RE: #needleworkmonday | Birds on a Wire | Nigel Cheney | #maybeaminnow
Sooorrrryyyyyyyy, I read your post, resteemed it and answered in my head... Unexpectedly my thoughts did not appear in written form as a comment, I guess I have to work on my telepathic skills - a lot. 🤪
I am always amazed how active the craft/fiber art scene in the UK is, although I live in this super densely populated area, crafts - and especially crafts as art - are seldom found. The more I am interested in your reports and research in regard to Fiber arts.
While reading your post I (predictably) was intrigued by the military clothing and its story. While looking at these pictures, I again noticed how boring/ conforming my sewing and knitting mostly is.... but who knows, perhaps I will someday break out of my perhaps self made cage of conformity.
The other topic which touched me is the artist status. Is he really unemployed, poor? If yes, I hate this. Really. Intensely. So often it seems to me there is only room for art if it is sellable or the artist him/herself sellable. THere is less space for exploration, for art which is not easily put into a market space. I know there are rules in this capitalistic world which must be obeyed to become successful, but especially in the art sector, the selection process is strongly dependent on variables outside from skill or persistence.... Argh.... sorry I rant...
Back to your post: thank you for always showing me new artist, wonderful art and lovely yarn/fabric.
And thank you so much for supporting @mrscwin (so happy you are back <3) and @fiberfrau (I love your beautiful scarfs and dirndl, and highly appreciate your help) 💕💕
I know the problem - osmosis and telepathy let us down sometimes :)
I don't believe this artist is poor, he has retired after teaching for something like twenty years (as well as producing his own work), his mum is enjoying a little joke by saying that he is unemployed.
But I agree with you the difficulties of being an artist, especially if you are testing your creativity, and before you become established. I'm managing it by becoming an artist later in life, when I retire and have an income :)
Is your knitting boring? Your sewing definitely isn't, you're experimenting in many different ways - fabrics, colour, pattern, cutting etc.
In my knitting which, at the moment, is my preferred medium, I am learning skills, understanding how different materials work, their challenges, getting to grips with construction, so I can choose the effects I want. I found a beautiful book about construction and texture ... I may write about it next week.
I like how I've developed over the past year - I'm more focused on what interests me, rather than what other people might think or how something looks. Participating in #needleworkmonday has really increased my confidence. Although, I am constantly frustrated by having to attend to distractions :).
I looked up #madememay19 - good idea, I might do it another month, though :)