BLOCKED

Well, I don’t really believe in artist’s/writer’s block, but it still happens to me sometimes. I’m working on a quilt that I didn’t finish for an auction last spring, and I’ve told myself I can’t work on anything else until I finish this quilt, so I’m not doing much of anything except cutting out fabrics and then throwing them into the scrap bins because they don’t work.

I don’t like the colors because I can’t decide on a color approach. Do I want them all to be in the same tone or do I want them to be mixed and a bit disorienting? Do I want to try for verisimilitude, or do I want to play with values?

When I know the person I’m making the quilt for I wonder if they’ll like it, so judgment enters the equation too early. Ughh.

Ten Reasons Why I Might Be Blocked

Too much time.
Too many doctors’ appointments.
Too many life changes.
Hate knowing how much somebody paid for my quilt.
Hate making a quilt for someone who has already paid.
Inauthentic life.
Older son home for longer than he was supposed to be.
New town.
Miss my old friends and my old life.
Fear of the future.

Things I Do to Avoid Quilting

Work on my new blog.
Clean the house.
Work on the yard.
Bake bread.
Cook.
Organize the studio.
Write letters to friends.
Stare into space.
Take a nap.
Walk the dogs.
Read.
Look at Craig’s List for garage doors and get distracted by other things.
Go shopping.

Ways I Might Move Beyond the Block

Make a different quilt.
Do some exploratory drawings for the series I’m planning.
Start the journals about the life changes I’m facing.
Make a daily schedule and stick to it.
Organize the studio (see six above).
Just start the quilt. It’s small enough that if I don’t like how it turns out I can make another.