The Artist Practice
Day 1: Hanging Hearts Plant needs a home to hang.
Day 1: Felted scarf that wasnt any good for gloves.
Day 1: Woollen scraps felted and otherwise.
Day 1: Working out the the hanging strips with pins.
I have been away from my day job having a super time doing the real work. I set myself the task of committing to The Artist Practice every day- (another way of saying being creative.)
I particularly like the word practice as that is what it is. Like in yoga, artists practice when they are creating, there is no right or wrong way- again like in yoga. Artists also enter the flow state when they are at one with their work, in communion with what is in front of them. I have particularly enjoyed hand sewing and slow stitching- like a movement meditation. Over the next few weeks I will share with you what I have made to give you some inspiration when you have the time or the inclination to be creative and practice your art. I am hoping that this will encourage you to find the creative within you as it’s there in all of us.
The Artist Practice had a few rules, going a bit by the way side eventually. However it was good to have a contained space- a set parametres within which to work, from the off set.
Rule 1: Clear all social media off your phone- Let people that really matter know so they don’t feel you have dropped off the end of the earth. Stick to old school emails/ phone calls- I know god forbid- and texts if completely necessary- In sanskrit: ‘Saucha’ cleansing, cleanliness and clearness.
Rule 2: Practice everyday even if its something small. Its also ok to have two things on the go- usual for me. In sanskrit: ‘Tapas’- self discipline.
Rule 3: Clear your desk every day to start a fresh in the morning- In sanskrit; Aparigraha- non- attachment.
Rule 4 : Meditate before you start. Nothing major just get in contact with your breath and feel its presence in your body. In sanskrit: Dhyana- meditation/ an abiding calm.
Some of the notes below are freehand diary- like entries and I have chosen not to edit them so they dont always read ‘correctly.’ I like the free flow style and how they roll off, like a mind cleanse.
Time away: When I’m not at work I generally make a concentrated effort to feel my way through the day and see what comes most naturally. I have a lot of lovely stuff and things I made at home, some ages ago. I got rid of a lot of fabric about a year ago. It’s good to purge your collection and clear some of the clutter. I’m trying to be more careful about what I except into the house as otherwise I just end up keeping/ excepting everything. Its true about stuff and spirituality.
Studio space: As I don’t currently have a designated studio space I make use of the space that I do have and move around as necessary. It’s a pain sometimes however it does help to sit in alternative spaces. It also helps to stay in one space. I think that’s probably better really. Currently I don’t have the choice as the flat is so small. One day I will have a room to myself or somewhere to house all my things. I would need a messy area to paint in so I could leave my paints and paintings out. And then the other side would be more for sewing and making. I would have a big table to lay fabric out on so I wouldn’t have to work from the floor. It would be a change. I think I would be so excited and overwhelmed with so much space.
Day 1: (See the photos alongside and at the bottom.) I took to making a plant hanger out of an old felted scarf that didnt work for the gloves that I make for Autumn and Winter seasons. You could also use an old t-shirt and just have a play around with the jersey and create the same thing. I cut it up and stitched into it, worked out the sides and set to decorating the whole thing with slow stitching techniques with embroidery threads. I worked into the black mark to make it a feature- turning something unattractive into something yum. It has given my hanging hearts plant a place to sit and I put in my bedroom on the curtain rail. All the hearts hanging lovely now. This was pleasing for me as it had previously been sitting on the window sill and getting all tangled into all the lego, in the corner of the living room. And I didn’t like the palid peach colour of the scarf. It’s easy to felt things. Just chuck something- that you dont want of course- with a type of wool, into the washing machine on a high heat- 40 degrees- its a bit of an experiment like most of my work so you just have to see what happens!
