I'm part of a wonderful Art Quilt yahoo group and many of them pick a word of inspiration around the beginning of the year as inspiration for the rest of the year. Last year my word was Schmutz a Yiddish word which means dirt or filth, but to me also means extra stuff - clutter in the house and studio, things hanging around that you don't love or use and also just too many embellishments on a quilt. Don't get me wrong... I like and use embellishments but sometimes more is not always better. You know what quilts I'm talking about, right? So last year my quilts were unadorned. Simple, essentially whole cloth quilts painted with acrylic paints. No applique or beads or ribbons. I also applied it to our house, trying to keep the decor simple and uncluttered. Still working on that.
This year I've decided my word is Will. I Will work hard, I Will put time into my art, I Will eat right, I Will exercise. And not in the Someday I Will sense of the word, but in a more present tense. So, um, maybe the word is Am. I Am working hard, etc... but then i'm probably overthinking the whole thing :)
The Will I am thinking of is some of the Planning Ahead Will, but also the will of Diligent Purposefulness.
Also, my dad (who passed away a few years ago) was named William. He went by Bill, or Wild Bill, or Sully even, not Will, but close enough :)
Apparently it's a week of inspirational quotes:
John Cage:
“When you start working,
Everybody is in your studio-
The past
Your friends
Enemies
The art world,
And above all, your own ideas-all are there.
But as you continue painting,
They start leaving,
One by one,
And you are left completely alone.
Then if you’re lucky, even you leave.”
I find this to be spot-on... do you have this experience when you are making art?
