expanding, elaborating a previous design element … a wee bit more thinking to do ….
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Honestly, as much of a mentor as I consider MJ, I have to agree that I have not particularly cared for where he has taken his vision. But each artist must take his or her own path, that is very much in keeping with his overall message, and we must let him go his own way, whether we like it or not. I had to wonder just how much the illness of his wife and her passing affected all he was doing and then moved on to do. Well, I know it affected it a lot. I don’t necessarily understand it, but I do understand his need to make it. I don’t have to like his art to admire his work ethic.
I too find little to get excited about in the art quilt world. My general impression is that there is so much awful art being supported as good art, perhaps in the misguided attempt to be supportive of the movement and those trying it out in that supportive quilterly way instead of giving real critiques and telling these gals to suck it up and put on their big girl pants. I occasionally run across something that stops me in my tracks, a few artists who still make me pause, but I’m not sure anything very dynamic is going on. I sometimes wonder if SAQA does more harm than good. Art quilters in general I think have not been very good at looking outside their own medium for inspiration and comparison, and often know nothing of the history of this medium (quilting in general) they’ve taken on, let alone general art history. I look everywhere, always have. Not to say I’m doing anything particularly “progressive” and exciting with my work at the moment. But maybe I will surprise myself with new thoughts as I work through some somewhat mundane designs. Good to hear you have found someone to rev your engine a bit. It is so necessary.
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I have a good friend who gave up on the art quilt world after encountering a group of trainee judges who did not see the point of being aware of the general art world. I find it difficult to understand a lack of interest or curiosity about all sorts, but especially the area in which one works or plays – at whatever level.
It is a wonderful feeling when suddenly encountering a new stimulating and exciting work or artist, when it does happen – and it is a most encouraging occurrence, no matter at what level we ourselves work.
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Gosh, that info about the attitude of the would-be judges is indeed disturbing. I never could understand people who were not interested in the bigger picture, who think all they need to know is right under their noses and nothing that has happened before could possibly be of any use. It’s always so gratifying when I discover this is not true of everyone, and especially that is not true in general of younger generations.
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This is a fascinating discussion. I’m not sure how I missed it in May except to say that I was very busy trying to pursue a line of enquiry of my own and one which I hope will help to take me in new directions. I have applied to and been accepted by a new stitch group, Brunel Broderers, which may mean more to you Olga than to you Sheila as they exhibit in the West Country and especially in Gloucestershire, close to my home.
I too look as widely as I can (though definitely not as knowledgeably). I find that taking myself out of my usual situation and into places where new discussions and experiences are possible helps me greatly to move forward, but it is always something of a risk as it can also present unnexpectedly difficult challenges. I’m obviously hoping that this time there are more of the helpful discussions and experiences than difficulties!
I realise that these thoughts are probably of less use to you both as I am so much less far along the road in stitching terms than you both are. I am still very much feeling my way but perhaps I also have much less to lose if I choose to embark on a new direction that takes me somewhere quite different and maybe away altogether from what is considered in many circles to be stitch.
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Margaret, first congratulations that the Brunel Broderers have welcomed you into their fold. I hope that you flourish with them. Indeed, when I read recently on your blog that you were looking to join a group I wondered if it was that one. Between them and the bookmaking group I hope that your mind is set productively buzzing.
We all have – or really should have questionings about our direction of travel from time to time, no matter how far down the road. A deal of knowledge or experience in one direction is usually balanced by a paucity in another direction, so not necessarily a benefit in the larger scheme of things. And on the whole I believe that we should not think of any circumstance as loss; simply a different kind of experience. (I spent several years ‘diverted’ by knitwear design – an area I would never have entered had I been thinking straight. On the other hand it brought some success, and lots of enjoyable and useful experiences.)
Do not be inhibited by telling me what you think because those thoughts will not be of use to me. Other people’s thoughts can always contribute to one’s own in one way or another. It is the lack of conversation which saddens me about the way social media is going. So many folks are turning to Instagram and communicating with image and caption.
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I too am happy that you have found this group, been accepted by them. Working in a vacuum, even with the internet at hand, has its upside but can also get lonely and there is often a tendency to get stuck or lost or just keep dong the same things with little growth. Face to face interaction with a group that can push and open you to new worlds or at least new thoughts plus give you a venue to exhibit your work is so valuable.
As are your words here – not at all of less use to us. It all made sense to me and was good to hear. Not every group helps you to move forward, but even those can be enlightening if you are not sure of your direction. For me it was a sort of winnowing process, starting with all roads open to me and bit by bit eliminating the less useful or enjoyable ones. I definitely experienced some guilt over a few that I turned my back on and even with fewer paths before me, I hesitate going off on the less known ones even though I am eager to explore. Sometimes my hesitation is born from thoughts of what will people think if I leave my well known path and will they be disappointed. And then I have to remember that I need to foremost be doing this for myself. It’s all part of the journey, all useful experiences even if they come to nothing and you return to your well trod path. Bits of them will certainly come along and work their way into whatever you end up doing.
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