I recently corresponded a couple of times with a fellow artist member of SAQA who was clearly frustated with things she felt were expected of her as a well known teacher of textile techniques and long term blogger about all that. Reading some of her blog posts it was obvious this almost 80 year-old is struggling to keep up to a high standard she set herself decades ago when she was younger, but which she’s clearly now finding quite a burden, as in every post I read she dwelt on the need to reduce her stash of fabric and scraps, with instructions for samples and photos of them in every post. She still has one foot firmly in the traditional quiltmaking world where the ethic of sharing and showing others how to do something is a strong characteristic of the craft. She’s thinking it might be time to think more about where she wants her creative journey to go from here, and I hope she does that.
Her options are
(a) continue writing her frequent detailed blog postings (essentially step by step tutorials) as she has for a long time: “My real desire was always to encourage people to try non-traditional techniques… (sic) In my blog, I’m trying to let it be known that figuring things out, trying different techniques, learning new techniques, indecision, even failure and angst are all part of the creative process. Not to fear it, but embrace it as growth.” Of course this is true, but as I commented previously, the creative process itself alone doesn’t render any object a piece of art.
Keeping one foot in both traditional quilting and innovative textile art fields requires a lot of effort to maintain a teacher’s profile and place on the Quilting Industry foodchain. This includes includes blogging and/or newsletters to subscribers with taster-demos for major workshops – which is time consuming to do well. Other publicity comes from writing magazine articles and perhaps publishing a successful book, with projects that appear to be based on something new in techniques, linked to your popular workshops. Plus it’s very important to have your latest quilts seen in the big international quilt exhibitions in USA, Europe and Australia; and even better to be engaged to teach even a half day workshop at, say, Houston. I’m in a similar age group to this artist and I can no longer keep up with all that and make my art, too., so it’s some years since I applied to teach anywhere that I’ve had to travel to – I miss the interaction with students, though, and that’s part of the reason I mentor with SAQA.
(b) Or this artist/teacher could concentrate on creating her own art while thinking more deeply and personally about what inspires and motivates her, which she admitted she rarely does. She wrote to me “I have done exhibits with what I consider my real artwork, and it’s a whole different world than my “anyone can do it” teaching style….(sic) In my blog, I’m trying to let it be known that figuring things out, trying different techniques, learning new techniques, indecision, even failure and angst are all part of the creative process. Not to fear it, but embrace it as growth.”
While my motivations and inspirations are very important to me, as set out in my in my artist statement, and I will be a maker as long as I possibly can; but I’ve found as time moves on that I’ve needed to periodically review and let go some stuff that I can no longer handle, or no longer want to spend time and energy on. Obviously aging and some medical issues have been influential in that process. I’m more interested in making smaller works, including 3D tabletop installations, but even if I do find myself in a large lengthy project, all I need is an absorbing good recorded book, my favourite podcasts and regular breaks to keep me going through the long stretches that I need to reach the end I have in mind 🙂
Same age group. Can relate absolutely..
Now work smaller, with depth and meaning and don’t worry so much about what others may think of my efforts.
…still achieving acceptances along the way and the occasional award.