I confess that I do have a habit of whinging about things that are really rather trivial. “It’s too cold outside.” “I miss my husband.” “I messed up this project and now I have to undo it.” In reality, I am an extremely fortunate person. I have a beautiful home, food on the table, a husband that truly loves and appreciates me, a group of friends that will tell me when my fly is open, and the ability to make choices about how I spend my day. I also know that I was not given any of these things; they came as a result of hard work, compromise, and occasional profound sorrow. Why am I getting all wistful, you might ask? Well, I’m just at a point where I have a moment to reflect on the fact that I *AM* lucky. And that I make my own happiness – despite weather, proximity of loved ones or fibery fallout.
Yesterday, our fellow Raveler, Gloria19, showed another picture of her “Daily Tapestry.” Tapestry has been flying about in my head of late – I dwell on pictures and textures and have woven miles of it while running. But I keep putting up barriers to actually just getting something out and doing it. Seeing Gloria’s project again really pushed me toward the notion of a fiber diary. Something random-ish, something small, something that will help me reflect on the day. Be it morning, noon or night. And, in the way of a marathon, it starts with a single inch and will eventually be a Finished Piece. I’ve never been good with written journals and the notion of making Art with fiber appeals quite strongly. This might be just what I need.
So, while dealing with Life and all that comes with it this week, I am also letting myself dream about a Daily Tapestry and thinking about how I will start with that. I will allow myself to mix styles (soumak, tapestry, cut pile, twill!) and just let this be a piece of pure creating. A pilot light, if you will, to ensure that the larger spark doesn’t go out. I’m not ready to commit to a start date yet, but setting one will be part of my first goal. Size, start date, palette. I think that’s something I can get my head around this week. And perhaps this little daily nudge will help me be thankful for the truly wonderful life I have – and for all those who are a part of it.
Oh, and it’s a bit too humid here in Wisconsin. :-)
You know, you don’t come off as whining a lot. Sometimes I think of peoples’ whines as making connections, sort of the human connection of a flock of chickadees in winter time – they’re foraging in a loose flock, with occasional chirps and peets just to say “I’m over here, where are you?” So, think of it as connecting, not whining.
And I hear you on the fiber diary/experiment, I really hear you. My rigid heddle loom is lent out, I don’t think I can make something big enough on the table loom, I need the floor loom for other projects – so that means I really should make myself a pipe loom, right?
And Wisconsin? Should I ask?
Thank you for that. I’ve been trying to be more mindful of what I say – and whether I’m being more negative than I’d like. I want to take a more positive view of everything and hopefully I can keep it up.
That said, of *COURSE* you need a pipe loom. Now, whether I’ll modify it to include something for a shed remains to be seen. This is really meant to be a simple thing – for both flexibility and ease of manipulation. I’ll ask Chris not to solder anything, so if I want to make mods, I can.
As for Wisconsin, well, it’s Family Stuff. Being here is a strange mix of badness and joy – there’s a group of friends here that is so welcoming and wonderful, but it serves as a stark contrast to the reality of the rest of it all. It’s a day-by-day thing right now. I know if I get home this weekend, I’ll be back again soon (too soon, most likely) but I just can’t think that far. It’s just hard.