Daily Art

Tonight was the Minnesota Contemporary Quilters meeting; our speaker was our own Mimi Holmes. And as I expected, she's humorous and she inspires me artistically. I didn't know that she's drawn a self portrait daily for years. Daily art. I feel that experiencing creativity every day is very enlightening. It let's things out of you, good and bad.
I feel like this blog has really helped me work on daily art. To get something done and post it on here is just one more benefit to finishing something. And then there's a record to show you all the little things you do add up to an accomplishment.
I enjoy 'copying' Mimi, she has art that speaks to me. She showed something tonight that I wanted to try but I can't remember what it is at the moment. It will come back to me.
One of her childhood crafts was making hotpads out of those square looms and the knit bands. She discovered that she could whip one of those babies out in 20 minutes so she sewed them together to make a hotpad quilt!
She also brought a very special wallhanging she made to anticipate representing her pain of losing her grandmother...it's something that came out of her very quickly, produced quickly, it's full of emotion, connection and she feels it's one of her best pieces. The feeling of the art pouring out of you is such a fabulous experience. It's all you and nothing else.
Some how I let too much get in the way of that. I'm sure many do the same...real life sets in. What is believed to be 'not necessary' gets pushed to the back burner and 'more important' things get done first. For me, simplifying is the secret. Not that it gets done like that every day, but making life as simple as I can gives me more time to do what makes me happy.
That and taking care of my anxieties, emotional problems, denials, etc.

I've finished repairing the top and back to the quilt from my Grandmother. Now I have to decide cotton batt or wool batt and put it together again. I've set it aside for a while. It can 'rest' until the cotton or wool answer appears more simple to me.

Simplifying my sewing room is a whole 'nother problem. It's packed. And some how I have to get the stuff in the living room into the sewing room because I'm having friends over for dinner on Thursday. I have managed to hem 5 pairs of pants, and I have 4 more to go. It's great...all of a sudden I feel like I have so many clothes! Wooo!
I guess daily art keeps the mending pile down too!