The months have flown by and suddendly we're in December. The weather has changed here, gone is the mild rain, and instead a blanket of mist has been hanging over our valley for the last couple of days, with temperatures noticeably colder.
November went by in a whirlwind of commissions - mends and mini-quilts. I enjoyed immersing myself in other people's stories as I worked, breahting new life into much-loved clothing, mapping memories in stitch and developing some festive magic along the way.
However, once the dust had settled, the works were completed, and as someone who is extremely sensitive to the emotions and feelings of others, it was tricky for me to simply pick up my own work where I had left off. I needed to recentre myself and regain a sense of my own artistic voice once more.
A blessing in itself, this tied in beautifully with the late autumn/early winter months. Over the last ten years, I have become more and more aware of working with the cycles and rhythms of nature, noticing the seasons and moon cycles. This time of year lends itself to quiet reflection, gathering and sorting. Gentle activities that keep the energy flowing.
My workspace had become cluttered and overwhelming, so a morning spent sifting and sorting paperwork, fabric and threads, allowed me to clear the decks so I could 'see the wood for the trees'. A head-clearing walk, cup of chai tea and silence helped too.
And it did take a full morning, and yes, my space got more cluttered before it was finished, but after a couple of hours work, I had discovered a beautiful, new colour palette and the seed of an idea, that I had been considering for a couple of months, was ready to germinate into my next #GarlickLane piece.
A couple of weeks on and I am in artistic 'flow'. I am excited to seee what this piece will look like when it's complete. I've worked intuitively, layering meaning and technique, to stitch something beautiful that has it's own message... but more on that next time.
I would love to hear if you have any rituals or tips for finding your creative flow, as I find individual artistic processes fascinating.
I find that getting the ToDo stuff on the calendar also frees headspace for jumping back into my work because all the other things are scheduled. I put the things on my calendar that need addressing first in the morning. The things that don't require as much thinking and writing go to afternoon time slots. And the end of the day is clean-up and organizing for the next days activities. I am easily distracted at times, so breaking down a project into smaller tasks works for me.