…as the holidays come to an end & I enter my 60th year on the planet, I wonder where this year will lead me… do I set goals or do I just allow myself to drift along on the raft of life & see where it goes?
Hmmm… perhaps, a little of both….
On the drifting raft:
Creating with yarn, fibre, colour & texture is a passion & something I have little control over – whenever I see an unusual colour combination in a flower or a gorgeous sculptural textured tree trunk it stays in my mind & the need to interrupt the image through my work can become obsessive – I have no choice but to at least have a go – so I’m fairly certain that this process isn’t going to change any time soon
Things to focus on:
I do, however, have a say in how I spend my time on the Net. Promoting my Etsy & Zibbet shops is a must if I want them to succeed, but the promotion road is still an enigma & an ongoing learning curve that I continue to grapple with but determined to master.
I’ve made some wonderful friends here in cyber world & becoming more involved with the online community is another goal I can set for myself…
I’m a proud member of DUST (the Down Under Street Team) – a vibrant group of Aussies who have shops on Etsy & sell a wonderful array of items from: jewellery, adult & children fashions, paper goods, soap to fine art… you name it – there is something special for everyone.
TAFA (The Textile And Fiber Art list) membership is another group I’m honoured to be a part of. TAFA is a collection of highly talented, international fibre Artists who have come together to support & promote each other & show the world the exquisite variety that fibre artists have to offer – take a moment to check out the TAFA site – the artist profiles & fabulous examples of their work – I’m sure you’ll be delighted & totally impressed with what you find… or visit the TAFA blog
Things to come:
I’m often asked where my ideas come from… what prompted me to use a particular colour/texture/yarn/fibre combination & I hope to have a small series of future posts that may enlighten those interested.
I have some new freeform pieces that I need to photograph, write descriptions & list so I can show them off to the world… so watch this space for those…
And then, of course, I must get back to all the UFO’s that litter every corner of my workspace – there’s a bunch of dyeing, beading, felting, among other things, that are clogging my mind & really do need to get done so I can stop thinking about them & get onto new stuff… definitely a goal worth persueing
My local crochet classes (held at my home) will continue & I’ll endeavour to come up with new patterns & ideas to keep it useful & practical &, above all, interesting – I’m really looking forward to all the ladies coming together again for more fun filled crochet …
So… I guess that’s about it for now – not too much on my plate for the moment & I should be able to get the year started & moving forward – I hope it’s a happy & successful 2011 for you all…
Thank you for your comments everyone – the images are scans from greeting cards I’ve collected over the years so I can’t take credit for those
I am very impressed with all that you do! Getting organised is such an important part of keeping on track. Your thoughts and ideas in this post were really useful. Thanks.
Are the images painted (by you?) in watercolour? The banksia especially would make a fabulous embroidered work.
Wonderful post, Ren! So upbeat and full of good cheer. And, thanks for plugging TAFA. I really enjoy interacting with you on our many venues and appreciate all of the effort you put in there. May we continue our new friendship in 2011!
I am just beginning to explore Freeform Crochet, with your work as my inspiration. No-one has heard of ‘scrumbling’ here on the Isle of Wight but I plan to change that! I’m teaching a very good friend to crochet and we encourage each other – I’d love to have a group such as yours to sustain my enthusiasm. I can align with the things you say about having so many ideas clogging your brain and your work area, needing to get on with them so that you can move on to new stuff. The first thing I think about when I wake up (as my morning coffee is brewing) is what can I work on today!