December 31, 2021
It is early…. 6:40 am to be exact. I am drinking the last few sips of my second cup of coffee and I am reflecting on the day… the year… the years….Today is the day to bring in the New Year and make plans for the future. New Years resolutions, diets, new planners, hanging the new calendar. Optimism and hope for a new beginning with plans to correct bad habits and live a better more productive life…..
I have thought a lot about the year 2022 and what hopes I have for this year moving forward. Most of my thoughts center around my creative process. What will I make this year? What new technique will I learn? What new craft will spark my interest? Last year I planned my entire year of knitting. I finished 3 of the projects and I have 2 sweaters half finished and a shawl almost complete (fingers crossed I finish it today!)
My plan for this year is to go on a diet… yes a physical diet.. that is a constant for me… but no.. this year I am making a conscious decision to go on a craft diet. I am making a pledge to myself not to purchase any craft or fiber arts supplies of any kind. I am leaving books out of the equation for the moment.
I have a basement and house filled with fabric, material, fiber, yarn, patterns, looms, needles, sewing machines… and the list goes on and on and on and on and on and oooooooonnnnnnnnn!
I am ready to begin a journey of cutting back and using the things I have in an attempt to be creative and explore my inner creative process. I watch podcasts and drift through magazines, pintrest and instagram feeds looking at all the creative projects. I tend to examine the supply list and run to the nearest craft store and make a carbon copy of that project bag or knitted garment. I am going to blame my lack of creativity on social media…. Of course… it could never be me… I was hog tied and forced against my will to purchase and recreate something.
I feel as if I have lost my creative energy. It is so easy to use social media as incentive to find the latest trend and recreate it. What has happened to me is I am more thrilled with the purchase than the process. I am no longer the one being the creative inspiration. Instead, I purchase and purchase then pack it up in a box and store it in the basement.
So this is the year of organization, declutter and use what you have at hand. I want to use my outrageous stash of creative supplies as an opportunity to become creative and live happily with the things I have around me. I am finding a real need to stop consuming. I want to use the abundance of wealth I have and look at my natural surroundings as a treasure chest of supplies that will set my creative juices flowing.
The year 2022 is a new beginning, a journey into a creative world of exploration. An opportunity to break the habit of spending for the thrill of the purchase. I want to live a more conscientious life style, one with intent, purpose and meaning. I want my passion for textiles and the fiber arts to have mystery and surprises as I focus inward and explore the unknown element of personal creativity.
The year 2022… The year of finding my creative signature.
blessings
🐝
