Friday, June 11, 2010

A powerful tool

It has been a busy week with no hands-on progress but lots and lots of thinking. I do have a length of silk/linen prepared, that is washed and with the torn edges over locked/serged, hanging on my display wall and I keep glancing at it, placing the ideas and colours I am envisaging. It is always exciting starting a new piece, the expectations are high.

The over-riding reason for making work is to test myself and my commitment. I think that is what keeps me going; the next piece is always going to be 'the great one'. On looking back over many years of working, however, I feel that approximately one in five pieces actually 'hit the mark'. The other four range from (my own) rejection, okay, and pretty good.

The remaining piece, the fifth (and they don't come in any consecutive order) stands out as a milestone, it pleases, and makes me feel pretty good.

Amongst all this there is that good old fashion gut feeling. This is alway my best judge. Being able to recognise what it is saying is a skill worth nurturing and accepting.

A few moments ago I hadn't any idea what I was going to write about in this blog. But, as always, just starting is enough to come up with something. Just starting is indeed a powerful tool.

This weekend I will be attending the Costume & Textile Association of New Zealand Hanging by a Thread conference, to be held at TheNewDowse here in Lower Hutt. I have not attended this conference before so it will be interesting to see what they have to offer. I shall report next blog.

No pics this week.....

3 comments:

  1. Good afternoon Diana,
    I'm interested in your 'gutt feeling' comment. AS you know I'm working on my C&G Diploma, and going around in circles over the 'major pieces' - and of course it's because they must be "good" . . . or better! If I hear what you're saying, what I need to do is just get on with a piece, and if at the end of it I judge it to be only OK, or a failure, to just 'suck it up' (what a horrible expression that is!) and keep on, and do another one... and another one.

    Actually, that's a liberating thought, rather than a depressing one - because if I approach it that way I can just keep on working until something I really like comes out of it. I had been thinking that the sampling had to lead to the perfect piece, but perhaps there's a point when a piece/idea/whatever, is as good as it's ever going to get?? And one needs to let it go?
    Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

    By the way, the Inca piece looks intriguing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good afternoon Diana,
    I'm interested in your 'gutt feeling' comment. AS you know I'm working on my C&G Diploma, and going around in circles over the 'major pieces' - and of course it's because they must be "good" . . . or better! If I hear what you're saying, what I need to do is just get on with a piece, and if at the end of it I judge it to be only OK, or a failure, to just 'suck it up' (what a horrible expression that is!) and keep on, and do another one... and another one.

    Actually, that's a liberating thought, rather than a depressing one - because if I approach it that way I can just keep on working until something I really like comes out of it. I had been thinking that the sampling had to lead to the perfect piece, but perhaps there's a point when a piece/idea/whatever, is as good as it's ever going to get?? And one needs to let it go?
    Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

    By the way, the Inca piece looks intriguing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for your wise reflection Diana. I like what you say about your "reason for making work is to test myself and my committment".

    It gives me something to think about
    as I struggle with my latest piece, and is encouraging.

    ReplyDelete