Review of 2014 and looking ahead to 2015

I have a mixture of feelings about how 2014 was creatively for me so I thought I'd start by reviewing the targets I made for the year.

1.   Add regularly to my Folksy Shop - I suppose the definition of "regularly" is what is appropriate here!   I have added several times through the year but instead of a slow "drip feed" which was my intention, I tended to add in bulk.   I know this does not have the best effect of attracting customers but it was really a result of my lifestyle.

 2.   Set up an Etsy Shop - this didn't happen!   I spent a lot of time considering it but in the end I thought it was yet another thing that would take me away from the creating!

 3.   Submit my work to a local gallery for possible selling - this has been probably the most successful aspect of 2014.   I had an exhibition of my Rust collection at Green Tree Gallery, resulting in a sale of the largest piece which gave my confidence a big boost.  I also started selling smaller items in two shops near Chichester - Rose Green Art and Craft Gallery and Birdcage Barn Craft Emporium.  Both are going steadily, although a little slowly.  

 4.   Work in my sketchbooks at least 2 or 3 times each week - again not really achieved but I do use my sketchbook when I am working on a new piece of work.  Again it takes time away from the actual creating!

 5.    Post regularly on my blog - well I've posted 26 times through the year so an average of 2 a month is an achievement.  Unfortunately there were a few months when I didn't post anything.

 As I said before, my feelings about the year are mixed.   I am really pleased about selling my work in galleries and I hope this will continue and expand in 2015.

However, I spent much of the year making items to sell, particularly for a craft fair that was not successful, and the net result is I have not created the textile art that is my first love.    This is all the more significant when I think about the exhibition Thread and Shutter have booked for November 2015 and the fact that I have very little completed so far.

Some serious thinking has been done so my targets for 2015 are:

1.  Make smaller items alongside larger items - when making a quilt, prepare smaller similar pieces that can become smaller mounted textile art, postcards or cards.

2.  Use the smaller items to sale on Folksy and outlets currently used.  Also review all the pieces of textile art that I have and add them to the items for sale.

3.  Attend at least one workshop with an artist who inspires me.

4.  Meet with Thread and Shutter at least once a fortnight, as well as outings to exhibitions, shows etc.

5.  Continue with regular blog posts, at least two each month.

I'm excited about the coming year and have already begun to put some of these targets in place.  Organising an exhibition is always a good way of focussing the mind.  My problem is not letting myself getting side-tracked by other crafty things I see and want to try out!

Let's get going!

Resolutions

This year there will be no New Year Resolutions!   Instead I'm going to set myself some targets instead!   Probably no difference but somehow targets don't seem as pressurised!

So the targets:

1.   Add regularly to my Folksy Shop
2.   Set up an Etsy Shop
3.   Submit my work to a local gallery for possible selling
4.   Work in my sketchbooks at least 2 or 3 times each week
5.    Post regularly on my blog

I may well add to this as I go along.

Just have to see how it goes.

Recap on 2010 - looking forward to 2011

I had a conversation with my daughter Karen over Christmas about reflection. She's a nurse, doing a Masters at the moment and a big part of it is reflection. She was saying how much she has benefited from this, both professionally and personally. It reminded me of how reflection was something I always did when I was training to be a teacher and throughout my time teaching but that it was something I rarely did now. So, I decided to reflect on the creative year I have just had and use it to look forward to the coming year.

I feel both years are, or will be, significant years in my creative life so to start, I went back to the resolutions I made at the end of 2009 for 2010.

Attend courses/workshops/days to learn new techniques or just to get creative amongst like minded people.
Sadly no workshops attended but I did take an online course with Dale Rollerson which really freed up my creativity with my embellishing machine. Needle felting has now become one of the main techniques I use in my textile art and I am so pleased it has lead me back into embroidery. Although I didn't have personal contact through courses or workshops, I have forged a strong working relationship with my friend Jo who inspires me, boosts me up, keeps me going and I just hope it is a two way relationship and she gains from it too. We are both looking forward to our exhibition in November and are working non-stop as we speak.

