I recently asked for advice from my Facebook community. I felt that I was in an artistic slump and asked, “How do you fight the blahs and get back to making art?” I received so many wonderful responses with incredibly helpful suggestions. And I was reminded many times to be gentle with myself.
Some of the helpful suggestions: wander through a museum, take a step back to recharge, do an unrelated art, dance, color, get a deadline, make a gift for a friend, learn something different, spend time outside, listen to an audiobook, start with something small, pick up a UFO (unfinished object).
I realized that part of my “slump” was project specific. I’m having quite the argument with myself about which fabrics to use as substitutions for silk. I have several uchiginu cut out ready to be stitched, but they’re out of linen, and I don’t know that I like the look…
The other part was feeling that I hadn’t accomplished enough this year, that I hadn’t done enough. A friend reminded me that I had completed major projects. Once I reflected a bit on the year, I realized she was absolutely right. Let’s take a look.
In January I completed my travelling outfit, and was named a finalist for Crown’s A&S Champs.
February saw a win in the Calontir Clothing Challenge and I was selected as Consort’s Champion of A&S.
In March I completed two lengths of kumihimo for my Laurel.
For April, I ran the Poetry Month Challenge.
May held both Bardic War and the Laurels’ Challenge and Display. I competed in Bardic War with original poetry (our team won both that war point and the war). That performance was entered into the Challenge and Display along with a write up of how I planned and executed the travelling outfit.
In June I completed the Tang inspired scroll.
In July I was inducted into the Order of the Maunche and the Sovereign’s Order of Excellence.
August was the first installment in the ongoing Meet the Artist Mondays project with the Sovereign’s A&S Champion.
In September I made an Elizabethan man’s shirt and taught 2 classes.
October saw the completion of my 1000 Tanka Project and I stepped up as Deputy A&S Officer and Largesse Coordinator for the Barony of Carolingia.
The 1000 Tanka project was entered into the Third Online Kingdom Display in November, and I also completed the annual Tanka Challenge issued by Saionji Shonagon. Rounding out the month of poetry, I was invited to speak with a Laurel and her Apprentice about tanka.
Would I have liked to have done more? Absolutely. But I did enough. And having reflected on the year, it ups and downs, I find myself ready to take on more and restart my work on various projects that I had put on hold.
