A Lightbulb Moment

As this year draws to a close I find myself thinking about next year and the things I want to accomplish.

I know I've mentioned that this may turn out to be the Year of the Scrap here in the Magpie's Nest. There's also the Bead Journal Project, and I will continue to build and donate quilts for children in need. Creating documentation for the quilts I've made, as well as those I've collected or inherited, has also been on my mind. To that end I ordered and downloaded a copy of the QuiltAlbum program, which I learned about from Julie. Yesterday I spent some time experimenting with the program and entering a few of my quilts. I'm not set up to print anything in color at the moment so I don't have any results to share. You can see what Julie produced here. My intention is to be able to provide documentation for every quilt in my possession so that when the time comes my children and grandchildren will know who made what and any history that goes with each quilt. Obviously this will be a long-term effort!

So my four main goals for 2010 are:

• to establish a system for collecting, sorting, storing, and using the scraps that are created while I'm working on a major project,
  
• use those scraps to create quilts for children in need,
  
• explore and expand my bead embroidery repertoire through participation in the BJP,
  
• and document my quilt collection.
  
  

Now about that lightbulb moment. When I was able to be in the world I worked at a variety of jobs. One of the blessings of this affliction is that I am home nearly every day, all day, and can use that time (as long as I feel well) to pursue my artistic endeavors. I've read that artists who wish to sustain themselves by making art need to establish regular hours and patterns of behavior so they don't end up frittering their time away. Easier said than done, but I have tried to follow that advice to the best of my abilities.

What I realized this morning was that when you enter a business as a new employee there are already policies and procedures in place that allow the business to run smoothly and efficiently. What you don't see as a new employee is the time that it took and the obstacles that had to be overcome before those policies and procedures could be established. Since I have been home full time I have often felt that I was floundering and unsuccessful in my efforts to be efficient and productive. Now I see that I have been trying to work without the benefit of previously established procedures. It's up to me to create those policies and procedures for myself. Ta daa!

This knowledge will make it easier for me to be patient and to keep making the effort to move forward. Creating a system for collecting, storing, and using my scraps will be the first step. Now I just have to do it!