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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2013 6:48:13 GMT -5
I have huge stash of dressmaking patterns, mainly Vogue. They have been preying on my mind for a long time. Most of them are unused and now unlikely to be used by me. They are the wrong size, wrong shape, out of fashion etc, etc. But it was so hard getting rid of them. For a start they represented quite a lot of money. I looked on ebay but feel that the effort involved is not worth the possible reward for me. I did a preliminary sort several months ago but haven't been able to face them since. But we hope to be moving house soon and I decided to something had to be done before then. Yesterday I started sorting. A few I might still make. The rest - the cut ones are binned and the uncut ones I have saved as I still have the idea of taking them to a car boot sale along with some fabrics. It was all very emotional. They represented aspirations that were always unrealistic, wasted time and money, a whole load of regrets, a lost youth, and 'why was I so stupid' sort of thoughts. I'm not finished yet but the worst is over. In fact I feel better now I am tackling it all. So I am writing about this here as I think that the issues dealing with this stash of patterns and the emotional difficulties are exactly what all of us here feel when we are as bobolink said: I have always known the emotional issue was at the root of my problem dealing with these but it all seemed too painful. The first sort a few months ago was all I could manage then, but it was a start. This thread was a great motivator for me in getting me re-started on this. I picked up a bag of shoulder pads yesterday but couldn't bring myself to dump them. Maybe I will today. Sorting the patterns made me realise I will probably never again wear the sort of clothing that requires 80's 'Dallas' style shoulder pads....... Going through the cupboard where the patterns are stored I also found a needlework cushion cover that my mother made many years ago. I finally managed to bin that as well after 12 years of picking it up and putting it down. It's not my style and the backing needs replacing, I'm just not going to get round to it. It is very hard getting rid of things people have made. I find that when some things are too hard to deal with it is best to leave them and deal with something easier. At least that way something is being done, and there is never any lack of things to do!!!!
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Post by Di on Jan 8, 2013 9:11:48 GMT -5
I read somewhere else, that for people who don't finish projects, it may not be a sign of failure. Just that we have a different reason for doing things. I like to start different types of craft projects. I'm always intrigued by how to do things. Again, the process. Once I get far enough along to figure out the process, and can see where it's going, how it will be finished, I may not need to keep going to the end. Having an actual finished project may not be as important to me as understanding the process. This is so true. I had just never seen it put into words. I have often stopped once I understood the process and yet didn't finish the project. For years I have looked at those projects and seen the failure, not the success of learning a new skill. Often I have decided that to me the outcome wasn't worth the effort involved and that I was "too stoopid, too lazee, too unmotivated" to finish them. But this quote was like a light coming on. I LEARNED HOW TO DO IT! I really did accomplish my goal, which was, "I WANT TO DO THAT". I did it! I may not have finished it, but I DID it and I know HOW to do it. Thank you so much for sharing that.
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Post by angela on Jan 8, 2013 18:00:32 GMT -5
Greenhill, I feel for you and I also admire you for taking this on. It takes courage to willingly walk into pain, and you've done it. Congratulations.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2013 7:13:21 GMT -5
Thank you Angela. Something I have noticed recently is that when I have decluttered things that give rise to bad feelings or memories these feelings and memories lose their grip. I am not having visual reminders every day and they just go.
Now, if something is causing me to feel upset I think very carefully about that feeling and about getting rid of the thing or things.
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Post by Script on Jan 9, 2013 8:59:30 GMT -5
. I am not having visual reminders every day and they just go. I do NOT consider myself a visual artist of any great ability; I am an ok scrapbooker and can do some crafts at an intermediate level. During my scrapbook-cardmaking journey of the last 7 years, I have READ a lot in various magazines. Especially around the issues of storage, organization, studio creation. Evidently there are different TYPES of creative minds when it comes to seeing/accessing tools and supplies. People like: (1) closed, hidden storage systems or (2) closed, visible storage ... or (3) open hidden storage .... or (4) open visible ... or I realized that I really liked OPEN VISIBLE systems: where I am surrounded by abundance, colour, choices, ideas, inspirations: but only up to a point. If I pass some invisible measurement of abundance, and tip over into over-abundance, I become totally paralyzed and frustrated. Furthermore, I do not have a purpose-built "studio space". I have a reclaimed basement room with hand-me-down furniture and various repurposed items. I love it to bits, but it is NOT PERFECT. DearHubby and I have created something wonderful, but the space needs ongoing maintenance if I am to be able to create anything. Maintenance: As in: constantly putting away, culling, tossing, donating, rejecting, reusing, sorting. As Script the Bookeeper (retired) I have not worked this out mathematicall (yet....) but I guess-timate that 10-20% of my time in The Craft Room is spent, not on crafting, but in ORGANIZING in some way. This "organizing" in turn helps me to think about directions, new ideas, new projects. Example from current work: right now I am making a lot of cards for my Mom. Using up scraps, leftovers. Cheerful spring-valentine themes. I love doing this. But in order to give myself the VISUAL FOCUS to work on cards NOW, I had to close up-put away two other boxes of scrapbooking materials (Xmas and November photos/collages/ideas]. I know I won't "forget them" as they are not "far away" but they are currently OUT OF MY IMMEDIATE SIGHT. thanks to all who are sharing here: totally wonderful insights. PS: I am a writer of excellent professional ability and never downgrade my verbal gifts; but I have no illusions that my craft-scrapbooking work is anywhere near as accomplished.
