Doing The Work...

When I went to Columbus, Ohio to do a week long workshop with (my idol) Nancy Crow I left there with such a burning desire (yes, I just said that) ... to DO THE WORK.

Nancy makes here way around the 20 students and asks them if the want her to critique their work. Many students say no (and some who say yes end up in tears). When she brought her 4' self over to my 5'11" self I remember her looking and looking at what I had made so far - that was pinned up on the design wall in my station. She eventually remarked how I had completed the entire quilt top ahead of everyone in the class. That my eye and understanding of the lesson was impeccable ... she said the only difference between her work and mine was that I just needed to DO THE WORK.

I took that not only to heart, but to the deepest part of my soul. I came home and have been DOING THE WORK ever since. Not only with quilting and painting but also with the other 10 thousand things I have going on here in the studio.

I fell in love with book making and art journaling back in 2014, just before our trip to Australia. In the photo above, I started with the book on the floor on the left. It was an old Riplees Believe It or Not book. My friend Amber, had made some cards with different words on them, and being a good friend, I didn't want to just throw the cards into a box, I wanted to honour them and put them in a place where I could look back and them and (try) to figure out what the heck those cards were really all about. So, I pulled out bins of paint and started my collection of magazine images and went, literally, TO TOWN.

I still have that book, I don't work in it anymore but I do look at it occasionally to remember how far I have come...how much WORK I HAVE DONE ...

I know I have probably another good 30 or so years to hone my skills and I know I will be blessed with so many more lessons and skills gained. But I am happy with were I am at - 50 years old this year, it's the best so far.