I recently exchanged emails with needle felting artist Marie Jones and when I commented that kits help me get over "artist block", she shared some great advice. She wrote:
"A wonderful artist told me to create something every day even when I don't feel
like doing it- nothing complicated, even if it's just a five minute doodle. It
is definitely a pressure free way of getting past the creative block."
Since she shared this with me, I have aimed to needle felt for at least 5 minutes every day even if it's just before going to bed. It's very helpful that I have a coo-coo clock in the studio so I have to enter the room twice a day to wind it! And so in the late evening I take at minimum five minutes to poke. Five minutes.The result? Instead of being an aside that I rarely get around to, now whatever I'm working on is always in my peripheral vision, it's not forgotten. It's exciting to see progress even in tiny increments and my fingers twitch to pick up and continue the work. The studio is an active place, not stagnant. In my mind, the lights are never turned off.
(Since then, I made this snowman! The core is cotton and polyfil, the "snow" is from Fibrecraft.)
To focus for even 5 minutes seems to wake up that part of the brain so it doesn't go dormant.
(I also made Arrow; he stands 5 1/2 inches tall and is my largest dog so far. Wired so he's poseable, he was a lot of fun to make! I wasn't concerned about his breeding, but I'd guess he's a German Shepherd mix.)
I invite you to give it a try. If it's something that's important to you, find the time. Start with 5 minutes.
Thank you, Marie!
(And if you haven't seen her work, check out https://mariejonesfibre.art/ !)