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Post by creativechaos on Mar 25, 2015 16:26:36 GMT -5
Bumpety bump bump - THIS IS AN OLD THREAD FROM 2012 - but what an inspiring thread! this is going on my bookmarks and is a favorite because it addresses decisions that come up for people involved in the creative process; what to keep, what to let go, when to move on, how we think and process as creatives. thanks for starting it bobolink, and for the thoughtful amazing responses from everyone else. This is so helpful for artists, and as Arid said, it applies equally for the home and submitting to the process. the result, one hopes, is PLEASURE in submitting to the process - that is what leads to better habits - finding ways to enjoy the process, whatever the decisions one must make.
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Post by bobolink on Mar 25, 2015 16:49:48 GMT -5
creativechaos, you are digging into the dim and distant past with this thread!
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slobovian
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Post by slobovian on Mar 25, 2015 17:02:02 GMT -5
A pile of failures? Good grief! The only people who haven't failed are people who never try anything new. Michael Jorsan has missed the basket thousands of times. Would you feel better if you sold some of them, or gave some away? Our interests and tastes change over time. If they didn't, I'd still be listening to The Monkees. Besides, the quilts that are "ugly" to you might not be ugly to someone else. Morning routine is done, but I am sitting here kind of paralyzed in front of piles of quilts, fabric, and art/craft supplies. There are a couple of really ugly quilts I can dispose of without too much distress. I want get rid of any unfinished projects that I have not touched in over a year. Some of them have potential, but if I haven't been interested enough to work on them, they should probably go. I feel I am looking at a pile of failures. Then i have a pile of completed quilts. A few of them are quite good. Most of them are mediocre at best and look a bit dated. I feel sad that I put so much time and effort into these things and that they really don't please me and I don't like them well enough to display them. So what do I do? Disposing of them feels like denying part of myself, but looking at them makes me feel disappointed with myself. Then there are the art supplies. I have tubs of white fabric ready to be dyed. I recently replaced my stale-dated fabric dyes, thinking I would do some new quilts. That was over 6 months ago and nothing has been done. I'm wondering - do I really want to work on such time and labour intensive projects? I've tried some techniques for simplifying the dyeing and construction processes, but the results were not satisfying. But I can't bring myself to let go of the stuff or admit that quilt-making may no longer be part of my life. The rest of the art supplies I am comfortable keeping - paints, pastels, drawing tools, print-making supplies, paper etc. They are all stored away - accessible but contained - and don't take up all that much room. Any wisdom to impart? I'm really struggling with this.
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Post by reb on Mar 25, 2015 17:13:27 GMT -5
When I was in art classes I would throw out any piece I hated, immediately.
Well the uproar! There was a big kerfuffle that I was supposed to keep every piece because "we learn something from each one."
My answer was, "Yeah, I learned NOT to do that. Why would I want to keep proof?" I understanding keeping art pieces that may not be great but we developed a new technique or skill with them but part of learning art is just messing around and messing up.
For the unfinished quilts, I don't have any advice. For the finished ones please, please throw them in the donate box. They're warm and someone else may love them even if they are less than perfect.
I've collected some flawed hand-crafted pottery. While the creators obviously chucked them, some of them I love FOR their flaws, like my favorite cereal bowl with the dip on the side.
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Post by reb on Mar 25, 2015 17:14:52 GMT -5
And yeah, in any art--the ability to completely screw it up just so you can experiment with a medium or a technique is part of the joy of the thing.
