Years ago, if you asked me to make a website, create a blogpost, upload pictures and a biography, I would have jumped at the opportunity to showcase my self taugh knowledge of technology. But 3 kids and 4 dogs later, countless moves to far away lands, and having zero desire to keep up with the ever changing technological landscape, I found myself suddenly at the bottom wrung of a very tall ladder. I've been sewing daily for over a decade and filling the house with the sound of my thumping sewing machine became my passion and my therapy and I didn't need anything more than a couple social media accounts and an etsy page for my creations.
But, as creativity often does, my art took a new turn. As I talked more and more about the textile art I was often met with THAT question "What is your website" and when directed to social media or etsy, I found myself alarmed that not everyone is social media friendly. A website seemed the preferred method of exploration. As I approached my 40 something-ish birthday, I humlby approached my newly graduated from high school daughter (who I had seen weeks before working diligently on her own webpage for her journalism class) and told her "All I want for my birthday is help in creating a website."
So here I am, humbly exploring what it means to put my artwork out there for the first time in a long time. My focus of late has been textile art. I recently found myself in a creative rut. Perhaps it was because of all the life changes happening, perhaps it was because of the gloomy news or 2+ years of a global pandemic, but whatever the cause it was bringing me down not creating something every day like I have been doing for over a decade, my brief hiatus being only for moves.
I tried to explore why I was feeling the way I was. When my beautiful, artistic and talented Mom came to visit for my oldests graduation, I told her how I felt I was in such a rut and I didn't know how to find my way out. After attending a recent lecture from a world renowned artist whose pieces were created from deep social and political undertones and with purpose, I stepped back and examine my art and felt so amature. As we talked through my feelings and MY purpose with art, my Mom helped me to see that my art doesn't neccessarily need to have political undertones to be meaningful. That being in a rut could mean I was in the process of a new awakening. That my spirit wanted to break free from the normal way of doing things to explore something new.
Driving back home today, as I sat in the silence of the car but with the noise of my never ending thoughts, I realized my passion are florals and that's OK. They are everywhere around me, my garden, my table, my doodles. Flowers bring smiles, they bring warmth and they bring hope. In a world where doom and gloom abound, maybe my purpose is to bring lighthearted hope to those who may gaze upon my work. And so I begin my new journey with a few new skills learned (Thank you Vera for sharing your technological knowledge) and a great desire to bring some vibrant beauty to those seeking it.