Go through books already on my shelf and list the techniques and ideas that I want to try. Actually get round to doing things instead of just reading about them.
I did start the year by going through all the books and sticking Post-its on all the things I wanted to try out but as the needle felting took over, I have not tackled this in the way I planned. However, there have been the odd new techniques that I've seen in magazines that have slipped into my work and I have been inspired by several exhibitions I've been to this year which have had some influence on my work. No doubt if and when I find myself with nothing else to do, I can go back to this one.
Post on this blog regularly each week, even it it is just 'work in progress' or my inspiration for a current piece of work.
Well there were 33 posts last year so I didn't quite make the 'once a week' pledge. Sometimes, I just didn't want to leave the creating to write about it!
Enter work in exhibitions or contests.
Thank goodness for Greenstede Quilters and their exhibition! Really should have entered more exhibitions this year but I guess I can use the excuse I was busy making for my own in 2011. I have joined a new group this year - Context, which is the Region 2 Contemporary Quilt group. We already have our first challenge which will hopefully be exhibited at sometime in the future. I did enter one online contest on Quilting Gallery and did intend entering more but somehow just didn't get around to it.
Put aside time each week to get creative.
Well I have certainly done this! I find any time I spend away from my workroom is usually resented. Definitely need to continue with this one.

The past year has certainly been good for my creativity. I seem to have grown in confidence and self belief in my work and blogging has certainly been a part of this. Receiving comments from complete strangers is really wonderful and gives me a good feeling that someone out there in the big wide world has liked something I've made enough to go to the trouble to let me know. Thank you to everyone who has commented on. This year I must spend some time looking at other people's work and commenting so I can give back some of the good feelings I have got.

One of my friends told me recently that she can now recognise my work as it is becoming quite distinctive. This meant so much to me and was a real boost.

One more highlight of 2010 was the opening of my Folksy shop and the sale of two items. Not a great start, but still a start. I must concentrate on this more in the coming year and see how it goes.

So looking ahead to 2011.

Obviously my work for the exhibition in November will take a huge part of my time this year. On the way Jo and I intend to continue to meet regularly to discuss our work, go to exhibitions and have some "play time" too. This is a huge event for us both, even more so that it coincides with our 60th birthdays which we will both celebrate in November (on consecutive days!). The hope is that this will lead to other things but if we get to the end of it and survive, we will have achieved more than we ever expected.

I'm also excited about being a member of Context. It's a new group so it's still evolving but for me to be a member of a group of textile artists - some of which I know a really good! - I feel excited if a little over-awed. I just hope I can hold my own within the group.

I'm not going to set any resolutions for this year but I aim to continue to create on a regular basis and share my creations, ideas and inspirations along the way with the blogging community.

A Happy New Year to everyone out there!

Can't break the resolution

I've just realised that it's a week since my last post and I just can't break my resolution!

I went on Saturday to the Spring Quilt Show at Ardingly. I have to go every year as it's only just down the road and it would really be silly not to! Yet again it was very good with a good selection of quilts to see and plenty of traders to spend money at. I very stupidly forgot to take my camera which was a pity as there were one of two quilts that I particularly liked and would have definitely taken photos if I had remembered the camera. I was quite restrained on the buying - just a few silk fabrics and some dyed threads, and the yellow star buttons that I needed for Samuel hanging.

I've signed up to an online course with Dale Rollerson called 'Embellish Stitch and Enrich' which I hope is going to help me make fuller use of the embellisher machine I bought last year. I have spend this evening making a start on lesson one so hopefully in the next few days I will get some photos posted. So far I have created some lovely surfaces which are crying out for stitches so it's looking as though my embroidery roots will be coming to the surface again.

Watch this space......

New Years Resolutions

Over the last few years I have been pretty good at making and keeping some resolutions. The creation of this blog was one for this year so I thought that by going public on my resolutions for next year would help me achieve them. It will also help me to sort out in my own mind just what I want to achieve in the coming year. So here goes (in no particular order):

• Attend courses/workshops/days to learn new techniques or just to get creative amongst likeminded people.
• Go through books already on my shelf and list the techniques and ideas that I want to try. Actually get round to doing things instead of just reading about them.
• Post on this blog regularly each week, even it it is just 'work in progress' or my inspiration for a current piece of work.
• Enter work in exhibitions or contests.
• Put aside time each week to get creative.