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Post by creativechaos on Mar 25, 2015 19:58:00 GMT -5
i'm so sorry to confuse you or anyone else, slobovian - this is an old thread from 2012, but it seemed to be full of universal dilemmas and solutions, so i bumped it. should have explained that - in fact i will go back and edit my bump post so poor bobolink doesn't get beseiged all over again! sorry dear bobolink - i know i dug into the distant past and this is an old thread, but it seemed one of those timeless and useful threads - so much wisdom - so i bumped it! and i'm always happy to read that you are still quilting. reb, what you say - immediately throwing out the "bad art" - i apply that to my "cooking" experiments. i do NOT have to eat them! i wouldn't even try to make an enemy eat them. it's all about the process - that's what i "taught" the kids with whom i did art. i hope they learned that one thing. i think it will be much easier to get rid of all the bad art i've kept around. i hoarded everything, even the failures. so many of you have said how liberating it is to rid ourselves of those constant reminders of "not-good-enough-ness" in whatever areas of life. i trust and believe what you say, and so far that has also been true for me. so thanks!
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Post by anewleaf on Mar 26, 2015 18:56:24 GMT -5
I like what reb said about throwing out the "bad art"; there are painting classes I'd like to take (as well as several others- photography, glass fusioning, Wilton, card-making, floral design, and sewing, most predominately). But I hate the idea of making some mess of a painting and feeling obligated to it, just because I spent $$$ on the class(es). But as William Morris once said: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful". I love little crafty projects and have been getting more and more into them lately. But try to stick to simple projects. My work, strangely enough, provides a big outlet for them. Of course, that's because I intentionally try to make things as nice as possible for my clients. But at the same time, it can be cumbersome. And discouraging. When you make put all the time and effort into putting together a boatload of Valentine bouquets to go with gift certificates, only to sell a few G.C.'s and be left with boxes of floral bouquets *sob* it's VERY discouraging! I'm big fan of thrifting and lately find myself buying things with the intent to "fix" them. Like a very pretty soft floral picture in a sh!tty frame. I actually saw the very same print in an antique shop recently (in nice frame) for something like $60. I think I paid maybe four bucks for mine. I intend on trying to find a bigger frame and then purchasing matting to go with it. I just bought a Disney Belle porcelain doll last night at Goodwill whose face is either scratched or marked up (I think it's scratched) with the hopes that I can "fix" her. But I'm beginning to worry that I'll just end up with a bunch of crap that I'll never get around to re-doing, or find that it's not really re-doable after all. Oh-and another thing-STORAGE. As with everything else, my craft stuff is scattered everywhere. I'm buying pretty baskets to organize things like ribbon, acrylic paints and so on. I just can't stand those plastic drawers
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Post by reb on Mar 26, 2015 19:23:49 GMT -5
anewleafLemme tellya a bit of a story. I never was an "art" person. I did buckets of crafts, had a good eye but never could "draw" or "do art"--or at least I thought not. Then I ran into an art teacher who told me that she bet I COULD do it and handed me buckets of acrylic paint and a huge sheet of paper. So.... I painted her what I called "The Worst Painting Ever Made" and gave it to her as a gift. She hung it on her wall for months. We both knew it was awful but the point was to TRY painting. I did a lot of art pieces after that, some went well, some didn't. I learned about painting classical style and how to layer shading and work in many different mediums. While I would never say I was an "artist" I did a few art shows [hated them, just loathed them] and learned much that I used to make gifts of cards that were actually small paintings and Christmas ornaments that were miniature paintings, etc. Even sold some. I always threw out far more than I kept. I saw it that for every 10-100 pieces, only one might be something that would blow my mind. With art, as with writing, many times fixing it just isn't worth the effort and it is best to file the best bits away in your brain for a piece of work that WILL be good with what you learned, screwing up. In my experience the effort is never actually wasted, but that doesn't make the piece worth keeping in hard copy.
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Blackswan
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Post by Blackswan on Mar 27, 2015 1:32:03 GMT -5
Those quilts need to go to the homeless! Next winter! They aren't vanity pieces to hang on the wall. They have special meanings to a special person whose fingers will trail through the quilts and fabrics and they will think about life as they are in the holding zone. Do not toss those quilts for not being good enough, make them a work of love for people that are freezing on the streets. You have a whole season to plan. Nobody in America should be throwing blankets away while people are freezing. You have a purpose and your quilts are good enough as is, they don't need to be picture perfect art pieces. Please take time to thank god that you know how to quilt. I so wish I could do that.
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Blackswan
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Post by Blackswan on Mar 27, 2015 1:37:20 GMT -5
And if you have dress patterns to another poster: if you have the means a handmade dress will make a homeless woman or girl cry tears of joy. You can create interview outfits for the needy. Nothing need be laid to waste. If you are good at sewing and patterning and you have the means to create things please consider blessing people with your hobby. My learning disorder gives me the fine motor skills of a five year old and everything I make is a mess. But maybe I can inspire those who can to make a difference on my behalf. Imagine how precious a handmade scarf would be to a woman who is homeless. Oh my
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