It turns out I'm a terrible writer. I completed my art piece for thesis in a timely manner. It was concise, it was reflective, it was intriguing, and it was well crafted. The only hangup I had was in my writing form. Thankfully I had some super supportive advisers and a very supportive editing crew, including family and friends, and I managed to get through the thesis with minimal bumps and bruises. It took me a little longer than June, and I was a little embarrassed by that, but in the end I think it worked out for the best. I'm going to post my thesis in the right-hand margin for anyone that may be interested in reading.
What does all of this have to do with where I'm at now? It turns out that when I make art I personally have to research why things are made the way they are, and where they come from, and how to do it in the most homemade way possible. I'm intrigued by who did it first, where they may have learned the skill, and how that skill has progressed to how we interpret and use it today. I then take it one step further because I like to torture myself. I try to find ways to create using that skill but modifying it so that it works best for me and what I want to use it for. Because ultimately, I never want to use the skill I am learning for the craft it was invented for. I like the challenge, and I've never been able to work inside parameters very well. Just ask the Navy. This usually results in a certain level of tears and stress that makes my husband frustrated, because he doesn't like to see me overwork myself. It's something that we are learning to live with and work through together, and he's been very helpful in helping me try to be more precise about the things I want to make and do.
I'm a painter by training, but grad school has taught me that I'm a sculptor at heart. I love to make tangible objects, and have some form of use for said objects. I have also found that with my fibromyalgia and syringomyelia I can't use certain crafting materials that I used to use regularly. I've learned to make modifications, and I'm physically and mentally happy with the new direction my art is taking. I can get more done with less tears! This may seem to be getting long-winded and taking forever, but it's going to get really good I promise.
All of these revelations have led me to lean down my studio practice. I'm moving away from pottery completely and selling all of my equipment. I 've switched to a more body friendly sculpting material, polymer clay. I started experimenting with polymer clay while I was in grad school, but at the time I really wanted the effects of ceramic and glazes, and I really didn't have the time to learn all the necessary skills to work with polymer clay and get the effects I wanted. So now that grad school is over I'm working with polymer clay exclusively. I get to use all of the color theory I've learned over the years to develop colors and palettes not readily found in pre-mixed colored polymer clay. I've also found that my pottery skills translate entirely over to this new craft. It's less messy which means less cleanup, and I hate cleaning up, so it's a win-win.
I'm still using my woodworking skills, but now I'm using them to craft usable objects. I've developed a kick spindle that is small, transportable, and easy to use when my physical conditions overpower me. It's also easy for me to build, and I still get to use my woodworking skills without having to overwork myself. You can check out my spindle at my Etsy shop, because after creating one for myself I realized it is an object that could be used by others and there really isn't a very big market for them in the fiber arts. You can find kick spindles, and they are great, but they are really expensive, and I wanted to make something for people that can't afford a really expensive spinning wheel.
I'm also moving in the direction of fabric arts. I made a quilt for one of my thesis project flag boxes, and I found it to be a rewarding experience. So, I decided to find a way to continue quilting without having a huge insurmountable project in front of me. So that's why I make coffee cup corsets for my shop. It allows me to do some quilting and fabric matching without it being a giant blanket.
I had initially started the shop so that I could sell handspun hand dyed yarn, but I quickly found that the amount of time spent making the yarn was not worth what I could actually ask people to pay. So I still dye fiber, and I still spin, and I still knit amazing things, but now I do it just for myself and others. So there you have it, me, as a fiber artist.
