Blog
In February, I saw a lot of lovely hearts being woven. Here are the ones that people sent me. If you'd like me to add your heart project, send it my way! I'll add it to the post. Last year's final post is HERE.
I finished my own tapestry heart. It came out quite well. I ended up leaving out the tiny heart shape and just leaving the design more abstract. It is part of my current tapestry diary, yellow piece bottom right. I talked about designing that piece on the blog in February HERE.
I woke up one day a few weeks ago and realized that all the pressure comes from me.
To be honest, I didn't just realize this. I've known it for a long time and some wise people have reinforced it lately. I put an immense amount of pressure on myself to run a successful tapestry studio. And that needle of where "success" is keeps moving every time I get there.
That isn't healthy for me or anyone else.
So I'm taking a step back on a few things this year. Yes, I still have lofty goals, but I'm giving myself a little more time to accomplish them. I know that you all want things from me like an online dye class and a video index. Those things are in process in some fashion. But they aren't going to be done tomorrow because there is only one of me and I forget that frequently.
I woke up this morning muttering, "I'm dying," and feeling much like Cameron in THIS scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In the movie, Ferris replies to his friend via telephone, "You're not dying, you just can't think of anything good to do."
Of course what I meant was, "I'm dyeing." And also, "I'm SO over it!"
. . .
It is so easy to focus on the negative things in life. I think this is a tough human trait to overcome. I've been taking steps lately to shift my responses to events and especially to my own thoughts. To do this requires being aware of my thoughts in the first place. I've toyed with meditation in the broader sphere of yoga practice for decades, but this is the first time I've been able to stick with a committed practice for many months in a row. I attribute that to support from a community.
About six months ago I was exiting the back side of a parking garage in downtown Fort Collins and I stopped dead in my tracks.
Before we know it, another year is upon us. It seems like just a breath ago it was the beginning of 2017. Last year was a difficult one for many people. But I think we can say that about the start of any year. I am beginning this new year with a short list of intentions. I have a general list that I always think about and a more specific action-oriented one. Here they are.
Intention setting for the new year is a healthy practice. In my own life I am working to increase the amount of time I spend in a special kind of self-care. Making art is something that feeds the core of who I am and makes me a better person. Finding time to create something every day is the trick in a busy life and for the coming year it is at the top of my list of private intentions.
The short video below talks about setting intentions around tapestry weaving for the coming year. I am not going to tell you to put it on your calendar (though that might be helpful for some of you) or to beat yourself up if you don't touch your art supplies/weaving tools for a month. What I am going to tell you is to consider making an intention for the new year around taking care of yourself in this special way. As humans we are creative beings, so please make sure to make time as often as you can to let your creativity fly.
I started this new phase of my life which I like to call Full Time Tapestry Person almost four years ago now. Before that I was mostly Part Time Tapestry Artist and Whatever I do to Pay the Bills Person.
Of course once I quit that job with the benefit of a paycheck every two weeks and health insurance*, I had to figure out how to pay all the bills with income from something related to tapestry. Because no matter how crazy-pants it sounds, I was determined to focus all my time on tapestry.
Fortunately for me, I love teaching. Therapists, at least the good ones, are natural teachers. And before I became an occupational therapist, I got an undergraduate degree in music focusing on piano pedagogy. I wrote a preschool piano method as my undergraduate thesis and ran my own piano studio to help pay for graduate school. I suppose that was my first business.
I realized I loved teaching and so it was fairly obvious that I could try to support myself by teaching tapestry. After all, many sorts of fiber people make a living by teaching their craft. Workshops, conferences, private students: they all help keep the lights on.
The thing is, I'm an introvert.
